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Question About Oil Changes

jb1488

Full Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2002
Messages
30
Location
miami florida
Hey i was wondering if someone out here can help me out. I got an oil change about 4 thousand miles ago, I used synthetic oil and my engine light lit up a few days ago saying check oil level. When I checked the oil level, my car was almost completly oiless. Anyone have this problem before or is this something normal in the avalanche? Normally in my old cars I could change my oil every 6 to 8 thousand miles using synthetic oil, but I have never had a truck before so I dont know if this is normal. I would appreciate a response from anyone who could help me out.

thanks in advance,

JB
miami florida av
 
Not normal

I think there has been discussion concerning oil consumption in some earlier threads. Try a 300 day search on "oil consumption"

You have not said which engine you have in you AV.

There was a problem that a PVC valve change seem to correct in some of the 5.3's
 
jb1488 said:
Hey i was wondering if someone out here can help me out. I got an oil change about 4 thousand miles ago, I used synthetic oil and my engine light lit up a few days ago saying check oil level. When I checked the oil level, my car was almost completly oiless. Anyone have this problem before or is this something normal in the avalanche? Normally in my old cars I could change my oil every 6 to 8 thousand miles using synthetic oil, but I have never had a truck before so I dont know if this is normal. I would appreciate a response from anyone who could help me out.

thanks in advance,

JB
miami florida av

It would be good to know how many miles you have and if you started using synthetic right away or not.

Secondly when you say almost completely oil less - How much oil did you add to fill it? When oil doesnt show on the dipstick that can be only 2 quarts low so with the AV holding 6 it is not empty.

Some oil consumption problems have occured during breakin periods - I would suggest not using synthetic if you have very low mileage and have not changed the oil and filter several times using regular oil and doing it every 3000 miles. I am sure some will disagree but this is my opinion, sythetic oil may hinder engine break in (ring seating) resulting in some excessive oil consumption.

If you could answer the questions above here I will get back to you.

Richard
 
orboater said:
Not normal

I think there has been discussion concerning oil consumption in some earlier threads. Try a 300 day search on "oil consumption"

You have not said which engine you have in you AV.

There was a problem that a PVC valve change seem to correct in some of the 5.3's

I agree with this possibilty as well - PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve can cause blow by problems if crankcase pressures get too high from inadequate relief of pressure by the PCV valve. Still would like to know the answers to the other questions in the above post.
 
TexAVfan said:
..........I would suggest not using synthetic if you have very low mileage and have not changed the oil and filter several times using regular oil and doing it every 3000 miles. I am sure some will disagree but this is my opinion, sythetic oil may hinder engine break in (ring seating) resulting in some excessive oil consumption......


Richard

Even Royal Purple says this, and they sell synthetic oil... :B:
 
TexAVfan said:
I agree with this possibilty as well - PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) valve can cause blow by problems if crankcase pressures get too high from inadequate relief of pressure by the PCV valve. Still would like to know the answers to the other questions in the above post.

I second that request...
 
Hey son are you followin me? You know you are a meat p*mp ;) :D ;D
Hey I am just joking with Ed there guys - He is my friend! Right ED - - - Tell um ED - Right. :cautious: :-X :-[ :p :rolleyes: ;)
 
TexAVfan said:
Hey son are you followin me? You know you are a meat p*mp ?;) :D ;D
Hey I am just joking with Ed there guys - He is my friend! Right ED - - - Tell um ED - Right. ?:cautious: :-X :-[ :p :rolleyes: ;)

:-X .... ;) You know we're friends !
 
Now I need advice, I got my oil changed at 1,700 miles and I had synthetic oil put in my AV. I haven't had any oil problems and now I am afraid ?I have screwed up my, AV by having the synthetic oil put in. Should I get another oil change and use something else? I now have 1,900 miles on my AV. ?Help please!!!!
 
sky25 said:
Now I need advice, I got my oil changed at 1,700 miles and I had synthetic oil put in my AV. I haven't had any oil problems and now I am afraid ?I have screwed up my, AV by having the synthetic oil put in. Should I get another oil change and use something else? I now have 1,900 miles on my AV. ?Help please!!!!

You should be ok. There are two schools of thought on this... One thinks that you should go 6,000 - 12,000 on regular oil before switching over to synthetic in order to let the piston rings seat properly. Then on the other side, Mobil 1 is the factory fill for several cars including the Corvette. Mobil says it's safe. Royal Purple says not to... Engine builders I know also say not to. Drag Racers I know vary from using RedLine or Royal Purple from the day the motor is built to picking up gallons of Rotella T at truck stops, to using "what ever is on sale at Wal-Mart. On the other hand Porsches come from the factory with Mobil 1 installed.... In the end, and I know this doesn't help you, who knows ? But In my opinion, you should be fine, there are too many people here who have used Mobil 1 since the 500-750 mile mark.
 
I didn't get mobil 1, I had them to put in castrol full synthetic oil. I wish I had got Mobil 1. Thanks for the reply, If I do have trouble, will it void my warrantee? I just checked and no oil leaks so far.
 
sky25 said:
I didn't get mobil 1, I had them to put in castrol full synthetic oil. I wish I had got Mobil 1. Thanks for the reply, If I do have trouble, will it void my warrantee? I just checked and no oil leaks so far.

That gets to a dealer by dealer basis and due to the legal ramifications, I won't say yes or no, just dealer by dealer. ?HOWEVER, from the owner's manual....


What Kind of Engine Oil to Use
Oils recommended for your vehicle can be identified by
looking for the starburst symbol.
This symbol indicates that the oil has been certified by
the American Petroleum Institute (API). Do not use any
oil which does not carry this starburst symbol.
If you change your own oil,
be sure you use oil that has
the starburst symbol on the
front of the oil container.
If you have your oil
changed for you, be sure
the oil put into your engine
is American Petroleum
Institute certified for
gasoline engines.


And Castrol Syntec, Mobil 1, Valvoline SynPower, Royal Purple, and RedLine, along with a BUNCH of others, carry the "starburst" symbol of the API. So rest easy and enjoy your AV in good health. :B:
 
The dealer changed it for me I just took my own oil in there. It looks like the dealer would have not used it. Because before I bought the oil I called them and ask them if that oil was ok and they gave me the type of oil to get. 10 w 30.
 
Not the dealer but the service department. BTW Edward you just saved me from having a heart attack. Thank You
 
sky25 said:
Not the dealer but the service department. BTW Edward you just saved me from having a heart attack. Thank You

BTW sky I was just posting what some opinions on synthetic use are - I personally use Valvoline synthetic blend and have since the first oil change with no problems - I was merely going over some information and possibilities for the consumption question.
No need to worry if you have no problem - and yes that ED K can be a life saver - he can also do a good job cleaning a pool! ;)
 
Wow I didnt expect to get so many replys. My car now has 18 thousands miles. I changed the oil the first time at 6 thousand and put MOBIL 1, I had the same problem following the first oil change but didnt think much of it. This time though I thought something was up. When I check my oil after only 4 thousand miles I had a little over a quart left. which means it burnt up approx. 5 quarts of oil in 4 thousand miles. I have the 1500 beginners engine, nothing fancy about it. I appreciate all your posts, I am taking it into the dealership tommorrow and getting it checked out. I will let you guys know what happens.

Thanks for your help,

JB
 
I have a 2003 with the 5.3L, and had AMSOIL (sp?) 5W-30 put in at 2000 miles. Now at 6000+, the oil level seems to be the same as when when it was first changed. No problems.

Glen :B:
 
Edward K you wrote In another unnamed thread ;D
Royal Purple 10W-30, an AC Delco PF-59 oil filter, and a 15mm box end Snap-On wrench... <-- This is the information this site was built on, I for one am ALL ABOUT getting back to that.

Where do I get Royal Purple? Have never seen that. And does anyone know if you should use 10w or just 5w like it says on the cap?
I want to do my next oil change myself and would like to know.
Thanks :)
 
Ghostwheel said:
Edward K you wrote In another unnamed thread ;D
Royal Purple 10W-30, an AC Delco PF-59 oil filter, and a 15mm box end Snap-On wrench... <-- This is the information this site was built on, I for one am ALL ABOUT getting back to that.

Where do I get Royal Purple? Have never seen that. And does anyone know if you should use 10w or just 5w like it says on the cap?
I want to do my next oil change myself and would like to know.
Thanks ?:)

Ghostwheel,

You can visit the Royal Purple website at Royal Purple

I have been using 5W30 myself with no problems and a good increase in mpg. I buy mine online at OILTOWN USA

It is the cheapest online dealer I have found and they are not listed on the RP website. Enjoy...

David
 
Ghostwheel said:
Edward K you wrote In another unnamed thread ;D
Royal Purple 10W-30, an AC Delco PF-59 oil filter, and a 15mm box end Snap-On wrench... <-- This is the information this site was built on, I for one am ALL ABOUT getting back to that.

Where do I get Royal Purple? Have never seen that. And does anyone know if you should use 10w or just 5w like it says on the cap?
I want to do my next oil change myself and would like to know.
Thanks ?:)

I'd stick with the 5W-30, I'm just trying something by using the 10W-30. Thanks to davidw55 for the links in my absense. (y)
 
When I get my new AV...soon...
I'll will be changing out the oil at about 1000 kms. I will install a premium grade petroleum based oil and AC oil filter. When the AV reaches 5000 kms... I will be running
Amsoil Series 2000 Synthetic 5W30 from then on...
1 oil change a year and 2 filter changes a year.
Within the first week of ownership, I will be changing out
the Engine coolant, Front diff, Rear diff, Transfer case and Transmission. I will be using Amsoil Synthetics on everything.... I've researched the different oils and as I will be performing my own maintenance, I have decided to go with Amsoil products. It also helps that the local dealer is just up the street.....
I do believe any synthetic is the way to go, however, I do believe you need to wear the ENGINE in a bit. The other components I believe I can change them out at 1000 kms....
Looking forward to AV ownership! :love: :love:
 
Edward K said:
I'd stick with the 5W-30, I'm just trying something by using the 10W-30. ?Thanks to davidw55 for the links in my absense. ?(y)

No problem, glad to help out Ed & Ghostwheel. ?Thanks for the tip though, was wondering if 10W30 was better in the Avalanche or something but I just stuck with 5W30 since that was the recommended weight for mineral oil. ?

dichris, sounds like you've got a plan...I agree though on the break-in. ?I'm one of "those" people that think you should break-in first before switching to full synthetic. ?My personal thought is to wait until around 8K-10K miles before switching, but you should probably be fine. ?I have looked at the Amsoil products as well. ?They are fairly impressive, I just found RP first and Amsoil is more expensive unless you signup to be a dealer/distributor OR have a dealer right up the street maybe? ?;D

David
 
dichris said:
When I get my new AV...soon...
I'll will be changing out the oil at about 1000 kms. ?I will install a premium grade petroleum based oil and AC oil filter. ?When the AV reaches 5000 kms... I will be running
Amsoil Series 2000 Synthetic 5W30 from then on...
1 oil change a year and 2 filter changes a year.
Within the first week of ownership, I will be changing out
the Engine coolant, Front diff, Rear diff, Transfer case and Transmission. ?I will be using Amsoil Synthetics on everything.... ?I've researched the different oils and as I will be performing my own maintenance, I have decided to go with Amsoil products. ?It also helps that the local dealer is just up the street.....
I do believe any synthetic is the way to go, however, I do believe you need to wear the ENGINE in a bit. ?The other components I believe I can change them out at 1000 kms....
Looking forward to AV ownership! :love: :love:

dichris - Don't swap the front diff to synthetic !!! You will experience a problem. Outside of that, carry on ! (y) :B:
 
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