3800 S3, cleaning experiment Mobil EP 5W-30 + MMO

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newbie here:

Didn't mentioned to Blackstone what was the oil used.

'06 Buick lacrosse 3800 Series III, 88655 miles loosing coolant
frown.gif
plus some cleaning MMO

Mobil 1 EP 5W-30
Refill: 28OZ of MMO last 1k miles
Previous oil: kendall full synthetic GT-1 5W-30

It seems that the coolant it's going outside the engine, the report doesn't mention coolant in the oil therefore gaskets(Upper/Lower manifold) seems to be fine right?

any comments are really appreciated

2014-07-20-06LACROSSE_zps9afc2799.jpg
 
Leaking coolant? Coolant in oil would show up as sodium in an oil analysis. The titanium is from the Kendall that you used prior. You might be losing coolant, hose or otherwise. just means no headgasket issues etc. Not sure about the 18 parts sodium they found..maybe MMO or prev fill?
 
Looks like the coolant is going outside the engine, this UOA looks good. Coolant usually shows up as a high PPM or Sodium and Potassium, the residual sodium is probably from a fill of an Ashland product or some oils use a small amount of it as an antifoamant.
 
Thanks for you comment.

60/40 highway/city driving loosing coolant at -

Need to refill the coolant reservoir every week, 27 miles one way per day commute. (4 days a week) 216 miles weekly. I check the elbows but it seems they are fine (I'm not sure though).
 
Out of curiosity what mileage are you getting in your 3.8 iv owned both series 1 and 2 with very mixed milage.

My current series 1 gets anywhere from 23-31 mpg (highway)

While my old series 2 got about 15 highway.
 
As a side note, it seems that the MMO didn't thin the oil.
 
The MMO isn't really needed its low miles. Altho it doesn't hurt to do it. The 3.8's are not know to be sludge machines. Not saying it can't happen but typically it doesn't happen.

I only use MMO in cars iv just bought or friends cars.

I know how a lot of theses engines work and over the years I know what looks alright and what doesn't. But I still always change the oil regardless when I buy a new car and throw MMO and drive 1k miles and look at the results.
 
I only use the car for commute, therefore I can not isolate the mpg only for highway or city. My combined mpg (60/40) is 24~25 mpg, in some cases I got up to 26 mpg (may be depends on the traffic etc). I measure the mpg at the gas pump every time. This is '06 lacrosse basic model(CX) the computer did not display the mpg in the panel.
 
That's not bad. My newest 3.8 is a 95 regal less then 100k miles bought a few months back from a 1 owner elderly lady. The mixed mileage is killing me tho. Since the cars gas gauge isn't remotely accurate only the gas light. But there are times I get 450 miles to a tank 16.5 gallons.

There are also times I can't really break 320 miles lol.
 
I know they make a ultra violet dye for radiator leaks. You put it in and then run the engine (guessing nights the best time) and you use a black light and the coolant is pretty visible sight this method. You might want to look into that before you throw in some stock leak or throw parts at it.
 
I'll add that I drive very conservative, I'm slow driver.

Thank you for the dye tip, I didn't know that a thing like that exists.

The worst problematic thing with the car was the transmission, I not a mechanic in any way, but I manage to install the TransGo kit with the help of internet, it's better now, but still I got bangs on the trans occasionally(at heavy traffic most of the time)
 
Originally Posted By: 3800Series
That's not bad. My newest 3.8 is a 95 regal less then 100k miles bought a few months back from a 1 owner elderly lady. The mixed mileage is killing me tho. Since the cars gas gauge isn't remotely accurate only the gas light. But there are times I get 450 miles to a tank 16.5 gallons.

There are also times I can't really break 320 miles lol.



My 3.1L i can never break 230 miles to a tank in the city.
 
I would check the water pump for leakage at the shaft......But that is just me.

Having the cooling system pressure checked might be helpful in locating the leak.....
 
My driving is 95% interstate and highway driving.

So I rarely see stop signs and I might get 2-3 stops in the 30 mile drive. Just the thing is so inconsistent. I keep a constant speed same speed every trip. Everything is the same except the weather.

120 miles tho is a pretty large martian of error for me to accept. I never really know until the gas light comes on. When I hit 300 I normally fill it up tho.

Some days it takes 15 gallons other days it only takes 10...

Tried very hard to replicate the things I do to get that 30 mpg but can't lol.
 
Put a couple of 12 oz bottles of lubeguard red in it, do not overfill. You might have to draw some out through the stick tube first.
Sometimes these transmissions get something sticking in the valve body. It cant hurt to try.
 
Originally Posted By: Cani
As a side note, it seems that the MMO didn't thin the oil.



Sure looks that way, and a good uoa report too. I love that stuff for cleaning neglected engines up or shutting up ticky lifters. Its a hated product here by a few guys, but the uoa reports show no negative impact except for a slight tbn reduction. Not a bad trade off if you bought a bad apple that needs a good cleanin.
 
Originally Posted By: Trav
Put a couple of 12 oz bottles of lubeguard red in it, do not overfill. You might have to draw some out through the stick tube first.
Sometimes these transmissions get something sticking in the valve body. It cant hurt to try.


Good advise, I use it all the time.
 
you tell me, that's a constant discussion with my wife. She has a '06 Pilot LX, we bought the car at the same time. This a summary of the comparison.

Buick / Pilot
Drive with care / She drive without any care, 2 kids + 2 grandpas (load)
Loose oil (need some refill some each OCI) / Maintain the same oil level during the OCI
Loos coolant / Exact same level of coolant since '06 that incredible in my opinion.
At '13 had to change the dexcool because low level and all gummed up / Perfect in the Pilot
Transmission problems / Transmission change like butter.
Dash all cracked up because the sun @ FL / Dash impeccable no one single crack, same sun/house
Lights faded / Honda light much better

in a nutshell the quality of the honda is way better that the buick for a same year car. (both car are base model)

I bought the Buick because I've a GM CARD that the points can be used towards the down payment and the 3800 reliability. But after a real life experience I'll never buy a GM. (In fact I don't use the card anymore).

Now that I'm dealing with the coolant lost I wonder, why GM kept using the plastic elbows, that tell you that they only care for the warranty period they don't want a reliable vehicle.

It seems that I'm biased but this is real life experience nothing more. The buick needs constant maintenance and pilot all that it has is oil changes.
In fairness the Pilot needs a timing belt change in the next 2 years.
 
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