Oil Disappearing 2002 2500 Chevy Suburban 8.1L

jnkpruett · February 18, 2005

I have a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 8.1L....Love it, contstantyly having Oil issues that even a dealer can't figure out. Manual says oil change ever 7000 miles, at 3097 miles since last oil change, Check Engine Oil light come on, checked the stick....it was bone dry... Where did my oil go.

miket · February 18, 2005

I have a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 8.1L....Love it, contstantyly having Oil issues that even a dealer can't figure out. Manual says oil change ever 7000 miles, at 3097 miles since last oil change, Check Engine Oil light come on, checked the stick....it was bone dry... Where did my oil go.

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Welcome to the world of owning the earlier 8.1. My 01 does the same thing along with cold start knock. I have gotten zero response from the dealer and GM.

boomer 33 · February 18, 2005

What does the exhaust look like and does the tailpipe feel wet and oily? Have you had someone follow you to see what the exhaust does when you accelerate and decelerate?

What is your oil pressure at idle and what is the max reading of the oil pressure at higher RPM?

99Silver6.0 · February 18, 2005

What does the inside of your intake look like? Along with the rear part of the TB plate? PCV setups on these motors suck. Oil gets sucked back through the PCV and it gets sent into the intake. Makes for a nice sludgey buildup inside the intake.

mcreyaufmiller · February 19, 2005

check your exhaust pipe for the sludge, look for gray or black smoke, and check your oil pressure. the other option could be a leaky valve guide seal. There are a lot of things to check for oil consumption, I would have the dealer put dye in the oil and black light it for leaks, check compression for leak down, etc. It sounds like there is a problem with this style engines, if the dealer refuses to help, call the regional manager and get him involved.

miket · February 19, 2005

check your exhaust pipe for the sludge, look for gray or black smoke, and check your oil pressure. the other option could be a leaky valve guide seal. There are a lot of things to check for oil consumption, I would have the dealer put dye in the oil and black light it for leaks, check compression for leak down, etc. It sounds like there is a problem with this style engines, if the dealer refuses to help, call the regional manager and get him involved.

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GM dealer says 1 quart every 1000 miles is fine. Thats there policy and unless a mass amount of people get involved it won't change.

mcreyaufmiller · February 19, 2005

Call the regional manager, I have a 5.0 with 140k and it has never used any oil at all. I cannot imagine that GM would expect an eigine to consume that much oil. Agais, get in touch with the regional, sounds like your dealer does not want to work on it.

miket · February 19, 2005

Call the regional manager, I have a 5.0 with 140k and it has never used any oil at all. I cannot imagine that GM would expect an eigine to consume that much oil. Agais, get in touch with the regional, sounds like your dealer does not want to work on it.

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GM sent me a copy of their formal statement. I have given up. I won't buy another. this along with CSK put me over the top.

mcreyaufmiller · February 19, 2005

That is a shame, I have a 98 and they are still taking care of me as much as possible. I cannot imagine that GM would build a motor that uses that much oil on a regular basis. Call around to a few different dealers and talk to the service manager. explain what is going on and see if he has heard of it before. Maybe you can find someone that can help you figure this out. don't give up yet, GM makes good trucks.

miket · February 20, 2005

That is a shame, I have a 98 and they are still taking care of me as much as possible. I cannot imagine that GM would build a motor that uses that much oil on a regular basis. Call around to a few different dealers and talk to the service manager. explain what is going on and see if he has heard of it before. Maybe you can find someone that can help you figure this out. don't give up yet, GM makes good trucks.

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I know Mike and I have talked to a few dealers here in Seattle and they all say the same thing. Do a search on CSK, knock, oil consumption...it's a huge problem that starts at GM. I have contacted a lawyer and several are involved ...I paid for my extended warranty...the issue is satisfaction. In my mind, unless enough people apply pressure GM won't provide any restituion.

sbotes · July 16, 2010

I have a 2002 Chevrolet Suburban 2500 8.1L....Love it, contstantyly having Oil issues that even a dealer can't figure out. Manual says oil change ever 7000 miles, at 3097 miles since last oil change, Check Engine Oil light come on, checked the stick....it was bone dry... Where did my oil go.

I have a 2002 2500 and have had the same problem. Chevy basically says live with it. No explanation. I can forgive but at least tell me what is going on.

ChrisNJ · July 16, 2010

I had (3) 8.1's, they all ate 1qt in 4-5Kmi. One of them was like yours, but the dealer found a tsb on the pcv valve, fixed it, and it went to the one qt in 4-5Kmi. Don't think they'll ever get better than that. And I loved mine too, even with the oil issue. Sad they went away. I replaced my last one with a 6.2-6sp, and it does a comparable but not quite as good of a job as the 8.1 did towing about 8K.

My brother has an 8.1, but I never asked him about it, and he's never said anything. I just helped him tow his 15,000lb 5th wheel, yes that's right 15,000lbs, cross country on a move, and man do I love that engine. I was always sleeping when he stopped for gas, and I saw him checking it, but I never did. I think I rememeber him saying he added a qt. the whole trip, so that would make sense in the 3000 mi. trip. Of course on the big hills it was screaming it's head off, but she never missed a beat, never got too hot, never dropped below 45-50mph, cruised at 65-70 95% of the way, sometimes 6mpg sometimes 8.

96chevy7.4L · July 18, 2010

It is a common fix to put a 180 degree thermostat in it. The tolerances are very tight and the oil temps are up there as well. My dad and few guys I know put the 180 degree thermostat in and the oil consumption goes away for the most part.

TravisAZ · July 21, 2010

It is a common fix to put a 180 degree thermostat in it. The tolerances are very tight and the oil temps are up there as well. My dad and few guys I know put the 180 degree thermostat in and the oil consumption goes away for the most part.

There are 3 ways that I know of to combat the oil consumption issue in the 8.1:

1.) 180 degree stat.

2.) Synthetic Oil.

3.) There was a TSB regarding replacing the intake manifold bolts, but I don't have it handy and don't remember what years it applied to. Google should find it pretty quickly.