bad rings on 2001 engines???? help !!
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Instructor
Joined: Dec 2006
Posts: 183
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From: Mt. Pleasant PA
bad rings on 2001 engines???? help !!
was looking at buying an 01 vert / all stock / and was doing some reserach at another site, and saw some owners of 01s complaining of bad piston rings w/ some oil consumption taking place. is this so? how big of a problem is this as far as how many out there?? thanks for any replies.
Safety Car
Joined: Jun 2003
Posts: 4,509
Likes: 239
From: Coconut Creek FL
was looking at buying an 01 vert / all stock / and was doing some reserach at another site, and saw some owners of 01s complaining of bad piston rings w/ some oil consumption taking place. is this so? how big of a problem is this as far as how many out there?? thanks for any replies.
I would say - do a forum search on this to dig up all you need to know, and more!
It was true- there were some cases of rings fluttering at high RPM's causing oil consumption that was later fixed by a new ring design and coated pistons.
It was not a problem on every car- the fix was to perform an oil consumption test and if the car met the requirements two things were done: 1) replace the valley cover and 2) re ring the pistons with the new design oil ring.
for what its worth- I had an 01 Z06 (most notorius for having the issue) and mine never burned a drop of oil. A lot of speculation and internet lore went into this mass hysteria...some say that it was mainly due to driving around at high rev's (like on the highway in 2nd or 3rd gear)...
if you are concerned, ask a GM service guy to see if any work has been done to the car by providing them the last 8 #'s from the VIN.
P.S.- this scare didn't sway me from buying that awesome car...nor did it for others as well...just do your homework!
Racer
Joined: Feb 2001
Posts: 433
Likes: 0
From: melbourne beach fl
I posted this a few years ago: " My 2001 MN6 coupe was one of the infamous oil burners (went through a quart every 1200 miles or so). Had GM do the ring job a few years back at 21,000 miles. I now have 51,000 miles on the vette, have had no engine problems at all, and use a quart of oil every 3500 miles or so."
Yes - many 2001's were oil burners. Now have 90,000 miles and engine runs great, still uses a little oil (maybe 1 quart every 3-4,000 miles) which is no big deal to me.
BUT - if you are buying used, you really have no way of knowing, and I doubt a 2001 is still covered by any warranty. And no way of knowing in advance (that I know of) if it is a burner?
Yes - many 2001's were oil burners. Now have 90,000 miles and engine runs great, still uses a little oil (maybe 1 quart every 3-4,000 miles) which is no big deal to me.
BUT - if you are buying used, you really have no way of knowing, and I doubt a 2001 is still covered by any warranty. And no way of knowing in advance (that I know of) if it is a burner?
Jacks996
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 8,667
Likes: 12
From: eagle mountain lake tx
Cruise-In VIII Veteran
I would say - do a forum search on this to dig up all you need to know, and more!
It was true- there were some cases of rings fluttering at high RPM's causing oil consumption that was later fixed by a new ring design and coated pistons.
It was not a problem on every car- the fix was to perform an oil consumption test and if the car met the requirements two things were done: 1) replace the valley cover and 2) re ring the pistons with the new design oil ring.
for what its worth- I had an 01 Z06 (most notorius for having the issue) and mine never burned a drop of oil. A lot of speculation and internet lore went into this mass hysteria...some say that it was mainly due to driving around at high rev's (like on the highway in 2nd or 3rd gear)...
if you are concerned, ask a GM service guy to see if any work has been done to the car by providing them the last 8 #'s from the VIN.
P.S.- this scare didn't sway me from buying that awesome car...nor did it for others as well...just do your homework!
It was true- there were some cases of rings fluttering at high RPM's causing oil consumption that was later fixed by a new ring design and coated pistons.
It was not a problem on every car- the fix was to perform an oil consumption test and if the car met the requirements two things were done: 1) replace the valley cover and 2) re ring the pistons with the new design oil ring.
for what its worth- I had an 01 Z06 (most notorius for having the issue) and mine never burned a drop of oil. A lot of speculation and internet lore went into this mass hysteria...some say that it was mainly due to driving around at high rev's (like on the highway in 2nd or 3rd gear)...
if you are concerned, ask a GM service guy to see if any work has been done to the car by providing them the last 8 #'s from the VIN.
P.S.- this scare didn't sway me from buying that awesome car...nor did it for others as well...just do your homework!
Racer
Joined: Jun 2001
Posts: 453
Likes: 24
From: Central Ohio
2021 C2 of the Year Finalist - Unmodified
Same here. I bought my 01 coupe in Sept. of 2000. It has just over 31000 miles and I haven't had any problems with oil consumption. I've done a lot of mods to mine but the block remains stock.
I don't know how many cars were affected with the problem but I suspect it is smaller than most think, otherwise, I believe Chevrolet would have been forced to take action to correct the problem.
I don't know how many cars were affected with the problem but I suspect it is smaller than most think, otherwise, I believe Chevrolet would have been forced to take action to correct the problem.
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Some of the '01s did have a problem with the rings - predominately in in the 6-speed cars. However, not every one showed excessive oil consumption.
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I have an '01 with the 6 speed. It has low mileage, 14,000 right now. It doesn't get driven in the winter, so basically it sees about 2000 per year. It "uses" about a half quart each summer.