Oil loss and you...

Ryan from Ohio · 12-20-2006, 07:59 PM

Anyone else having a constant problem with oil loss?

I bought my car with 53K on it. Im at 88K now.

Over the past 10 months Ive noticed Im loosing oil, but I have no puddles/drips under my car.

About 11K ago i switched to AMS synthetic. I expected seepage. Cant say Ive got any. But Im still loosing oil, and Im fearful its getting worse.

About two weeks ago I switched out the filter and added oil to make up the loss. Now two weeks later Im 1 1/2 qts low...

I need to indentify this problem and nip it in the bud before I blow the motor.

Or buy another motor and plan on a swap this spring...

jackal2000 · 12-20-2006, 08:01 PM

when i was losing oil there was lots of blue smoke lol

Redog · 12-20-2006, 08:22 PM

How's your coolant? Is there oil in there?

Ryan from Ohio · 12-20-2006, 11:48 PM

Thats what I was wondering as well.

I cant answer really, as this is what I did. I had a slow leak in the coolant. SO I flushed the system then I added new coolant and I used them big brown pellets of stop leak. So my coolant is brown... lol

I know oil will seperate from water, but cant tell in the tank.

So Im going to drain, flush with hose (no cleaner), then put in some new green stuff this weekend.

It would be rather nice if its just the LIMG. Hell I can do that fairly easy/quick now.

Oldsnut · 12-20-2006, 11:59 PM

My '99 Intrigue has a voracious appetite for oil, and nobody can explain why and I mean nobody at GM, mechanics etc. No leaks, oil in antifreeze, blue smoke etc. Truly perplexed. Am now finding that my Aurora also has a love for oil, but not as bad.

Overall it seems to be a common problem with Olds.

Ryan from Ohio · 12-21-2006, 06:21 PM

Must be a common problem with GM.

The 3400 SFI styled like the ones in the Alero are the same thats in any other FWD GM product...

The only thing I can figure is Im burning it off.

I have a 50 mile one way trip to work, and about 35 of it is at 75-80 MPH...

SweetNLow · 12-21-2006, 07:31 PM

LIM gasket

Ryan from Ohio · 12-21-2006, 07:43 PM

Well the problem I have with believing its the LIMG is this.

THe coolant system becomes pressurized. How could non pressurized oil go into the pressurized coolant system?

If anything, it should work the other way around. I know thats how it normally goes.

Im half tempted to pick up the gaskets tomorrow after work and do it over the long weekend...

Trouble is, I might be taking an impromptu trip to Niagra Falls Saturday morning... lol

jackal2000 · 12-21-2006, 08:00 PM

i think the coolant system is only pressurized when the car is running?

SweetNLow · 12-21-2006, 08:24 PM

correct jackel.........

and it really doesnt matter anyways........ if there is a leaking gasket both liquids will become contaminated over time.

im in the middle of doing the intake manifold gaskets on my 4.3 blazer right now....... effin pain in the ass. as with the alero........ the most time consuming thing is removing all the bs from the upper intake to just get to the lower intake.

Ryan from Ohio · 12-21-2006, 11:02 PM

lol...

Ive done two motor swaps this summer, one with an attached transmission.

Doing a LIMG is like a cake walk...

Ok, so the cars at rest, pressure relieved. If its the LIMG how much oil can possibly get into the coolant? Oil is thicket than coolant/water, so it would be easier for the coolant to leak into the oil. Also the coolant stays filled in the block. Theres not like 4 Qts of oil up in the pushrod area...

Im just not buying the oil into the coolant...

Im gonna do a coolant swap tomorrow. Fresh green stuff, clean out all the brown.

comanche · 12-22-2006, 05:32 PM

"Doing a LIMG is like a cake walk..."

That's what I thought too before I did it. I have replaced multiple engines and it was still a real pain in the neck. Give yourself plenty of time (and patience)