Does your 5.3L burn oil & smoke?

BgBlkAvalanche · November 30, 2001

I have an Avalanche that has been drinking oil at a rate of 1 quart every 2000 miles or less, and occasionally smoking big time at start up.

Took it to the dealer again and they found out there is a NEW designed PCV out specifically because of this issue. They said there were several cases/complaints about this, and the new PCV design should cure both issues.

Shaners · November 30, 2001

I could see where the PCV could cause some smoke on start-up. I hope it cures the problem...

rocksolid · December 2, 2001

My 01 smokes at startup, every once and a while. Do you have a part number on the PCV?

BgBlkAvalanche · December 3, 2001

No, I did not get the part number,... sorry..

jst4f · December 7, 2001

I stumbled across this post on another bb. I hope it helps.

"TSB for excessive oil consumption on newer models

Higher Than Expected Engine Oil Consumption (Replace PCV Valve) #01-06-01-029

Higher than Expected Engine Oil Consumption (Replace PCV Valve)

1999-2002 Chevrolet and GMC C/K Models

2002 Cadillac Escalade

with 5.3L or 6.0L Engine (VINs T, N, U - RPOs LM7, LQ9, LQ4)

Condition

Some customers may comment on higher than expected engine oil consumption. They may further comment on consumption in the range of 2,000 miles (3,200 km) or less per quart (0.946 liter) of oil under normal driving conditions.

Cause

The condition may be due to the PCV Valve flow rate under certain engine operating conditions.

Correction

Verify that the oil consumption is not the result of an oil leak or other engine concern.

Dealer should perform an oil consumption test. The vehicle should have accumulated over 4,000 miles (6,450 km) before establishing the oil consumption rate. Reference Service Bulletin #01-06-01-011, Information on Engine Oil Consumption Guideline, for details.

Remove the PCV Valve and inspect the hose going to the intake manifold for signs of excessive oil being present.

If excessive oil is present in the PCV hose, replace the PCV Valve Type 948C (2) with a new-style fixed orifice PCV Valve Type CV2001-C

Important

Do not install the new style fixed orifice PCV Valve on vehicles equipped with the 4.8L V8 Engine (RPO LR4). Use of this orifice on the 4.8L V8 engine may affect engine idle quality and engine RPM control.

Important

The new style fixed orifice PCV Valve contains no moving parts, and does not rattle when shaken.

If the vehicle has an orifice style PCV Valve, investigate other causes for high oil consumption.

Parts Information

Part Number

12572717

Description

PCV Type CV2001-C

Qty

1"

TonkoJ · January 8, 2002

Please call Jim Kellerstraus of Region 8 EPA, Air Emissions Enforcement in

Denver (303) 236-9505, to let him know your problem. He needs to document

other people, besides myself, having this oil-smoke problem. EPA will do an

investigation and require a recall of the vehicle if needed. You should

also write to:

Manger, Certification and Compliance

Division (6405J)

Warranty Claims

Environmental Protection Agency

Ariel Rios Building

1200 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.

Washington D.C. 20460

Best advice I can give is to document all trips to the dealer about this

problem. The Lemon Law is strict and my dealership failed to give me

paperwork each time I was in. This problem will not go away and if you

persist in following the Lemon Law to recover your lost value or a

replacement vehicle, documentation is crucial.

We consumers cannot access the needed documentation from GM as they say it

is "proprietary information" and won't release outside their business.

Nothing gets me madder than being lied to. It started right off the bat

with the "it's normal break in". I work too hard for my money to spent it

on a vehicle that is loosing value so rapidly. Once word gets out about the

5.3 oil problem, look for resale values to plummet even further.

The PCV theory put forth by GM sounded plausible until I looked at the

vertical lift that the hose has before the oil would get into the intake.

It is almost a foot straight up before the hose bends into the intake

manifold. Any oil drawn through the PCV would likely condense in the hose

and drip back down into the valve cover. I'm of the opinion that the fix is

still being sought. The other Avalanche here in Pueblo just had new lifters

installed. Since the lifters control the volume of oil delivered into the

valve cover area, I'm thinking that GM may have reduced the port size or

otherwise cut down on upper end lubrication with the replacement lifters.

Less oil up top means less oil leaking onto the combustion chamber. If this

is the case, look for lots of upper end wear, which won't be noticeable

until after the warranty period expires.

Another thing to consider is the reduction of the vacuum at the PCV. This

may work fine on a new engine that has little blow-by. On a high mileage

engine, the blow-by will need to go somewhere. Since the orifice on the PCV

is reduced, it has to blow out a seal or in the best case, lift the dipstick

out of the tube to relieve the pressure built up in the engine block. Look

for the 5.3 to get lots of leaks as the miles go by.

The most likely cause of this oil consumption problem is wear in the valve

guide. This would allow oil to be drawn into the combustion chamber only

when the piston gets stopped at the proper location. Then when the engine

is restarted, the vacuum pulls the oil in and the catalysts are too cold to

vaporize it on cold start. When the engine is hot, the oil burns in the

catalytic converter and doesn't exit as a blue cloud.Maybe the valve guides

are too soft or manufactured out of the wrong alloy. Anyway you look at it,

the manufacturer is trying to fix the problem as economically as possible

and get the engine to run past the warranty period. I didn't have any smoke

until I got over 1,000 miles on both engines. Therefore, my guess is the

valve guides are wearing too quickly.

I took photos and gave copies to the service folks at TEAM Chevrolet to

prove up my complaint. Even after they replaced the entire engine, my

vehicle still burns a quart every 1,000 miles and puffs out volumes on cold

start. Hope your not parking yours in a garage! My driveway is now getting

stained from all the oil and soot dripping out of the exhaust.

Keep in touch. From what I've experienced so far, we'll need to stick

together as the factory doesn't care...

CMNTMXR81 · January 8, 2002

Ummm, Tonko, I hate to throw a monkey wrench into your plans of trying to screw GM, but if they already have a TSB issued and are voluntarily replacing this per that TSB, what good is your campaign going to do? GM already knows it exists and is replacing it on their goodwill.

TonkoJ · January 8, 2002

If you read my post closely, you'll find that the "GM Fix" didn't work on my vehicle. I now have a new replacement engine (put in at 4,000 miles) and the new design PVC valve and my 5.3 STILL SMOKES and BURNS OIL!

Anyone who's not working for GM would probably feel the same way I do. I wouldn't buy another one of these lemons...ever and you might want to consider what I've been through if you are thinking of buying now!

CMNTMXR81 · January 9, 2002

Tonko,

A) I worked in a service dept at a Chevy dealer.

B) My 95 Blazer which I loved to death had virtually EVERY piece of it's drivetrain replaced (by me of course since I worked there). I had engine problems too, but those were solved by simply pulling and fixing the heads. So I've been there and bought the T-shirt so to speak! It's under warranty, not a penny is coming out of your pocket. When the warranty is up, get rid of it and go buy a ford!

C) Your 1 lemon doesn't speak for the millions of 5.3's out there that don't have this problem. Some do, I won't deny that, but you are a small percentage of those actually on the road.

Your not believing that oil can't make it up that passage is incorrect. Under a slight vacuum which it is under, it will slowly come. For instance, I pulled the intake plenum off a 3.4L DOHC V6 on a Monte Carlo the otherday. It's PCV system is similar in height and distance as is your 5.3, but the inside of that plenum was freshly coated with oil. So have no fear, it's doing it's job.

If it's that much an issue, just get rid of your truck instead of trying to screw GM and screw us GM enthusiasts by raising the warranty costs on our vehicles. GO buy something else and profess to them how Chevy is garbage. Sorry, I don't feel any sympathy.

timcosco · January 9, 2002

CMNTMXR81:

Do you still have contacts in the service department where you worked? If so, do they know what's different in the 5.3's for 2002? Also, it seems like it's just the Av's that have this problem. Wonder why?

If you have time, please explain why it's plausible the PCV valve is the real culprit here and not out of spec valve guides/seals. There is a tremendous smoke cloud emitted upon startup from my Av after driving at freeway speeds for an hour or so, then letting it sit overnight.

The fact that the cloud only appears after a lengthy drive at high speed seems to indicate that yes, there's a lot of extra oil splashing around beneath that valve cover and it's being sucked through the PCV valve.

However, the fact that this smoke cloud is so huge and appears only after the vehicle sits overnight, seems to indicate that there's no way that much oil could be sucked in and instead, it's leaking through the valve guides and into the top of the cylinder.

Having once owned a 1983 1/2 Corvette, I know what it's like to deal with first year model quirks. I was willing to take the risk again on my Av, but sure didn't think I'd have any complaints about the engine.

I plan to approach my dealer with this problem next week. I don't expect any problems, but it's just important for me to know as much as possible as to what the problem really is.

Thanks for any insight. This really is a great forum!