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NORTHSTAR ENGINE OIL CONSUMPTION


boriqua71782

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I OWN A 2001 CADILLAC STS AND FOR THE TWO MONTHS THAT IVE OWNED IT IVE BEEN HAVING TO PUT 5 QUARTS OF OIL IN IT A WEEK AND I ONLY TRAVEL ABOUT 350-400 MILLES A WEEK. WHAT CAN I DO TO FIX THIS PROBLEM. NOW THE CAR HAS NO LEAKS FROM THE ENGINE.

There is something you are not telling us. Those numbers are preposterous or exaggerated. No external leaks??

Please turn OFF your caps lock.

Jim

Drive your car.

Use your cell phone.

CHOOSE ONE !

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This car has to be smoking bad from the exhaust, is it?

What grade and viscosity of oil are you using? Are you using synthetic?

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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The first thing that you should do is to run your OBD codes and post them here. If you were sold a car with a "used" engine then a lot of codes will be thrown unless the engine is an exact match for the original. The link in my signature block goes to a Caddyinfo page of instructions for this.

A 1993-1999 Northstar with all the rings thoroughly stuck can burn as much as a quart every 500 miles. Such a car will be blowing light blue smoke out the tailpipes. The catalytic converter will suffer. This can happen when the oil is never changed, substandard oil is used such as ungraded utility 30-weight intended only for oil cans and not for use in motor vehicle engines, *and* the car is driven very gently so that the engine speed never gets over 3000 RPM. I never heard of this happening to a 2000 or later Northstar, but I suppose it's possible.

There are other possibilities that can cause large quantities of oil to be passed through the engine. If the PCV valve is stuck open, or is simply missing or bypassed and the vacuum hose stuck onto the rear valve cover where the PCV valve is supposed to be, and there is a big air leak (missing or loose dipstick or oil filler cap, for example) then oil can be passing through the PCV lines into the throttle body. Another, more common possibility is consistent overfilling of the crankcase; the oil should *never* be over the full mark or the crankshaft will foam up the oil which will then be blown through the PCV valve. There is a three-quart margin in the Northstar oil sump, so running with the oil level about 1/2 quart below the FULL mark is what most people do.

Another possibility is a blown gasket through which passes a high-pressure oil line. High pressure oil passes through both head gaskets (for the cams and lifters) and through the case half seal for the lower crankshaft bearings. If this is happening, oil won't leak when the engine is off but the car will use oil. You can test for this by letting the car idle for 15 minutes and seeing if it drips. Be sure and check the oil cooler lines where they go from the oil filter area to the radiator and back. Also, check the coolant surge tank for engine oil (which would mean a leaking oil cooler).

Check the PCV valve and look for drips while the engine idles first. If you do have badly stuck rings, there are a lot of things that you can do to fix it without pulling down the engine. There is a GM treatment for this but you can probably get the car back to normal by following these steps instead. But first, look in the oil filler cap in the front cam cover for sludge. If you see a lot of sludge in there, ask a mechanic about how to clean out your engine. Then, if you don't have a big sludge buildup:

  • Change the oil to a good grade of 10W-30. Make absolutely sure that the oil that you think you are buying gets put into the car.
  • Drive the car 500 miles, preferably with a minimum of 50 miles at highway speeds (55 mph or more). 100 miles is better, and all 500 miles at 55+ mph is best.
  • Look at the oil on the dipstick. If it's black, change it again. Repeat as necessary.

Recheck the oil consumption. The accepted procedure is to check the oil when the engine is hot but has been standing without running for ten minutes on level ground. Mark the dipstick level, the date, and the mileage in a log. Keep track of any oil that you add. Note that the CHECK OIL LEVEL message appears when the engine is two quarts low; always check to make sure that you don't go over the FULL mark after you add oil. Repeat the measurement process after 1,000 miles in the same way, preferably in the same place so that small changes in the tilt of the ground don't matter. Then you *know* how much oil your car is burning.

The design of the 1993-1999 Northstar was for using a quart every 2000 miles; this was intended to keep oil flowing past the rings. Later models probably burn less. The GM standard for declaring an oil consumption problem for any car is burning more than a quart every 1,000 miles.

If you are still burning more than a quart every 1,000 miles, you can try the WOT procedure (search Caddyinfo on WOT for instructions and discussions). I recommend that you make sure that your cooling system, engine and transmission are all in good shape and you have no OBD codes on the drive train - and your brakes, tires, and handling are all OK before you do the WOT procedure. If, after you do a WOT, your oil turns black, change it.

Then, once you have cleaned out your Cadillac Northstar, enjoy. If you do the WOT, you will discover the 800-pound gorilla that lives above 4,000 rpm and will be become good friends with him.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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maybe I am reading it wrong but I swear it says 5 quarts a week.

If the oul level is ovefilled the oil will have to go somewhere. On a oil change I only use 7.5 quarts. period, no matter what the dipstick says.

Welcome to caddyinfo

GM FAN FOREVER

Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile

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. . . . you will discover the 800-pound gorilla that lives above 4,000 rpm and will be become good friends with him.

:D :D :D

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There is no means of avoiding the final collapse of a boom brought about by credit expansion. The alternative is only whether the crisis should come sooner as the result of a voluntary abandonment of further credit expansion, or later as a final and total catastrophe of the currency system involved. - Ludwig von Mises

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well there are three sensors that need replacing my camshaft,crankshaft,and oxygen sensor and just recently cylinder 8 started misfiring. no there is no smoke coming out of the exhuast while im driving. the only time a big cloud of smoke comes out is when im on the expressway and i smash on the gas to quickly accelerate but even while accelerating there is no smoke. i use 5w-30 synthetic motor oil

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If the cam and crank sensors were bad you wouldn't be able to start the car. If they are throwing codes, then they are starting to go bad. One of these sensors could be the cause of your miss. The model years around 2001 were known for having a lot of crank sensor failures, though. These sensors are inexpensive and easy to change, and you can do it yourself in a few minutes. I wouldn't touch the oxygen sensor until you fix the oil problem and the miss because excess oil burning is hard on oxygen sensors, as is an engine miss. Excess oil burning can also contribute to a miss. So, attack your oil burning first, unless the miss is severe.

I personally very much approve of 5W-30 synthetic oil, and I use that myself. 5W-30 may allow leakage through gaskets more than 10W-30, although opinions will differ. I believe in 5W-30 synthetic myself and my Cadillac dealer has recommended 5W-30 for my car since about 1999. I use synthetic 5W-30 because I can feel a distinctly better "snap" from idle than with dino oil of any weight. But you will find many strong and conflicting views about oil here and elsewhere. The important thing is that your oil be certified for motor vehicle use and the top number not be higher than 30 (in other words, do NOT use 10W-40 or some such).

When you nail it on the freeway, is the smoke white, blue, or gray/black? That gives a clue about whether oil is going through the engine or just out into the world from under the hood. You can sniff the exhaust right after you shut it off and tell whether it's been burning too much oil, too. Also, if the exhaust smells like coolant, that is another bad sign. If it smells like gas, then you should check your FPR.

Please start by running the OBD codes and posting them here.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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my brother has a 2001 sls and it has the exact same problem about 3-5 quarts every week to week and a half no exageration. i have been all over the car trying to find a leak and can't find 1. there are no oil spots where he parks either. also it does not smoke that i can see. I run mobile 1 synthetic 5w-30 in all my family's cars.it has new plugs and wires and i clean the intake with seafoam regularly. it has no misses runs very smooth. im gonna try the WOT procedure i seen in another post after i get the new computer in it that he fried by hooking up jumper cables backwards lol. but i can not for the life of me figure out where all that oil is going.

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well there are three sensors that need replacing my camshaft,crankshaft,and oxygen sensor and just recently cylinder 8 started misfiring. no there is no smoke coming out of the exhuast while im driving. the only time a big cloud of smoke comes out is when im on the expressway and i smash on the gas to quickly accelerate but even while accelerating there is no smoke. i use 5w-30 synthetic motor oil

Looking at the 2002 Northstar owners manual, your car takes 10W30 above 0 degrees and it states NOTHING of using synthetic above MINUS 20 degrees!

I am going to say this and its going to PISS a lot of people off. I DO NOT think that synthetic should be used in a NORTHSTAR unless it came from the factory with it, period!

You are SUCKING oil, change to Quaker State DINO 10W30 do a few WOT Procedures and see that happens.

To me SYNTHETIC is LIKE WATER and will POUR through some engines. I used 4 quarts on a 400 mile trip on my 91 seville NEVER AGAIN, to me, ITS GARBAGE plain and simple UNLESS the car was delivered with it!!!!

You are having a problem with oil consumption, GET RID OF IT, that is your first thing to do

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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There are only so many ways that oil can exit the engine. The only ones that I didn't address in my earlier long post are the crankshaft seals and the water pump drive, which would drip visibly with that much oil going through them - and I have never heard of those leaking.

Try letting a warm engine idle for 15 minutes, then mark where the tires are and move the car and look for fresh oil droplets. If it is leaking when the car is running, this will tell you, and you will also have a good idea of where it will drip when the car is stopped.

If it's going through the car, you can check some items pretty simply. With the engine idling, use a shop rag to pop off the oil filler cap. You should have a light vacuum inside the cam cover. If not, there is a leak into the crankcase, most likely from a loose dipstick or oil filler cap. The PCV valve and hose are pretty easy to check.

You will understand when people here think exaggeration when you say 3-5 quarts a week. No one here has ever measured higher oil consumption than a quart every 500 miles so far as I know, so 3-5 quarts a week means driving 1500-2500 miles a week, which is 35-70 mph *average* speed for 40 hours of driving, which is hard to do outside of continuous long-haul highway driving.

If you are using that much oil, my money is on an oil leak at the filter, or in the oil cooler lines. Second choice is an oil line leak at the case half at the split that goes through the crankshaft centerline. But the drip-while-idling test will tell you where to look.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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This is what it says in the 2002 owners manual

Asin the chart shown previously, SAE 5W-30 is best for

yourvehicle. However, you can use SAE 10W-30 if it’s

goingto be 0_F (-18_C) or above. These numbers on an

oilcontainer show its viscosity, or thickness. Do not use

otherviscosity oils, such as SAE 20W-50.

NOTICE:

Useonly engine oil with the American Petroleum

InstituteCertified For Gasoline Engines

starburstsymbol. Failure to use the

recommendedoil can result in engine damage not

coveredby your warranty.

GMGoodwrench_ oil meets all the requirements for

yourvehicle.

Ifyou are in an area where the temperature falls

below-20_F(-29_C),consider using either an

SAE5W-30 synthetic oilor an SAE 0W-30 oil. Both

willprovide easier cold starting and better protection for

yourengine at extremely low temperatures

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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when i stomp on the gas to accelerate its a big cloud of gray and black smoke that comes pouring out of my exhaust. also i really appreciate all the feedback im definately going to try all the suggestion. i thought since this is my very first v8 iv ever owned i thought it was just normal for a v8 to burn so much oil in a week.also when i did the obd codes alot of them came up with history next to them what does that mean?

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I would like to see you at 1 quart every 1500 miles

Check for leaks also,

There is another thread going right now, where we explained the WOT Procedure, I would change the oil to 10W30 non synthetic and do the WOT Procedure, Ill link you to it

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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Read this thread also, see the instructions for the WOT Procedure

http://caddyinfo.ipbhost.com/index.php?showtopic=40358&st=0&p=196499&fromsearch=1entry196499

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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History could be intermittant codes, post all codes here

Pre-1995 - DTC codes OBD1  >>

1996 and newer - DTC codes OBD2 >> https://www.obd-codes.com/trouble_codes/gm/obd_codes.htm

How to check for codes Caddyinfo How To Technical Archive >> http://www.caddyinfo.com/wordpress/cadillac-how-to-faq/

Cadillac History & Specifications Year by Year  http://www.motorera.com/cadillac/index.htm

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To answer your question, a lot of HISTORY codes in itself doesn't mean anything in particular, but the pattern might. Scores of codes usually mean a bad battery, with a couple being thrown every time the car starts and the battery voltage drops below 9 or 10 volts. Any CURRENT code means something has been detected as a problem since the car was started. So, unless you run the codes after driving, but before turning the key off, all the codes will be shown as HISTORY (with few exceptions like a wiring short) and you won't know what the CURRENT problems are.

Write down the codes and post them here. We can tell you which of the crank and cam sensors are acting up, and we may be able to help you with the miss.

And, no, V8s don't burn any more oil than any other engine.

CTS-V_LateralGs_6-2018_tiny.jpg
-- Click Here for CaddyInfo page on "How To" Read Your OBD Codes
-- Click Here for my personal page to download my OBD code list as an Excel file, plus other Cadillac data
-- See my CaddyInfo car blogs: 2011 CTS-V, 1997 ETC
Yes, I was Jims_97_ETC before I changed cars.

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Are you checking the oil level when the oil is hot? If you are checking the level when the oil is cold and filling to the full mark on the dipstick, you are overfilling the crankcase and the excess will be vaporized and burned up through the PCV system.

The black/grey smoke out of the tailpipes indicates your oil control rings are stuck/carboned up. Keep up the WOT and that should subside.

Kevin
'93 Fleetwood Brougham
'05 Deville
'04 Deville
2013 Silverado Z71

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thank you. This is not just on cadillacs but every vehicle ever built. Oil expand, and if you realize that it all makes sense. saves tme and money in the end

GM FAN FOREVER

Nice, clean, luxury= fine automobile

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Yeah, I find it hard to believe that the MAX (full) mark is only about 1/8" below the crankshaft counter weights and that 8 qts is enough to vaporize (or mist) the oil. I used to preach that, but the more I think of it the less sense it makes.

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Yeah, I find it hard to believe that the MAX (full) mark is only about 1/8" below the crankshaft counter weights and that 8 qts is enough to vaporize (or mist) the oil. I used to preach that, but the more I think of it the less sense it makes.

Remember... the centerline of the crank is at the case half...the pan is a long way below that.

Even in the event the crank was close to the oil, they would put a windage tray on it then to prevent the crank from vaporizing the oil at high RPM.

Otherwise there would be a lot of resistance to the crank spinning at high RPM with all the oil vapor in the air...that would cut the power WAY DOWN..

That's my thinking on it anyway... :) :)

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In my 94 STS,I keep the oil level at the tip of the stick,if you look at it...1/4" seems happy,altho it does leak,marks its spot,in every driveway I park in, 1L of oil is all it needs between changes.Plenty of WOT exercises proves that the Northstar loves a steady pounding,even with an older Northstar...Just drive it and enjoy!

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