2011 Sierra 1500 Low Oil Pressure

[jmerrill]

I have a 2011 sierra 1500 with the Vortec 5.3L V8 which has Active Fuel Management.

At 2775 miles I got a check engine light with a code of P0521.

 

I dropped it off at the dealer and told them to look at a couple of things I noticed :

1) The oil gauge stayed around 20 even at highway speeds. (It was around 40 before)

2) When the truck is not warmed up first 5 miles or so, I can see it go in and out of V8/V4 modes.

After it gets warm, it won't drop down to a V4, even at 50 mph going downhill with the foot off the gas.

3) When the truck is not warmed up, it seems to shift from first to second back to first.

 

I picked up the truck and they replaced the oil pressure sensor as the code indicated.

I was told that (item 3) was normal, the computer does this to help warm up the engine quicker by making it run at higher RPMs.

They test drove it for 6 miles and said that it was properly transitioning from V8 to V4.

 

I drove it for about 15 minutes and noticed that the oil gauge was reading low, around 25, while going 50.

When I accelerated, the pressure never made it to 40.

I did see it go from a V8 to a V4 2 or 3 times within the first 3-4 miles but then it stayed at V8 again.

The check engine light did not come back on..... yet....

I did a U-turn and had one of the shop guys drive it to validate the problem.

 

He's thinking that the replacement sensor could also be bad. Since the dealer is over 1 hour away I left it for the weekend.

 

Is the oil pressure used in determining when, or preventing, the computer from enabling V4/V8 mode ? (ie are these problems related ?)

What is the expected oil gauge readings at idle and highway speeds ?

If not the sensor what else could it be ?

 

Thanks,

 

-BH348

[gmtech4]

get them to print out the description and operation of these systems for you ,it'll take 2 minites

 

or throw the keys at them

[reidk8310]

I have a 2011 sierra 1500 with the Vortec 5.3L V8 which has Active Fuel Management.

At 2775 miles I got a check engine light with a code of P0521.

 

I dropped it off at the dealer and told them to look at a couple of things I noticed :

1) The oil gauge stayed around 20 even at highway speeds. (It was around 40 before)

2) When the truck is not warmed up first 5 miles or so, I can see it go in and out of V8/V4 modes.

After it gets warm, it won't drop down to a V4, even at 50 mph going downhill with the foot off the gas.

3) When the truck is not warmed up, it seems to shift from first to second back to first.

 

I picked up the truck and they replaced the oil pressure sensor as the code indicated.

I was told that (item 3) was normal, the computer does this to help warm up the engine quicker by making it run at higher RPMs.

They test drove it for 6 miles and said that it was properly transitioning from V8 to V4.

 

I drove it for about 15 minutes and noticed that the oil gauge was reading low, around 25, while going 50.

When I accelerated, the pressure never made it to 40.

I did see it go from a V8 to a V4 2 or 3 times within the first 3-4 miles but then it stayed at V8 again.

The check engine light did not come back on..... yet....

I did a U-turn and had one of the shop guys drive it to validate the problem.

 

He's thinking that the replacement sensor could also be bad. Since the dealer is over 1 hour away I left it for the weekend.

 

Is the oil pressure used in determining when, or preventing, the computer from enabling V4/V8 mode ? (ie are these problems related ?)

What is the expected oil gauge readings at idle and highway speeds ?

If not the sensor what else could it be ?

 

Thanks,

 

-BH348

 

I would try having a dealer or a shop reset the ECM. It might be some bad sensors in which you are in running in v4, but it is telling you you are running in v8.

[jmerrill]

Well it gets worse. After waiting for over a week for them to get in an oil pressure relief valve ($6 part they told me), they went to drain the oil and there were so many shavings it clogged the drain hole.

If the engine is indeed gone after 2775 miles... What are my options ?

I really don't want a rebuilt engine in a month old truck...

I'd like a new engine or a new truck

[markw8]

First, see how they want to fix it. They might very well replace it with new.

 

Mark

[SouthCo]

Holy crap. I'm sorry to here about your engine. I don't think it would constitute as a lemon so they can probably fix it as they see fit. I could be wrong though. I'd bet they just drop another engine in it. Please keep us posted.

[kilbornf]

Well it gets worse. After waiting for over a week for them to get in an oil pressure relief valve ($6 part they told me), they went to drain the oil and there were so many shavings it clogged the drain hole.

If the engine is indeed gone after 2775 miles... What are my options ?

I really don't want a rebuilt engine in a month old truck...

I'd like a new engine or a new truck

 

Tell them to phone you when new engine is R&R,Remove& Replace,are you going to settle for less.Ihave the same truck and same mileage.Hope mine is trouble free.Oh and tell them you want a truck to drive while they fix yours.Keep us posted .I in central canada,where you at.

[jmerrill]

I bought the truck in NH but I live in MA. Checked into the lemon laws today. I was told that even if I bought it in NH, since I registered it in MA from the start, it's MA lemon laws that apply. They said that if it's in the shop for > 15 days within the first year, the lemon law applies. It's already been at the dealer for 11 days and they said it would be 5-7 days just to get the engine. I talked to the GM at the dealer today and said that I wanted them to replace the truck. When asked, they needed to check with the service manager on who the Gen motors rep is..... I'm supposed to get a call tomorrow from the service manager to see what they will do.

[Doug_Scott]

I bought the truck in NH but I live in MA. Checked into the lemon laws today. I was told that even if I bought it in NH, since I registered it in MA from the start, it's MA lemon laws that apply. They said that if it's in the shop for > 15 days within the first year, the lemon law applies. It's already been at the dealer for 11 days and they said it would be 5-7 days just to get the engine. I talked to the GM at the dealer today and said that I wanted them to replace the truck. When asked, they needed to check with the service manager on who the Gen motors rep is..... I'm supposed to get a call tomorrow from the service manager to see what they will do.

 

The thing that bugs me about the lemon law is that you have to pay something. Even a month old truck has depreciated, and you have to pay some of it. Should not be that way in the first year. Sure you got some use out of it, but, were it not for the defect you would not be in the position you are in. Should be 100% on GM to replace the vehicle. That being said though, you may be able to alter your options now, chances are there is at least one option you now wish you had of ordered initially. Now you get to fix that. Assuming you end up in the lemon window.

[jmerrill]

It was very painful but the issue has been resolved.

GM finally put me in a new identical truck. (Yes I checked the VIN numbers )

 

When will dealers realize that it's always better to keep the customer informed instead of hiding and playing games.

 

A few lessons learned:

 

I found out that the lemon law has a final right to repair clause. I was told by a lawyer that even though it hit the number

of days in the shop to be considered a lemon, they could have put a new engine in and claimed it was fixed.

The lemon law is between you and the mfg, the dealer has nothing to do with it.

I'm glad that I didn't have to go down that path. I was told it would take between 30 days and 6 months.......

http://www.lemonlaw.com/ was very useful.

 

I also found out that GM customer care center was out of sync with what was being done by the local rep. When

I called GM there was no case number open against my VIN. I never got to talk to the local rep, his name was rumored to be Barry.

 

my advice to anyone who is unfortunate enough to have to go through this....

 

1) escalate the issue ASAP. I believe what help get my issue resolved was that I posted to the owner's blog. (The owner owns 12 dealerships)

Within a few hours my post was forwarded to the general manager. My post was just the facts, what happened to my truck, that it's been in the

dealer for weeks, that the service manager has never returned my calls, and that they won't give me the Rep's contact info.

2) get a case number opened with GM. The phone numbers I found on the GM website were wrong. I called the "get more literature" number and asked to

be transferred to customer care to get in.

3) Keep a log of all of your conversations.

4) I was amazed at how many people knew of my truck problem at the dealership and I got bits of info from them

that wasn't being provided by the general manager. (service tech, salesman, receptionist....)

5) look at the email addresses on the dealer's website, in my case it was first initial, last name. Check the BBB for cases

against your dealer, it will list the owner and other key people. Google for a free email verification site. Match the format

of the email with the names you want to contact and check it.... Dealerships are not computer companies.. I easily got the owner's

and some other executive's emails...

6) realize that the dealer is just selling widgets. It's really GM that controls your outcome. I kept to the facts and didn't

make threats but called them out when you think they are feeding you BS or when you have conflicting info.

7) I was finally told by the dealer that I would never get the GM Rep's info because they handle so many cases that they wouldn't

be able to do their job if customers were calling them. The dealer kept telling me that they were working with the GM Rep to make me happy, but

I was kept out of the loop. I own the truck outright and didn't want the dealer representing me. I never cracked this nut....

 

I hope to limit my future posts to the accessories category

[jimbrown1]

Glad it all worked out for you and they put in a comparable or better vehicle for all your trouble.

It was very painful but the issue has been resolved.

GM finally put me in a new identical truck. (Yes I checked the VIN numbers )

 

When will dealers realize that it's always better to keep the customer informed instead of hiding and playing games.

 

A few lessons learned:

 

I found out that the lemon law has a final right to repair clause. I was told by a lawyer that even though it hit the number

of days in the shop to be considered a lemon, they could have put a new engine in and claimed it was fixed.

The lemon law is between you and the mfg, the dealer has nothing to do with it.

I'm glad that I didn't have to go down that path. I was told it would take between 30 days and 6 months.......

http://www.lemonlaw.com/ was very useful.

 

I also found out that GM customer care center was out of sync with what was being done by the local rep. When

I called GM there was no case number open against my VIN. I never got to talk to the local rep, his name was rumored to be Barry.

 

my advice to anyone who is unfortunate enough to have to go through this....

 

1) escalate the issue ASAP. I believe what help get my issue resolved was that I posted to the owner's blog. (The owner owns 12 dealerships)

Within a few hours my post was forwarded to the general manager. My post was just the facts, what happened to my truck, that it's been in the

dealer for weeks, that the service manager has never returned my calls, and that they won't give me the Rep's contact info.

2) get a case number opened with GM. The phone numbers I found on the GM website were wrong. I called the "get more literature" number and asked to

be transferred to customer care to get in.

3) Keep a log of all of your conversations.

4) I was amazed at how many people knew of my truck problem at the dealership and I got bits of info from them

that wasn't being provided by the general manager. (service tech, salesman, receptionist....)

5) look at the email addresses on the dealer's website, in my case it was first initial, last name. Check the BBB for cases

against your dealer, it will list the owner and other key people. Google for a free email verification site. Match the format

of the email with the names you want to contact and check it.... Dealerships are not computer companies.. I easily got the owner's

and some other executive's emails...

6) realize that the dealer is just selling widgets. It's really GM that controls your outcome. I kept to the facts and didn't

make threats but called them out when you think they are feeding you BS or when you have conflicting info.

7) I was finally told by the dealer that I would never get the GM Rep's info because they handle so many cases that they wouldn't

be able to do their job if customers were calling them. The dealer kept telling me that they were working with the GM Rep to make me happy, but

I was kept out of the loop. I own the truck outright and didn't want the dealer representing me. I never cracked this nut....

 

I hope to limit my future posts to the accessories category

[kilbornf]

It was very painful but the issue has been resolved.

GM finally put me in a new identical truck. (Yes I checked the VIN numbers )

 

When will dealers realize that it's always better to keep the customer informed instead of hiding and playing games.

 

A few lessons learned:

 

I found out that the lemon law has a final right to repair clause. I was told by a lawyer that even though it hit the number

of days in the shop to be considered a lemon, they could have put a new engine in and claimed it was fixed.

The lemon law is between you and the mfg, the dealer has nothing to do with it.

I'm glad that I didn't have to go down that path. I was told it would take between 30 days and 6 months.......

http://www.lemonlaw.com/ was very useful.

 

I also found out that GM customer care center was out of sync with what was being done by the local rep. When

I called GM there was no case number open against my VIN. I never got to talk to the local rep, his name was rumored to be Barry.

 

my advice to anyone who is unfortunate enough to have to go through this....

 

1) escalate the issue ASAP. I believe what help get my issue resolved was that I posted to the owner's blog. (The owner owns 12 dealerships)

Within a few hours my post was forwarded to the general manager. My post was just the facts, what happened to my truck, that it's been in the

dealer for weeks, that the service manager has never returned my calls, and that they won't give me the Rep's contact info.

2) get a case number opened with GM. The phone numbers I found on the GM website were wrong. I called the "get more literature" number and asked to

be transferred to customer care to get in.

3) Keep a log of all of your conversations.

4) I was amazed at how many people knew of my truck problem at the dealership and I got bits of info from them

that wasn't being provided by the general manager. (service tech, salesman, receptionist....)

5) look at the email addresses on the dealer's website, in my case it was first initial, last name. Check the BBB for cases

against your dealer, it will list the owner and other key people. Google for a free email verification site. Match the format

of the email with the names you want to contact and check it.... Dealerships are not computer companies.. I easily got the owner's

and some other executive's emails...

6) realize that the dealer is just selling widgets. It's really GM that controls your outcome. I kept to the facts and didn't

make threats but called them out when you think they are feeding you BS or when you have conflicting info.

7) I was finally told by the dealer that I would never get the GM Rep's info because they handle so many cases that they wouldn't

be able to do their job if customers were calling them. The dealer kept telling me that they were working with the GM Rep to make me happy, but

I was kept out of the loop. I own the truck outright and didn't want the dealer representing me. I never cracked this nut....

 

I hope to limit my future posts to the accessories category

 

I have the identical truck bit live in canada and i hope i never go through your B. S. Good Luck with your new truck.