Hello! First post to the Ranger forums. I have a 2000 Mazda 2300 with the 2.3 DOHC I-4, and it is buring 2 qts of oil every hour on the highway. It seems to be very light under acceleration, but smokes like a banshee going from decel to accel. I've done a compression test wet and dry, with 220 and 180 PSI being the result. I've pulled the intake manifold and the valve cover off, and haven't found any issues except for the number 2-3 cylinder gasket was leaking oil into the top of the plugs. Number 1 & 4 cyclinders were dry (no oil). Could this account for the high oil consumption?

Next step, do I replace the valve stem seals?

Else, could I have bad oil control rings?

Any, and all help is appreciated!!

 

sounds like you have a cracked cylinder head

there are aftermarket cylinder heads available