1997 honda civic burning oil and low idle problems?

[Steve]

you could do a compression test to see how much compression is in the cylinders could be the rings or valves

 

[Sam]

my car has been burning about 2 quarts of oil between regular 3000 mile oil changes. it also idles so low its hard to tell if its even on. there is black residue at the end of the tailpipe and it does smoke when i rev it up high i just dont really know what the problem is. any advise is appreciated...no jackasses

 

[Bethany]

There could be a problem with the engine, i would have it checked out by a mechanic asap.

 

[qb89dragon]

Do a wet/dry compression test. If the dry test is low on one cylinder, and the wet is ok, you may have bad piston rings (expensive). If the dry test is low and the wet is low, you may have bad valve stem seals (5/10 difficulty if you have some tools and a shop manual), if you are low between two cylinders, or see discolored residue on one of your spark plugs, you may have a bad head gasket (7/10 difficulty on a home-job).
If you are unsure about which, get a mechanic, or mechanically inclined friend to advise you. In hondas, it is often cheaper to get a new motor second hand unless you can do the work yourself.