Hello everyone, I'm hoping you can provide suggestions to try. I'm not a mechanic & only know what I think but I'm mechanically minded and able to listen and learn.
This is loooong.
2002 GM 5.3 with 200k. Original owner. Oil was changed when the Oil Life Monitor light told me too which averaged out to about every 3k. Id maybe ignore the light for no more than an extra 500 miles if I was really busy.
Used M1 exclusively for at least the 1st 100k miles then tapered off as expense rose. Started using various HM Dino or M1 HM or combo of both.
Back then (@100k-ish), I'd top off or add 1 qt in a 3k OCI... long time ago and going off memory as to how much.
It's PRE Active Fuel Management & PCV isn't the issue
No leaks, some valve cover weaping but not wet at all.
Currently doesn't smoke except maybe a little at morning start up... looks like steam but probably smoke since I'm going thru a LOT of oil & the tail pipe has a LOT of soot.
Current oil consumption is around 1qt/400 miles. I call it a hybrid since it burns oil & gas.
History of additive use:
Back at around 150k I'd add a qt every 1200 to maybe 1500 miles if I remember correctly.
I also started to toss in some Restore (blue stuff in metal bottle) once in a while.
Didn't help and in hindsight maybe made things worse.
Dealer said rear main seal was leaking (never saw oil but could've been burned off) so I was using Bars Leak Rear Main Seal. Maybe helped but not much.... I had the rear main seal repaired at dealer but that didn't help oil consumption either.
At about 170k it started smelling like burning oil sometimes.
So over the the last 50k Ive used quite a bit of additives.... probably more than I should of.
Life's been hectic... wife hospitalized 2x and mostly bed ridden for almost 2 yrs... working from home for a yr helped a lot and reduce miles....more additives on top of additives.
Life getting back to normal.
Occasionally started smelling gas in the exhaust. Took it back to the dealer (different state now) a few months ago.
Dealer said misfiring - compression OK - wet spark plug(s?) - recommended new motor at almost $10K. I used more additives and keep feeding it oil.
Since the dealer said that compression was OK, Over the last couple months I learned about potential oil ring issues & just a few days ago about potential valve rod guide seal issues as possible ways oil getting into cylinders.
I'm currently using Seafoam or Berrymans in the gas tank fr the last 3 tanks or so.
Been using valvoline max HM, mostly, for quite a while. (When not, it's been some other quality HM dino or syn blend)
Trying to address potential clogged oil rings, I changed oil to get rid of thick additives possibly causing more blow by the compression rings ... then after about 1k added Seafoam for 300 miles and changed oil again using 1qt MM oil.
That's where I'm at now.
My plan was to run the MM oil for about 1k and add seafoam to the crank case again or other crankcase oil ring un-clogger and see how it goes.
If still burning at 1qt/400 miles, then add Bars Leak OS-1 Oil Seal / Oil burning. I haven't used that one before and it says for valves too... and it's guaranteed lol
What do y'all think & recommend?
I'm garage less and mostly tool less for the next 4 months as I'm having a house built. A new truck is in the plans but this one still pulls strong & I'd like to keep it alive.
Sorry for being long winded but trying to give all the history. Thanks for any help or suggestions.
This is loooong.
2002 GM 5.3 with 200k. Original owner. Oil was changed when the Oil Life Monitor light told me too which averaged out to about every 3k. Id maybe ignore the light for no more than an extra 500 miles if I was really busy.
Used M1 exclusively for at least the 1st 100k miles then tapered off as expense rose. Started using various HM Dino or M1 HM or combo of both.
Back then (@100k-ish), I'd top off or add 1 qt in a 3k OCI... long time ago and going off memory as to how much.
It's PRE Active Fuel Management & PCV isn't the issue
No leaks, some valve cover weaping but not wet at all.
Currently doesn't smoke except maybe a little at morning start up... looks like steam but probably smoke since I'm going thru a LOT of oil & the tail pipe has a LOT of soot.
Current oil consumption is around 1qt/400 miles. I call it a hybrid since it burns oil & gas.
History of additive use:
Back at around 150k I'd add a qt every 1200 to maybe 1500 miles if I remember correctly.
I also started to toss in some Restore (blue stuff in metal bottle) once in a while.
Didn't help and in hindsight maybe made things worse.
Dealer said rear main seal was leaking (never saw oil but could've been burned off) so I was using Bars Leak Rear Main Seal. Maybe helped but not much.... I had the rear main seal repaired at dealer but that didn't help oil consumption either.
At about 170k it started smelling like burning oil sometimes.
So over the the last 50k Ive used quite a bit of additives.... probably more than I should of.
Life's been hectic... wife hospitalized 2x and mostly bed ridden for almost 2 yrs... working from home for a yr helped a lot and reduce miles....more additives on top of additives.
Life getting back to normal.
Occasionally started smelling gas in the exhaust. Took it back to the dealer (different state now) a few months ago.
Dealer said misfiring - compression OK - wet spark plug(s?) - recommended new motor at almost $10K. I used more additives and keep feeding it oil.
Since the dealer said that compression was OK, Over the last couple months I learned about potential oil ring issues & just a few days ago about potential valve rod guide seal issues as possible ways oil getting into cylinders.
I'm currently using Seafoam or Berrymans in the gas tank fr the last 3 tanks or so.
Been using valvoline max HM, mostly, for quite a while. (When not, it's been some other quality HM dino or syn blend)
Trying to address potential clogged oil rings, I changed oil to get rid of thick additives possibly causing more blow by the compression rings ... then after about 1k added Seafoam for 300 miles and changed oil again using 1qt MM oil.
That's where I'm at now.
My plan was to run the MM oil for about 1k and add seafoam to the crank case again or other crankcase oil ring un-clogger and see how it goes.
If still burning at 1qt/400 miles, then add Bars Leak OS-1 Oil Seal / Oil burning. I haven't used that one before and it says for valves too... and it's guaranteed lol
What do y'all think & recommend?
I'm garage less and mostly tool less for the next 4 months as I'm having a house built. A new truck is in the plans but this one still pulls strong & I'd like to keep it alive.
Sorry for being long winded but trying to give all the history. Thanks for any help or suggestions.