05 Buick Lesabre using oil

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Nov 28, 2020
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I'm new to BITOG and have a 05 Buick Lesabre 3.8 Litre with 69,000 miles. I purchased the vehicle from a friend of a 94 year old lady who had passed away and barely drove it. I changed the oil using 5w30 Valvoline Full Synthetic High Mileage, which is Dexos1 Gen2. I also checked under the valve cover and there is no sludge, just a little varnish, PCV valve is good. It has no leaks. Anyway it has used a quart of oil in 4,000 miles mostly city driving. Also does it matter if I use a Dexos oil? Any ideas on another oil that would work better to stop it from using oil would be greatly appreciated.
 
Not really that bad for oil consumption. Probably some stuck rings from not being driven much and those were probably short trip miles. Drive it on the highway at speed for distance on a regular basis and use a good oil (Pennzoil, Mobil One, etc.) with regular changes at 3000-5000 miles with a new filter for the first three or four oil changes. Probably clear everything up for you.
 
it is common for the 3.8 to use a small amount of oil. Mine has always used 1 quart per about 4000 miles, the one before it used on quart at 3K. This one has 159,000 miles on it now and still runs quiet and strong. it still gets 29 to 30 when I drive somewhere, something I hope to be able to do this summer.

Rod
 
My '03 Park Avenue with the non-supercharged 3800, a Series II I think, used oil at about the same rate, though I did get in some road trips; the car didn't sit all that much. At one point I tried synthetic, Castrol Edge, and the oil consumption went up to almost 2 quarts in 4000 miles. When I went back to a conventional 10W-30, Chevron Supreme I believe, the consumption went back down again. As others have said, a quart in 4-5K is not bad.
 
When I switched my Lucerne's annual OC to VAS it started using about half a quart in 2500k to where it didn't use any on Mobil 5000 so I may switch back come spring or try Maxlife red bottle.
 
I'd just check the oil every month, and enjoy the next 250,000 miles of luxe motoring. The 3800 represents well developed simplicity in the engine world. Pretty sure your car will die of rust (depending on your location) or a transmission failure with the engine still running great.
 
My 05 Grand Prix 3.8 used a bit between oil changes also.Not a big deal.I miss that car,had great fuel mileage.
 
No worries on the oil, as others have stated. I have an 05 LeSabre that used to be my dad’s. As long as i can remember, It would use a little oil, similar to your experience. One important thing you should keep your eye on is the notorious plastic coolant elbows that come with the car from the factory. GM part number i pulled from RockAuto is 12565082 (they are very low cost...couple/few bucks). They may begin leaking (due to the plastic splitting and degrading), so if they have not been replaced, then you may want to replace them pre-emptively and perhaps change out the coolant while you’re at it. Dorman and some other suppliers also sell metal elbows if you choose to go that route. Other than that, it’s a nice, easy to work on, low-tech car. Parts are cheap and plentiful. Enjoy the car.
 
I had a 2001 Impala 3.8 that used a little oil between changes, sometimes a quart. I only had about 35000 miles in 4 years. Recommended 10W-30 when everything else was 5W-30. Last car I ran with conventional.
 
That’s not really consuming oil. I wouldn’t go over 3000 in something that old maybe 5000 at most but yeah that’s normal and from what I have learned is those 3.8 engines do tend to use some oil.
 
I wouldn't worry about it, as great as the 3800 was, some tended to use a little oil. Maybe downgrade to a HM blend like regular MaxLife or try Mobil 1 5W-30 HM, which runs a bit thicker...
 
Yes, Dexos 1 is the GM spec oil. Enjoy your Lesabre. Run any brand of Dexos approved oil you wish. As others have stated, I wouldn't call a quart in 4k "using" oil. Those 3800 engines are as bulletproof as they come. There is NO plastic anywhere inside the engine. Failure prone parts are the plastic coolant elbows and intake gaskets. I currently own 3 very roadworthy Lesabres. Change the oil per OLM, replace the intake gaskets & coolant elbows and that car will run faithfully to well beyond 200K. ;)
 
I had a 2001 Impala 3.8 that used a little oil between changes, sometimes a quart. I only had about 35000 miles in 4 years. Recommended 10W-30 when everything else was 5W-30. Last car I ran with conventional.
My wife had a 03 Monte Carlo with a 3.8 when started dating and until our first kid, only consumed oil when she took it somewhere for a oc. When I started doing it, it never consumed much ever again. I am pretty sure they were doing it with 5w30. I was obviously doing it with 10w30.
 
I'm new to BITOG and have a 05 Buick Lesabre 3.8 Litre with 69,000 miles. I purchased the vehicle from a friend of a 94 year old lady who had passed away and barely drove it. I changed the oil using 5w30 Valvoline Full Synthetic High Mileage, which is Dexos1 Gen2. I also checked under the valve cover and there is no sludge, just a little varnish, PCV valve is good. It has no leaks. Anyway it has used a quart of oil in 4,000 miles mostly city driving. Also does it matter if I use a Dexos oil? Any ideas on another oil that would work better to stop it from using oil would be greatly appreciated.
You scored a really nice car!
 
You scored a really nice car!
Yep, I've always had a soft spot for 3800-powered Buicks. My '06 Lacrosse used about that much oil over the time I had it; I wouldn't sweat it too much. They didn't even have Dexos back then, and the manual calls for oil meeting GM 6094M (conventional spec). But synthetic is cheap and provides good peace of mind; I'd say it depends on how long you run the oil. Just keep it topped off and enjoy your comfortable and luxurious ride and its 30mpg. Maybe treat it to a bit of an Italian tuneup, too!
 
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