2007 GMC Yukon XL 5.3l bad rod bearing/new engine?

fdalesfinest

On friday coming home from work my 2007 Yukon xl truck was driving great and then suddenly I hear this ridiculously loud clanking noise that gets worse upon exceleration. No warning lights come one so I limp home the final two miles.

I check the oil and it shows I am a 1/2 quart from full. I have had excessive oil consumption since about 40k and it has 129k now. My dealership said 1 qt per thousand miles is normal and they wouldn't do anything about it. I spoke to my normal mechanic and he said its ridiculous but that is what GM considers normal.

I go on google and put in a search for what I heard while the truck was running and it seems I may have a bad rod bearing. With what I read it says I would either need a engine rebuild or a new engine. Is this likely?! Part of the reason I bought this truck was because it isn't unusual to have the engine last 250-300k.

Then my next question is I found a local new 2013 5.3 for a GMC Sierra with 8 miles on it for $2500 minus the injectors, valve covers, TB and pan. Will this bolt into my 2007 and if so will I be able to swap these part from my current truck?

Thanks in advance!

thecardoc3

It may seem that you might have a bad rod bearing by the way you read the online descriptions, but it takes experience to determine engine noises, so don't be quite so sure as yet as to what the failure is. Next, a quart of oil being consumed in a thousand miles isn't a problem unless you fail to add as required. There are reasons that replacing oil like that are actually beneficial as it also restores additives that would otherwise potentially wear out. Lastly, the newer engine isn't likely to work due to changes in sensor encoder profiles on the camshaft and crankshaft. Your best bet is to have a remanufactured engine installed which would include a warranty from the re-builder.

Lastly many owners have made the mistake of not fully paying attention to the oil specifications, and this even applies to shops and techs. Even here in Edmunds there are articles which are supposed to advise you of what is correct but in fact only serve to make it more confusing. Your engine oil specification read something like "Use a 5W30 API SM, ILSAC GF4 and also approved to meet GM specification 6094M". Very few people understood what that meant and they would distort the information by saying you only needed to use "an equivalent" product. The problem is the API oils without the additional approval were not equivalent and your oil consumption issue is a direct result of that. The wrong oil leaves deposits behind that cause the rings to stick and you can see post after post right here blaming GM when in fact the real culprit was the oil that the car was serviced with. Even now GM's 6094M and 4718M specs are now obsolete and have been replaced with the dexos specification. That is a supercession that goes all the way back to the 2004 model year vehicles and is what you should be using now and in the future.

fdalesfinest

It seems I dodged a bullet! I got a call today from my mechanic that I could pick up my truck.

He did an engine flush and oil change and it cleared up the issue. Based upon what I read here and on other forums I was hoping for the best but expecting the worst and needing to replace my engine.

I need to give a shout out to my Mechanic...ASC Automotive in Atlantic Highlands NJ is great. Andy the owner is the most honest mechanic I have met in my life. Never suggests something that's not needed and has some of the best prices while doing great work!

stever

Good to hear - good indy mechanics are getting harder and harder to find. And when you do find one, they are backed up with more work than they can handle.

mrjetskey

There is few true mechanics nowadays, you usually have a uniformed person who reads a computer then changes said part. Ok code readers are handy for finding bad sensors, miss-firing cylinder, and or electrical problem. Todays mechanics need to be proficient in computer operation and greasy hands not a good combination. Its hard to find a mechanic who is not a just a parts changer. no engine should burn a quart of oil in 800 miles ! however GM cars trucks started that back when the carbureted 454 engine in trucks got 600 to 800 miles a quart and that was with 10-w 40 weight not to 5w-30 used now!!

thecardoc3

There is a yang to go with the ying from consumer pressure to be the cheapest in order to get the consumers business. Justified complaints are one thing, but a lot of the abuse and complaining about price etc. isn't actually justified nor fair. That makes becoming a mechanic/technician a poor career choice for those who could be good at it. Stated simply they can demand much better wages, benefits and working conditions doing almost anything else. So while all of the negativity has worked to drive many who were in the trade out of it well before they ever really got to be good techs, it also helped prevent the next generation from even getting started and what you are left with for now is a very stratified trade. There are a few top techs who have made it in spite of how they were treated by management as well as the consumer and a lot of the parts changers who will willingly cut the throats of the top techs to help a consumer save a buck, which is exactly what most consumers still want, cheaper at any cost. As the boomer generation that now shoulders much of the burden of the most difficult work leaves the trade in the next decade there is no one to replace them and even if all of the problems could be fixed tomorrow and make the career attractive to the people that you need it to have, it would still be fifteen to twenty years before they would be truly ready to fill the void. Consumerism has it's place, but in this case it is starting to reap what it has sewn.

yukonmom

So my 2007 burns a quart about every 1500 miles I am using fully synthetic mobile one 5-30 per manual. Overwhelming consumption! I read that an engine flush and oil change could fix it but that the specs changed? What should I be doing differently!
help I love my Yukon but this is ridiculous!
the Yukon mom

isellhondas

I wouldn't "flush" your engine for any reason.

Using a quart of oil every 1500 miles is NOT "overwhelming consumption" it is in the range of what is normal.

Just keep an eye on your oil level and add oil as necessary.

Seriously, this is no big deal. Not at all.

kyfdx

If it were my car, I'd be upset at that level of oil consumption...

isellhondas

We once owned a Ford Station Wagon with a 390. We kept it for probably eight years and it ALWAYS used a quart of oil around the 1500 mile mark. It never got worse. It never smoked or dripped and it ran like a top.

I suppose I would have rather had it not needed oil between changes but it didn't make me upset.

I know a guy who decided to switch to synthetic oil after something like 70,000 miles. After doing that he would have to add a quart between changes. He changed back to non-synthetic and the oil consumption between changes stopped. Maybe the OP could try that since it seems to bother her so much.

Might be worth a try.

kyfdx

isellhondas said:

We once owned a Ford Station Wagon with a 390. We kept it for probably eight years and it ALWAYS used a quart of oil around the 1500 mile mark. It never got worse. It never smoked or dripped and it ran like a top.

I suppose I would have rather had it not needed oil between changes but it didn't make me upset.

I know a guy who decided to switch to synthetic oil after something like 70,000 miles. After doing that he would have to add a quart between changes. He changed back to non-synthetic and the oil consumption between changes stopped. Maybe the OP could try that since it seems to bother her so much.

Might be worth a try.

A Ford wagon with a 390? 45 years ago?

I appreciate the experience, but that's not really relevant to a modern engine... I mean, that's the kind of car I learned to drive on, and I am an old man..

stever

I hate using oil too and this would be especially irritating since the manual apparently requires that you use synthetic.

isellhondas

kyfdx said:

isellhondas said:

We once owned a Ford Station Wagon with a 390. We kept it for probably eight years and it ALWAYS used a quart of oil around the 1500 mile mark. It never got worse. It never smoked or dripped and it ran like a top.

I suppose I would have rather had it not needed oil between changes but it didn't make me upset.

I know a guy who decided to switch to synthetic oil after something like 70,000 miles. After doing that he would have to add a quart between changes. He changed back to non-synthetic and the oil consumption between changes stopped. Maybe the OP could try that since it seems to bother her so much.

Might be worth a try.

A Ford wagon with a 390? 45 years ago?

I appreciate the experience, but that's not really relevant to a modern engine... I mean, that's the kind of car I learned to drive on, and I am an old man..

My point was it doesn't matter how old or how new the cars in question are, it's a matter of fact that ALL cars will use SOME oil. Some will use more than others for a variety of reason. If a car is going through a quart every 1500 miles that usage is probably acceptable by the manufacturer as being within normal bounds.

Now, the owner may not like this but unless it get's worse over time, it's not really a bad thing.

That was my only point.

If you want to talk about more modern cars, I owned a 1997 Corolla that would go through a quart every 2000-2500 miles. The guy who sold it to me let me know that when I bought it and he said it had been doing that since it was new.

kyfdx

I don't mind checking oil, or the act of adding oil...

What I don't like is the worry that oil consumption might be the symptom of a larger problem, that might get worse in the future...

Two engines... one that uses little or no oil between changes.... or, one that uses a quart every 1500 miles. I know which one I'd pick.

My current car uses a quart about every 4000 miles.... so, I'm adding a 1/2 quart, every two months... and, it bugs the crap out of me... I've had the same engine in two other cars, that never used a drop..

isellhondas

I suppose what is of little concern to some can be an irritant to others.

My only point was that some cars will use more oil than others and the "more oil" usage may be well within the manufacturers specs.

I too would rather have a car I don't have to add oil to between changes and I own two of those now.

Of course, I don't go over 5000 miles either.