'06 CTS Oil Consumption Concern

[sx54dx]

I have an '05 3.6 manual and I will go through 4-5 quarts before the Oil Life counted down.
I have not had the car all that long so I just started keeping track of the mileage.
I rarely see anything past 4K rpms and the car has no smoke or unusual noises either...

I have 77% Oil Life left with about 1,800-2k miles since I changed it last. I put half a quart in it already and I just checked and I need almost 3 quarts right now.

I have been thinking this is unusal but was unsure of my warranty since I bought it used.

Does anyone know the general GM warranty that may apply?
(ie: 60,000 mile powertrain)

[Big_Ed]

4 years/ 50,000 miles on drivetrain

[Big_Ed]

Originally Posted by mikes2nd

i changed my oil and bam it stopped using oil. I don't get this. I also feel that there is something to waiting. Like I put oil in my car and the level doesnt change.

I was pretty fearful of overfilling since I never saw the level change when I added more. Its like I couldnt get the car over the half way mark on the dipstick.

Wait and see before you stop filling the first time.

ps just checked it. practically zero oil consumption at 3000 miles now, oil looks very clean... i seriously dont get it.. one thing I did before was use ring free a oil change ago. i just used mobile 1...

I think the best way is to seafoam your car. But I am befuddled... maybe the Rislone Compression repair (with ring seal) i put in(only put in half a bottle) worked???? I mean the stuff is out of my engine.

http://www.barsproducts.com/4444.htm Its thick like cold honey.

Someone else try this. I put a fair amount of miles once I put this in, I had to add oil. Next oil change is staying put now...

there is also this

http://www.barsproducts.com/4416.htm

That Bar's stuff looks promising. Anyone else have any experience with it?

[mjs0202]

I have been driving around 20,000 miles a year for 25+ years now. I have never owned a car that burned any oil between changes. If you are losing oil it is a sign of more serious issues that need addressing.

[sx54dx]

Where is it all going if it doesn't burn it, doesn't leak it and theres no residue in the intake area?

[mjs0202]

Originally Posted by sx54dx

Where is it all going if it doesn't burn it, doesn't leak it and theres no residue in the intake area?

Of course its burning the oil, just very slowly so you get no smoke. My guess is worn piston rings.

[chevyhighperformance]

You can try an oil that doesn't thin out as much at high temperatures. Valvoline synthetic remains thicker than Mobile 1 synthetic.

There was a high oil consumption issue with the LS1 engines (camaros, corvettes, firebirds) that seemed to be due to a ring tension issue. If just putted along you would lose significant oil. However, if you hammered on the car a bit the oil consumption would be reduced. I was told by several people at GM that the if the engine was under light load, the rings would flutter and oil consumption would increase, but under heavy loads, the rings found their home and oil consumption was reduced. A WOT blast here or there isn't a bad thing.

[sx54dx]

Any excuse for a wide open blast is a good excuse in my book!
I usually keep fairly low RPM's and traffic sitting so I'll open her up tomorrow a couple times...
Even if it doesn't help, it'll still be fun...

[JimmyH]

Originally Posted by sx54dx

Any excuse for a wide open blast is a good excuse in my book!
I usually keep fairly low RPM's and traffic sitting so I'll open her up tomorrow a couple times...
Even if it doesn't help, it'll still be fun...

You need to WOT it at least once per drive. Blows the crap out of the cylinders. And like you said, it's fun

[Big_Ed]

OK - Step one: I stopped by my local Caddy dealer today and made an appointment for them to change the oil on Thursday. The service manager just about spit on ground when speaking the name "Mobil One," so that may be the first thing that he does differently.

We shall see.

[FL01SS]

I just took mine in this morning because I'm concerned with the oil consumption. It's an 04 with the 3.6 and has 59k on it. I just drove from Tampa, FL to Williamsburg, VA (about 1000 miles) and I used 2.5 qts. The stealership said I need to pay them $69.99 for an oil change (plus tax, EPA fees, & whatever else they tack on) in order to get the oil to the propper level for them to do a consumption test. I tols them I'd just change it on my own (even though I'm still over 50% on the DIC) and then they could check the level. They said if I changed the oil on my own there was nothing they could do for me & I was on my own. I told them they should cover the oil change under warranty (it's certified until December) since it was part of their diagnostics. Thy said no. I called Caddy customer care & they said they's have to research it & call me back.

I'm bound & determined to not give Cadillac one more cent! This car has been in the shop on average every 3 months since I bought it & although it's been covered under warranty it's been a major pain in the rear, & I just had to put tires on it 20k miles sooner than I should have had to because the bushings on the front A arms were shot & the inner edge of my tires were worn down to the belts. I had to deal with that crap while driving to VA with my family & I'm still pissed about that! I don't see how my car can be in their shop SO MANY times and they can always piont out things they would like to get me to pay for when they do their free 50 point inspection, but never once noticed the inner 2 inches of all 4 tires (since I had had them rotated religiously)was wearing about 75% faster than the rest of the tires.

[FL01SS]

I just got off the phone with the dealership again. I asked why they needed to change the oil now and not just top it off. They said that the oil was dirty so it needed to be changed inorder to do the test properly. I asked why they couldn't do the test now since the DIC says there's over 50% life left in the oil? They said the service manager said thet that's what needed to be done. They she says "Also, I noticed you have aftermarket wheels & tires on the car, and the warranty policy clearly states that aggressive driving and aftermarket products can void the warranty. Just so you know" I asked her how the hell she relates aftermarket tires to aggressive driving? And how running an 18" wheel over the factory 17" wheel would void the warranty on an oil consumption issue, and she said "I'm just telling you what the policy states." I can tell I'm throughly going to enjoy this dealership!! Anyone have experience with "Holiday Chevrolet & Caddilac" in Williamsburg, VA??

[Big_Ed]

Got my oil changed at the dealer today. $72.25 - I didn't think that was too bad. I was planning on changing it myself and I had picked up Mobil1 on sale and it still ran me about $35 for the oil & filter.

My initial impression that the service mgr. was not a fan of Mobil1 was apparently wrong, because that is what they used - 5W-30. They told me to come back in 1,000 miles so that they could check it.

I did check the dipstick after driving about 15 miles on the highway. I noticed that the level was about 1/4 inch above the the top dot. Did they overfill it? On purpose? Throw an extra half quart in now so that when they check the dipstick in 1,000 miles it will only appear to be down a half quart? Hmmmm.

I'll give them the benefit of the doubt for now. But I'll be on top of it and I'll let you know what happens.

[Spyke]

Big_Ed, I think your oil consumption test with the dealer will be for the next 3000 miles and not only the first 1000 miles. In 1000 miles, mention to the serv. manager that the oil was about 1/4 inch above the full mark though.

[Big_Ed]

First 1000 miles and we're down 1/2 quart. Jeez - I guess the car is on good behavior because I took it to the dealer.