Folically Challengjed

What kind of consumption did you have for this latest OCI? FC

Update: screen wasn't bad at all, but it was a [female dog] to get out, even with the intake removed. Mechanic charged less than I was expecting, and said it's the 10th 5.3 oil pressure switch they've done this year. Truck runs well. FC

Thanks, KTruck75. I figured it would be about like that. I did see another YouTube video where they disconnected the fuel line, then zip-tied the metal (a/c?) tube to some electrical lines to bow it out of the way. Somehow, they shoved the brake booster vacuum hose up out of the way, though I can't tell if they removed the end that connects to the manifold. And if they did, I have no idea how they did so, since I can't envision what kind of pliers could reach back into that space to get to the hose clamp. So, with those 2 hoses & the metal line out of the way, I could see that freeing-up just enough space to get back in with a socket and an articulated extension. I drove the truck over to the mechanic's place yesterday, & shoved an envelope through the door slot with a note & the keys in it. I'd prefer to pay for 2 hours of his shop time & have the thing done correctly, than to jerk around with it for 5 or 10 hours of my time, and end up with all the soreness & aggravation. I'm kinda surprised to hear that your screen was clean. I've been diligent about oil changes with this truck, & air filters, too. The only thing I can think of is that I'm on my second OCI using MaxLife, so maybe it has some detergents that loosened stuff that hadn't been causing a problem before. I asked the mechanic to save the old screen, so I'll post back on what it looks like. Thanks again, FC

For those of you who've changed the oil pressure sensor & screen, how the #%@#! did you get to it? Did you remove the whole manifold? I've got the parts for this fix, but I'm about to give up & let the mechanic abuse his knuckles. Any hints would be appreciated. FC

What is your 3 digit engine code? FC

Just clicked over 4,000.0 hours at 139,102 miles. FC

I'm at 123,700 now - about 50K since the pistons + rings were installed. I think it's used maybe 1/4 to 1/2 quart of oil TOTAL across those 50K miles. I keeping my fingers crossed that I'll be OK from here on out. FC

It sounds like his pride was hurt, more than anything. At least they're going to do the pistons/rings. I can't doubt his figures, but I have yet to read an account where new rings/pistons did not fix the oil consumption problem. Here's hoping it works out for you. FC

It's good to hear they took care of you without the oil consumption test hassle. FWIW, I'd not worry about which pistons or rings they used, so long as they installed the AFM shield in the oil pan. The OEM parts ought to do just fine now that they're no longer being hosed with excessive amounts of oil. I've now got 50K miles on my new pistons & rings, with no oil consumption. They used the same rings as yours, though my pistons were p/n 89060486. (2007, LC9 engine). Good Luck, FC

Keep us posted. It's my understanding (and was my experience), that most oil consumption happens when AFM kicked-in, and the engine was in V4 Mode. Let us know if you see any uptick in oil consumption. FC

I wasn't thrilled about them going into my engine so many times, but I felt better with the extra 30K warranty they gave me on it. I figure if it was gonna explode due to their negligence in tearing it down & rebuilding it, it would have done so by now. Just like an open heart surgery comes down to the guy holding the scalpel, an engine rebuild comes down to the mechanic. Maybe demand that the Svc Mgr puts his most senior guy (or most trusted guy) on your engine. FC

The dealer got GM to pay for it. I expressed how worried I was that the fixes would continue until the power train warranty ran out, and the Svc Mgr told me they'd take care of me. I didn't hear another word about it 'til the letter from GM showed up. They basically gave me a 30K mile warranty from the time the pistons & rings were replaced. My opinion is that I got it for the following reasons: 1) My initiating it 2) At the time the repairs were being made (rather than afterward) 3) Because the dealer was working to help out as much as possible. I'm not at all happy with the whole problem, but I can't fault my dealer one bit for doing all they could within GM's reimbursement guidelines. I like the dealer now more now, than I did when I bought the problem-plauged truck from them. Also, the Smart Care wasn't for the entire power train, but just for a bunch of engine components they listed in a lengthy paragraph. I'm almost 10K past the expiration, & it's run fine the whole time. Again, I think once the AFM shield and new valve cover are in, the new rings should be fine. I think it really needs all 3 fixes to work, though I've heard of piston-soak working in a few incidents. FC

Dunno that it was a "test", per se. I thought it was their hope-beyond-hope-that-this-works-to-unstick-the-stuck-rings attempt. As you can see below, it seemed to do precisely nothing for the problem in my engine. Here's the chronology: 63,179 Start Oil Consumption Test (OCT). Installed AFM deflector, and cleaned carbon from cylinder [by pouring in GM Top Engine Cleaner through the plug holes] as per bulletin 10-06-01-008B. Replaced leaking rear main seal (12639249, 89060436). Replaced leaking left front axle seal (15801507). Replaced leaking transmission pump seal (24245110, 8654799, 24202535, 24226315, 12337931, 10x24233361, 24205103, 3x15709703). Note: all under warranty. 63,179 Dead spot in steering. Steering gear had not been tightened after previous repair. fixed. 64,340 1/2 qt. low. Topped-off, & advised to return. 65,532 1/2 qt. low. Topped-off. 66,766 1/2 qt. low. Stated that 1.5 qts. in 3,587 mi. is within their consumption spec of 2 qts. per 2,000 mi. Oil & filter change. 68,744 1/2 qt. low. Topped off. Reiterated this was, "well within" the spec. 70,093 1/4 qt. low. "Well within" the spec. "THIS COCLUDES (sic) THE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST" 71, 708 1 qt. low. "Reschedule customer to complete repairs". Oil & filter change. Sending paperwork to GM to get a SmartCare plan. 73,328 "removed cylinder heads and found excessive oil resting on top of valves. Checked valve stem wear and had excessive valve guid (sic) wear allowing oil to burn off in cylinders. Head. Cylinder - replace. Both Banks". Heads, valves, bolts, gaskets, seals, etc. Oil & Filter change. 75,228 "CUSTOMER STATES SINCE LAST REPAIR, THERE IS STILL A CONSUMPTION ISSUE. INSPECTED AND FOUND OIL CONSUMPTION AT 1 1/4 QUART IN 1900 MILES. CUSTOMER WILL RESCHEDULE FOR REPAIR" 75,530 "Followed bulletin 10-06-01-008B as per TAC instructions. Completed 2nd half of bulletin. Replaced pistons & rings as per bulletin. Tested and set oil to correct level. Request customer to return in 1,000 miles and re-evaluate consumption." Pistons, ring kit, gaskets, seals, bolts, etc., 2 spark plugs, oil & filter change, etc. No more oil consumption. 76,929 GM Smart Care plan issued, extending warranty on listed engine components to 106, 929 miles. Now at 116K+, and it will use maybe 1/4 qt. per 5,000 miles. FC Dunno that it was a "test", per se. I thought it was their hope-beyond-hope-that-this-works-to-unstick-the-stuck-rings attempt. As you can see below, it seemed to do precisely nothing for the problem in my engine. Here's the chronology: 63,179 Start Oil Consumption Test (OCT). Installed AFM deflector, and cleaned carbon from cylinder [by pouring in GM Top Engine Cleaner through the plug holes] as per bulletin 10-06-01-008B. Replaced leaking rear main seal (12639249, 89060436). Replaced leaking left front axle seal (15801507). Replaced leaking transmission pump seal (24245110, 8654799, 24202535, 24226315, 12337931, 10x24233361, 24205103, 3x15709703). Note: all under warranty. 63,179 Dead spot in steering. Steering gear had not been tightened after previous repair. fixed. 64,340 1/2 qt. low. Topped-off, & advised to return. 65,532 1/2 qt. low. Topped-off. 66,766 1/2 qt. low. Stated that 1.5 qts. in 3,587 mi. is within their consumption spec of 2 qts. per 2,000 mi. Oil & filter change. 68,744 1/2 qt. low. Topped off. Reiterated this was, "well within" the spec. 70,093 1/4 qt. low. "Well within" the spec. "THIS COCLUDES (sic) THE OIL CONSUMPTION TEST" 71, 708 1 qt. low. "Reschedule customer to complete repairs". Oil & filter change. Sending paperwork to GM to get a SmartCare plan. 73,328 "removed cylinder heads and found excessive oil resting on top of valves. Checked valve stem wear and had excessive valve guid (sic) wear allowing oil to burn off in cylinders. Head. Cylinder - replace. Both Banks". Heads, valves, bolts, gaskets, seals, etc. Oil & Filter change. 75,228 "CUSTOMER STATES SINCE LAST REPAIR, THERE IS STILL A CONSUMPTION ISSUE. INSPECTED AND FOUND OIL CONSUMPTION AT 1 1/4 QUART IN 1900 MILES. CUSTOMER WILL RESCHEDULE FOR REPAIR" 75,530 "Followed bulletin 10-06-01-008B as per TAC instructions. Completed 2nd half of bulletin. Replaced pistons & rings as per bulletin. Tested and set oil to correct level. Request customer to return in 1,000 miles and re-evaluate consumption." Pistons, ring kit, gaskets, seals, bolts, etc., 2 spark plugs, oil & filter change, etc. No more oil consumption. 76,929 GM Smart Care plan issued, extending warranty on listed engine components to 106, 929 miles. Now at 116K+, and it will use maybe 1/4 qt. per 5,000 miles. FC

None of the fixes (shield, valve covers, heads & valves) short of new pistons and rings did anything to slow the oil loss in my 'Kon. It took new pistons & rings to stop the oil usage for me. It didn't use any oil at all between changes for a while after that. At 40,000 miles since that repair, it will use maybe 1/4 qt. in 5,000 miles, and that's certainly acceptable to me. FC

I believe if you start documenting the problem now, you'll have much better chance of success later. If you haven't done any oil consumption tests, start immediately, and get the issue on their books. FC