Overheating

As far as the oil, is it putting out blue exhaust? Have you checked the head gaskets? If this is a 2.5, it is a very common problem. As far as the overheating, make sure the cooling fans are working. Make sure the coolant is full. Check the thermostat to make sure it is working properly.

The blue smoke would have made me feel it was a proble with rings, valve guides. Since there is no blue smoke, that leads me to think head gasket on this vehicle. Is it the 2.5L? Have you noticed any oil leaks under it?

Let me know. If it is the 2.2L, then the head gasket is less likely. They would run forever.

I am so sorry. I was thinking subaru. As far as the honda, are the cooling fans coming on? The idea that the heater helps cool it leads me to believe the fans are not coming on. Have you noticed that it overheats while sitting traffic or does it do it while at highway speeds?

Sorry again to worry you like that. I answered a subaru question before yours that is doing a similar thing.

Check to make sure the cooling fan is turning on. If you think about it, while driving, air circulates through the radiator based on speed. When in traffic, the cooling fan has to draw the air through to cool the radiator. If it isn't turning on, it will overheat. Plus, since the heater helps it cool down, that tells me the cooling system is working properly.

Check that and let me know what you find.

If the engine is running hotter than it should, it could have an affect on oil consumption. With the engine cold, check to make sure oil isn't mixing with coolant or coolant with oil. As far as the AC, it will work even if the fan is bad. Double check to make sure.

What is the mileage of the vehicle?
What grade of engine oil are you using?
Is this automatic or manual transmission?
Do you have coolant losses issues?

With the age, the valve seals should already be worn pretty badly. The exhaust would not show a lot of blue smoke if the catalytic converter is still in good condition, unless the exhaust valve seals are badly worn.