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Oil Consumption

8K views 25 replies 10 participants last post by  kennyrich 
#1 ·
I was reading a bunch of TSBs today and came across one that mentions a redesigned driver side valve cover with an improved baffle. Anyone else seen this or had it done at the dealer?
 
#3 ·
I thought I read somewhere where the baffle was added to more recent models.

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Check out this that I saw on an episode of Motorweek. I wonder if this is the baffle you are referencing.

I am trying to find the video as he showed the inside of a valve cover and you could see the baffle.

http://www.motorweek.org/features/goss_garage/funnel_facts

But here’s something, now this could save you some money on a lot of cars – just a simple paper funnel; now, what am I talking about here? Well, inside many valve covers, if we try to use any kind of a conventional funnel – put it in, it doesn’t go any place. There is actually, in this valve cover, a piece of tin down there; now that tin is a baffle, and if we look at the back side of it, we see that it covers the whole inside of the valve cover. And what it does, is it prevents the crank case breather system – you call it a PCV. It prevents that from sucking oil out of the engine and burning it. Well, if you damage that, you’ll end up with a car that burns oil. So, you want to make sure that you’re very very careful to never damage the baffle if your car has it. So, the proper funnel makes all the difference. And if you have a question or comment, drop me a line, right here at MotorWeek.
 
#8 ·
I have not heard of any new valve cover replacement. Currently in the process of an oil consumption test at the dealership. To date they have changed out a
redesigned valve cover gasket and performed a de-carbonization of the engine. Basically, the gasket has an area with three ported holes. I was told that this is
the initial fix recommended by GM. If this does not resolve the issue then the rings need to be replaced. My vehicle is a 08 CTS with 42,000 miles. The consumption rate is a little over a quart ever 2,000 miles.
 
#10 ·
928S,

It will be covered under the 5yr/100K mi powertrain warranty being that the consumption test was started prior to the 5yr expiration. On a side note, what was frustrating in my situation was that there was minimal (1-2 oz) oil consumption on the first 1,000 miles check. It was the subsequent checks that the oil consumption increased. to about a little over a quart every 2000 miles. I realize that this is slightly over GM's spec. but it's the principle of the issue now. I have never owned a vehicle that consumed oil @ 40,000 miles like my CTS.

The CTS with a new valve gasket is at 960 miles and it appears to have consumed 1-2 oz. It will go to the dealership tomorrow for documentation purposes for the 1,000 mi check. I am hopeful that on subsequent checks it's only consuming a couple of oz's. Will post an update.
 
#11 ·
Hi kennyrich,

Thanks for the update, hope your fix is good.

Since my last post to this thread on Jan 31, my 3.6L DI engine has been rebuilt. After confirming oil consumption of 1 qt. in 1.7Kmi., my dealer was reluctant but eventually agreed to rebuild the engine at 39Kmi. - complete disassembly, remove heavy carbon buildup, install new piston rings, bearings, gaskets, seals, etc. Dealer had car for 10 days, logged 100 miles after the rebuild, debugged various engine codes, and installed new timing chain tensioners too.

928S,

On a side note, what was frustrating in my situation was that there was minimal (1-2 oz) oil consumption on the first 1,000 miles check. It was the subsequent checks that the oil consumption increased. to about a little over a quart every 2000 miles. I realize that this is slightly over GM's spec. but it's the principle of the issue now. I have never owned a vehicle that consumed oil @ 40,000 miles like my CTS.
My experience was similar to yours. Nothing in the first 1Kmi., then abrupt excessive oil consumption in the next 1Kmi. In my case, cheap bulk synthetic used for dealer oil change service might have played a role, dunno. I, too, never before owned a vehicle that consumed oil like my CTS. Now, with only a few hundred miles on rebuilt engine, it’s too early to tell.

Re warranty coverage and payment. My oil consumption test began at 36.2Kmi. and 4 months of powertrain warranty remaining, so no doubt about coverage. Oh, but wait! My dealer informed. me that GM reneged because internal TSB Oil Consumption Guidelines only cover vehicles with less than 36Kmi., in spite of 5yr/100Kmi warranty, and therefore my GMPP service contract with $200 deductible would have to pay. In other words, somebody at GM and/or my dealer decided to screw me in order to save GM a >$4500 warranty expense. Yes, it’s the principle of the issue, indeed.

So, my advice to all is do not delay documenting and securing firm commitment from your GM/Cadillac dealer regarding warranty coverage and payment for any near-end-of-warranty repair(s) to which you might be entitled.
 
#12 ·
Hi 928S,

To date I really can not complain about how the dealership has handle the situation. I have been dealing with the manager of the service department and he had initially contacted GM for approval to rebuild the engine, but was told to change out the valve cover gasket and a de-carboniztion of the engine first. According to the mechanic they have seen a 40-60% reduction in oil consumption with this fix. My comment to the manager was so if it gets below the 1 qt. per 2000 mi, GM basically claims it's within spec and washes their hands of the issue. He said that the dealership and GM want to make their
customers happy and he has seen them approve the rebuilt. I guess in time I will see if the "squeaky wheel gets the oil". The mechanic did say that the rebuilt fixes the oil consumption issue and has not had any complaints from owners after this is performed. Hopefully your story has a happy ending!
 
#14 ·
Unless you stop the oil ingestion the odds are within a few thousand miles the same deposits and residue will cause ring sticking and the same will happen again. The price of a RX catchcan is less than one upper induction cleaning, and after that you should not have the issue .

If installed when the car is new the deposits dont form and the issue is only a piston ring seating issue if there is consumption.
 
#15 ·
Frankly I would rather accept the oil consumption (which doesn't all that excessive) rather than have a dealer rebuild my engine. The thought of a dealer replacing rings and honing bores is far more risky than moderate oil consumption. Very few if any dealers can do that type of work.
 
#16 · (Edited)
Well, speaking strictly for myself...huh? We're talkin 'bout the GM 3.6L engine. My high-volume Cadillac dealer rebuilds these engines on a regular basis. While working on my CTS, a SRX was also being rebuilt in the adjacent bay. If this warranty repair faiis, then a new engine will follow.

If you guys seriously think adding 3 or more quarts between oil changes is "not all that excessive," then you are truly GM/Cadillac's ideal customers. Personally, I would not continue to drive such a POS.
 
#17 ·
The purpose of oil is to lubricate. Although 2000 miles per quart is marginal it is not outrageous. Some manufacturers will not address this issue unless consumption is worse than 1000 mpq. As far as the ability of a dealer to personally rebuild an engine, that varies greatly from dealer to dealer but overall not a good thing. Replacing an engine with a rebuilt unit is a lot different than rebuilding it at the dealer. This requires a clean room atmosphere as well as special tools. I would never tolerate it myself.
 
#18 ·
The purpose of oil is to lubricate.
No comment :).

Although 2000 miles per quart is marginal it is not outrageous. Some manufacturers will not address this issue unless consumption is worse than 1000 mpq.
On this forum we’re talking about GM/Cadillac engines and warranties; in my case, GMPP too. According to GM’s official TSB, confirmed by Cadillac Customer Service, 0 to 1 qt in 2Kmi is acceptable (normal, non-excessive) and, thus, by defininition, under normal driving conditions, greater than 1 qt in 2Kmi is unacceptable (abnormal, excessive) and warrants corrective action. So a hypothetical lower oil consumption standard by an anonymous other manufacturer is irrelevant here.

As far as the ability of a dealer to personally rebuild an engine, that varies greatly from dealer to dealer but overall not a good thing. Replacing an engine with a rebuilt unit is a lot different than rebuilding it at the dealer. This requires a clean room atmosphere as well as special tools. I would never tolerate it myself.
Well, hopefully, my dealer provided, as promised, a clean work area, clean parts, clean tools, and a qualified experienced mechanic for the engine rebuild. Only time will tell. Meanwhile, dealer and warranty stand behind parts and labor. It’s a far better bet than driving around with jug of oil in tow, anxiously incessantly checking the dipstick, adding 3 or more quarts between each and every oil change (or before the tow truck arrives in order to not invalidate remaining warranty) for the next x number of years.

All considered, I don't know why anyone would tolerate driving an oil-burning "Cadillac" junker.
 
#21 ·
928S said:
Well, speaking strictly for myself...huh? We're talkin 'bout the GM 3.6L engine. My high-volume Cadillac dealer rebuilds these engines on a regular basis. While working on my CTS, a SRX was also being rebuilt in the adjacent bay. If this warranty repair faiis, then a new engine will follow.

If you guys seriously think adding 3 or more quarts between oil changes is "not all that excessive," then you are truly GM/Cadillac's ideal customers. Personally, I would not continue to drive such a POS.
How many miles are you doing between changes? 3k miles.? Excessive. 10 k miles like I do on my Chevy? Then 3 qt is as good or better than any vehicle I have had out of 5 manufacturers. The least oil use I had was. 77 Chevy c20. Most is likely my '93 Ranger. None were more than 1 qt per 1k miles, all were more than 1 qt per 3 k miles.
 
#22 ·
That's a very good point. The industry has moved from a 3000 mile oil change interval to more like 7500 miles. In fact most oil life monitors will allow up to 12000 miles. That's the hard and practical side of the story. Many people feel that is abusive and frankly it's great that so many people love and cradle their machines. However, when it comes right down to harsh engineering terms, 2000 mpq is not great but not horrible. 12000 mile oil changes may be OK depending on how the computer maps your driving cycle. In many cases the "feel good" stuff is just that and may be a huge detriment to the environment if you care about that kind of stuff. If my car runs like a raped ape, doesn't smoke. and doesn't make bad noises, why not enjoy life and give up an occasional drink for a quart of oil.
 
#26 ·
Update:

The updated valve cover gasket did improve the oil consumption somewhat. It brought it within GM specs, consuming about 26 oz every 2000 miles. Still with the car only having 45,000 miles this was unacceptable to me. The gasket update was merely a quick fix and felt that the oil consumption would eventually worsen over time. The dealership agreed to replace the piston rings, timing chain, and seals. The service advisor told me that they have done quite a few of these and it fixes the consumption issues. He said that they average around two every couple of weeks on the 2007 and 2008 models and they are out of warranty and the customer pays the bill. I picked up the car today hopeful this is the fix!
 
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