Thread: 2004 Grand Prix using oil

maybe plugged PCV valve causing extra oil comsumption?

Sounds to me like it is pretty early in the game to think your car is “using” oil. A couple ticks on the dip stick could mean nothing at all. I’d just keep checking it and see if an actual trend develops.

x2 on the PCV valve, they are so cheap and easy to replace I’d just do it. Interesting enough I thought my car starting using oil this summer. I was freaking because I have never observed any oil usage/oil level drop before. Long story short I’m 99% sure it was my choice in motor oil. I have been pouncing around oil brands lately, and I’m pretty sure about a quart just plain got consumed over about 3k mile. After my last oil change the trend hasn’t repeated.

My 06 did the same and my moms 08 does too. No clue where it goes either.

What kind of oil are you using? Is it different from what was previously used?

You are obviously being a bit hyper-aware of your car after the gasket change. Generally speaking what they did shouldn’t have caused an oil usage problem. That said, I don’t trust many mechanics further than I could throw them. As a rule of thumb, more than a quart every 1k miles points toward a real problem. You need to track long term the actual oil usage, not dip stick holes over arbitrary distances. If you go around telling mechanics your two holes over 500 miles there are going to just shake their heads. Also be aware that the best engines do and should use some amount of oil that said I have been driving GPs for 10 years now with basically never having to add oil between changes.

If you want to actually do something I’d start by inspecting your spark plugs. If there is one that is black or has goo on it, you might have a problem in that cylinder. The most common oil usage in these engines is the valve stem seals, or you could be very unlucky and have a piston ring issue. Our engines (besides the whole intake gasket thing) are generally rock solid, the only issues tend to be what people do to them with mods and such.

On a side note, dealerships tend to use the cheapest oil and filters they can possibly buy. Some have even been caught not even using oil that is approved by the OEM specs. Granted oil these days is so much better than in years past even the cheapest oil tends to do the job. More over some times those shop monkeys don’t flipping know what oil is going into your car even when you ask them. Do your self a favor and take your car to an oil change place (the locally owned ones tend to be best) where you can actually have a good name brand oil put in. I would recommend brand name “high mileage” oil. High mileage oil has more additives that help prevent oil usage, and more importantly extra seal conditioners to plumb up those valve seals a bit.

I have that with my 08 as well, I was using 5w-30 full synthetic, and every other time i checked i was filling it up 1/4 to 1/3 of a bottle. I switched to 10w-30 and it seems to be just fine, dropped a can of sea foam in it as well.

It may be just because your running a thinner oil, if you are, or something completely different, hope my input helps.

every car ive ever owned with 100,000 miles or more has always burned a quart or oil before 3,000 miles on a oil change. just the way it is.

GM considers it normal, probably because of the Tech bulletin about it. They expect that 1 quart every 3K miles is "normal". I don't measure oil in my cars...but I'd say that's likely about right.

i never top of my oil till its a quart low too. who wants 1/2 quarts of oil laying around?

from what i understand, engines make more power when a quart low too.

i think it was Edwards in nascar last year had a missing oil cap allowing oil to escape from the engine. i think they got a fine and some pts taken.