Your 2000 Intrigue loses oil

Answer 1

Only worry about loss of more than one quart per 3000 miles. It's either leaking it or burning it. If it's leaking, you should be able to find it, either on the driveway, the side of the block, or other parts of the engine. Also possible: you might find it in the coolant. If there is no coolant contamination, no residue on the engine, and no drips, then it might be burning it. At this point, you might notice smoke from the tailpipe or crust on the spark plug electrodes. A shop can tell you if it's worn piston rings or some other problem. I've had some luck fixing burning oil by using one weight thicker (10W30 instead of 5W30), and some luck fixing leaks using Lucas products. Of course, the proper repair however is to replace whatever seal is leaking. Yes, as they (3.5L) get older they will begin using oil at the rate of about 1 qt per 2000 miles or so. If it gets to more than 1 qt per 1000 miles you may need a ring/valve job. I put a pint of STP in mine to slow the oil use down.