Will I need to add a catch can? I have no leaks and no smoke issues.


Is this normal?

Thanks

 

At least according to GM.

Useage & type of oil - syn, or dino, affects this too.

See here.

And, here for a worse case scenario.


Hope this helps.


Britt

 

For those of us who road race and autocross, we run 6.5 to 7 quarts of oil regulary.

It's to keep from uncovering the pick up tube in the oil pan due to the oil climbing the walls in high G, high RPM left hand sweepers.

So, if you want to overfill the crankcase by a quart or so, it is not an issue.

A quart low on a sweeping left hand on ramp could wipe #5/6 rod bearing.

 

When GM changed the rings the Z06 cars (not sure if it carried over to Fbodies at that year), they claimed it was from people who drove light duty but high RPM (lazy shifting). Supposedly this caused ring flutter and oil to suck past the rings.

 

I agree with Newbie T/A that GM states this is a "normal" thing. It's not. I've been doing a fair amount of research on this the last few weeks on this board, LS1.com and LS1tech.com. This is what I found out:

1. The engine is sucking oil from the crankcase through the PCV and into the combustion chambers. This is why the oil is dropping up to a quart a month.

2. Your car is on the high end of the spectrum. I lose about 1/3 a quart every 3 months, but others lose up to a quart a month as well.

3. It seems that this has somehow been tied to the piston slap issue in the LS1, even though these are seemingly TOTALLY different problems and should not effect each other.

4. AMW at www.accmachtech.com sells a billet pcv catch can that will keep the oil from going into the PCV and then the combustion chamber. It runs $80 + shipping.

5. I saw a guy's car that had been running the catch can for a week. It had already collected about a teaspoon of oil.

So, I guess this may/ may not answer your question. I just ordered a catch can (I have wicked piston slap on startup). I will know within a week if this really does help fix that problem. If nothing else, keping all that oil from going though the "dry" intake and into the combustion chamber just seems like a good idea It can't hurt.

Schantin
2002 Camaro Z28 M6