I am losing about 1/2 pint coolant every 1000 miles. the vehicle does not ovrheat at all.

If you are losing coolant then you have either an external or internal leak.
If you can find no indication of an external leak from the radiator, the radiator overflow tank, any of the hoses on the system or around the water pump fitting then you may well have an internal leak. Check the radiator overflow tank carefully and the hoses to it for any signs of external leakage.

An internal leak of coolant can be via a failed cylinder head gasket or a crack in the cylinder head or both. Coolant can then leak under pressure into the cylinders or into the engine's lubrication system and will then mix with the oil. Check the condition and colour of your oil for evidence of coolant contamination. Check your exhaust for a constant flow of white exhaust emissions which is evidence of coolant entering the combustion chamber.

If you have run the vehicle with the engine overheating this will generally cause failure of the cylinder head gasket and possibly a crack in the cylinder head.

Hi Dougles

The short answer on this is that almost any 9 year old vehicle burns oil. That said, it's generally the miles more than the years that lead to that. Wear on the cylinder walls and piston rings can lead to oil burning. Leaks can lose you oil, but you'll likely then notice oil puddles where you park. A more worrisome possibility would be if you're also losing coolant, as that could mean your head gasket is circling the grave. White smoke, bubbly or burst radiator hoses, or constantly needing to top off coolant could be a warning sign there.

On a vehicle of this pedigree, part of the question on burning oil is whether the car still runs ok, and how much it's costing you in extra oil. if you're burning an extra quart a month, you can dump a lot of years' worth of oil in before it'll come anywhere close to getting the valves, head, and pistons all redone. A lot of years.

Hoping this helps!
D

If your 100% that nothing is leaking externally, then you might have a blown head gasket.

Have you pressure-tested the cooling system? Has the engine been overheated? If there are no signs of external leaks, you may have an internal leak. You may have a cracked cylinder head or a blown head gasket. Check the engine oil on the dipstick- is it pure oil or does it have bubbles of moisture on it? Does it smell like coolant? The ticking may be a result of little lubrication of the engine oil due to the presence of coolant. It would also cause your power issue.

If you are sure it has no leaks and this has been verified with a pressure test being done by a shop then you may have a leaking engine cylinder head gasket. I would suggest that you get under the car and look for white powdery deposits that are left by coolant leaks, also have the system pressure tested, this requires a special tool.

If you have no visible signs of oil leaking out of the engine then the oil is being burnt. By visible leaking I mean a small puddle of oil under the car after having been left overnight. This can be cured by replacing shaft seals and gaskets. Burning oil is visible as smoke under deceleration (no throttle) and under full power(flooring it). This is due to worn/old valve stem seals(smoke under deceleration) and worn oil rings(smoke under acceleration) This can only be cured by a major engine overhaul or engine replacement. Bear in mind that losing a pint of oil in 1000 miles is acceptable.

Stop at rad shop & have then add dye to your coolant, then check exhaust with black light for signs. I believe intake gaskets were problematic on those too. You may want to check a dealer for any TSB's. Either way, dye test will give you an idea if it's going out the tailpipe.

Look the engine over and see if you can find any external leaks, change the thermostat and make sure that fan(s) are operating.
Check the oil for water...loosing that much, it has to show up somewhere. Blown headgasket usually puts oil in coolant or coolant in oil, causes an external leak from between head and block or goes out through the tailpipe as steam.
look carefully and you will find your problem!!

i think its going to be the head gasket duto the way its leaking coolant. one of the water jackets maybe i would have it checked to be sure but it sounds like head gasket

If your oil is white looking on the dip stick, you will have serious damage inside the engine.