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Ls1 oil consumption- Good leakdown/compression?

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Old May 26, 2026 | 08:41 AM
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Default Ls1 oil consumption- Good leakdown/compression?

2000 C5 has 157k and uses oil much more than the already high rate GM says is acceptable. Spits black carbon out the exhaust, covers the back of the car and stains the concrete.

I did an LS6 valley pan to try to help and was surprised to see I did not need to grind the boss in the valley to clear so perhaps this car has a later engine and who knows how many miles. I've tried every other option to get this under control and now feel that the only thing left is to re-ring it as per the GM TSB which is obviously a significant job.

But I did a leakdown and compression test and got good numbers on all cylinders, could that be and still need to re-ring?

Also the ring kit in the TSB is discontinued, is there a new recommended ring pack or procedure? The TSB cautions against honing the bores and only replace certain rings but digging this far in I would want to freshen everything up.
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Old May 26, 2026 | 09:13 AM
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Black carbon from exhaust would be fuel not oil.
How often, and how much oil are you having to add?
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Old May 26, 2026 | 09:44 AM
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Originally Posted by Jeep43
2000 C5 has 157k and uses oil much more than the already high rate GM says is acceptable. Spits black carbon out the exhaust, covers the back of the car and stains the concrete.

I did an LS6 valley pan to try to help and was surprised to see I did not need to grind the boss in the valley to clear so perhaps this car has a later engine and who knows how many miles. I've tried every other option to get this under control and now feel that the only thing left is to re-ring it as per the GM TSB which is obviously a significant job.

But I did a leakdown and compression test and got good numbers on all cylinders, could that be and still need to re-ring?

Also the ring kit in the TSB is discontinued, is there a new recommended ring pack or procedure? The TSB cautions against honing the bores and only replace certain rings but digging this far in I would want to freshen everything up.
It helps if share the background.

- Are you the original owner?
- Any modifications?
- Any codes?
- Live data you can share?
- Fuel pressure? Engine vacuum?
- Any smoke from the exhaust?
- How much oil do you consume in what amount of time?
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Old May 26, 2026 | 12:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Jeep43
2000 C5 has 157k and uses oil much more than the already high rate GM says is acceptable. Spits black carbon out the exhaust, covers the back of the car and stains the concrete.
I did an LS6 valley pan to try to help and was surprised to see I did not need to grind the boss in the valley to clear so perhaps this car has a later engine and who knows how many miles.
I did the LS6 valley cover on my 2001 a few years ago (around 75,000 miles) because I was seeing oil in the intake. I did have to grind down the casting in my valley, so maybe your car has a different engine in it. I also put a cheap Amazon catch can in, but I still get oil in the can. I think LS1's with higher mile, just like the oil. The oil consumption (at least I think) depends on driving style. If I beat on my car, I definitely see more oil in my catch can, then when driving "normal".

Last edited by VETTEYOG; May 26, 2026 at 12:48 PM.
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Old May 26, 2026 | 12:48 PM
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Any idea on the condition of the valve stem seals?
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Old Yesterday | 05:39 PM
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Originally Posted by MetalMan2
Any idea on the condition of the valve stem seals?
My thinking exactly. 26 year old elastomers, in a not-so-wonderful environment. Also, which head castings do you have? Unless I've mixed up my readings, a 2000 should be 853's, no?

Last edited by redzg; Yesterday at 05:40 PM.
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Old Yesterday | 05:51 PM
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Originally Posted by MetalMan2
Any idea on the condition of the valve stem seals?
Originally Posted by redzg
My thinking exactly. 26 year old elastomers, in a not-so-wonderful environment. Also, which head castings do you have? Unless I've mixed up my readings, a 2000 should be 853's, no?
Cnc Ported ls6 heads, 243's. they have epoxy on the intake ports but looks intact. New small diameter (for dual springs) top hat style seals were installed with no change.
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Old Today | 12:54 PM
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CNC heads... Just a thought:


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