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oil consumption problem (geting worse

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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 06:56 PM
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Default oil consumption problem (geting worse

I went to Lapeer Dragway today to see what my car would do with my new
PT4000. I was about to pull on to the track but my low oil light came on so I had to go and get some oil before I made any passes. Here's the thig, I only drove 150 miles since I last changed my oil so my car is consuming more oil than normal. I put in a little over a quart. I know I need to do the PCV mod but can I use a mix of 5W30 and 10W30 to slow down my oil burning problem? What are you guy's using to help with this prob? Thank's in advance

Frank
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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 07:03 PM
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
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If you're using 1-2 quarts in 150 miles that's a lot of consumption. Why mix the two, just go to a 10W30. That's what I use. Not sure it'll help you that much though, that's a lot of oil use. I use about 1/2 quart for every 500-1000 miles depending on how I drive it with my current setup. Even with my catch can I'm still getting some oil in my intake through the PCV lines.....
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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 07:12 PM
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Originally Posted by RPM WS6
If you're using 1-2 quarts in 150 miles that's a lot of consumption. Why mix the two, just go to a 10W30. That's what I use. Not sure it'll help you that much though, that's a lot of oil use. I use about 1/2 quart for every 500-1000 miles depending on how I drive it with my current setup. Even with my catch can I'm still getting some oil in my intake through the PCV lines.....
Cool
Now that I think about it I have a little over 300 miles on it since last my last change but not 500. I have been geting on my car everywhere I go and at every stop light since I got the PT4000 I cant help it. This is strang but that's how it goes with me after a part is installed. I can never win. Anyone else think 10W30 is a good choice ?
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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 07:27 PM
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Something definately not right here.?
I probably burn half a quart between oil changes ( 6K miles) and i have 134K on the clock.
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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 07:28 PM
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
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I have recently been doing a lot of tuning and such, and after about 40-50 WOT runs for tuning logs I used about a 1/2 quart during that ~500 mile period. Then, shortly after I drove an easy (maybe one WOT run) 200 miles for some fuel trim relearn and used no oil at all, so I definitaly see more useage when there is a lot of WOT activity as well.

I am using Valvoline SynPower 10W30 oil.
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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 07:31 PM
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From: Schiller Park, ILL Member: #317
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Originally Posted by PewterY2KZ28
Something definately not right here.?
I probably burn half a quart between oil changes ( 6K miles) and i have 134K on the clock.
A half quart every 6K is great, you are lucky

I've had two LS1s and they both used about 1/2 quart every 500-1000 miles.

My L36 V6 Bonneville uses about a 1/2 quart every 1000 miles too.
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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 07:33 PM
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My car uses alot of oil also. 1 to 2 qts every 100-200 miles. I am getting a new engine though so I hope to be rid of the problem.
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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 07:53 PM
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Originally Posted by WFC
Cool
Now that I think about it I have a little over 300 miles on it since last my last change but not 500. I have been geting on my car everywhere I go and at every stop light since I got the PT4000 I cant help it. This is strang but that's how it goes with me after a part is installed. I can never win. Anyone else think 10W30 is a good choice ?
GM thinks it's a good idea...their LS1 crate engine installation manual specifies 10W-30 synthetic oil. Amazing what mfgs thing when CAFE standards don't apply.
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Old Mar 27, 2004 | 07:53 PM
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My 02 must be weird, 3K with track runs/ plenty of WOT runs it MIGHT use 1/2 qt of Mobil 0w40 Syn. I do use a Metco breather and I have just under 21K total, but my car just doesn't use oil. The range of consumption seems to be all over the place for these cars.
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Old Mar 28, 2004 | 02:21 AM
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I have a 98 TA with 80k i always drive it hard and it uses about a quart a week (300mi.) Cant wait for the new motor!!
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Old Mar 28, 2004 | 05:29 AM
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My engine definitely consumes more oil the harder I drive it. Unfortunately I have been driving it hard all the time! I'd say I average about 1 quart per 1k miles.

Tommy
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Old Mar 28, 2004 | 05:38 AM
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Originally Posted by WFC
Cool
Now that I think about it I have a little over 300 miles on it since last my last change but not 500. I have been geting on my car everywhere I go and at every stop light since I got the PT4000 I cant help it. This is strang but that's how it goes with me after a part is installed. I can never win. Anyone else think 10W30 is a good choice ?
I would switch to a thicker oil, I switched to mobil 0w40 and i have noticed less consumption and higher oil pressure
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Old Mar 29, 2004 | 07:39 PM
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Thank's everyone. my internet has been down so I just now read your replys to this thread. I will use 10W30 Royal Purple my next oil change and hopefully it will help. It's werd cause I didn't have this prob last year but I wasnt as hard on my car like I am now with the Higher stall. I just hope it's not Piston ring related and caused mostly to PCV.I just turned 19,000 miles on the clock today and would hate to replace the rings already. I took my TB off the other night to inlarge the hole to lower mt IAC step's and I did notice a good amount of oil there. How could GM engineer something like this and deem it ok for production ?
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Old Mar 30, 2004 | 06:44 AM
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Time for some rings as mine is doing it also. At the end of this season I plan on a 383 stroker upgrade. Hopefully that should fix it.
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Old Mar 30, 2004 | 04:58 PM
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WFC, here's my take on it. I've been doing a very basic oil consumption analysis on my car since my last oil change which was back on 10/13 at 18036 miles. Basic isn't the word for it, more like crude analysis. There's no science involved, just my eyes looking at the dipstick and me adding up how much oil I actually add every 1000 miles to get the oil up to the top of the XXXX on the dipstick. I'm using Mobil1 10W-30 and AC Delco long filter. From what I've been able to gather so far is that the car eats roughly 1qt/1000 miles. I haven't been driving that hard, but I get my spurts here and there. I spoke to Patman (he knows his sh*t about oil) and he suggested a possible switch to a 10W-40 (which Mobil1 doesn't make) or even 0W-40 (like DestroyerSS posted above) and probably a better filter (just for the sake of better filtering). So on my next oil change which will be in about 1500 miles, I'm switching to 0W-40 and a Wix filter and I'm going to do the "test" all over again and see what comes up.

PS-I believe the PCV mod (I have an air compressor filter mod but am switching to a catch can next oil change) will not decrease oil consumption. It will keep oil out of the intake manifold and combustion chambers though.
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Old Mar 30, 2004 | 05:02 PM
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My car sipped oil stock internals.. it now drinks it with the H/C!

Doesn't it have less vacuum with a cam?
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Old Mar 30, 2004 | 05:15 PM
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PCV systems on our cars are not great.

Always top up or check your oil before racing.

I run a breather right now, but I've run a lot of different setups.
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Old Mar 30, 2004 | 05:59 PM
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They all use oil, some more than others, GM had a recall for it to replace the piston rings, but will only do it on a case by case basis, meaning a oil consumption analysis must be done that shows consistant oil usage figures. It took me almost a year before they finally decided to fix it, but once they did I traded the vehicle.
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Old Apr 1, 2004 | 09:24 PM
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Originally Posted by WILWAXU
My car sipped oil stock internals.. it now drinks it with the H/C!

Doesn't it have less vacuum with a cam?

Yeh same thing with me after my H/C went in , but it's gotten worse after TC (thats prob from my right foot my steering column needs tightening ).

Sniper33
Good Info. Please post when you see how your engine uses 10w40.
I put my trip at 0 and Im checking my oil every other day to see approx how much oil Im using per miles driven.
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Old Apr 1, 2004 | 09:54 PM
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Originally Posted by WFC
I went to Lapeer Dragway today to see what my car would do with my new
PT4000. I was about to pull on to the track but my low oil light came on so I had to go and get some oil before I made any passes. Here's the thig, I only drove 150 miles since I last changed my oil so my car is consuming more oil than normal. I put in a little over a quart. I know I need to do the PCV mod but can I use a mix of 5W30 and 10W30 to slow down my oil burning problem? What are you guy's using to help with this prob? Thank's in advance

Frank

I'm going to say "Welcome to the wonderful world of the 2001 LS1 and its low tention rings" (POS) ......

My car started out (0 miles) burning about a quart every 3000miles. I did my head cam install a year ago (at 30K miles) and the oil consumtion increased to about a quart every 1500-2000 miles (H/C/headers changes the entire dynamics of the cylinders and increased oil consumption). By 40K, it was up to a quart every 500 miles. At 49K, I was burning a quart every 200-300 miles (smoking BAD at idle) and I finally said "F*CK THIS" and did a new engine. When I opened it up, EVERY cylinder had oily soot/carbon in the chamber. On close inspection, the cylinder walls still had the crosshatch (no wear), the pistons were brand new (no cracks), and the valve seals were 100% good (no a drop of oil in the intake ports......the exhaust ports were full of oil from burning in the chambers). Cause, RINGS......the low tention rings coupled with the out of round bore that results from the factory NOT using a torque plate couldn't survive.

As others have said, GM had a "bandaid fix" where they would rehone (with a brush) the cylinders and install tighter rings to "solve the problem." In reality it just got people through there warrenty and then left them in the same place as before (the rings would eventually give out again).

If you really want to fix the problem, take the engine out, bore/hone it 0.005" and put good pistons/rings in.

Last edited by 2001CamaroGuy; Apr 1, 2004 at 10:02 PM.
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