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Low Oil, fast oil consumption.

5K views 25 replies 11 participants last post by  1baddad 
#1 ·
Hello to all, new to the site and owning my first Chevy Silverado (2009 5.3L V8 FFV 4 door, 4x4). I've had it about a month and a half now, At the dealer I checked the oil and it had new oil and up to level. First thing my wife and I did was go camping which we hauled our jet ski. Two weeks ago I turned it on to hear a loud tapping to which I knew it was oil related. Shut it off checked oil and it didn't even mark it on dipstick. Did an oil change with new filter to see how much oil I got out, 3.5Quarts. These take 5.5. So I put in new filter and castrol gtx 5W30, 520 miles into this new oil I just checked it today it was low a quart.?? :shock: :shock:

I got online to find numerous people with the same problem. Where they have gone back to Chevy to get the run around. What Can I do?? My truck has 72,480 miles on the clock. I've read that I can have them turn off the AFM system, some people say that's the cause of the oil consumption. Any help will be truly appreciated, I don't want to worry about having to replace the engine or costly repairs at the dealer.

Thanks Again.
 
#2 ·
Sorry about your issue. I know that the 2008 through 2009 had a big issue with the oil consumption; I am going through the same thing right now. For me, this is ok because I am the original owner of the truck and have gone through quite a process to get to where I am with it. I have 115xxx miles on my 2009 with the starting point being around 89k.

You could read this: Site Icon's Oil Consumption Test ... FAILED and get a clearer idea of the actual process which is:
1) replacing driver side valve cover (a band-aid),
2) soaking the rings with a solution (2-day fix and another band-aid process),
3) should be replacing the rings and pistons.
I am on my last 1000 mile oil consumption test before the dealership petitions GM to cover the bill for step 3. I am under the impression that I will be taken care of, but still have my convictions about whether that will really happen.

I would imagine that the first two steps, if I thought they would do you any good, would be fairly easy to accomplish yourself, but the ring thing would not.

If I were you, I would voice my concerns to the dealership from which you purchased the truck. If it is a GM dealership, they should be aware of the issue. However, if it is not a GM dealership, you will have a hard time convincing them that they sold you a bum truck. I would think that the guy that traded it off had an issue with the truck, such as the oil, and didn't research it or bring it to the dealership with the problem to have it fixed.
 
#5 ·
I purchased the Chevy from a Ford dealer, From which my wife and I opted out from buying extended warranty because she had an 07 Silverado a few years ago and never had that problem. Her brother has the truck she had and still no problem, her nephew has another 07 Z71 and no problem. Lucky me, I get an 09 and bam oil problems. So basically I am screwed with Chevy doing anything since I have no warranty. I don't know what to do, if to trade it for another truck thats not a chevy or go and see what can be done and how much.. :cry: :cry:
 
#6 ·
I read through the other thread listed above about the oil consumption. I'm no pro but why has valve stem seal failure not been mentioned? I suppose I should read up on this AFM that has been mentioned but does it have to do with going from 8 to 4 cylinder modes?
Rings don't just carbon up on their own, so either oil is introduced from failed valentine stem seals or sucked up past the oil ring. Either way just replacing the rings/pistons or whatever was listed can be added to the bandaid list until the real problem is found.
Engines have been running for a long time without this as a common problem.
 
#7 ·
GM is not interested in finding the cause of the problem but there is a TSB they follow and after they perform those steps in that TSB they attempt to tell the customer it's fixed.
I had a 2011 with 16k and after 4 months of work they replaced the motor because of the AFM. I then purchased a 2013 and at 45k they had to fix the same issue. AFM fix and the lifters solved it so far.
It's starting to tick again so if it gets worse they'll be seeing me again
 
#9 ·
This is my first post here,sorry to hear about your oil issue, Since you have only owned the truck for a short time did you not get some kind of warr. from the dealer ??? If so i would be bringing it back to them asap. I feel your pain, i also have the same issue on my 2010, AFM is a complete disaster of engineering. Countless horror stories of failure. Siezed piston ring's, lifter failure and the list goes on,

As you can see by my user name i am pretty upset with GM, It is my understanding that any AFM vehicle from 2007 to 2012 is a potential threat to your wallet. I personally have been driving GM product's for the past 40 year's, My oil consumption issue showed up about 10 month's ago, when i brought it in i went threw the bandage up BS, new valve cover, soaking the piston's, trying to resolve the issue, little did i realize that i think it was all a stall on GM's part as my power train warr. expired in june.

Now i am about 120 day's past my warr and my motor is really running rough, i think one lifter is collapsed now,so any future repair's are out of pocket, My truck only has 58000 miles on it, not even close to gm's 100,000 but i have passed the 5 year mark so i am buggered.

Anyway check and see if you have any warr if so take it to them, GOOD LUCK.
 
#10 ·
^^^^ If your dealer is refusing to help you out contact a GM Customer Service rep here on this sight. If they performed the TSB repair on your truck while still in warranty they should be capable of continuing the process of fixing the issue until resolved. If they refuse to help go to another dealership and explain it to them. Don't give up but you have to be vigilant and polite because if you start butting heads you'll most likely lose.

I've been through it twice and it's not a fast process.

You might also look into the recall for the TPS as they extended that recall warranty for 6yrs./ 120,000 miles it made my truck run rough.
 
#11 ·
^^^^ +1 they should fix it since issue was brought up before warranty ran out.
 
#12 ·
A little update.

So Saturday afternoon my wife and I decided to get away from the city and spend some time together since yesterday was our 1 year anniversary of being married. We took off to El Paso, TX went to the outlets and then decided to go to Juarez, ate, drove around. The trip there and back I had it on cruise control 80MPH, put in about 750 miles on the oil after I put in the Quart that it consumed on the first 500 miles on oil change. Checked the oil this morning and it was just maybe the thickness of a quarter under the last dot on top of the full. So it got me thinking, maybe all the consumption is down on city driving when it keeps changing back and forth from 4cyl to 8cyl. Maybe if I got the Diablo tuner and turned off the AFM it would stop consuming all that oil. Any opinions? :?: I'm a little hopeful now.
 
#13 ·
I've read that usage happens more in 4cyl mode than 8, and the cycling could be part of that. Disabling AFM has slowed usage for some people, or prevented it altogether.

My 07 hasn't exhibited any usage concerns yet (133k miles) but I'm going to turn off AFM one of these days when I tune it. Just got the truck in May with 128k on it.

BTW mine calls for 6 quarts, not 5.5... did the amount change in later years or something?
 
#14 ·
If it was mine i would still go back to the dealership and see what they will do first. Then if they refuse to help at all I would then buy a Range or diablo tuner and turn the AFM off . If the tune or range does not stop it , then thats just more time wasted trying to get them to help.. I put the range in mine at 32,000 miles and so far no problems. Good luck .
 
#16 ·
SparkyJJO said:
BTW mine calls for 6 quarts, not 5.5... did the amount change in later years or something?
All 5.3L NNBS trucks are 6 quarts. You may have trouble getting the full six quarts in during an oil change if all the oil hasn't been allowed to drain out of the crank case and filter.
 
#17 ·
Another update on visit to Chevy.
So I talked to one of the techs and explained to him the problem and he said I haven't heard that kind of problems before. Looked up my VIN and saw no previous problems with oil consumption and the only thing he found that was covered is the TPS up to 120,000 miles. So I proceeded to show him the bulletin on the engine oil consumption. He said nothing Chevy can do for me since I have no warranty. So I asked him, if GM knows about the problem and possible fix can't a discount or something be given to the owners who are having those problems and he said "talk to GM about that".
He gave me a price on changing the valve cover, new shield and piston rings at a whopping $2,400 plus tax. He suggested to atleast start with the valve cover and shield and see if it fixes the problem since it's only at 73k miles.
I may just buy the valve cover and change it myself and get the tuner. I'm out of warranty so I'm not losing anything warranty wise turning off AFM.
 
#18 ·
Did you ask at the F#rd Dealership you bought it from, You can show them the what is going on see if they will help out at all, If they are a decent dealer they might fix it or help you fix it to keep a good name for them selfs. Nothing to loose at this point? If not i would try the updated valve cover and maybe even the seafoam engine soak to loosen the rings ? then the tuner to turn off AFM.
 
#19 ·
Shinigami said:
Another update on visit to Chevy.
So I talked to one of the techs and explained to him the problem and he said I haven't heard that kind of problems before. Looked up my VIN and saw no previous problems with oil consumption and the only thing he found that was covered is the TPS up to 120,000 miles. So I proceeded to show him the bulletin on the engine oil consumption. He said nothing Chevy can do for me since I have no warranty. So I asked him, if GM knows about the problem and possible fix can't a discount or something be given to the owners who are having those problems and he said "talk to GM about that".
He gave me a price on changing the valve cover, new shield and piston rings at a whopping $2,400 plus tax. He suggested to atleast start with the valve cover and shield and see if it fixes the problem since it's only at 73k miles.
I may just buy the valve cover and change it myself and get the tuner. I'm out of warranty so I'm not losing anything warranty wise turning off AFM.
Depending on the severity of the damage already done a Tuner may not fix the problem. I'd suggest starting out with the Range device $100-$120 and see if that helps. If not you can always sell it and recoup your money.
I'm not 100% sure but others have said installing a catch can also helped. IDK.
 
#20 ·
Sounds like your best bet at this point is to trade it in. Otherwise, I would say, just keep a jug of oil in the back and top it off every time you fill with gas. But, it is likely going to only get worse to include fouling plugs and trashing the pistons, valves and cylinders. I am not convinced that turning off the AFM will do much to solve the problem either. I aslo agree that a range device might be a better investment than a tuner. You can do a lot more with a tuner but you will pay many times more for the tuner. Good luck, keep us posted.
 
#23 ·
amazon.com and autoanything are two popular places for buying them new. When Autoanything.com has their 20% off sale which is often, you can get one new for $159.00 shipped. But as mentioned, they pop up on the for sale section occasionally and can be had for under $150...sometimes, much under.
 
#25 ·
After reading about the AFM and reading some about oil oxidation I'll list what I've read and see if anyone else can come up with the same conclusion as I have. I have to note that I'm not an engineer or smart by any means but just curious why something with so much technology can have a problem that is not present on even the most basic of internal combustion engines.

This is from the wiki on AFM operation:
In order to deactivate a cylinder, the exhaust valve is prevented from opening after the power stroke and the exhaust gas charge is retained in the cylinder and compressed during the exhaust stroke. Following the exhaust stroke, the intake valve is prevented from opening. The exhaust gas in the cylinder is expanded and compressed over and over again and acts like a gas spring. As multiple cylinders are shut off at a time (cylinders 1, 4, 6 and 7 for a V8), the power required for compression of the exhaust gas in one cylinder is countered by the decompression of retained exhaust gas in another. When more power is called for, the exhaust valve is reactivated and the old exhaust gas is expelled during the exhaust stroke. The intake valve is likewise reactivated and normal engine operation is resumed. The net effect of cylinder deactivation is an improvement in fuel economy and likewise a reduction in exhaust emissions. General Motors was the first to modify existing, production engines to enable cylinder deactivation, with the introduction of the Cadillac L62 "V8-6-4" in 1981.

Oil oxidation:


So, if the combustion gasses are retained in a cylinder following the power stroke it is essentially sloshing around a slug of the acidic/carbon filled gasses. Since the gases are still relatively hot they will continue to oxidize the oil which comes past the piston rings on each stroke until the temperature drops low enough to prevent oxidation. So at this point there is even more carbon particulate floating around in the cylinder.
If the activation and deactivation can be timed in such a way, why would they not deactivate the fuel injector and then the intake valve after a charge of clean air has been drawn into the cylinder? It would accomplish the same principal of a gas spring without all the bad stuff being retained in the cylinder. Just my $.02 on it. I'm sure one of the brilliant minds out there could explain the reasoning to me why it is done one way but not the other. I will not accept "to prevent washing the cylinders with fuel" as an answer because obviously what was done is not any better. Through proper deactivation of the fuel injector which is done anyway that should not be an issue.
 
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