Oil suggestion, towing and consumption.

[Oro_O]

Originally Posted By: SilverFusion2010

Try M1 HM 10w-30 as suggested above, and if consumption does not slow I would switch to whatever 10w-30 happens to be on sale at Walmart. No point in using the expensive stuff if it’s just being burnt and replaced with fresh.




I get twice the consumption with PP vs. M1 head-to-head (e.g., same grade). Partly because PP is a "thin" 10w30, and M1HM is a "thick" 10w30. At $13/5qts after rebate, there's just no reason not to use M1 10w-30HM.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: Or
Originally Posted By: SilverFusion2010

Try M1 HM 10w-30 as suggested above, and if consumption does not slow I would switch to whatever 10w-30 happens to be on sale at Walmart. No point in using the expensive stuff if it’s just being burnt and replaced with fresh.
I get twice the consumption with PP vs. M1 head-to-head (e.g., same grade). Partly because PP is a "thin" 10w30, and M1HM is a "thick" 10w30. At $13/5qts after rebate, there's just no reason not to use M1 10w-30HM.
This is good advice. Also, the above advice about the BG EPR ring-cleaner additive might work too. Cheap SuperTech HM conventional oil at walmart, 10w40, would work fine if you want to spend less. You're adding oil often enough to keep the additives fresh, thats for sure. Try a Fram Ultra walmart oil filter for best results too.

If all that doesn't reduce consumption to 1 quart per 4,000 miles, then get out the big guns: google for purchase of "Valvoline Premium Blue Restore" 10w30 oil which truckers use to clean ringland areas. Its a tad expensive, but should be very effective at cleaning rings when all else fails. Last resort. Try later if needed.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted By: Silver
4.2L Chevy Trailblazer I6.
148,000 miles.
Manual says 5w30.

I ran PP 5w30 in this truck until I noticed it started using 1-2 quarts between 10k oci's. I then went to PP high mileage 5w30. I've already used 3 quarts at 7000 into oci. I drive aggressively with frequent high rpm's and tow around 5500 lbs 15 miles 2 or 3 times per month. No leaks at all.

I wonder with the towing of about 5500 lbs and consumption if I should use a thicker oil?

May not be relevant but my timing chain tensioner just failed in some manner after a couple WOT bursts. I'm having it replaced and the truck won't see quite as much high rpm driving!


Thanks
Mike


10W40 Mobil-1 High Mileage Synthetic.... $22.88
https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mobil-1-10W-4...959&veh=sem

 

[double vanos]

FWIW, Edge 0w40 cut the oil consumption in my SILs ‘08 3.8 ( a known oil guzzler) Jeep to near nil. It’s spec’d for 5w20 and that may have been part of the problem, but the heavier oil seems to be what the doctor ordered.

 

[WyrTwister]

Originally Posted By: FermeLaPorte
Unless it was a diesel, I wouldn't put that many miles on an OCI while towing. The most 3,500 OCI's.


Kind of what I was thinking . I wonder how many miles it takes to consume the 1st quart of oil ?

And it would not hurt anything to keep his foot out of it .

When I was a pup , a 1000 miles on the first quart , on an older vehicle , was not that much .

 

[JLTD]

Originally Posted By: jongies3
Try 10W-30 or maybe even 0W-40 wouldn't hurt. Pennzoil Ultra or M1 European formula are great choices, same with German Castrol.


Agree with 10w-30.... Maybe a 10w-40 or 15w-40 would slow or stop the consumption.

 

[madeej11]

Try 10w30 HM and try the additive that was suggested. I wouldn't go with short OCI's when you're adding that much top up oil. I think Silverfusion2010 just about nailed it. Good luck.

 

[FCD]

Try a 10W-30 HM oil, if that doesn't work, go to Maxlife 10W-40.

 

[OilUzer]

My old v6 Tacoma does not burn oil with conventional 5Wx30 or 10Wx30 ... however it doesn't like 5Wx30 synthetic blend. I've never tried synthetic 10Wx30 in it. I've figured this out over many years and not sure why it doesn't like syn blend and am assuming it won't like full synthetic either!
For some reason it likes dino oil. it is under my list of things to research meanwhile I just use dino ...

Your car is relatively new so try 10Wx30 synthetic and if it was still bad, give 10Wx30 dino a shot. If it still burns that much oil with syn, why not use a cheaper dino anyways.

Edit:
I thought your car is 2016 but notice you have over 148K miles on it so must be older car. Old = dino

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted By: KnicksGiants
Originally Posted By: Silver
4.2L Chevy Trailblazer I6.
148,000 miles.
Manual says 5w30.

I ran PP 5w30 in this truck until I noticed it started using 1-2 quarts between 10k oci's. I then went to PP high mileage 5w30. I've already used 3 quarts at 7000 into oci. I drive aggressively with frequent high rpm's and tow around 5500 lbs 15 miles 2 or 3 times per month. No leaks at all.

I wonder with the towing of about 5500 lbs and consumption if I should use a thicker oil?

May not be relevant but my timing chain tensioner just failed in some manner after a couple WOT bursts. I'm having it replaced and the truck won't see quite as much high rpm driving!


Thanks
Mike


Personally I would have chose a Toyota. It just might be that the vehicle is near the end, sorry to say. You may want to try their Ultra oil. Or an oil loss additive. Not to bash any car makers, but it's hard for me to stray from the Japanese brands precisely bc of problems like this. Not to say Toyota and Hondas never have problems.

At this point, you need a judgement call on how much you want spend on a car with 150k miles. Can you live with adding oil, or do you want something new, or a motor replacement etc.

Near the end? Using a quart every 2k miles under heavy load is not that bad and to believe the engine is shot is nonsense.. .Your statements are pure bunk.I better get the hip boots on because this is getting too deep.

 

[Audios]

Definitely step up to a cheaper high mileage blend, like Maxlife 10.40, to see if it helps. 1 qt every 2k is nothing at all to worry about, some new cars burn twice that oil, and is considered "normal" !!

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Originally Posted By: Audios
Definitely step up to a cheaper high mileage blend, like Maxlife 10.40, to see if it helps. 1 qt every 2k is nothing at all to worry about, some new cars burn twice that oil, and is considered "normal" !!


Its only considered normal because the manufacturer and Stealership want to do nothing once they've sold you the car. Its their standard line of BS. My 2004 Corolla still uses a 1/2 pint in a 5000 mile OCI.

 

[Lubener]

Originally Posted By: JohnnyJohnson
Originally Posted By: Audios
Definitely step up to a cheaper high mileage blend, like Maxlife 10.40, to see if it helps. 1 qt every 2k is nothing at all to worry about, some new cars burn twice that oil, and is considered "normal" !!


Its only considered normal because the manufacturer and Stealership want to do nothing once they've sold you the car. Its their standard line of BS. My 2004 Corolla still uses a 1/2 pint in a 5000 mile OCI.

What are you suggesting, he rebuild his engine? He will probably spend a couple hundred dollars in make up oil for the remaining life of the vehicle. That's chicken feed compared to a rebuilt engine. Use some common sense and basic economics.That consumption IS considered normal. Comparing your Corolla which is loafing along getting you from place to place is not a valid comparison to a vehicle pulling a heavy load...

 

[demarpaint]

I'd try a HM 10W30 and see if that helps.

 

[Silver]

Thanks everyone. I'll try a thicker HM. Then I'll sell this POS.

Tired of fixing it.

 

[Salyer]

I'll admit the fuel consumption on mine is not great, and I don't stick my foot in it either. Any ideas how I can improve it?

 

[147_Grain]

Cut your OCI in half and switch to a 40 weight high mileage oil.

Meanwhile have a plan to to replace your current vehicle.

 

[dogememe]

The GM inline-6 4.2 is a great engine. I owned an Envoy (twin to Trailblazer) with well over 200k. It got abused by the prior owner, me, and an idiot I lent it to for about a year.

The oil pressure gauge is fake. The oil pressure switch is just that - a switch, not a sensor. If you have any pressure at all, the PCM generates an oil pressure # based on temperature and RPM... Yes, even the oil pressure PID from an OBD2 scantool is fake. If the switch is defective or there really is no oil pressure the gauge just goes to 0.

I'd stick with a 5w-30 oil. Just put in the cheapest high mileage oil you can find and check it occasionally!

 

[dave1251]

Try some MMO to clean the rings. If this does not help along with changing the PCV, cleaning the EGR, just use a house brand 15W40 and keep it topped off.

 

[VeryNoisyPoet]

Originally Posted by dogememe

The oil pressure gauge is fake. The oil pressure switch is just that - a switch, not a sensor. If you have any pressure at all, the PCM generates an oil pressure # based on temperature and RPM... Yes, even the oil pressure PID from an OBD2 scantool is fake. If the switch is defective or there really is no oil pressure the gauge just goes to 0.

Useful info to have, and even worse than I thought. Engine could have critically low pressure even as the gauge happily shows solid pressure, AND the gauge moves as if it were actually hooked to a pressure transducer to fool the user into thinking it's a functional instrument.

It irks me that manufacturers do this type of thing. Pressure transducers are cheap, and they already put effort into designing a gauge cluster with an oil pressure dial. Why not make a useful gauge instead of a mechanical idiot light?!