# Anybody else's 2007 Silverado Drinking Oil?



## Slim-N-None (Sep 16, 2005)

Our 2007 5.3 Silverado has been going through a quart every 1000-1500 miles for the past 6 months (truck has +/-23500 miles). Nothing on the engine,nothing on the under carriage, No blue smoke,and no residue on the tail pipe. We took it to the dealer two times and both times they said it was from the person doing the oil change not filling it up (which was me and I know how to read a dipstick). well after i told them i had filled it up 1000 miles ago and it was low again, they still gave the same answer:headknock. So today my wife took it in again and they said, "oh yeah, there is a notice out on these trucks. They need the updated pistons and ring sets." There were 3-4 ahead of ours with the same problem so it will be probably Friday before it's done. the message doesn't pop up until the oil was more then a quart low, so ya'll keep an eye on your oil levels just in case the message doesn't pop up.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

Thanks for the info, I have one. I read somewhere on the 'net that the 5.3 has issues with "piston slap" which sounds like what you have. What oil & filter have you been using? You might dig around on bobistheoilguy.com for info. 
I suppose it's a moot point since Chevy is fixing it.
Please post more info when it's finished.


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## Brycewr83 (Jun 8, 2006)

thanks for the info, il have to look into this also. I have an 07 with 81,000 miles on it and have about the same issue. The dealership does all of my oil changes and about every 5,000 miles or so i have to add a quart


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## Portside (Jun 21, 2007)

okay, glad to hear I'm not alone on this issue. I have exact same issue on my 5.3L 2007. I only put Mobil 1 Synthetic in it every 6000 miles and it consumes at least a quart during that time.


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## Slim-N-None (Sep 16, 2005)

i've always been a fram or wix filter/pennzoil oil person. after everything i have been reading, I will most likely steer clear of the fram, and go delco. i read this quote on another page and it seems to fit the bill- "they might cost more, but they are a whole lot cheaper then a mechanic."


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

I've been using Pennzoil Synthetic 5w-30 and Delco filters since new. Change every 5,000 miles. So far I have 52,000 miles and not using any oil at all. Not saying that is why, maybe just lucky. I think 1 or 2 quarts between changes is OK though. I'll bet Chevy does too.
Only Fram I would ever use is the gray one....XtraDuty, or something like that. Not the orange one.


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## Slim-N-None (Sep 16, 2005)

1 or 2 quarts low in between oil changes? I have had a few cars since I have been driving, and have never had any of them more then a 1/4 quart low on a 5k oil change. and that was from a slow leak on the valve covers. Even my old school (71' c10) didn't/doesn't burn any.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

I would bet manufacturers will tell you 1-2 qt burn-off between 5,000 oil changes is normal and requires no repair. I have a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee that burns 2 qts between a 5,000 mile change. No big deal. There a lot of reasons why an engine can consume oil. Some do and some don't. The engine may not "like" the oil and switching brands might help. If you're towing a lot that can do it. Bad valve guide seals, bad PCV valve, oil rings getting bad, wrong viscosity oil, etc. 
My sons 2007 5.3 oil alarm went off once. Changed oil and no issue since. 
The 5.3 capacity is 6 quarts.


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## C.Hern5972 (Jul 17, 2009)

I have a 2007 Z71 with 48k miles on it. I have the dealer do my oil changes. It dont use any oil either.... Maybe im lucky..


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## Slim-N-None (Sep 16, 2005)

redexpress said:


> I would bet manufacturers will tell you 1-2 qt burn-off between 5,000 oil changes is normal and requires no repair. I have a 1998 Jeep Grand Cherokee that burns 2 qts between a 5,000 mile change. No big deal. There a lot of reasons why an engine can consume oil. Some do and some don't. The engine may not "like" the oil and switching brands might help. If you're towing a lot that can do it. Bad valve guide seals, bad PCV valve, oil rings getting bad, wrong viscosity oil, etc.
> My sons 2007 5.3 oil alarm went off once. Changed oil and no issue since.
> The 5.3 capacity is 6 quarts.


yeah, i know what your sayin, I just don't expect a truck with hardly any miles on it to go through oil that fast, maybe after 100k, but not 20k. i told my wife if they couldn't fix it this time, i was going to start using 90w in it.  :biggrin:


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## duck44 (Feb 7, 2006)

I traded my 2007 in last year about this time for the same problem. it had 165K and used Mobil 1 and at that time the only suggestion was to change the motor. I moved up to the 6.2 this time.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

slim n none if you're using a qt every 1,000 miles, that is too much. Is Chevy going to replace the pistons? If they do, see if they will tell you why...what was wrong with them? If not, and you want to keep the truck, I would change brands of oil and see what happens. If that doesn't help, try another brand. Keep changing. Be carefull about going too heavy a viscosity with a conventional oil. A synthetic 5w-40 (Shell Rotella or Mobil1) may help. A conventional oil like 20w-50 is way too heavy.
Dig around in here: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com


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## Bustin Chops (Feb 3, 2008)

I have a friend with a 2007 GMC same problem and it is a known problem by GM. They will fix it free. I forget what it was but had something to do with the valves. Check deeper into it.


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## impulse (Mar 17, 2010)

redexpress said:


> I would bet manufacturers will tell you 1-2 qt burn-off between 5,000 oil changes is normal and requires no repair.


They'll tell you that right up until 2 days after the warranty expires.


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## Slim-N-None (Sep 16, 2005)

oh yeah, Im keeping the truck, at least for another couple of years. Hopefully this will get it fixed.


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## Slim-N-None (Sep 16, 2005)

Got the truck back, and I asked a few questions, but the guys in the service office have no idea (they didn't even know they had to pull the entire engine to replace the pistons). But on the sheet, it said 3 cyl. had low compression. They did replace 8 pistons, and a few other things. Now I just need to let it get broke back in and see if it is fixed or not.


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## Reel Aggies (Nov 30, 2007)

Have a '03 2500 with 8.1L gas engine, been burning 1-2 qts oil in between changes since brand new. Dealer said no issues, and several forums i read all had same issue.


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## redexpress (Apr 5, 2010)

Sounds like something out of spec with the pistons....ring grooves maybe. Otherwise I would think they would have just installed new rings. Thanks for the info. I'm checking my oil 3 times a week now! Might get a compression test on mine before the extended warranty goes out at 77,000 miles.


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