Oil help for my absent minded proff type friend

Pennzoil motor oil
Status
Not open for further replies.
BobsArmory

BobsArmory

Joined
Mar 28, 2010
Messages
2,582
Location
Michigan
So I change oil for a friend of mine. Very intelligent guy but very absent minded. A while back he bought a used Yukon with a 6 liter engine & 6 quart sump. It's previous owner was the Canadian Government, had about 135,000 miles on it when he bought it.

First oil change I put Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5w30 in it, called him up about half way thru the OCI and told him to check the oil and he put a quart in it. When it came up for his 2nd oil change he was 2 quarts low and I put Napa syn in it and a dose of LM MOS2 in it. His 3rd oil change 2.5 quarts low and I used up the last of the NAPA SYN.

So here is where I am looking for help. It currently has about 150,000 miles on it I was thinking of doing the oil change when the OLM reaches 50% this time, doing a LM oil flush and using a High Mileage 10w30 oil of some kind.

What are your thoughts? High Mileage oil? 10w30? What brand? LM oil flush to free possibly sticky rings? I'm all ears, what are your thoughts?
 
Maxlife syn-blend (red bottle) of whatever your fav grade/weight. I'd prolly go 10W-40 for that mileage and that motor. Might slow the consumption some...

Then I'd program an auto-send email for him to go check the oil every three weeks or so
laugh.gif


Give him a few bottles in the back somewhere so all he has to do is add
smile.gif


Use a really good oversized filter with a known good anti-drain-back valve (WIX, Baldwin, etc.) to add a bit of capacity and do the changes every 6,000
smile.gif
 
Last edited:
So on the first OCI it burned 3 quarts and on the second 2.5 quarts? How much can one expect High Mileage oils and additives to help oil consumption? He now knows it burns a fair amount of oil, and still can't be bothered to check it? Sounds like your greater job may be to train him to check his own oil in his own truck.

Friends do for friends, get it, just hope you don't feel responsible if he runs it dry and fries it.
 
Step #1 - Don't listen to anyone who posts vague, generalized oil/filter/OCI advice.
Step #2 - Fix the problem. These engines shouldn't consume oil like that (I actually own one of these 6.0L SUV's, and add nothing over an OCI).

Do you know what year his is?
 
Intelligent guy, put him on a "check the oil every fill up" regimen and to carry 2 quarts and a funnel all the time.

No sense changing at 1/2 the interval unless it's sludged up some.
 
Well I'll throw out you need to figure out your boundaries and constraints.

But an option I'll throw if a constraint id he's not going to check is to just overfill by a half quart or a quart to help even out and avoid going dry. If it really is consuming the extra overfill is going to get consumed in short order.

If you know it's consuming it seems like throwing expensive oils and additives in there is counterproductive. Instead just put in and stick with 1 brand for a couple ocis rather than keep switching.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Step #1 - Don't listen to anyone who posts vague, generalized oil/filter/OCI advice.
Step #2 - Fix the problem. These engines shouldn't consume oil like that (I actually own one of these 6.0L SUV's, and add nothing over an OCI).

Do you know what year his is?


Why would you want to spend the money to fix the problem? I'm assuming it's an internal engine problem that will cost over $500 to fix with no guarantee. $10 worth of oil between oil changes is far cheaper as long as he stays on top of it.

To the OP, don't get sucked into enabling this guy. He's smart enough to be able to set his own check the oil reminders on his calendar. It's his car. His responsibility to check the oil.
 
Go Mobil Super 5000HM 10w-40. They are also running a $7 rebate per 5 qt jug. I generally try and stay away from Mobil but this stuff is the exception.
 
Sorry for not responding sooner. I've been working 14+ hour days lately..

No I wouldn't say he is taking advantage of me since he pays for all supplies and sends me home with lots of home made jerky each time.
Anyway I am just trying to figure out the oil usage. We will look into the PCV and plugs/wires.

Ramblejam, it's a 2010 and I too have a 6 liter just like it in my 2009 Silverado and that only uses about 1/2 quart per OCI
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
MaxLife will likely help quite a bit, but he's going to have to keep an eye on the level.


+1
Maxlife will help.
For whatever reason, this old beast goes through oil.
Unless the cause can be identified, any attempted fix will involve a shotgun approach and even if the cause can be identified, the fix may not be worth doing on what is already an older and higher mileage vehicle.
I'm with you in that I'd try Maxlife SB and see what happens.
I'd also try convincing the owner that checking the oil level is mandatory, not just a nice thing to do.
 
Originally Posted By: Leo99
Why would you want to spend the money to fix the problem? I'm assuming it's an internal engine problem that will cost over $500 to fix with no guarantee.

That's the problem with assuming.
wink.gif


Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
Sorry for not responding sooner.

No worries. You'll need to replace the left-side valve cover ($50), and run Kreen ($15).

1. http://www.gmpartsdirect.com/gmc/yukon-x...p;position=left
2. http://www.kanolabs.com/engCle.html (Order 1 pint can; half in the gas tank, half in the engine)

No other additives.
For oil, just get whatever 5w30 dexos1 is cheapest (MaxLife, Magnatec, etc.).
After the 500-1000 mile Kreen cleaning cycle, follow the OLM and change when it instructs you to.
 
Aren't you also guilty of assuming that all this engine needs is a new valve cover on one bank and a dose of Kreen?
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

jeepman3071
  • Locked
Helping out a friend
Replies
16
Views
3K
bigt61
N
Low Oil Change Problem for my for 2003 Ford F150 4.2L
2 3
Replies
49
Views
7K
DGXR
S
  • Locked
Helped my friend do is 6 month oil change (M1)
2
Replies
24
Views
8K
doitmyself
R
  • Locked
i want to help my friend.
Replies
11
Views
3K
Johnny
R
  • Locked
OLM question for a friend
Replies
13
Views
2K
Durango
Back
Top Bottom