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Burning Oil?

11K views 7 replies 5 participants last post by  chasmanz28 
#1 ·
Hey All,

As some of you may know, my parents recently purchase a white 2006 9-7x and they love it. It has about 60k miles on it and it drives/runs great.

On to the issue:
A few months back (April/May, I believe), the oil pressure light came on. We took the car to autozone and checked the light. The code said that the oil pressure sensor was going bad and needed to be replaced. They cleared the code and off we went. That following week my father contacted the dealer they purchased it from and setup an appointment to have them look at it. He brought it in and they said that the oil was pretty low and they chalked it up to one of their staff not putting enough oil when they changed the oil :nono;. So they changed the oil and ever since we have been watching the levels and each time it is brought in it is low on oil. We have discussed it with the service manager and they keep saying that it is normal for these trucks to burn oil... I don't remember off the top of my head, but they said something like over a quart of oil between oil changes is no big deal.

My concern:
I don't believe for one second that the vehicle SHOULD be burning oil like they suggest. I have read another thread on here about how this happened to someone else (they were told it is normal) and then they fried their engine.

What I need:
Can you guys confirm or deny these allocations and tell me what we need to do about the situation?

Thanks in advance,
Shane
 
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#2 · (Edited)
Hey All,

As some of you may know, my parents recently purchase a white 2006 9-7x and they love it. It has about 60k miles on it and it drives/runs great.

On to the issue:
A few months back (April/May, I believe), the oil pressure light came on. We took the car to autozone and checked the light. The code said that the oil pressure sensor was going bad and needed to be replaced. They cleared the code and off we went. That following week my father contacted the dealer they purchased it from and setup an appointment to have them look at it. He brought it in and they said that the oil was pretty low and they chalked it up to one of their staff not putting enough oil when they changed the oil :nono;. So they changed the oil and ever since we have been watching the levels and each time it is brought in it is low on oil. We have discussed it with the service manager and they keep saying that it is normal for these trucks to burn oil... I don't remember off the top of my head, but they said something like over a quart of oil between oil changes is no big deal.

My concern:
I don't believe for one second that the vehicle SHOULD be burning oil like they suggest. I have read another thread on here about how this happened to someone else (they were told it is normal) and then they fried their engine.

What I need:
Can you guys confirm or deny these allocations and tell me what we need to do about the situation?

Thanks in advance,
Shane
Read this thread under dwright406>http://forums.trailvoy.com/showthread.php?t=50695&page=3 if you read toward the bottom there saying 1 quart low per 2000 miles is normal, im going through 1 quart every 3000 miles or so with my Saab, i just changed the valve cover on the driver side hope that helps a little, the baffles were dirty. Or what you can do is pull off your air intake and check to see how your throttle body looks on the inside, if its oiled up then the oil is burning that way. Also just do a search over at trailvoy site and punch in ''burning oil'', theres lot of helpful topics to choose from, but that post by dwright406 was the must helpful for me on where to start.
 
#3 ·
This is common with the 5.3 and Active Fuel Management -

My 2006 9-7x 5.3i was "burning" oil at the rate you are experiencing however, about .5 qt in 5K oil changes, with the driver side cylinder bank vavle cover and PVC replacement about 15K miles ago. I used to get cylinder 1 misfire every 12K miles after 40K miles - it was oil/carbon build up from the active fuel management.

The problem is the Active Fuel management and this is widely known problem with the 5.3L V8.
 
#5 ·


There is a TSB in regards to this issuse. The 5.3 Oil consumption is normal and the fix is an AFM Baffle. Where the baffle goes I'm not sure. I just replaced my engine due to a failed Oil Sensor Switch that never indicated low oil pressure. Spun the rod bearing, scored the crank, cam and lifters and damaged the rod. $2,800 to repair the engine or $4k for a factory new, updated long block w/100k mile warranty. That was a no brainer. Since replacing the engine and picking up my 9-7x on July 3rd I have put almost 4,000 miles on it with no oil consumption.

There is a baffle / plenum that goes in the oil pan that stops the oil consumption. Here is the oil pan without the baffle (I can't find a pic WITH it tho.. I don't know where I saw it before.)


HTML:
#10-06-01-008A: Engine Oil Consumption on Aluminum Block Engines with Active Fuel Management (AFM) ( Install AFM Oil Deflector and Clean Carbon from Cylinder) - (Sep 28, 2010) 
 
Subject:
Engine Oil Consumption on Aluminum Block Engines with Active Fuel Management (AFM) (Install AFM Oil Deflector and Clean Carbon from Cylinder)
Models:
2007-2008 Cadillac Escalade, Escalade ESV, Escalade EXT
2007-2008 Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado 1500, Suburban, Tahoe
2007-2008 GMC Sierra 1500, Sierra Denali, Yukon, Yukon XL, Yukon Denali, Yukon Denali XL 
2008 Pontiac G8 GT 
Equipped with Aluminum Block V8 Engine with Active Fuel Management (AFM) (RPOs LC9, LH6, L76, LFA, L92)
with Greater than 45,000 km (28,000 mi)
 
 
This bulletin is being revised to update the Condition/Cause/Correction sections, add 4WD labor time and add information about replacement of spark plugs if necessary. Please discard Corporate Bulletin Number 10-06-01-008 (Section 06 - Engine/Propulsion System). 
 
Condition
 
Some customers may comment about engine oil consumption of vehicles with higher mileage (approximately 48,000 to 64,000 km (30,000 to 40,000 mi). Verify that the induction system is assembled correctly and that there is no evidence that the engine has been ingesting dirty air due to a mis-assembled induction system. Also verify that the PCV system is functioning properly. If diagnostic procedures indicate that oil consumption is piston/piston ring related, verify that oil consumption is less than 3,000 km (2,000 mi) per liter/quart. If these conditions are met and oil consumption is less than 3,000 km (2,000 mi) per liter/quart, perform the service indicated in this bulletin.
Cause
 
This condition may be caused by oil spray that is discharged from the AFM pressure relief valve within the crankcase. Under most driving conditions and drive cycles, the discharged oil does not cause a problem. Under certain drive cycles (extended high engine speed operation), in combination with parts at the high end of their tolerance specification, the oil spray quantity may be more than usual, resulting in excessive deposit formation in the piston ring grooves, causing increased oil consumption.
Correction
 
To correct this condition, perform the piston cleaning procedure as described in this document, and install a shield over the AFM pressure relief valve per the procedure outlined in this document. Monitor oil consumption after this repair to ensure oil consumption has improved to acceptable levels. If this repair does not correct the condition, it may be necessary to replace the piston assemblies (piston and rings) with new parts.
Important: It is critical in this cleaning process that the engine/fuel injector cleaner remain in the cylinders for a minimum of 2.5 hours to fully clean the components. The cleaner solution must be removed before a maximum of three hours. 
Verify the oil consumption concern following Corporate Bulletin Number 01-06-01-011F. If oil consumption is found, continue on with this bulletin. 
Remove the spark plugs and ensure that none of the pistons are at top dead center (TDC). 
Clean the pistons by putting 118-147 ml (4-5 oz) of Upper Engine and Fuel Injector Cleaner, GM P/N 88861802 (in Canada, use 88861804), in each cylinder. Allow the material to soak for at least 2.5-3.0 hours, but no more than three hours and then remove the cleaner. A suggested method of removing the cleaner is cranking engine over. Make sure to unplug the ignition coils and fuel injector before cranking the engine over. Also make sure that the painted surfaces are covered so no damage is done. 
Remove the oil pan. Refer to Oil Pan Replacement in SI. 
 
 
 
Remove the AFM valve (1). 
 
 
 
Install the new shield (1), GM P/N 12639759, and tighten the AFM valve to the oil pan to 28 N·m (20 lb ft). 
Important: Ensure that the engine cleaner is thoroughly removed before reinstalling the spark plugs. Failure to do so may result in a hydro-lock condition. 
Reinstall the spark plugs. Replace the spark plugs if necessary due to full of carbon. Refer to the parts catalog. 
Reinstall the oil pan. Refer to the Oil Pan Installation procedure in SI. Replace the oil pan gasket if necessary. Refer to the parts catalog. Replace the engine oil if necessary. 
Re-evaluate the oil consumption. Document on the repair order. If the oil consumption is still greater than 0.946 L (1 qt) in 3,200 km (2000 mi), replacement of the pistons and rings will be required.
 
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