Suburban 5.3l ???

[drm7]

I have a 2001 Suburban w/5.3l V8. It just turned 73,000 and I've owned it since 45,000. I've been running M1 5w30 since I bought it. I'm on my second run of M1 EP 10k OCI. This engine has a horrible ping in the summer that 89oct won't cure but it will minimize. It also uses about 1qt of oil every 2000-2500 miles. This weekend I made a trip from VA to OH through WV mountains (I-77). I was towing an empty 6x12 U-haul trailer up and loaded (1000+lbs) back. On the way up I hit 3500-4000 rpm for short stretches up some of the hills. On the way back I didn't go over 3000rpm. I used tow/haul mode both ways. I had to add 1/2qt of oil after the trip up the next morning. I had to add 2qts when I got home.

It also puffed a good bit of blue smoke on the first start after sitting all night when I got home. Very little puffs since. Never did this before. Did I loosen a stuck oil ring or something? What can cause this? I can't stand the thought that something may have happened to my engine. It's been great up to this point.

My Mazda MPV won't use any oil in 10k OCI.

 

[TooSlick]

The blue smoke on startup sounds like leaky valve stem seals.

I suspect the high rate of oil burning has resulted in the buildup of carbon deposits in the combustion chambers and you're getting pre-ignition as a result.

I'd consider using a bottle of ARX and a strong fuel treatment like Redline and see if you can't clean things up a bit.

 

[drm7]

I suspect carbon too as this engine lugs along at low RPM around the coutry driving we do. I ran a heavy dose of Sea Foam on the way up. I ran ARX when I bought it. Maybe another dose is necessary??? I knew the 5.7l had start-up smoke but I hoped the 5.3l wouldn't suffer this.

 

[TooSlick]

Did the ARX have any effect on the oil consumption or the pinging condition and did both exist when you purchased the vehicle? If ARX didn't help then problem may be inherent in the design/materials used in this engine. Specifically the material used for the valve stem seals and perhaps the quality of the piston ring seal.

You could try a regular maintenance dose of "FP60" or Redline SL-1 to try and control the pinging by minimizing the combustion chamber deposits. I'd also consider using a 5w-40 HDEO and see if this better controls the oil consumption.

Good Luck!

TS

 

[Schmoe]

I'm with these guys, I had the same problem in my truck and ran ARX and fixed it.

 

[tmorris1]

I have a friend that has one of these. He has had constant injector problems since he got it. We had similiar problems with our GM van. GM must have some injector problems.

 

[milwaukee]

None of the GM products in my family ever had injector problems.

"GM must have some injector problems." is quite a reach on your part.

 

[drm7]

I ran ARX right after I bought it so I don't know what kind of consumption it might have had before. I don't remember the pinging when I got it but I bought it in cooler months and it is much better in the cold. I'll have to say, the pinging does seem less since my trip through the mountains. I was hoping to get the carbon out. Don't do too many highway trips in it. I ran a strong dose of Sea Foam so maybe that helped.

 

[tmorris1]

quote:

---

Originally posted by milwaukee:
None of the GM products in my family ever had injector problems.

"GM must have some injector problems." is quite a reach on your part.

---

I don't think it is that much of a stretch. I know several who have had problems and also quite a bit about it on the net (I know people only post problems..). This is part of the reason that GM pushed the Top Tier fuel standard. When I had problems, they always said it was the fuel, but when I asked why my non-GM vehicles don't have the problem running the same fuel, they couldn't answer. The service manager told me that they do about 30 injector cleanings a week because of the same issue.

 

[drm7]

OK, I left the burb at the airport for 36 hours. I get in, start it and it blows a large blue cloud of smoke. Same thing this morning.

Can a valve seal go bad that quickly? I checked the coolant and it seems to be fine. The cloud made me wonder if I had a gasket leak and maybe it was some coolant but that does not appear to be the case. It was blue smoke. Ever since my road trip it has a slight stumble on cold starts like a plug is getting wet and now the smoke.

 

[thooks]

Wow.

This is the very first problem I have EVER heard about a 5300.

I'm thinking you got an abused vehicle to start with.

 

[Turk]

I got a 5.3, use 'er good & hard without beatin' on it and it's bulletproof.

I too bet yer engine has been beat on...

Good luck...

 

[rmattingley]

My old man had two gm pickups that blew blue smoke everytime you started them. The auto dealer said that this was normal for the engine. I think they were 350's, might have been a 5.3

 

[drm7]

It is normal for the 350 but I've not heard of this for the 5.3.

I really don't think it was beat on. The engine is very strong, gets great mpg (for a burb), and was super clean with only 45k on the clock when I bought it. It isn't set up for heavy towing, only 4 prong wiring. Maybe it didn't get regular oil changes but would that hurt valve seals? I'm thinking it is valve seals because of the puff of blue on start up.

 

[thooks]

Sorry, DRM, you got one that has been abused and poorly maintained.

The 5300 is just too good of an engine to be puffing at that early of mileage. That is probably the best production engine on the market. I bet Honda would consider putting it in their truck and Pilot if they wanted to put a V8 in it.

 

[drm7]

I guess I'm out of the loop on the 5.3. I didn't know it was supposed to be that good. I know I like the Ford 5.4 but I've not paid much attention to newer model V8s. I still have to believe that something happened on my trip to OH with a small trailer. It had no such symptoms before the trip. Used a qt every 2000-2500 miles but no blue from the tailpipe. I've run M1 since 50,000.

I guess I'll have to address the issue down the road as I don't have the $$$ to do anything right now.

 

[adam123]

You prob got a lemon engine. Any engine no matter the design will usually have a few lemon engine roll off the line. An engine with a really great reputation just usually has less.

 

[Jim 5]

My chev 5.7L vortec with 175k miles never blows any smoke nor uses any oil betweek 5k oci's.

Probably because it was not abused, and until I heard of Bitog (at 160k miles) it got religious 3k mile OCI's.

Just in the last 20k miles it has developed cold start knock (piston slap) for the first 30 seconds of running.

Apart from a few intake manifold leaks, the engine has never been opened, and runs like a top. The spark plugs read perfectly after 55k miles on platinums.

I think your engine was abused or not well maintained or both. Subject to the intake manifold and CSK issues, GM makes a pretty good truck v8.

 

[drm7]

I finally fixed the problem. It turned out to be a $7 part. The PCV valve. I replaced it in the spring with the part listed in the catalog at Advance. Somehow it started sucking oil out of the head and into the intake. My trip over New Years sealed it for me. It took 1qt of oil every 125 miles. Not only did the new PCV make it stop using oil and smoking on startup but it stopped pinging. I'm still stumped on how oil through the intake caused such horrendous pinging even on 93 octane. I ran 2/3 can of seafoam through the intake this weekend and I'm running 3 cans in the fuel for the next tank. After this I'm going back to 87 octane and see if the ping is completely cured. I just hope my cylinders aren't coked up with all the oil. I'm so mad at myself for not getting this diagnosed sooner. I guess I feared the worse and I didn't have the money to fix it if it was a valve seal/guide problem. Learned a lesson to not put off getting things diagnosed to at least know what the problem is.

 

[Earl Filter]

Quote:

---

...they always said it was the fuel, but when I asked why my non-GM vehicles don't have the problem running the same fuel, they couldn't answer. The service manager told me that they do about 30 injector cleanings a week because of the same issue.

---

They couldn't diagnose a problem, so they blame it on the injectors, and want to charge $159.99 for an injector cleaning. The only thing they can fix is your wallet, by making it lighter and easier to carry around.

I'm a former Chevrolet service advisor and many-time GM owner with zero injector issues ever.