NORMAL FOR LS1 ENGINE TO BURN SOME OIL?

[midlifecrisis]

We bought Firebird Formula 2001 5.7L V8 engine. Bought in July from dealer with 30,000 miles. Coming up on first oil change, a few hundred miles to go and the "Low Oil" light went on. I was down a quart. In checking around I have read that 1 quart / 3000 is not unusual. Can anyone comment on this?

thanks

[ar0ck]

PISTON SLAP!

[twiztidz28]

i dont own an ls1 nor did i ever but yes the ls1 are know to burn some oil.

[Jersey_TA]

That's pretty normal. Mine does the same thing if I go to the track or get on it a few times before the next oil change. If I don't beat on it it's fine.

[AliWantsNss]

Originally Posted by Jersey_TA

That's pretty normal. Mine does the same thing if I go to the track or get on it a few times before the next oil change. If I don't beat on it it's fine.

When do you not beat on your car?

[V]

many 01 and some early 02 LS1's have problems with oil consumption. Those car are also the ones with "piston slap". This is said to be caused by gm "overboring" some of the cylinders, usually 1 2 and 8. Mostly stick cars show it due to engine rpms being higher on the average than autos. (burns most around 4k rpms) My 01 ss used to burn about 1qt per 900 miles. The dealer refused to do anything after being there several times about it. I always was told..."its normal to use oil", etc. BS! i finally gave up and forgot about it, i'd just add oil whenever the light came on between oil changes. I am swapping out my crappy aluminum ls1 this winter for a better engine. GM had a re-ring kit for oil consumption but that also isnt suppossed to work. Just search the web for "piston slap oil consumption LS1" and you should find many references to it along with people talking about a class action lawsuit against GM.

[Jersey_TA]

Originally Posted by AliWantsNss

When do you not beat on your car?

Hmmm, let me think

[mysticwarrior]

According to Gm oil consumption of about 1 Qt / 1500 miles is nornal.Gm defines high oil consumption at 400-600 miles as per TSB 01-06-01-023. Then and only then will a dealer replace the #2 ring and the oil expander. As for piston slap, most LS1 motors I've seen have some piston slap during the first 30-60 seconds of start up due to ring/piston design. There is also some issues with the PCV valve sucking up excess oil. I have seen some people putting in inline filters to restrict air flow to the PCV as a cure for excessive oil consumption. Using 5w-30 mobil 1 adds to the mix.( I can only wonder what the ford boys get with their 5w-20 oil). I personally get about 2000 miles/qt
with my 2000 SS 6spd running mobil 1.

[1RawTA]

yes the oil consumpition is normal, do not get worried... at first when i got my car i was so nervous about it eating oil... i definatly see about a qt of oil loss every 2000 miles or so.. but say i go to the track one day and beat on the car all weekend i will definatly see more then.. its normal of the ls1

[mysticwarrior]

Here is what I've found out about the PCV issue. Gm has issued a new style
FIXED ORIFICE PCV valve (PN 12572717). It has no plunger or spring, just an orifice hole. This PCV valve is ment as a replacement for 4.8L V8 Gm trucks, but some have been using this in their LS1's. Take this info with a grain of salt, as I have not tried this mod myself. In order to see if your high oil consumption is caused by the PCV, you are to remove the PCV and inspect the hose going intothe intake maniflod for signs of 'excessive'oil , if excessive oil is found then replace the PCV with the newer valve. Hope this helps some of you.

[1RawTA]

like mystic worrioar said it can be fixed with the LS6 PCV valve system, we do this on alot of cars at the shop... the only thing is that u have to grind down some of the block. the intake has to be removed and there are some small modifications... if you do a new intake manifold, or heads you might as well do this mod at the same time..