LSWON_WS6

Well the title says it all- Im in the market for a Z06 and have been looking at two 2001 Z06's and a 2002 Z06. Overall, Im just wondering if anyone here has an 01 Z that has an oil problem- I like to hear what you have to say. Thanks guys-

BlownVette 2001

iTrader: (2)

Lots of guys have had oil consumption problems with late 2000 and 2001 LS motors.

It really is the luck of the draw or an honest seller that tells you the truth. Basically, the motor would need to be re-ringed if it consumed a lot of oil.

Lots of info on the subject over on corvetteforum.com

02*C5

iTrader: (1)

You will go through oil all LSx engines do stock trim between a 1/4 to a 1/2 depending on hard you beat on her. I have 103K with a 150 shot I can go through 1/2 to 1 quart in between depending on how hard I bbeat on her or how many shots I run that month. She doesn't smoke at all in idle or other wise. Also look at your valve cover seals I have to change mine and I am sure that I am going to cut down on oil consumption as soon as I change those.

BlownVette 2001

iTrader: (2)

^ You have a 2002, the 2001's had problems from the factory due to GM trying meet fuel requirements and using lighter pressure rings that flutter at high rpms.

As for oil usage most of that is in the intake, a good breather system helps but you will still use some oil.

LSWON_WS6

Thanks for the input

Steve01SS

iTrader: (43)

I had an 01Z. It burnt just a lil bit between oil changes. Not bad enough to do anything about it. And yes a good breather setup without a PCV will help suck less through the intake.

~JOSHUA

iTrader: (92)

Lots to read inthe C5Zo6 section on corvetteforum if you search.

In reality, ALL ls1/ls6 engines burn oil. The Zo6 got bad press but mine is no worse than my '02 Firehawk eventhough the Z stays wound up.

Think about this for a second.... if there truly was an issue, it would've been handled under warranty long ago. I haven't heard of a single excessive '01 oil complaint thread on the 'Vette forum due to rings. The oil catch can threads are full of '03-'04 owners (maybe due to production volume of so many late cars) praising how much oil the cans catch due to the PVC system. That's the real enemy of LSx engines, the lack of a good factory PVC setup.

By the way, I would NEVER buy a late '03-ALL'04 due to the fuel tank change which has cracks in the crossover tube.... It's an expensive fault that affects all C5s (years stated). If my car was wrecked, I would only buy another '01-early'03. The vin number of the change is on the forum in the general section. The fuel tank thread is huge now and it's worse than all the '02+ valve spring failures.

See, '01s aren't that bad afterall.

SCM_Crash

iTrader: (2)

My 02 consumed, my 03 does not.

01s were a 50/50 chance pretty much. I would just buy an 02+ anyway. The 02+ Z06s had a LOT of upgrades over the 01.

camaroracer91

iTrader: (5)

my 01 z06 burns about a quart per oil change

NoTractionLS1

This is in the sticky's. But mine dose not burn any oil! But if this is an issue yu can run up to 7.5 quarts with no issues in our cars. GM even recommends this when doing track racing!

SStheBest

iTrader: (2)

ive had an 01 Z for 3 years and in those 3 years i add 1 quart in between my changes. Truthfully if i drove her softer, i wouldnt even need to do that. Me personally, believe that this issue was blown outta proportion. I love my 01. There is a sticky on differences from 01Z-02Z. The main power comes from the slightly bigger cam in the 02. However i have been told time and time again there isnt a difference between the 2 below 3500rpms(lol like you spend that time down there often anyway, but had i to say it). Once mods come into play they become the same car. (minus the emblem and HUD)

Silver408z

iTrader: (1)

This is good. My 01z doesnt burn anymore oil than my 00ss did. If you are going to mod the car then the things that made the 02-04's better is meaningless. Exhaust and cam were the changes that added power. Once you take modding into consideration the only advantage the later cars have is the sodium exhaust valves. I didnt know this stuff when I bought my car but it still wouldnt keep me from buying my car. Oh and I bought my car 6 years ago now.

Keith Tedford

What do you guys consider bad oil mileage? My old 427 L72 engine never got better than 800 miles per quart at its very best. The cylinder bores still looked like new at close to 200K miles and the pistons slid right out of the bores without the remotest need for ridge reaming. We're looking to buy a newer Corvette, just can't make up our minds on which to buy. We just want to avoid as many pitfalls as possible.

WhiteKnight '01

I know I don't have the LS6. But it is very closely related with the LS1. And the LS1 in general would burn oil, you'd be low by around 2,000 sometimes. I imagine some LS6's have the same problem.

brianw401

iTrader: (4)

My early production 02' Z06 used quite a bit of oil before I installed the revised valley plate & a catch can. I also went with a 10w40 oil instead of 5w30. The problem is about 1/2 of what it was. Most of the oil problems with the Z06's have been with the 01' & early production 02's. The earleir LS engines have a problem with ring flutter so GM did a service bullitin on them to replace the piston rings due to the oil scraper ring being too light. GM changed the weight of the oil scraper rings in mid year 2002. I know quite a few people who have had their engines rebuilt for free. One even had it done before he had 5,000 miles on the car! Oil consumption has definately been an issue with these cars, but that usually means the engine is a little loose, & loose is fast! Good luck with your purchase. You will be a cam & headers away from over 400whp in a 3,000lb car. You will loooove it!

meine96ws6

iTrader: (4)

Its all in how you drive it, mine barely does...w

SCM_Crash

iTrader: (2)

My 02Z had the same oil consumption issues as the 01Zs. Burned about a quart every 1000 miles. My 03Z doesn't burn any oil as far as I can see. It collects a bit in the catch can, but far less than I've seen with other C5Zs; especially since I roll the throttle a lot and hit 6000+RPM a few times every time I drive.

breze84

No problem here, Everyone gets all spooked about 01's burning oil but it was only with the very very early production models produced in the summer of 2000 and even then it was hit or miss... My build date is 04/01 which is a later production model and I havent had a problem with it and i am at 25K miles... What happend with some is the rings would flutter with constant abuse above 4K RPMs... But more so the reason was the PCV system with the 01's LS6 Valley plate which allowed oil to blow bye into the intake, Some people who had oil consumption problems changed out there Valley plate with a later model valley plate and claimed it fixed the problem, Also tossing in a oil catch can is a good idea... But like others said all LSX motors eat some oil it all depends on how hard you drive your car... dont be worried about it and just enjoy the car


EDIT: Just realized someone bumped a almost 2 year old thread hahaha