Thread: Burning oil

Just checked my oil for the first time since the Gen V/IC install. Ive got about 1k miles on the setup and it was over a qt. low almost to the bottom of the dipstick. I changed the oil when I put the car back together and it was dead on the full mark. Checked my TB coupler right where my PCV line for the front bank comes from and it was all dry, no oil. The car didnt burn any oil before I did everything to it. Its not leaking a single drop from anywhere either. All I had apart on the motor was the LIM and front cover. Im thinking it has to be related to the PCV but im not finding any excess oil anywhere.

How is the rear routed?

I drilled a hole an inch over from the stock one on the lim into the rear pcv passage so it lined up with the hole on the IC plate. The upper IC plate already lined up with the pcv hole on the bottom of the gen V.

Ok, so in theory that's correct. And you say there's no oil in the intake from the front hose.

Have you checked the pcv in the rear yet?

I pulled the cover off and there is a valve in there. It seems to be in the right direction, other than that idk.

Ok.. there should be a rubber o-ring under it and a spring above it.

yes, O-ring and spring intact. It doesnt noticably smoke anytime either but my friend was riding behind me when I got on it hard once and said it smelled like oil.

So the car still burns oil, been through 3 qts. In 2500 miles since I got it put together and it seems to be getting worse. Still runs great, still no smoke. Then I found this little tid bit on ZZP in reference to the XP cam while researching cams for this Impala motor I'm building.


"This cam (and any cam with a lift of over ~.515) requires upgraded valve springs and modified retainers for safe long term operation on stock heads. You can run higher lift than that with stock valvetrain but you're asking for trouble. Down the road you will be using oil as your valve seals become prematurely worn."

My cam is .531/.531 at 1.6 and I have L76 springs and L76 retainers to achieve my 1.800 installed height but I never read anything about valve seal interference with cams this small. Most likely my oil consumption issue was just coincidental to my gen V/IC install and this is actually my problem. So what can I do to correct the problem without pulling the heads? What does ZZP modify on the retainers to clearance them?

Yes, ZZP sells modded retainers and Intense sells LS style retainers. ZZP's are machined, Intense's are made that way. Personally I like Intense ones better because the locks don't get bound up in them and if you ever remove them again, you can w/o having to beat the retainer to free them.

Valve seals, don't quote me...but I'm nearly positive ZZP's viton seals are the sale Fel Pro seals you can buy at any store. Depending on which seals your heads came with (older ones had a metal jacket seal) could also be a factor.

I'd do new seals and retainers, then smile.. you found the issue.

If it is your valve seals leaking, you should see some smoke of out the exhaust when you first start it up.

Yea, I've got over 20k on it now, it just started burning oil in the last 3k

So I cant seem to find answers with this topic and I still havent ordered the parts to fix it. I just talked to John I think it was? at Intense, and he said he wasnt sure that his Manley retainers would give me anymore clearance than the L76 retainers I already have. So what do I have to do to achieve valve seal clearance with .531 lift and stock height valve guides?

I don't know I only have the 1.9 RR, but I bought the Manley retainers. According to the Intense website,

"Both the Steel and Titanium versions of these Manley retainers offer more clearance than stock and .045" more than a Comp Cams retainer. They are not milled down but rather produced that way to eliminate any fluctuation in production and to ensure a perfect clearance every time."

Not yet. Just got my new IC core in the mail today. The car will be getting tore down tonight probably.

Ok, got the new valve seals and manley retainers in over the weekend. That was a fun job..........I didn't see anything obvious wrong with the seals I pulled out either. I guess by next weekend I will know, if its halfway down the dipstick again then it must have a broken ring or something. There's not much else it could be.

Should a had a v8 then when it burns oil it wouldn't be anything to worry about

I do want a LS fbody but I don't feel like spending that much more money to go slower.....lol

no no that much more money = faster with any ls motor that isnt an ls4