first oil change on new-to-me 2012 Yukon XL 1500 5.3L

[Chebby]

I've had this vehicle for a couple months. I decided to change the oil myself instead of take it to the dealership I bought it from for service. Well, when I drained it and removed the filter, I only got 3 qts out. I find it very hard to believe that it would consume 3 qts in only 3,000 miles. 

 

The 5.3 in my old 2002 Suburban leaked quite a bit and consumed oil, and it still was only down 1 qt every 3k miles. Do you think there's any way this 5.3 consumed 3 qts in 3k miles?

 

So, I'm thinking that the dealership put far less oil in it than they should have.

 

From now on, the first thing I will be doing when I buy any vehicle is checking the oil.

[txab]

Plus check your oil occasionally

 

[CamGTP]

I think now you should drive it 500 miles and check the level again, see what you get. Then keep doing that for every 500 miles until you need to add some oil. Then you will know how much it uses.

 

Turning off the AFM/DoD system should help if it does burn a lot of oil.

[Grumpy Bear]

I got noth' n. 

 

[JimCost2014]

-50% of oil, did you get a "low oil' message on the DIC?

[CamGTP]

There is no sensor on those trucks.

 

Can't tell you how many dipsticks I've pulled with no oil them, it's a fun game to see how much comes out of the oil pan.

[Chebby]

1 hour ago, txab said:

Plus check your oil occasionally

 

In my defense, I’m coming from Toyota. The levels in my Yotas never budged a millimeter. So I kinda just stopped checking and kept a 5k miles oil change schedule. 
 

The dealer slapped that sticker on this Yukon’s windshield, and I figured I’d just change it early since they probably used cheap oil. 3k miles instead of 5k. I should have checked it though. Never should’ve trusted that they actually did it right. 

[Chebby]

59 minutes ago, JimCost2014 said:

-50% of oil, did you get a "low oil' message on the DIC?

Nothin. 
 

42 minutes ago, CamGTP said:

There is no sensor on those trucks.

 

Can't tell you how many dipsticks I've pulled with no oil them, it's a fun game to see how much comes out of the oil pan.

Yikes. I still don’t think the engine drank this much; surely I would’ve seen blue smoke at some point. I broke my own rule of never trusting a dealership. And I should’ve checked it. Got used to never having to check my Toyotas’ oil levels. 

[CamGTP]

You won't see the puffs of smoke if there are any, not when you are at speed going down the freeway. The exhaust exits in the rear right corner facing down, probably the hardest spot to see and more like you can't see.

 

If you want to gauge at how bad things could be you could pull a few spark plugs to check them out. Cylinders 1 and 7 on the drivers side are really easy to get at. See if they have oil crap on them. My parents previous 2012 Silverado had it kinda bad but only on cylinder 7.

[newdude]

2 hours ago, Chebby said:

Well, when I drained it and removed the filter, I only got 3 qts out. I find it very hard to believe that it would consume 3 qts in only 3,000 miles. 

 

Do you think there's any way this 5.3 consumed 3 qts in 3k miles?

 

 

Yep.  Its possible.  Unfortunately.  

[dsr611]

9 hours ago, Chebby said:

In my defense, I’m coming from Toyota. The levels in my Yotas never budged a millimeter. So I kinda just stopped checking and kept a 5k miles oil change schedule. 
 

The dealer slapped that sticker on this Yukon’s windshield, and I figured I’d just change it early since they probably used cheap oil. 3k miles instead of 5k. I should have checked it though. Never should’ve trusted that they actually did it right. 

 

Grab a drink, have a seat and begin reading

https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/127812-is-your-gmt-900-truck-or-suv-using-oil/

[Chebby]

7 hours ago, dsr611 said:

 

Grab a drink, have a seat and begin reading

https://www.gm-trucks.com/forums/topic/127812-is-your-gmt-900-truck-or-suv-using-oil/

Dang. I hate to think that this is actually consuming that much. I'll keep an eye on it. I put in 6qt, and I'll watch it closely.

[carnau]

1 hour ago, Chebby said:

Dang. I hate to think that this is actually consuming that much. I'll keep an eye on it. I put in 6qt, and I'll watch it closely.

The AFM system causes oil consumption on these vehicles. But 3qts in 3000 Miles is really high. I tend to agree. Probably didn't have correct amount of oil put back in. My suggestion is to check your oil level every time to get fuel and document the Mileage/Date/and Level during a 4000 Mile period. You should lose no more than 2qts of oil during that time/distance. Here is what GM has to say about it. 

 

The accepted rate of oil consumption for engines used in the vehicles referenced is 0.946 liter (1 qt) in 3200 km (2000 mi).

 

Important: This rate only applies to personal use vehicles, under warranty, that are driven in a non-aggressive manner and maintained in accordance with the appropriate maintenance schedule, with less than 58,000 km (36,000 mi), or driven at legal speeds in an unloaded (for trucks) condition.

Important: This rate does not apply to vehicles that are driven in an aggressive manner, at high RPM, high speeds, or in a loaded condition (for trucks). Oil consumption for vehicles driven under these conditions will be more.

Many factors can affect a customer's concern with oil consumption. Driving habits and vehicle maintenance vary from owner to owner. Thoroughly evaluate each case before deciding whether the vehicle in question has abnormal engine oil consumption.

Gasket and External Leaks

Inspect the oil pan and engine covers for leakage due to over-tightened, damaged, or out of place gaskets. Inspect oil lines and fittings for signs of leakage.

Improper Reading of the Oil Level Indicator (Dipstick)

Verify that the dipstick tube is fully seated in the block. When checking the oil level, make sure the dipstick is wiped clean before taking an oil level reading and fully depress the dipstick until the shoulder bottoms out on the dipstick tube. The dipstick should be the proper part number for the engine/vehicle that is being checked.

Not Waiting Long Enough After Running Engine to Check Oil Level

Some engines require more time than others for the oil to drain back into the crankcase. To assure a sufficient amount of oil has drained back to the crankcase, and an accurate reading can be obtained, the vehicle should be allowed to sit for at least 15 minutes, after the engine has been shut off, before taking an oil level reading. In order to ensure accurate results, the temperature of the oil should be close to the same temperature as the last time the oil level was checked.

Important: This does not apply to 2006-2009 Corvette Z06 equipped with the 7.0L LS7 and the 2009 Corvette ZR-1 with the 6.2L LS9 engines (dry sump). Follow the instructions in the Owner Manual for checking the oil in this application.

Improper Oil Fill After an Oil Change

Following an oil change, verify that the proper amount and type of oil was put in the engine and that the oil level on the dipstick is not above the full mark or below the add marks. Refer to the Owner Manual or Service Manual for information on recommended oil quantity, viscosity, and quality.

Aggressive Driving, High Speed or High RPM Driving

Aggressive driving and/or continuous driving at high speeds/high RPMs will increase oil consumption. Because this may not always be an everyday occurrence, it is hard to determine exactly how much the oil economy will be affected.

A higher rate of oil consumption is normal for vehicles equipped with manual transmissions that are driven aggressively. By “aggressive,” we mean operation at high RPM (3,000 RPM to redline), with frequent use of engine braking (using the engine to slow the vehicle). Vehicles that are driven aggressively may consume engine oil at a rate of up to 0.946 L (1 quart) every 805 km (500 mi). This is normal for a vehicle that is driven aggressively. No repair is necessary. This characteristic does, however, require the owner to check the engine oil level at sufficiently frequent intervals, especially when driving aggressively, to assure the oil level remains within the recommended operating range. As the Owner Manual recommends, you should check the oil level every time you get fuel.

Towing or Heavy Usage

Towing a trailer will increase oil consumption and may cause oil consumption to fall below the normal accepted rate referenced in this bulletin for an unloaded vehicle in a personal use application. Large frontal area trailers will further increase the work required from the engine, especially at highway speeds, and thus increases the rate of oil consumption.

Crankcase Ventilation System

Verify that the positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system is operating properly. Blockages, restrictions, or damage to the PCV system can result in increased oil use.

Oil Dilution (Fuel and Water)

On vehicles that are usually driven short distances, less than 8 km (5 mi), especially in colder weather, unburned fuel and condensation generated from cold engine operation may not get hot enough to evaporate out of the oil. When this occurs, the dipstick may indicate that the oil level is over-full. Subsequent driving on a trip of sufficient length to enable normal engine operating temperature for 30 minutes or more, in order to vaporize excess moisture and fuel, may give the customer the impression of excessive oil consumption.

Engine Temperature

If an engine is run at overheated temperatures (see Owner's Manual or Service Manual) for more than brief periods, oil will oxidize at a faster than normal rate. In addition, gaskets may distort, piston rings may stick, and excessive wear may result. Verify that all cooling system components are in proper working order.

Engine Wear

Piston scuffing, excessive piston-to-wall clearance, tapered or out of round cylinders, worn, damaged or improperly installed valve guides, seals and piston rings will all cause an increase in oil consumption.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Grumpy Bear]

1.) Via the PCV system

2) A leak

3.) Guide/seals

4.) Rings

 

1.) The list of repairs GM put together on this issue addressed the PVC system. Yes, even the deflector in the pan over the AFM jet. 2014 and newer models have a revamped system that according to GM lowers PVC system oil entrainment an additional 30%. Improved baffling, new piston cooling jet programming, Redirect oil dump jet and different oil pump/programming. 

 

4.) On some motors rings would 'collapse'. That is what they called it. What it meant was the rings stuck in the lands held by varnish and gums generated by oil oxidation. They under estimated how hard people drive (heat) and how long to run oil. Heat and time. Not your oils friend. Recent post on this topic quoted a GM memo stating shorter OCI's than the OLM were in order. D'uh!  There is an aggressive cleaning procedure for this as a first step then piston/ring replacement as a second.