How Long will engine last with Low Compression in all cylinders if oil kept full

[kindraps]

Hi there. My '97 2.5 GT is burning oil, about a quart every 500 miles, so I recently asked my mechanic for a compression test. All four cylinders have loss of compression, 30-50% of normal - with the difference between each cylinder being between 5-20psi. The spark plugs also show signs of burning oil on the electrodes.

 

This car has 244K on it. I would love to postpone the purchase of a new car and drive this old, beloved Legacy until it dies completely. It drives fine for me in its current condition. It has had the heads serviced not that long ago, timing belt replaced, suspension is good. Except for the fact that I have to add oil, I have no complaints. Since I added an oil stabilizer to thicken the oil, I no longer notice much smoke or smell and I suspect I'll be adding less oil. I'm in a temperate climate and I don't have to submit to emissions checks.

 

However, the car needs some safety work, such as brake pads, rotors, tires. I'm trying to decide how much longer it will reasonably run like this, so I can amortize the cost of those repairs. If I can get another 60K out of it, I'm all for it. But if it's only going to be running another 6 months, I'm not putting any more money into it.

 

If anyone has any experience driving a vehicle with low compression (keeping the oil topped off, of course) I'd love to hear it. How much longer would you guess this engine has? Thanks, in advance!!

[Master]

I know this is a month old post, but...

 

It's a diceroll, it could go to 300k as is or it could eat a ring tomorrow and die a very painful death. And anything between.

 

Good news is a good 2.5 shortblock wouldn't run you that much money, if you did all the work yourself you could probably be in it less than ~500 with shortblock, new gaskets, timing belt, etc. If it's a clean shell and manual I'd consider it reasonable to repair. If it's auto, run it until it blows and junk it. You don't want to deal with that bull. I'm never touching a 4eat car again they absolutely BLOW to work on.