Suburban Oil Level?

ptownbubba

07 Burb; 26200 miles
ok,,,, what is going on,,,, ?? I took the Burb to a dealer today,,,,
Symptoms:
Oil waring light
Oil pressure gauge floats from 40 to 0
Oil was up to top of hash mark on dipstick

Dealer did some tests,,, really did not find anything,,, mentioned there are oil pump issues with this vehicle/engine.

So,,,, they changed oil, and added this MOA stuff to oil,, then said to watch it and see what happens, and not to change oil for 4000 miles,,,,,also said that using/burning 1 qt of oil every 1000 miles was normal for this vehicle,,,, ugh,, that was never mentioned by sales department,,,,,,,,.???

So when I got home,today,,, I checked oil,,,, level is way above hash mark,, and covers an 8 digit number above the top of the hash mark on stick. It looks like maybe a couple quarts more is added to get it where it is now on stick,[guess ?],,, "I" carum-bah !!!!!!!

Book says 6 quarts with filter,,, that always put me to top of hash mark,,,,

What is full on a Chevy Burb ?

Is 6 quarts in this for the last 2 years running it 2 quarts low ???????

When I drove to the dealer,,, had a couple warning lights,,, and oil gauge got down to 0 !!!!

After leaving dealer,,,, oil gauge was 50-60 all the way home !!!!!

But on stick it 'looks' overfull ??????

Did the oil pump pick-up tube fall off ????

They said if oil light comes on again,, then they will replace oil pump,,,, !!!!

I asked what is the 'normal' oil pressure on gauge suppose to read,,, was told 10 to 40 or so,,,,,

Holy Cow,,, where will I be if that happens,, near home,, on vacation,,,, do I drive it or park it ???? Been changing my own oil for 40 years,,, now I am lost ????!!!!!

What is Full ?

tidester

Try checking the oil level when the engine is cold.

tidester, host
SUVs and Smart Shopper

ptownbubba

I did,,after sitting all night,, the oil level is 1 inch above the top of the hash area of stick,,,, maybe that is not 2 quarts,,,extra,, but it is higher than I ever had it on stick.Perhaps that is because of the additive they also put in ???????????????

So,,, does that extra inch of oil allow for higher oil pressure ???? Did the oil change itself improve oil pressure ????? How can that be ??? That is why I wondered about the pick-up tube on oil pump,,, it takes that extra oil for the pump to grab enough oil,,,,,,, yes that is bizarre,,,,,,,,,,,, maybe the sensors on both the warning light,,, and oil pressure gauge are goofed up,,,, but now they are not goofed up with the new,,,,,,,,,,, extra, oil ?????????????? I also thought oil pumps were, a 'go - no-go thing,,,, do not come and go ????? UGH,,,,,,,,,

Afraid to drive it,,,,,, my wife will be 'very' angry if it fails on the road at 10 below zero,,, after I was told the oil pump could be failing,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, UGH again ,,,

kiawah

They could have put thicker oil in it, which could raise the oil pressure.

Suspicious over that much oil.

Here's what I would suggest, since you change your own oil. You could:
- drain the oil out of it into two clean gallon jugs, to measure exactly how much oil is in the vehicle now. Then put back in just enough to get it to the top of the fill line, and see what your oil pressure now is. You'll know how much oil they put in (plus 1/4 quart or so in the filter), and you'll know whether the higher oil level is causing the higher oil pressure.
- drain a couple quarts out, and refill to the top of fill line. This won't tell you how much oil they put in, but will let you know whether the higher oil pressure is caused by the overfill of the crankcase oil.

Are you using dino oil, or synthetic now?

ptownbubba

thanks Sub07 for your tips,,,,,,

so you also are thinking,,, the full mark is suppose to be 'top of the hash mark" ? What else would anyone think,,, no mater who checks the oil,, be it me or a gas station,,,,,? Like I said, the manual says 6 qts with filter,,,, that is a simple recipe to follow,, the wife gets the 5qt bottle + 1qt Valvoline and filter when she says the oil indicator tells her it is time for oil change,, now, it of course it is never a good idea,, but I am not sure an engine would know if it was a quart low or not,,,, only the dip stick would know,,,and on that point,,,, as long as the oil is in the hash area of stick,,,, it should be ok,,, but should have some added,,,, this how I did oil for 40 years,,,,, just do not know if today's cars are different. No confusion with my 02 ford f250,,,,, just now with this Burb, that I have had for 2 years + ,,,, I would love to do your ideas,,, but,, since the dealer did all the stuff,, do not want to tamper with anything until the dust settles,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,, I guess I will flag everyone down who owns an 07 or newer Burb, and see where their oil level is. The vehicle manual tells me how much oil to use, the vehicle tells me when to change the oil,,,,,,,,, jeepers, that is pretty cut and dried,,,,,,,,,, how can I screw that up,,, but the burning a quart of oil every 1000 miles was a surprise,,,,and I did catch that a while ago,,,,,, wondered then if I had a lemon,,,, but now I guess everyone has that 1000 mile burn. ????????????????????????? UGH,,,,,

looking at the repair sheet,,, it says 6qt GM Goodwrench 5w30 oil,,, so it must be the additive that pushed it up past the hash mark,,,,,,

also,,,, during this mystery,, with the low oil pressure,, warning lights,, etc,,, the motor sounded and ran fine,,, no lifter tapping sound,,, no engine rattles,,,, no sounds of trouble at all,,,,,,, ???????????????????????????

kiawah

I have a 07 Suburban (have had Sub's for 15 years), change the oil myself, fill this one with 6 qts and filter, it fills to the top of the hash mark where the full line is, and it doesn't burn oil.

ptownbubba

ok,, thanks,,,, 6qt is full,,,, so,,, when my oil level was 1/2 down the hash mark,,,it started this misbehavin' Tuesday,,, still did it with oil added to top of hash mark. the dealer did change the oil, even though it was not ready for that yet,,, Now with oil level 1 inch above hash mark 60# oil pressure at highway speed,,,,,,

This Burb has the same motor has the Impala or something,,,,5.3 ?

Here is a post from another forum, about the 1qt per 1000 mile issue

Subject: Excessive Oil Consumption and/or Blue Exhaust Smoke

Models:
2007 Chevrolet Avalanche, Silverado, Suburban, Tahoe
2007 GMC Sierra, Yukon
with 5.3L Engine (RPO LC9 - VIN 3)

CONDITION/CONCERN:

Some customers may complain that their vehicle has been using approximately 1 quart of oil every 500-1,000 miles. In most cases, the customer will advise that this did not start until it accumulated approximately 30,000 miles or more.

If the spark plugs have been inspected, the technician would have found signs of oil consumption on one or more spark plugs. If they went on to perform a cylinder leakage test, static compression test, or the lifter and PCV baffle inspection from the latest version of PIP4492, they would find that none of these tests identified the cause of this concern.

In many cases, the engine may have had the rocker cover, cylinder heads, and/or oil control rings replaced only to come back with the same concern.

RECOMMENDATION/INSTRUCTIONS:

If this concern is experienced, no repairs should be performed at this time because the cause of this concern is under investigation. This PI will be updated as soon as a procedure is available to help diagnose/repair this concern, which should be available by the end of this month (February 2009).

Matthew C. Edmiston
General Motors
District Service Manager

Apparently nothing has happened with a fix or recall, since my Burb was just at Chevy Shop Wed, ,,, all that was said that it may/will use a qt. every 1000 miles.