01 suburban blowby

we bought a used 01 suburban[40000 mi.] about 8 mo. ago. a few days after we bought the car, i checked the oil and noticed it was bearly showing on the stick. i called the dealer and they said that they were sorry that they had forgotten to change the oil before it went out. they gave us a loner and changed it for us. i then began to wonder why a low milage vehicle would ever be low on oil. then i noticed that once in a while the car would puff smoke at start-up, not every time. now that i have spent some time observing the car, i find that sometimes it will be a quart low after about 1000 mi. and sometimes it will not burn any. what do you think?
we did buy the extended warranty and i made it clear to the dealer rep that the car has blow-by when i first noticed. do i have a problem or is this car just one of the oil users that come along sometimes and will be ok if i keep an eye on it?

 

Sounds like bad valve stem seals to me if it puffs on start up like that. I'd ask for more investigation as to the problem.

It's a pretty new truck so I would want it to be 100%.

 

here is a little more inf.
went to hunting lease pulling light load[four wheeler and go-cart on 5x8 trailer]. it is about 130 mi. each way. got home and it was 2 qts low. topped it off and went 2000 mi. without using any. why is it intermitten and not consistant, load or no load?
a mechanic bud of mine said that if the oil had been run too long before i bought the car, it may be gummed up and it may clear op after a few oil changes. it has had 3 changes and the only time it did not burn at anytime between changes was the first time i used lucas oil treatment. i thought all was well until i changed the oil again and it started using again.

 

Make sure the PCV system is clean and working properly. Beyond that, I would simply take it in and have the dealer make good on this.

 

i have changed the pcv valve. is there more to it?
after 8 mo. do you think the dealer will honestly give a crap?
in the beginning they offered us DIFFERENT VEHICLE of equal value but my wife did not like it as well so we did not take it. the rep said the dealer would make it right if the motor went out. well the motor actually runs great, has good steady oil pressure. my brother is a service writer for a ford dealer and he said i should have went back right away, but i chose to see if the gummed up thery was valid and hoped the extended warranty would cover if not. he said maybe on the warranty as they are filled with loop holes favoring the warranty co.

 

Anything more than 1 quart of oil consumption per 1000 miles is not normal. That is the general rule.

Sounds to me like the vehicle had a spotty history before you got it. Probably a lease and the oil was changed very few times before you got it.

My vote: Go to the dealer and tell them you want it right. If not, sue everyone in creation until someone pays up. Let the finger pointing begin...........

 

thanks Joe-F. i was afraid you would say that. i am very easy going, but when i get wound-up its not pretty. try to avoid it at all cost. maybe i can get this resolved without going to jail. just joking, been ther done that.

 

WHAT IS THE ENGINE SIZE ON THAT SUBURBAN?
THERE WHERE BULLETINS WITH FIXES FOR BOTH THE PUFF ON STARTUP AND OIL CONSUMPTION. BUT NEED TO KNOW WHAT ENGINE...

 

its a 5.3L

 

there is a bulletin to install a redesigned pcv valve , gm part #12572717. Try that, I didn't find one for a puff on start up for that engine though...l

 

thanks bigguy. whatis your opinion on the puff? valve seats? will it get worse? i let my wife talk me into this mess, i would have taken the other offer or walked away. we really cant afford a major break down with our third[oops] child on the way. this car may have to go 180,000 mi. or more.

 

You say that it doesn't "puff" on every start up. Does it puff just on cold start up and not on hot? If so, that's because your cat. converter is burning off the oil instead of letting make it through exhaust.

...on the other hand, are you using more oil only when vehicle is under load? That could be a number of things up to and including worn rings/cylinders. I would start with a compression test on the cylinders.

 

Install the revised PCV first and see where that nets you. Could be something simple.

Puffing on start up is usually valve stem seals. "Chevy" engines have always been notorious for this problem.

 

thanks for the reply dirty dan. it is my wifes car so i do not drive it much. it seems to me that the car does not smoke at start up unless it has sat for more than 30 minutes.
i think i will go with Joe-F's suggestion to try the new pcv valve first. cant hurt.

 

Let us know what you find.

 

IT SEEMS I HAVE SEEN SOME SILVERADOS COMING IN PUFFING A LITTLE UPON START UP, AFTER SITTING AWHILE, BUT CANNOT RECALL THE FIX OR THE SPECIFICS ABOUT WHICH VEHICLE IT WAS. IF THE HEADS ARE SLUDGY, AND THE RETURNS FROM THE HEADS ARE PLUGGED, THIS WOULD MEAN THE PREVIOUS OWNER NEVER CHANGED THE OIL. I HAVE NEVER SEEN ONE DO THIS. MATTER OF FACT WE DO HARDLY ANY ENGINE WORK TO THIS GENERATION ENGINE. VALVE SEALS GONE BAD CAUSE A PUFF ON START UP, AND THAT IS ABOUT IT. IT'S NOT GOIN TO CAUSE OTHER PROBLEMS LIKE CONSUMPTION ISSUES OR ANYTHING LIKE THAT....