Can less oil lead to faster oil loss?

[tooshfty]

Hey all, I was just wondering if my car being low on oil could be a contributing factor to my oil loss. someone correct me if I'm wrong, but having less oil would mean it would heat up faster, and typically when you have less of any fluid it burns faster? So i was at about half my tank of oil, would it make sense that my car is using slightly more than it would normally with a full tank?

[Saii]

If it's within safety limits then no it will only get dirty faster...same contaminants going into less oil. Now if your oil is low enough to where your not oiling your motor correctly and its temp go's above normal then yes you will use more.

If your motor has a lot of age and you are burning oil it is safe to say thicken your oil...it will be harder for thicker oil to get past worn rings and seals...jest stay within factory recommendations...example if your using 5w30 you can go 10w30...the increased tolerance in the bearings from age would allow the thicker oil.

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[boarder2k7]

someone correct me if I'm wrong, but having less oil would mean it would heat up faster, and typically when you have less of any fluid it burns faster?

No, that's not how it works. Yes it will warm slightly faster, but not enough to make any difference. The only way it goes away faster is by percentage, but not absolute volume/time. As saii said though, if you were actually overheating to scorching temps then maybe...

If your motor has a lot of age and you are burning oil it is safe to say thicken your oil...it will be harder for thicker oil to get past worn rings and seals...jest stay within factory recommendations...example if your using 5w30 you can go 10w30...the increased tolerance in the bearings from age would allow the thicker oil.

10w30 isn't thicker than 5w30 at operational temperature and thus will make no difference. Switching to a 5w40 or even a 0w40 is thicker at operating temps.

OP- you need to figure out where the oil is going and fix that. Valve cover gasket, PCV, front and rear mainseals, and valve seals are all possible points of loss.

[BimmerBreaker]

10w30 isn't thicker than 5w30 at operational temperature and thus will make no difference. Switching to a 5w40 or even a 0w40 is thicker at operating temps.

Correct, the w actually stands for "winter" denoting that the first number is the viscosity when cold. This information is not as widespread as it probably should be....