Oil Consumption Concern..
 

Hey Guys,

I have been reading around the forum most of the day and have been getting information on the oil consumption of our Bonnevilles. I changed my oil this last weekend and after 3000 miles (which im religious about) on my 2005 SLE and was one quart low. I have been reading around and seems like this is a common problem with some 3800 motors depending on the year. I have been running 5W-30 oil (recommended), which is a lighter weight oil, and im also aware of the numbers refering to cold viscosity (lower #) compared to warm (high #). Its seemed like it was about a 50/50 on if the forum suggested to go to a 10W-30 or possibly higher weight oil or not. I also understand that many of you have SSEi or SSE which are different than my naturally aspirated 3800, but was wondering what you guys are currently running through your cars, and what was recommended.

I was also reading up on synthetic oils, but dont want to go that route since its more $$ and i change my oil regurly at 3000 miles anyway, so dont really see the point in changing..

So please offer your thoughts, comments, and what oil you guys are using! Really appreciated it guys!

Eric

valve cover gaskets. had the same issue with mine

If this were the case, would i notice a drip on the ground, or does it run into the motor and get burned? I havent noticed any drips on the ground, or any blue smoke when starting, but hard to look for smoke when im sitting inside. I still have the dealer warranty on the car so i can take it in to have the gasket replaced if thats the issue!

How tough was it to replace this?

you will see a lot of wetness on the heads of the motor all the way down to the pan may also cause a drip on the ground

the first number in the oil spec (5W) for example, has NOTHING to do with viscosity actually.

it refers to how easily it pumps at a specific temperature in a lab( the Cold Crank Simulator (CCS) and Mini-Rotary Viscometer (MRV).

so, while it's a good indicator of viscosity when cold, it's not exact. lower numbers refer to it being easier to pump at lower temps( CCS is done at -25 to -30*C and MRV is done at -30 to -40*C depending on what rating they're shooting for).

the second number is viscosity at 100*C.

this is all FWIW.

Our motors actually use very little oil as an average. They rarely (extremely uncommon) smoke or have valve seal issues. The most common uses of oil, are as Gunner mentions....leaks.

GM has published in many tech bulletins that one quart every 3,000 is normal and expected on nearly all their motors.

Hey Guys,

Thanks for commening and commenting on the thread. Was concerned since I have never owned a car before which has used oil. I may try switching to a heaver oil for the heck of it and see if it helps at all.....

Of the GM cars that im familiar with and are around (family cars, friends cars, etc) none seem to use oil at this time. Most are around 150,000 miles or so, so another reason i figured i would address my concern!

Thanks guys,
Eric