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How much oil usage is normal?

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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 07:40 PM
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Default How much oil usage is normal?

My stock 2000 vert uses about 1 qt of Mobil 1 per 1500 miles. Is this normal?
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 07:47 PM
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GM will say yes, normal. I'd say it's high but there's not a lot you can do about it.
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 07:50 PM
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Originally Posted by bravastar1
My stock 2000 vert uses about 1 qt of Mobil 1 per 1500 miles. Is this normal?
No it is NOT normal at all. My 2000 has gone 2000 miles since I bought it and it has not burned any oil at all (atleast not a noticable amount). Take a look at a 1 qt bottle of oil...it's a TON of oil. If it is burning that much in 1500 miles, then there is something seriously wrong.

Last edited by saniterium; Nov 11, 2005 at 07:52 PM.
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 07:52 PM
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according to GM, its normal to burn 1 qt for every 1,000 miles....mine burns more
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 07:53 PM
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It seems to be hit or miss with the LS1. I went 8000 miles on my last oil change interval and the dipstick level did not move the entire time. But yet I know other LS1 owners who add a quart every 1 to 2k.
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 07:55 PM
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Originally Posted by DPG
according to GM, its normal to burn 1 qt for every 1,000 miles....mine burns more
...so if you went the recomended time without toping off your oil (about 5-7k miles), your engine would be completely dry? You should not need to put 5-7 qts back into the engine in between changes. Where did you actually hear that that crazy amount of oil burn is normal?

Last edited by saniterium; Nov 11, 2005 at 07:58 PM.
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 09:19 PM
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It's abnormal. I've had my stock 2000 Vert for over two years, put 26k miles on it and have never had to add oil between changes every 6k miles.
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 09:23 PM
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I just did an oil change the other day on my 99 hardtop. I went until the DIC said 15% oil life remaning. It was atleast 4,000 miles and mine used 1.5 qts. So I guess mine would be one of the lower consuming LS1's apparently :-)
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 09:49 PM
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My 98 with 92,000 miles has NEVER used ANY oil between 6,500 mile average oil changes !
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 11:48 PM
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3000 miles since last oil change and 0 (zero) oil consumption noticeable on the dipstick
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Old Nov 11, 2005 | 11:58 PM
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I have put about 4K miles since my last oil change and it's used maybe 1/2 qt. The engine has seen some hi revs and today I was under the car and noticed a very very slight leak from somewhere between the oil pan and bell housing. btw, it's an '02 with little over 12K miles
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 12:57 AM
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I never had to add any oil between oil changes on my 98.
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 04:53 AM
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The LS1 is known to be a little loose and GM will admit that. My 2000 goes down about 1/2 quart every 3K miles depending on how hard I drive her. I check my oil regularily. Your 1 quart per 1500 miles is excessive in my opinion.
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 06:54 AM
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No, that's not normal consumption. The LS1 can burn some oil and of course your driving habits can contribute to the useage. My '97 with almost 59,000 miles will on occaison require a half quart add between oil changes if I've done a lot of around town spirited driving, but yet I can put her on the highway for a 3000 plus mile round trip and not burn a drop.

Paul
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 06:56 AM
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Originally Posted by DPG
according to GM, its normal to burn 1 qt for every 1,000 miles....mine burns more
What? I hope that the GM in your post are the initials of a friend that is just underinformed and not General Motors, if not, you better find another dealer to talk to.
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 09:30 AM
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Originally Posted by DPG
according to GM, its normal to burn 1 qt for every 1,000 miles....mine burns more
I don't know "who" in GM stated that but it's That is not normal.

Guys I know that owned '01s burning oil at that rate had theirs re-ringed.

This FRC is a daily driver with over 136K miles and I generally get 5500-6000 miles between oil changes. I've always kept an eye on the oil level and I have never had to add oil. The level might drop the width of a hair on the dipstick if I've been running the car pretty hard.

I would have major concerns if this car was burning a quart every 1k miles
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 09:50 AM
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I've never had to add oil between changes on my 2000 coupe (24,000 miles).
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 09:54 AM
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My 2001 has never used oil, I rarely go over 4k RPM
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 10:17 AM
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Originally Posted by talon90
No, that's not normal consumption. The LS1 can burn some oil and of course your driving habits can contribute to the useage. My '97 with almost 59,000 miles will on occaison require a half quart add between oil changes if I've done a lot of around town spirited driving, but yet I can put her on the highway for a 3000 plus mile round trip and not burn a drop.

Paul
If you do a lot of spirited driving around town that can contribute to some oil burning. But on a trip with some sustained speeds you should burn very little oil. My .02
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Old Nov 12, 2005 | 01:09 PM
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IMO, this is not normal. My '00 was using a quart every 1200 miles back in 2001 and I had them change the rings under the oil consumption issue. At that time, anything in excess of 1 quart of oil consumed in 2000 miles was considered excessive. Your dealership should have a TSB that covers the oil consumption problem - see what it says. GM may have revised the criteria since I had mine done, but 1500 miles does not seem right.
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