Hey yo,

I got a non-internet savy buddy with an LS1 who is having some issues, and I have no idea what's going on with it (haven't gotten into the motor yet) so I figured I'd post it up for him.

Anyways, he is going through SIGNIFICANT oil in his LS1, much more than the normal consumption. Neither of us noticed in the intial stages, but after the last time we changed oil, his "low oil" light has gone on after 1500 miles.

It's a H/C car thats an M6 and has a little over 50k miles on it. We have checked very closely for any external oil leaks, and everything looks fine. Smelling his exhaust, there is a very SLIGHT hint of oil, however there is no blue smoke or any other hints of anything burning.

We all know LS1s can go through some oil, but this seems like a lot doesn't it? I had drained oil on mine and been a little short when I go to change, but a low oil light after 1500 miles seems a bit severe right?

I much appreciate any thoughts. I know he'd rather not tear the thing apart unless he has to.

 

PCV setup? What heads? Has the engine been sprayed ever?

 

PCV has never been messed with. Heads are a ported 243, new valves, springs, etc. Engine has never been sprayed, always N/A. I think he only have a couple thousand miles on the H/C setup.

 

What year is the engine? Who did the heads? Was it using oil before this?

 

Yo Hey,
It was very common for the LS1 engines from '98-'01 to burn quite a bit of oil. And if the car is driven hard or ran through the RPM's even more so. In 2002 they tried to change a few things with the pistons or sleeves or rings to stop this. I can't remember what exactly they changed in '02. I had a '01 SS and the dealership actually pulled the pistons and put in different rings for free to help stop this. Of course that was in '02 or '03 with 20,000 miles. And it was a recall for those engines that burned a lot of oil. Just keep check everything else out that these guys recommend. Just incase the problem didn't start until the head and cam change.
If you just have one of those that burns oil you just have to keep checking the level, until you decide to rebuild and stroke that beast.
Good luck.

 

Change the PCV valve. Mine acted up once and sucked the pan dry in nothing flat.

 

Who did the heads? Some companies send out a LOT of bad heads (loose guides, improperly seated valve seals).

 

Sad but very true.