I have a 2001 LS1 with 28K miles and was wondering if anybody else is using about a quart to a quart and a half of oil in between oil changes. This seems weird since I don't see any leaks at all!

 

I noticed the same thing on mine how long do you wait between oil changes?

 

Oil consumption is a pretty common "problem" with LS1s. Not all LS1s have this problem though but quite a few do. There's not much you can do about it, GM won't fix it because burning a little oil (1-2 quarts) every 3-5k miles is considered acceptable. Actually, I believe GM did try to fix this in the '02 MY LS1s (maybe '01s too ) with different rings, I think.

It's kinda like the piston slap issue, it's a problem...but it's not really a problem.

 

It is normal for any engine to use up to 1 quart of oil in 2000 miles. If it gets to be more than that, you should be concerned. GM's oil consumption bulletin is not specific to the LS1 or GENIII V8. It isn't specific to V8s at all. All engines use some oil. All of the hype on here has people believing that 1 quart in 2000 or 3000 miles is something unusual. It isn't. How many people check their oil right before they change it? I don't and I would bet that most people on here didn't before they started hearing about all of the LS1s burning oil. The ones that burn oil, there isn't any doubt about whether it is normal or not. There are basically two groups. The ones with normal consumption that are overly sensitized (2000 miles or greater to the quart) and those that have a legitimate problem. The ones with a legitimate problem are rare and the car will be burning a quart in 400 or 500 miles and doing it from day one.
In case you were wondering, I am an ASE certified techician with 15 years in the business of fixing engines and transmissions. If you can show me a car that uses NO oil, I will show you one that was towed 3000 miles.

 

I did notice less oil consumption going from my 98 T/A to the LT4. The LT4 uses 1/8 to 1/4 quart every 3000 miles. The T/A was about 1/2 to 3/4 quart every 3000 miles.

 

my used '98 z with 37,880 miles doesn't burn oil. but once, and only once i went wot and noticed a slight drop in oil shortly after...after that and many wot's later it's never happened again
i check the oil level weekly

 

GM bulliten #01-06-01-011, applies to 96-01 cars and trucks under 8500gvw. 1 qt per 2000 miles is acceptable. Like Dave1w41 said, you have a problem if your burning 1 qt every 1k or so. So far I'm lucky, 97 LT, 01 LS, and fi 454 and they're all tight.

 

Gee a new $32000 car that burns 1 quart of oil every 3000 miles and they won't FIX it? I don't care if it's okay to burn 1 quart or not, when I buy a new car you just don't expect that in a new car.

 

I thought I read on here somewhere that it is getting sucked into the PCV valve and there is a semi fix for it. Getting past the rings was not the problem according to that thread and several more.

 

My used 2000 SS seems to be using about a quart every 2500 miles or so. Just had to put one in it this afternoon. Has 55k on it so I am not too surprised. Especially when I have a hard time keeping my foot out of it. Geeez I love these cars!!

 

would synthetic oil not 'burn' as much as regular oil would?? just curious...

 

I found a informative bulletin # 01-06-01-023A (06-19-02)

Higher than expected oil consumption ( replace rings and engine valley cover)

99-01 5.7 vin g (LS-1 AND LS-6)


This fix worked on a 1999 Trans Am. The car would burn 2 qt. in 1500 miles. I think 1 qt. in 3000 miles is excessive. After fix less than 1/2 qt 3000 miles driven.


If you would like a copy of the bulletin e mail your address I'll scan the thing

JohnM
tejksed6@hotmail.com

 

This is what I am talking about. Pure misconception about how much oil an engine is actually supposed to consume. According to Honda, the engine in an S2000 is normal if it consumes a quart in 1000 miles, a level that I would consider abnormal. Honda considers it normal because of the RPM range of the engine and the limitations of ring sealing and low friction rings available. So in a Honda, 1 quart in 1000 miles is normal. This is tiny engine compared to an LS1, with half the cylinders and less than half of the displacement. I would call that kind of consumption in an LS1 a real problem - something that needed to be fixed immidiately. In the Honda you have to put up with it to have that kind of performance from that engine. So in that limited case, I would consider the Honda normal.

All engines consume some oil at some rate - period. There is no car made that burns no oil in 3000 miles. Most cars burn about a quart in that time, like 90+% of them. In fact, most of them finish up the first quart between 2000 and 3000 miles. Keep in mind, I have been working on all kinds of cars for 15 years and have a Bachelor's Degree and an ASE Master Certification, so I didn't roll off of the turnip truck just yesterday. I have seen them all, and I have never seen an engine that was so tight that it didn't use any oil. I have seen some that used less and some that used a quart in 500 miles and were normal.

Why do you think that GM specified under 8500 GVW in that bulletin? Because some of the vehicles that are over 8500 GVW, such as, motorhomes, tow trucks etc burn a lot more than 1 quart in 2000 miles and it is considered normal. Take for example a motorhome that has a GM Mark V 7.4 liter engine in it and has a rear axle ratio somwhere around 5.00:1. At highway speed, the engine in that vehicle is turning about 3000 RPM. The engine is highly loaded because of the weight of the package it is pushing and all of the wind resistance that is inherent in a motorhome design. An engine like that would be considered completely normal burning a quart of oil in as little as 700-1000 miles.

What is so difficult about this concept? I think GM made a huge mistake putting an oil level sensor in their cars. They should have realized that no one checks their oil and they should have just added a quart to the sump and called it good. The guys who had oil burners (very, very, few and far between) would have had their engines blow up and they would have gotten new ones under warranty. The rest of the people never would have started hawking over their dipsticks in a nearly obsessive-compulsive fashion thinking that any oil use was an engine that was on the way out.

 

Here's some more info: http://www.thefbodyshop.com/technica...&intAuthorId=7