2010 Equinox consuming synthetic oil

[wallyuwl]

Found this on an Edmunds forum, someone talking about their new 2010 Equinox (not sure of the engine, assuming the 4 cyl not 6). I just switched to M1 a couple days ago in my 2010 Equinox 2.4L DI 4 cyl and am wondering what you guys have to say about this...


"Just did my second oil change. The vehicle came with conventional oil. I switched to Mobil 1 synthetic after 6000 mi's on the 1st oil change. At 12K I did my 2nd and noticed that the 5 Qts of syntehetic I started with had dwindled to 4 on discharge. There was no loss of of conventional at the 1st change - 5 in 5 out.

Does synthetic burn in consumption? My son's gal has a BMW that is dealer serviced with synthetic and it drops oil without visible leaks. He used Mobil 1 in his Tahoe and it too dropped in volume over time. My old Trailblazer which was always on a conventional diet never dropped a single ounce between 3000 mi changes.

I'm new to the synthetic world, my question is, does synthetic normally burn dropping engine volume over time?

I always have a slight carbon coating on the inside of my tailpipe. "

 

[Bill in Utah]

Depends on the vehicle. Most when you switch over from a conventional oil to a syn use more for the first few OCIs then settle down.

Others use more syn no matter how many intervals you use.

All vehicles HAVE to use some oil no matter what oil you use.

Bill

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Depends on the vehicle. Most when you switch over from a conventional oil to a syn use more for the first few OCIs then settle down.

Others use more syn no matter how many intervals you use.

All vehicles HAVE to use some oil no matter what oil you use.

Bill


+1 and if you were to go back to GM with the car, unless it is using more than a qt of oil/1000 miles they are going to tell you it's normal.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Mobil 1 to the rescue.

 

[RacerE7773]

Another reason people have no faith in manufacturers. I have a LIM gaket bad on my 3.4 Impala with 85,000 miles, and it had been doing that since I got it at 11,000 (more than likely;since I change oil at 3/3000 and only noticed oil being low in winter when I'd check it until Spring and could change it (no garage, nor $ to have it done for me).) and was blown off by dealerships. Just like when another mfr. had ignition cylinder problems and I'd taken that car to several different dealers of that brand and they said "we can't find anything wrong..."

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: RacerE7773
Another reason people have no faith in manufacturers. I have a LIM gaket bad on my 3.4 Impala with 85,000 miles..."

I got less that 25K miles before mine let loose on a 2000 Blazer 4.3L. Along with the power steering pump seal and the oil pan and the oil lines to the filter mount, and the rear wiper quit and the pasenger seat recliner and the missing bumper bolt from the factory and the rotors...

Only GMs I like anymore are the full-size trucks and the new Malibus. Not sure about the rest.

 

[Cutehumor]

I was planning on buying a chevy equinox in 2013. first report of oil usage I've seen on this site. is this the 2.4 ecotech that is used in the malibu? or a different 2.4 engine?

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
I was planning on buying a chevy equinox in 2013. first report of oil usage I've seen on this site. is this the 2.4 ecotech that is used in the malibu? or a different 2.4 engine?


It is different. The Malibu engine is not DI. The 2010 Equinox (and Terrain) 2.4L is a brand new engine for GM.

I'm going to keep an eye on the oil level in my Nox and see what happens. I might switch to Synpower or PU if I notice any consumption with the M1.

 

[The Critic]

Why is oil consumption such a big deal to everyone?

 

[Gary Allan]

Well, after a long time with next to no consumption being a norm, any notable consumption tends to make you think something is wrong.

Now consumption in itself is no big deal assuming there are no deleterious side effects. No consumption has also formed into a would be crutch in that many a consumer has been allowed to remove themselves from the process. I know one Honda owner who never checks their oil and merely gets the oil changed every 6 months at the dealer.

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: Bill in Utah
Depends on the vehicle. Most when you switch over from a conventional oil to a syn use more for the first few OCIs then settle down.

Others use more syn no matter how many intervals you use.

All vehicles HAVE to use some oil no matter what oil you use.

Bill


Some engines use measurable amount of oil between OCI's, some engines use un-measurable amount of oil between OCI's. I had/have add oil to '94 LS400 between OCI's, but never add any to '00 E430. The most amount that the '00 E430 consumed between 10-13k OCI's was about 8-10oz.

What unusual about my '00 E430 is it does not consume measurable amount of oil for both spec'd Mobil 1 0W40 and various brands xW20 syn oils.

 

[Pablo]

Quote:
5 Qts of syntehetic (sic) I started with had dwindled to 4 on discharge


So was this engine showing low on the dipstick? I never drain out exactly what the crankcase holds, on any of my cars, ever. Regardless of oil type. Between klingation, the filter, some remaining in the pan and galleys, some oil always remains.

The fact that more dino came out, could mean it started overfilled, etc - and would be extremely odd if the car was filled with exactly 5 qts, and exactly 5 quarts drained out.

Based on this my BULL meter is pegged.

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
Why is oil consumption such a big deal to everyone?

To me, it indicates sloppy parts fit.

A friend of ours has an Equinox for several years now with no problems at all that I know of, so if this really is an oil burner, I would be kind of surprised. But if this is the one with the Chinese engine, maybe they have some QC issues over there?

 

[wallyuwl]

That is a good point about the dipstick. The poster didn't mention if the oil level was good on the dipstick or not before the oil change. I'm going to keep track of mine until the next oil change and see if there is any consumption with the M1.

The new Nox 2.4 is made in Tennessee I believe. The transmission is made in S. Korea, though there were/are plans to start making it in the states soon (maybe already).

 

[chet2]

i have a 2.2 ecotec in 09 pontiac and i have run synthetic since 2700 miles...it burns no oil and gets 35 mpg

 

[hounddog]

Nothing wrong with using one quart in 6k.You won't see THAT in a tailpipe.Synthetics have a HIGHER flash pint which means they ought to use LESS oil then dino.Try a different brand of synthetic and see.But one quart in 6k is nothing to worry about.

 

[rclint]

I have become accustom to not checking the oil on my 02 accord... it's just pointless I can run a 15k OCI with no measurable oil loss of the dipstick. I know this is not a good thing, and I do try to check the oil at least once a week, however I have got to the point where I forget now being trust worthy and all.

Using a quart of oil every 6k would not bother me, but if you dropped that to a quart every 2-3k then I would be upset. Oil loss comes from blowby (if it's not leaked) and the oil blowby into the combustion chamber is not such a bad thing as it keeps the engine super clean... it will also raise compression.. so oil getting by the rings into the combustion chamber/process is not the end of the world, however as a maintenance standpoint I do enjoy not having to anticipate oil consumption.

I'm not sure here if synthetic or conventional will make any difference at all, but I will admit to being ignorant on this issue.

 

[river_rat]

I bet it is not burning too much oil, probably just looks that way at the moment. Try a different oil?

 

[Cutehumor]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
I was planning on buying a chevy equinox in 2013. first report of oil usage I've seen on this site. is this the 2.4 ecotech that is used in the malibu? or a different 2.4 engine?


looks like I will be buying a new ride within the next two weeks. I'm glad someone posted info on this SUV.

 

[wallyuwl]

Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
Originally Posted By: Cutehumor
I was planning on buying a chevy equinox in 2013. first report of oil usage I've seen on this site. is this the 2.4 ecotech that is used in the malibu? or a different 2.4 engine?


looks like I will be buying a new ride within the next two weeks. I'm glad someone posted info on this SUV.


If you have any specific questions on the Nox email me: [email protected]. Simply put, it is a nice vehicle with some first year quirks. The only other vehicle in the segment I'd consider is the Kia Sorento, but the reviews on Edmunds on it regarding quality (rattles and problems) are not good.