Just Baffled

hd01chevy · April 16, 2011

So i have a 01 ccsb 6.0l/4l80E setup.......my brother bought it new and i boug ht it from him in 05 with 60K Now the LOW OIL LIGHT comes on infrequently...by this i mean on today....then again in 20k its always 2 qts low at this time.......with no visible leak or burn im confused cause this time it doesnt have 2300 miles on oil change....also my OIL PSI fluctuates big time....some days its 40 IDLE-60 HIGHWAY.....then sometimes its 60 IDLE-80 HIGHWAY....just wondering if the increase in oil pressure is causing oil comsumption...is there a dye i can put in the oil the check for leaks...just like for AC System

OH1 · April 16, 2011

Are you using the correct weight oil? What is your change interval?

I change mine every 3 k with conventional high mileage oil. Factory weight. Mine uses about a quart every 3k miles but I have way more miles than you do. Plus I do have a few leaks. No drips on the ground but I have some wet spots on the oil pan/trans pan.

The oil psi could be a faulty gauge/wire or maybe you have an oil pump going out?

Might check your pcv valves. You might be building crank case pressure and forcing the oil out through the rings a bit.

Does it smoke at all? The mileage is pretty low so....?

hd01chevy · April 16, 2011

I use Rotella 10-30 and change it every 3000. i have changed the PCV valve to an updated one from gm, could it be possible its faulty and needs changed. As far as smoking, not at all. I looked it over real good today and found a small leak above filter where cooler lines connect and the bottom of the driver side head is a little wet looking. dont know if its from the rain or what........but the thing is it dosent use oil all the time.....its kinda spurattic

OH1 · April 17, 2011

That is kinda weird especially the inconsitant low oil condition. Your using a big heavier cold weight oil so noramlly would wouldn't think it's passing the rings.

That might expalin some of your OP variations as well. I thibk the heavier oil will give you more pressure when cold. Should be the same as 5w30 when hot though.

I like thinner oil on startup except for in the summer.

It sounds like you have less leakes than me too so thats probably not an issue. When your changing the oil are you using the same filter everytime? Do you do your changes yourself?

DwayneJ · April 17, 2011

A fluctuating dash gauge would cause me to put a mechanical gauge on it to eliminate the possibility the sender or some other electrical fault is the issue not the engine.

High oil pressure will not cause oil loss as there are no external seals exposed to oil pressure and neither are the rings or valve seals.

The only way I could see high oil pressure causing oil consumption is and this is really reaching, would be if the valve covers were getting so flooded the valve seals were submerged which in this instance I just don't see being possible. Only time I have seen that is high volume aftermarket oil pumps put on high rpm motors.

hd01chevy · April 18, 2011

ya i change my own oil with a delco pf46 filter every time....i havent tried a mechanical gauge yet but want too....if it was flooding the head wouldnt the pcv suck the oil into the intake and notice it burning the oil.....just a thought......im have tempted to pulll the intake and heads to check if theres someting wrong with the top end...if it dont show anything its just gonna be a waste of time and money................im just not sur ewhere to go from here......can i put AC system dye into my oil and run it a while and check with black light to see wear its leaking.....if its burning it would there possibly be residue in exhaust pipes from dye possibly................