I just completed the job on my 2004 Suburban. Started up and had no smoke. There was usually a lot smoke on startup prior to performing this job. Also saw a bump in oil pressure. Thanks for this video.
I have 07 Tahoe with the 5.3 . Been using two qts of oil pretty quick after oil change. I drill the hole in valve cover for oil consumption fix. Never got two thousand miles without adding oil. After making repair to valve cover ,now I have over three thousand miles and oil level is still top off. Thanks for help man
@@c_mac7773 youll be one of the rare few with a 5.3 because yukons with denali trim level only had the 6.2. my dad has a 2013 denali and has never had any sort of issues with afm, but after 2011 i think most of the issues were solved
Great video very informational, my cover had the holes but clogged. Soaked it and cleaned very good and wow first cold start and no smoke. This guy is very helpful to me because I have an 08 envoy with this engine and I have more then a few of these issues. Saves me so much time and 💵. Much appreciated sir!
So folks … did this on a new upgraded cover Opened up the last drain hole as per video and drilled all but the first hole closest to the updated baffle rectangular vent opening. It worked !!!!! My son was going through 2 L of oil every three fill ups … oil consumption is now ZERO !!!! Problem fixed !!
Lol, careful you might get carried away. I had a oil pressure issue on an acquired Tahoe. Took it apart and next thing I knew I was installing a 4in stroke, forged pistons, forged rods, and a performance cam targeting torque. 🤣
literally I needed to do headgaskets and Im bulletproofing and doing btr springs in the heads so when I get the HP tuners stuff I can put in a truck norris cam I bought from richard holdener 🤣
The valve cover you had in your hands was the updated valve cover. At the most all you should have done is drilled out the drain hole under the pcv location and it would have been fine. The original style valve cover has a round or oval hole instead of the square type hole with the tabs on either side which is the updated valve cover.
I installed an after market with the supposed “fix” and the same thing happened after removing the original. I just purchased an OEM updated cover but also drilled the holes. One thing that’s been happening to me is, after idling for 15 minutes, I give it gas and blows puffs of blue smoke. This only started happening with the aftermarket updated valve cover. It’s never blows blue smoke on start up so I’m only guessing this is part of the issue. We’ll see I guess…
@@sydpix Hey, so how did your valve cover situation come out in the end? Would like to hear. I've been on fence about modifying an updated cover. Thanks for input!
We need more people like you in this crazy world. I always do my best when fixing cars for people and never charged more than parts and a little labor. Keep it up friend.
I suggest parts to customers and they buy them, if they don't follow my suggestions on parts my warranty ends as they touch the road. I only charge labor. A month ago i charged 120 for a radiator replace on a 2010 armada, it was a pain due to how crammed they are, plus they still use a clutch fan...
I removed OEM valve cover and installed GM updated valve cover....This was done done with a new engine install!!! GM updated valve cover didn't fix oil consumption problem!!! Drilled out the five holes 7/16 with another GM updated valve cover and pressto changeo no more oil consumption problem!!! I probably could have keep OEM valve cover and drilled same.....The extra drill holes work!!! GM engineering dept should be removed
You do realize the PCV system is a emissions component of the engine right? I am sure if these engineers didn't have to worry about meeting emissions regulations and CFR requirements they would have done the exact same thing and instructed the dealer techs to drill holes and everything would be good. But they have to ensure the emissions are still met after modifying these things and its already hard enough to do when they first design it. Any slight little change could snowball and effect all kinds of other things. They are under a massive amount of constraints.
Had a spare valve cover drilled as you suggested. It's been a week. No cloud on start up . Level hasn't changed. Much more responsive. Love it. Thanks brother
My 2006 Tahoe (260000 miles) was smoking at startup due to this plugged hole. Since then, I have also done oil pump, strainer, front and rear seals and it uses about 1/2 quart every 3000 miles.
Oil tends to collect at the rear of the head/valve cover. The semi-sealed valve cover baffle effectively collects gasses from the hole at the front of the engine but runs it through the baffle to the back of the engine where oil collects! I don't know why they didn't just put the orifice tube at the front end of the valve cover in a simple oil separater structure. For those who aren't sure if their oil consumption is a ring issue or a PCV issue, a catch can in the PCV line should give a very good idea of how much oil is being sucked up.
I took my valve cover off and drilled the holes, just like you suggested. It seems to have worked. Thank you very much for the video. This saved me a ton of hassle and money.
Amazing video!! Lots of great info First got tahoe, no oil usage, now 3 quarts per oil change, 4000 miles , I will do what you did!! Thank you so much!!
@@hisexcellencytrump855the 2014+ yukons are ass and goodluck getting parts from dealer. Just turned in a 2022 tahoe z71 for a 23 f250 because ive been waiting on my backup cam for a year 😂
I have also heard that moving the PCV valve to the front of the left valve cover instead if the left rear corner also makes a difference on oil concumption.
my 06 is now smoking at start up as well. Im gonna need to do this over the Christmas or Thanksgiving break. Thankfully, our suburban is now relegated to use very rarely as the kids are grown and out of the house, so I drive my silverado and wife uses her miata.
I did not catch the year of the truck, but I would guess the fixed oriface PCV out is the driver rear corner with clean air entering the passengers front. I used an 03 truck donor with 113k miles on it that I serviced. With this flow pattern, every possible fume exists the left rear. On his truck, every single exhaust valve tip on the left had wear. As dealer techs and other, look for witness marks or wear. The fresh air side had no visible signs of wear. This engine is mine, so thinking thru, I am choosing to bring fresh air in both valve cover and draw the crankcase fumes out of the valley thru a vented full length tube, drilled and loosely packed SS wool. Have you ever seen valve tip wear on one side? Only one thing is different on this side. Thanks for a tip / idea that may help many. ASE Master, Retired.
Hi everyone, no luck on mine. Smoke stopped in the fist crack but the oil consumption continue. This 5.3 can disappear oil like no other. The best 5.3 from my experience is the 01 to 03 models. I had an 01 with 290k running like a champ. I little knock for running strong.
I am active on a KIA forum and a poster linked to your site. He had a Sorento oil burner and finally fixed his car by unclogging the valve cover drain holes. I am on my 3rd dealer piston soak. If it fails I am supposed to get a new engine (long block) I will share this fix it approach with them. I subscribed.
Hayden is correct. As vehicles are crash tested, if a upper seal belt bolt, anchor fails, that is safety. I a guy comes in with an oil consumption issue, the tech checks for TSB’s and recommends labor & parts as per the GM fix. FMVSS are one thing that may lead into a safety or nuisance issue. Recalls are letters sent to the last registered owner which 98% get tossed. A TBS is checked at the dealer to see if there is a resolve to eliminate or reduce a known problem. To be reimbursed for warranty work, a service advisor “Has To Check” for outstanding “Recalls”. If the are not done, the customer must sign a document stating they can’t wait, no parts, or a reason why the customer won’t let them do the recall. Otherwise, the dealer will not be paid for repairs under warranty. This is the same for all, be it Toyota to BMW. Huge difference! Hope that makes sense regardless of how much it makes you mad. There are over 3,000 parts used to build a car and an average of 4.2 miles of wire. Just know that some happen when new or newer, while others show up miles or years later. Personally, I hate the cheap wire rope w/plastic guides that wrap around a spool to roll windows up and down. You can say the same for wiper motors, but plastic makes them lighter, more fuel efficient and CAFE numbers by your government say so. How each do that, it up to them. Just think, 30 years from now the Camero has a 3 cylinder engine in it! Yeah....Quick, somebody wake up lunch bucket and tell him!
Glad it fixed the issue. When I worked for Gm, the only thing that actually fixed the oil consumption was replacing the oil rings. 9 times out of ten they were stuck solid in the ring groove. All of the other “fixes” from gm were a waste of time.
@@jfarm_1311 Basically I change the oil but fill it with ATF instead of oil and let it sit and run for several hrs. I check on it periodically to see how oil pressure is doing and if it starts to drop from the first baseline hot temp I change the oil filter. I will also every so often bring the RPM's up to 3500-4000 slowly to make sure I get the ATF really moving around. I just make sure not to drive or load it down at all. ATF is not a very good lubricant with all the detergent. If it is a really nasty engine after I drain it out and go back to engine oil I will fill the 6qt system with 5qt engine oil and 1qt ATF and tell the customer to come back in 2k miles for another oil change.
CrazedPerformanceRepair for some reason it won’t let me read the 2nd half. If it drops you change it again? Straight atf no oil in the crankcase? My truck is actually an oil burner as well. It’s pre afm which were much more known for the issues. I installed the new version valve cover when I still worked for gm and it didn’t change. I would like to possibly find a way to solve the issue without tearing it down
Great video and great information. I am blown away again at the depth and knowledge one can gain by spending a little time doing his research. I've got an 05 Z71 1500 4x4 that is using about 2 quarts every 6-700 miles. Nice clean truck shouldn't be using that much. I'm going to try this! THANK YOU!!
I just picked up an 05 Sierra 5.3. It goes thru a quart about every 600 miles. Kicks out a lot of smoke on start up intermittently. Hoping this solves my problem. Thank you!
Late to the party, but also removing the metered orifice and drilling the hole out to around 13/16 you can then put in a grommet and use a real pcv valve from a 99 to 02 4.8,5.3,6.0 and have no problems with consumption. If you notice, the majority of trucks that have the oil issue is the fixed orifice 04 and later engines. Its because they have a constant pull on the tube so the oil can't drop back through the holes. The real pcv "chatters" back and forth suction, no suction, etc. So oil can drain. We figured that out at the dealership i worked at in 06 after several vehicles came back with the updated cover still eating oil. Got to be a couple hundred fixed orifice trucks with the pcv valve covers on them. And they never had oil issues after that repair. Trust me plenty came back for fuel sending units or 4l60e replacement lol
Bro, awesome update to the 5.3L Valve Cover for oil consumption...My 2007 5.3L routinely consumes 1qt per month for nearly 18 years...Looking forward to fabricating the valve cover tomorrow. After 18 years, I am sure the throttle body on the intake at the PCV valve also needs to be cleaned out as well. 18 years x 12 quarts is a lot of oil to go through that intake. Maybe I will close the job out with a SeaFoam treatment after I get it fabricated, cleaned, and put a few miles on it. Great video, thank you.
Thanks for that input I did an oil change to my 01 suburban about 4 months ago and just yesterday I had to do it again and wondered where did all the oil went left me scratching my head 🤷🏻♂️ I will definitely do the same process you did cheers bud
@Dirty Sanchez the pvc pipe pulls the oil into the intake, thats why many run a catch can before it goes to the intake to filter out the oil in liquid form. They drain the catch can every 2 fillups.
He is adding in the drain holes that GM deleted, converting the "updated" valve cover back closer to the obsolete one. The problem was the oil spraying on the "drain holes", which were under slight vacuum. If you don't get oil behind the baffle, there is very little to drain back. How can he be an expert on GM oil consumption when he doesn't recognize the differences? If it works, it might be due to a different location of the holes. (it's not like 2 weeks is a fair test).
Just wondering since this “ baffle” has been such a pain in the ass for so long, why not just remove the baffle all together!!!! And I thought that was the “ updated” rocker arm cover he had in his hands?!?
Great video Looks like a updated design. Has the square vent at right. The old style had a oval hole to the left a bit. Most videos recomend use the old cover and drilling 3/16 the baffle with about 13 holes and the PCV hole larger, at left.
Yup I mentioned it in description. I was wrong in the video. Either way both designs are flawed. It gets worse if the lifters let too much oil passed and overwhelm the cover too yet.
TY for this tip video as it fix my oil problem on my VX Holden Calais with the 3rd gen LS1 as I did it why I was giving her a birth... Grateful LS owner from New Zealand...
The oil consumption issue started because of Government interference because of EPA fuel regulations. My 2001 2500hd & the 2002 yukon I had before probably used 1 qt every 10K but the 2009 yukon I have now uses 1 qt every 1K. I'll attempt this while fixing a stuck lifter( that's how I found your Channel). Its funny how mechanics always find fixes for Engineers screw ups😂. Great videos
Well. I had the mystery coolant leak. OPENED VALVE COVER because I had a lot of smoke suddenly for a few days ( and my oil was quite 'cruddy'). Passenger side had a small clear bubble puddle in exact same location. I stressed but just cleaned my valve covers really good (brake cleaner and C air), and crosses my fingers. YES!! after couple starts it stopped blowing clouds. It now has the min white cloud. I think I'm just going to live with the small coolant leak.
Also drilling the oil ring lands on the skirt side (not the wrist pin side) Just strait into the piston like the old SBC windows they had but just two simple oil drwin back holes to assit the clog prone oil drain vallies the pistons have. Doing this stopped my massive over oiling of the piston walls. (Mind you i added oil squirters also after adding the squirters the smoking was WORSE until i had made MORE holes (mine use 3 some go as far as 4 with high pressure and volume pumps) But every! Single! Junkyard motor ive ever touched or 80k+ Ls family block had the same stuck oil ring issue. With exception of some LS3 from corvettes witj high maintenance. But trucks! 10/10 ive had minimum 2 STUCK SOLID piston oil scraper rings and they smoked like a tire fire after sitting for who knows how long too but once cleaned just cleaned and drilled boom notta puff.
@@highstream5594 that was the updated valve cover he had in his hands……………… makes me wonder just how much of an “ expert” he is with his engine building, LoL.
Yup. I'll give that a try. My 6.0 has 280,000 miles on it. Never burnt oil ever. Until I bought a 5th wheel camper. Now it goes through it pretty quick. Works the motor pretty hard... im changing knock sensors right now. The intake is off and I noticed it was full of oil.
@@tattooart420 if I remember right. I was getting a p0300 code. While changing the knock sensors lots of oil dumped out of the intake. And the truck was going through oil. More than normal... I never noticed much of a miss. But the computer was picking up something... I dont really know of I fixed it. I traded the truck to my sister.
This video came up in my suggestions list. Watched the whole video👍 and subbed! I have a 2004 Silverado with a 5.3l. Purchased with 124,000 miles. Had a terrible lifter tick in it. When I changed the oil the first time after the purchase nothing came out of the drain hole, it was caked up that bad. Plenty of shcelack on the dipstick. After I got it drained I used a wire with a small j on the end and about 6 cans of carb cleaner to dredge and clean the bottom of the pan out without pulling it. Put this engine through several flush cycles. 5 quarts 10/30 1 quart auto Trans fluid with a tall, mid-grade Fram oil filter. About every 300 miles the filters would start to load up, I could tell that by watching the oil pressure would gradually drop to about half of what it was when oil change was fresh. Oil change like before, with Trans fluid for 3 oil change cylcles every 1,000mile, change the filter out every 500 miles and top off oil. Now just doing oil and filter. No more lifter tick! I still have oil consumption short of 2,000 miles I have to add a quart. I'll be going after the valve covers next now that I've seen this video. Thanks for sharing.
Check the hose from the valve cover for oil residue first. If it looks wet it's coming through the hose from cover issue. I thought the 2004 had the valley cover pcv system though. If that's the case this might not apply. It could be new enough though. Nice work with the atf and filters to clean up that engine though. I actually have a couple vids I talk about atf for a flush.
I’m having to change my plugs way sooner than I should and I thought I had the updated valve cover gasket when I pulled it off the first time I changed the plugs...didn’t know that the updated cover included holes and not just the squared off PCV vent hole. I might have to give this a shot, thank you so much!
I haven't finished watching your video. But years ago I had 283 bored 60. And I oil consumption and I couldn't figure it out so I had a thought that maybe go back to the stock valve covers and as soon as I did that my problem went away. What I figured out is the after market valve covers didn't have the Bethlehem in there all they had was deal that bolted on the bottom where the PVC valve fixed up against it. The stock 1 had batles in there where it would suck oil up through there. Now I need to get back to the video
I do that "trick" on Briggs and Stratton engines when I remove the governor. Or you can do your thing by removing the baffle covers by chiseling those rivet heads off and replacing them with screws, so it can be cleaned out when servicing the engine and put back together. You know, do the actual work instead of trying to get out of the actual work that needs done.
@@JustTrizIt have to drill holes. Use sheet metal screws to put it back together. The rivets are part of the casting that is smashed to hold baffle cover on.
@@earljackson7179 haven't got around to doing them yet. We got snowed in last month. Be getting to them soon. It's just the driver side that needs done. I'm checking my lifters out is why I'm just replacing both valve cover gaskets. A lot of people do this fix and it seems to hold up pretty good.
I have been researching this issue and I believe that the cover that you are working on is the updated one. The most significant difference that I can tell is the location and the shape of the large hole. The updated cover is square with tabs and is further from the PCV opening. My question is, could I get away with cleaning my old one, drilling a few larger holes, and continue using it, or am I better off buying the update?
Jeff the one he had in his hands was the updated valve cover and he did not need to drill any holes. The only thing he could or even should have done is to drill out the drain hole directly under the pcv location. That is it, but even that is not entirely necessary.
I switched mine over to the updated one, the one he has (which I did not drill any holes in mine to test an see if it needed them or not), hoping it would lower the oil consumption. It did not help lower it at all, so I recommend drilling the holes as he did. I'll be doing that this next oil change and go from there. I believe it will help. The one hole at the end does not seem like it would be enough.
Most of the times when I found #7 oil fouled after replacing the plug and updating the valve cover, that cylinder usually has scoring when torn down. GM tech here.
@@rkinniI'm so happy to find a GM tech on here! Can I ask you a few questions about oil pan clearance issues pertaining to wanting to use a f-body or CTS-V oil pan on my 2010 avalanche (5 3). My lmg engine is getting replaced with an ls3 at my local dealership once my circle d converter comes in. From my understanding the LS3 crate engine comes with a f-body oil pan. My question is if I purchase the engine and installation from my local chevy dealership will they be able to complete the install with the f-body oil pan or use the lmg oil pan? I have purchased an aftermarket oil pan baffle kit for the f-body oil pan to prevent oil starvation. Will it be possible for a 25 year tech to finesse the ls3 f-body oil pan in my 2010 avalanche or will the dealership balk at me and want to use the lmg oil pan? I am willing to pay the extra labor to notch the crossmember if possible. Could you please shed any light on if I can use the f-body or CTS-v oil pan with my 2010 avalanche LS3 swap or will the notch it since the body is not under warranty? Any insight you can share would help me greatly. This is my 1st swap and thanks in advance!
I have an 07 Tahoe 5.3 Was told to get a new Valve cover because every where My engine can leak fluids it is, Was told the engine is trying to breathe. After a thousand dollars worth of work replacing all those Gaskets and seals here we are. PVC, Ok Got the new Valve cover and it has that plate in it but it's all Glued down on the edges. Why do I need that plate? Wouldn't this breathe better without the plate all together?
You might have lifters that are pushing more oil than the valve cover can clear. Take the valve cover off, start the engine, and see how much oil pushes out of the rockers. If it's squirting over the fender the lifter is shot. These typically have hardly any oil coming off the rockers at idle.
for me its 1/2 - 1 quart every 1000 miles i drive my truck for work every day and i do 1000 miles a week. im gonna try this on my valve cover and see if it works. once it gets warmer of course
I see from your response to Ed Spencer you know about the LS6 valley cover with PCV vent . I installed one of those on my 2000 LS1 with a catch can for the valley & one for valve covers , haven't really put many miles on it since changing it from stock , I'm still going to check valve covers & add your modification though , thanks for the "enlightenment" I'll let you know how it goes.....
Try soaking it in awesome that stuffs amazing!...worked on my Olds 307 valve cover gaskets, timing covers, exhaust manifolds etc...I mean like new clean!!!
Holy crap I haven't used that stuff in a while, almost forgot about it. I'll have to get some more next time I'm near a dollar store. That stuff meets its name, and heck it's even priced alright.
Sorry for the late response!…but yeah I have a 86 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham and I removed the 307 engine and tranny and those old engines are known to leak all over the place but my god they don’t die!…however It was caked with oil buildup but that awesome cleaned that engine up with nooooo problem!…and the little oil I missed the machine shop cleaned up!…the stuff is the real deal!…I got all my mechanic neighbors using it!…
My 05 6L Yukon Denali has been blowing a large blue haze of smoke on cold start for 4 seconds then clears ... I'm sure mine is clogged also. I've had this problem for 2 months now and was told more than once its valve guide leaking . So tomorrow's project is to pull valve cover
Outstanding video content! I don't have time to drill the holes and clean everything out. Ordered a "latest revision" driver side GM valve cover for around $140 from Amazon. My engine is not consuming a measurable amount of oil. I mainly just wanted to know 100% if this is the core reason I'm finding oil residue in my intake. Should be zero oil in the intake. Looks like this is the sole reason. My Jeeps LQ9 runs absolutely perfect, so I knew it wasn't an engine problem causing it.
I have the AFM chip to delete AFM and have the updated valve cover. STILL burn a quart of oil every 350 miles. It’s been ridiculous. I’m going to try this and get back with you. Thank you for the video.
While the cover is off start it and watch the oil spraying from the pushrod. If any shoot a stream the lifter has a issue and could also be a source of oil consumption.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair if it is spraying out of the pushrod would that excess oil be leaving out the PCV into the intake? I notice that when I “get on” the accelerator a puff of smoke comes out the exhaust. Thoughts?
@@tinbus149 That puff of smoke is because the intake has a puddle of oil in it from the pcv system. So when you get on it the puddle shifts to the back cylinders pooring some in and thus smoke out the tailpipe. So if a lifter is spraying more oil then the valve cover can drain out it will suck it in, or if the cove is blocked and can't drain it naturally even without bad lifters it willsuck it in and puddle as well.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair okay, I’m gonna work on that valve cover this weekend. I’ll let you know what I get from that over the next month or so. I’ll subscribe. Thank you for your time.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair Was able to get the valve cover off yesterday. I did not notice the pushrods spraying too much oil or spraying a stream of oil. I drilled the holes and cleaned the cover as much as I could. I will get back to you with the results. Thank you for the advice.
My 2007 valve cover (old style) has the 3/4 inch hole on the forward end and 2 small slots for oil drainage near the middle 2 hold down screws. I didn't drill any more holes like you did but I did enlarge the drain hole under the PCV orifice. I put the oil level right at the top of the full mark and check it at 1000K miles. It's been using a qt. every 1000 to 1500 miles.
You might have a lifter flooding the valve cover with oil because it's failing hydraulically. Add another drain hole next to the oe one closer to the back. When you have the valve cover off for doing that also check if the lifter is doing as I explained earlier. You can do this by starting the truck with the valve cover off and watching how much oil squirts out of the rockers. A good functioning lifter should hardly have any oil come out of that little pushrod hole at the pushrod side of the rocker. If it's squirting over the fenders and making a huge mess as soon as you start it, that lifter is bad. It's likely a bad lifter at the back flooding that drain hole.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair Great info, thanks again for sharing your vast knowledge on these engines. Complicated and cumbersome at times, yet if they can be corrected, you can't beat em for transportation and beats alternatives.
Just curious, that part you are calling the PCV valve which isn;t really a PCV valve in the traditional sense but is a "restricted port", what would happen if that "restricted port was removed, some machine work done to the valve cover so a grommet and traditional PCV valve could be installed? Back in the day day, before LS based engines the old school PCV valves were used and I don't recall big problems with oil consumption. You did have to occasionally replace the PCV valve but they were inexpensive and easy to replace. Any thoughts?
One could probably open it up and add a pcv valve above it and it might help but it could also effect the idle portion of the tune because it could flow a different amount of crankcase air in the intake.
I've thought of this too. If there was a way to measure the exact amount of airflow on the shitty built in pcv valve cover. Then get a pcv valve that flows the same and fit it into that valve cover
99 -02 had a regular pcv valve in a gromet, my 99 never used a drop of oil or never had a puff of smoke! Now i have an 06 that has all these problems. I plan on cleaning the baffles out and then adding a catch can with both valve covers running through it. this will also get rid of the right covers vent hose from going into the throttlebody.( no more gummy butterfly).
De hecho hay un video donde una persona cambió la tapa de punterías, con la pcv antigua de las que compras en AutoZone y al parecer le funcionó muy bien. Saludos desde cd.juarez Chihuahua México Frontera con el paso TX.
I have the 53 iron block and it is always done a quart of oil every oil change (3000-3800 mi) I thought it was because I broke the engine and wrong but this makes sense and I need to replace my valve cover gasket so what better time right Plus I just found out about the PCV valve mine still has the original 144,000 miles.
Have you considered the lack of oil ring drain back holes behind the oil ring in the stock piston also being an issue that also contributes to high oil consumption? Apparently the oil ring over time can become "carbon cooked" in it's land and no longer functions as intended.
Yes I have, it happens but with today's oils is insanely rare. Besides, all you have to do to verify if it's the valve cover is see if that pcv tube is soaked with oil.
I have seen several General Motors engines taken apart and that ring gaps from the factory have been .030 period that is a ridiculously large ring Gap for a stock engine. It is a good ring gap for an engine is making a thousand horsepower because the heat build-up will bring that Gap much closer together. And spraying oil on the bottoms of the Pistons to keep them cool and getting oil on the cylinder sleeves should not be causing oil usage. An old school method for cleaning out the sludge on that valve cover, is using oven cleaner
Thanks for this video👍🏽I seen this back in October ‘22 & just got around to doing this procedure on my 2006 Silverado with the 5.3L today. I didn’t really have blue smoke many others complain of but the oil consumption for sure. I’ll be monitoring my oil level for a lil while to see if this helped though I’m sure it will. I’m not sure how GM’s idea of one tiny weep hole after the Pcv hose is supposed to drain much oil back into the head.
It worked. I checked the oil a few weeks ago & today, still at about the full mark on my 5.3 vortec which is between the 4th & 5th hole on the dipstick. 👍🏽👍🏽
@@209Stretch Hey, did you modify the baffle or just use the updated style valve cover on drivers side? Thx for your input, trying to assist a friend and also do whatever I can on my 2002 5.3 in Tahoe.
@mu9627 First I replaced the original valve cover with the updated valve cover which did absolutely nothing. oil consumption was still as before so with that one I ended up doing the same thing this guy did and the oil consumption has been next to zero. I hope this helps.
@209Stretch thanks for providing your experience with it. Yes, this helps. Hate to say, yet consensus does hold some value, doesn't account for some variables. Every engine can operate just a little bit different. Manifold vacuum and crankcase pressures, amount of blowby, cold or hot. I'm grateful for the posted replies to what would seem a simple solution to a semi complex issue. When they run, they're amazing. Reasonable fuel economy, good emissions and power on tap. Just like my Oldsmobile 350 with a q jet and 2:56 single wheel peel Cutlass. Reasonable economy if driven easy, great power... took longer to warm up, yet all cast iron...oh, yet no pcv issues! .with the EFE passage under the intake it could sometimes be hard to start hot.
@CrazedPerformanceRepair I just saw your reply. I have Johnson axle oiling lifters, which reduce oil psi 10-15. I've been monitoring oil consumption since my last oil change and I'm losing about 1qt every 400mi. I'm going to send in a UOA and see if they can eliminate a poor honing when engine was rebuilt in 2019.
Any idea why the spark plug tube would be filling with oil? I noticed the spark plug screws in near the exhaust manifold and not through the valve cover.
When did GM start using the updated version? My 2011 4.3 uses almost a quart in 600 miles and there is no smoke in the exhaust. I can smell unburned fuel in the exhaust. Im changing the purge valve in a few days.
You mentioned the PCV removes stuff from the engine but thats not at all what its for. Its purpose is to create a vacuum in the crank case to remove any potential crank case pressure from the combustion cycles. Its typically connected to the lower plenum or intake pipe to utilize the vacuum created by the engine.
Then why is the other valve cover equipped with a much larger open breathing hole that goes straight to the air cleaner box? It's purpose is to help clean out what goes by the rings. (Blow-by, residual fuel, combustion gasses etc.) It may end up with a very slight drop in crankcase pressure versus atmosphere due to the fact other end is in the airbox. But it is almost unmeasurable it's so small in most engines. After all the air cleaner isn't completely free flowing. That is certainly not the reason for the system though.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair on my 2016 Tahoe, both valve cover breathers connect to the intake piping. On pretty much every modern car I have owned its that way. The oil filters designed to do the cleaning and removing of debris in the oil. In older cars it was literally just a breather/filter to remove crank case pressure since crank case pressure leads to bearing failure.
@@ArmandoRodriguezJr check again, one goes to vacuum (intake) and the other goes to air filter(atmosphere). Sure they are both on intake plumbing but before and after throttle body. This makes a huge difference. Very few cars have have a vacuum in the crankcase. The only ones that do that to my knowledge are actual purpose built race cars. To do this they add a vacuum pump to the engine and plumb it to the crankcase. I know because I have built them. I do have another car I built that I used the engine vacuum to pull a vacuum in the crankcase from the intake. It pulls only a 1/2"-1" of vacuum depending on how much vacuum the intake has but under load the crankcase sees pressure. That car put down 1019 hp to the rear tire last time it was on the dyno. Stock vehicles are a different story. The have less then 1/4" vacuum unless the air cleaner is plugged. I don't consider such a small amount a vacuum.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair if you type 3 or 4 more paragraphs and tell me you built 2 engines I might change my story... but I guess it wouldn't make a difference. Do some research on Google or bing. I was just trying to be helpful.
@@ArmandoRodriguezJr I'm not bashing but all the research in the world won't beat actual experience. I've built more engines then I can remember. I've done at least 6 on this channel alone. I've only been on youtube for under 3 yrs now. Yes I've had a vacuum gauge on the crankcase, many times. It is useful in diagnosis.
I hope you can answer me this, I just bought a new valve cover for my 2011 sierra. Should I, and I'm thinking I should, drill extra holes like you did this one?
What causes heavy vacuum from the oil fill cap when in idle? Its a 2007 tahoe with the 5.3 engine, the valve cover was updated already and AFM is disabled with the range disbaler. 180,000miles, no codes and some oil consumption.
I used a grinder and cut 1" slots when I rebuilt my ls it maybe uses 1/4 of a quart every couple months but I do run it hard hot rodding and driving 80 on the turnpike
Too be fair, the less oil consumption of a dedicated drag vs a street driven vehicle has nothing to do with blow-by; in a drag application the engine will spend most of its life at, or near, wot where no vacuum exists. It would be better to plumb a catch can with a breather between the cover and intake.
True, but the cars I build making power are driving on the street and sure run a catch can. But get this, almost a in measurable amount of oil is found when it's drained. Build it right or lose oil through the crankcase vent.
That valve cover IS the updated model. The original valve cover had a flat round hole (no curled edges). The rectangular hole with the curled edges and no drain holes is what they claim to be the improvements. I haven't needed to update the valve cover on my 08 Sierra. I went with one of those oil catch cans before I learned about the valve cover.
I've got almost 200k on my 03 5.3 and it hasn't ever used oil but since my last oil change it has used almost a quart,so I may take a valve cover off on next oil change when due in 1k.
Whiles it's off check if the cyl 7 lifter is leaking too much oil up the pushrods. It should barely piddle out of it. If it's squirting oil the lifter may be oversaturating the valve cover. This will prevent the valve covers baffle from doing its job because it has no place to bleed off.
I know this is an older video But just wanted to say that Chrysler had the same problem, oil consumption in 1987 with the 3.0 V6 Mitsubishi they used in the minivan. TSB had us drill two 1/4” holes in the baffle. One on each end About a year later they came out with a recall to replace the valve cover
Another oil consumption problem is the factory pistons the oil ring land doesn't have enough return holes to remove the oil from the oil rings if you reuse the factory pistons drill more return holes in the oil ring landing allowing the oil to exit the ring easier
Yup, I was just telling someone the other day that the oil consumption fix is to throw away the gm pistons and get aftermarket ones with real rings, not the Tonka truck ones that the oems are using.
I will try this on the update version of the valve cover. I am consuming about a quart between oil changes but it should not be consuming any oil after the update. Hopefully it will work after i do this update to it.
@Jason Benavides it did not. I thought about having it torn down again and try rebuilding it myself or saving for a new engine. Maybe the one I have is just cursed. I don’t know what else to do.
I just completed the job on my 2004 Suburban. Started up and had no smoke. There was usually a lot smoke on startup prior to performing this job. Also saw a bump in oil pressure. Thanks for this video.
Not sure how that would change oil pressure at all but glad it took care of the smoke.
I have 07 Tahoe with the 5.3 . Been using two qts of oil pretty quick after oil change. I drill the hole in valve cover for oil consumption fix. Never got two thousand miles without adding oil. After making repair to valve cover ,now I have over three thousand miles and oil level is still top off. Thanks for help man
Exactly what I was thinking!! 🇺🇸💪🏻👊🏻🤙🏼
Getting ready to do mine this weekend. Got a leaking valve cover anyway so time to update it myself.
yeah sorry about that nobody wants to hear about my bullshit lol
@@c_mac7773 youll be one of the rare few with a 5.3 because yukons with denali trim level only had the 6.2. my dad has a 2013 denali and has never had any sort of issues with afm, but after 2011 i think most of the issues were solved
@@southwestohiodashcam6838I’ve got a 2015 Denali and I was 3 quarts low after 4K miles.
Thanks for posting this. I did exactly this 15 months ago to my LC9 and it completely solved the oil consumption issue. I learned about it here.
Wow ,thank you so much,I did exactly what you did on my 2013 5.3 and now I don't burn any oil ,keep up the great work!!!!
Great video very informational, my cover had the holes but clogged. Soaked it and cleaned very good and wow first cold start and no smoke. This guy is very helpful to me because I have an 08 envoy with this engine and I have more then a few of these issues. Saves me so much time and 💵. Much appreciated sir!
So folks … did this on a new upgraded cover Opened up the last drain hole as per video and drilled all but the first hole closest to the updated baffle rectangular vent opening. It worked !!!!! My son was going through 2 L of oil every three fill ups … oil consumption is now ZERO !!!! Problem fixed !!
Went down the rabbit hole, what a journey, i now want to pull my motor and bullet proof it
Lol, careful you might get carried away. I had a oil pressure issue on an acquired Tahoe. Took it apart and next thing I knew I was installing a 4in stroke, forged pistons, forged rods, and a performance cam targeting torque. 🤣
im going in friday
literally I needed to do headgaskets and Im bulletproofing and doing btr springs in the heads so when I get the HP tuners stuff I can put in a truck norris cam I bought from richard holdener 🤣
The valve cover you had in your hands was the updated valve cover. At the most all you should have done is drilled out the drain hole under the pcv location and it would have been fine. The original style valve cover has a round or oval hole instead of the square type hole with the tabs on either side which is the updated valve cover.
I installed an after market with the supposed “fix” and the same thing happened after removing the original. I just purchased an OEM updated cover but also drilled the holes. One thing that’s been happening to me is, after idling for 15 minutes, I give it gas and blows puffs of blue smoke. This only started happening with the aftermarket updated valve cover. It’s never blows blue smoke on start up so I’m only guessing this is part of the issue. We’ll see I guess…
Please Can you provide the updated cover part number
@@abufaisal2199 I'm about to do this on my 2007 tahoe
@@abufaisal2199 th-cam.com/video/3EW_o2wyYf0/w-d-xo.html
@@sydpix Hey, so how did your valve cover situation come out in the end? Would like to hear. I've been on fence about modifying an updated cover. Thanks for input!
We need more people like you in this crazy world. I always do my best when fixing cars for people and never charged more than parts and a little labor. Keep it up friend.
I suggest parts to customers and they buy them, if they don't follow my suggestions on parts my warranty ends as they touch the road.
I only charge labor.
A month ago i charged 120 for a radiator replace on a 2010 armada, it was a pain due to how crammed they are, plus they still use a clutch fan...
I removed OEM valve cover and installed GM updated valve cover....This was done done with a new engine install!!! GM updated valve cover didn't fix oil consumption problem!!! Drilled out the five holes 7/16 with another GM updated valve cover and pressto changeo no more oil consumption problem!!! I probably could have keep OEM valve cover and drilled same.....The extra drill holes work!!! GM engineering dept should be removed
You do realize the PCV system is a emissions component of the engine right? I am sure if these engineers didn't have to worry about meeting emissions regulations and CFR requirements they would have done the exact same thing and instructed the dealer techs to drill holes and everything would be good. But they have to ensure the emissions are still met after modifying these things and its already hard enough to do when they first design it. Any slight little change could snowball and effect all kinds of other things. They are under a massive amount of constraints.
Reality check. You drilled out the 5 holes to almost 1/2". Maybe You should go look at your set of drill bits again. 🤪
Had a spare valve cover drilled as you suggested. It's been a week. No cloud on start up . Level hasn't changed. Much more responsive. Love it. Thanks brother
What size holes did you drill?
My 2006 Tahoe (260000 miles) was smoking at startup due to this plugged hole. Since then, I have also done oil pump, strainer, front and rear seals and it uses about 1/2 quart every 3000 miles.
Oil tends to collect at the rear of the head/valve cover. The semi-sealed valve cover baffle effectively collects gasses from the hole at the front of the engine but runs it through the baffle to the back of the engine where oil collects! I don't know why they didn't just put the orifice tube at the front end of the valve cover in a simple oil separater structure.
For those who aren't sure if their oil consumption is a ring issue or a PCV issue, a catch can in the PCV line should give a very good idea of how much oil is being sucked up.
I took my valve cover off and drilled the holes, just like you suggested. It seems to have worked. Thank you very much for the video. This saved me a ton of hassle and money.
My car consumed 2 litters every 2000 miles.. Do u think it is going tocwork?
@@omanm5494 The only way to find out is to try it.
Drill bit size?
@@demonqb9 I don't think it is an exact science. Go a size or two bigger than the one hole that is right next to the PVC valve.
Did mine last week "5/32
Amazing video!! Lots of great info
First got tahoe, no oil usage, now 3 quarts per oil change, 4000 miles , I will do what you did!! Thank you so much!!
Update??
Got to be honest, going to get rid of the tohoe, still runs and drives great, just getting much newer Yukon with 6.2, not worth fixing
@@hisexcellencytrump855the 2014+ yukons are ass and goodluck getting parts from dealer. Just turned in a 2022 tahoe z71 for a 23 f250 because ive been waiting on my backup cam for a year 😂
I have a sierra with a 6.2 2019 is doing the same thing. 4 quarts in 10k
Thanks. Just did this to our 2007 GMC Sierra with a LY5. Also thanks for shipping out the VLOM oil feed port block we purchased so quick.
You're a legend. I've been fortunate with my 2012 yukon xl only burning 1/4 qt after a 5,000 mile oil change
Did you try it?
I have also heard that moving the PCV valve to the front of the left valve cover instead if the left rear corner also makes a difference on oil concumption.
This took care of my sons 06 silverado thanks for no more smoke !
my 06 is now smoking at start up as well. Im gonna need to do this over the Christmas or Thanksgiving break. Thankfully, our suburban is now relegated to use very rarely as the kids are grown and out of the house, so I drive my silverado and wife uses her miata.
@@reid1boys did it fix your smoke issue aswell?
I did not catch the year of the truck, but I would guess the fixed oriface PCV out is the driver rear corner with clean air entering the passengers front. I used an 03 truck donor with 113k miles on it that I serviced. With this flow pattern, every possible fume exists the left rear. On his truck, every single exhaust valve tip on the left had wear. As dealer techs and other, look for witness marks or wear. The fresh air side had no visible signs of wear.
This engine is mine, so thinking thru, I am choosing to bring fresh air in both valve cover and draw the crankcase fumes out of the valley thru a vented full length tube, drilled and loosely packed SS wool. Have you ever seen valve tip wear on one side? Only one thing is different on this side. Thanks for a tip / idea that may help many. ASE Master, Retired.
Tried it on my 2009 tahoe 5.3.... up to 3 quarts every 3000k.... thanks you for your video and your wisdom. Will see what it does.
Update? Smoke at cold start go away? Less consumption? Thanks!
Update?
Hi everyone, no luck on mine. Smoke stopped in the fist crack but the oil consumption continue. This 5.3 can disappear oil like no other. The best 5.3 from my experience is the 01 to 03 models. I had an 01 with 290k running like a champ. I little knock for running strong.
I am active on a KIA forum and a poster linked to your site.
He had a Sorento oil burner and finally fixed his car by unclogging the valve cover drain holes. I am on my 3rd dealer piston soak. If it fails I am supposed to get a new engine (long block) I will share this fix it approach with them.
I subscribed.
Thanks brother!!! I agree with you, GM should be livable for recalls and no for selling upgrades on their parts
Recalls are safety related not oil consumption or mechanical failures that aren't dangerous
Hayden is correct. As vehicles are crash tested, if a upper seal belt bolt, anchor fails, that is safety. I a guy comes in with an oil consumption issue, the tech checks for TSB’s and recommends labor & parts as per the GM fix. FMVSS are one thing that may lead into a safety or nuisance issue. Recalls are letters sent to the last registered owner which 98% get tossed. A TBS is checked at the dealer to see if there is a resolve to eliminate or reduce a known problem. To be reimbursed for warranty work, a service advisor “Has To Check” for outstanding “Recalls”. If the are not done, the customer must sign a document stating they can’t wait, no parts, or a reason why the customer won’t let them do the recall. Otherwise, the dealer will not be paid for repairs under warranty. This is the same for all, be it Toyota to BMW. Huge difference!
Hope that makes sense regardless of how much it makes you mad. There are over 3,000 parts used to build a car and an average of 4.2 miles of wire. Just know that some happen when new or newer, while others show up miles or years later. Personally, I hate the cheap wire rope w/plastic guides that wrap around a spool to roll windows up and down. You can say the same for wiper motors, but plastic makes them lighter, more fuel efficient and CAFE numbers by your government say so. How each do that, it up to them. Just think, 30 years from now the Camero has a 3 cylinder engine in it! Yeah....Quick, somebody wake up lunch bucket and tell him!
@@haydendenard2693 he know that. He said THEY SHOULD BE
Glad it fixed the issue. When I worked for Gm, the only thing that actually fixed the oil consumption was replacing the oil rings. 9 times out of ten they were stuck solid in the ring groove. All of the other “fixes” from gm were a waste of time.
When the rings are stuck a atf engine flush works good to fix that.
Under warranty we weren’t aloud to do any of that. What’s the process that works? The cleaner in the cylinder did nothing to free them up
@@jfarm_1311 Basically I change the oil but fill it with ATF instead of oil and let it sit and run for several hrs. I check on it periodically to see how oil pressure is doing and if it starts to drop from the first baseline hot temp I change the oil filter. I will also every so often bring the RPM's up to 3500-4000 slowly to make sure I get the ATF really moving around. I just make sure not to drive or load it down at all. ATF is not a very good lubricant with all the detergent. If it is a really nasty engine after I drain it out and go back to engine oil I will fill the 6qt system with 5qt engine oil and 1qt ATF and tell the customer to come back in 2k miles for another oil change.
CrazedPerformanceRepair for some reason it won’t let me read the 2nd half. If it drops you change it again? Straight atf no oil in the crankcase? My truck is actually an oil burner as well. It’s pre afm which were much more known for the issues. I installed the new version valve cover when I still worked for gm and it didn’t change. I would like to possibly find a way to solve the issue without tearing it down
@@jfarm_1311 if you are looking from phone there should be a read more at bottom, click that guy. I never changed the comment it should all be there.
Great video and great information. I am blown away again at the depth and knowledge one can gain by spending a little time doing his research. I've got an 05 Z71 1500 4x4 that is using about 2 quarts every 6-700 miles. Nice clean truck shouldn't be using that much.
I'm going to try this! THANK YOU!!
Did it work
Great video, I did that on my 08 6.0
No more oil consumption.
the 08 vette has a 6.2 idk if u knew that
@@bistroturbogang2943
08 silverado, was 5.3 ly6 swap
I just picked up an 05 Sierra 5.3. It goes thru a quart about every 600 miles. Kicks out a lot of smoke on start up intermittently. Hoping this solves my problem.
Thank you!
Did it solve your problem? I’m having the same issue. Thanks.
Same question did it fix your smoke problem im seeing people say this helps with the 1st start smoke issue
@@erichernandez5137 yes, solved my issues. Cleaned it out with brake cleaner and drilled the additional holes. No problems since.
@@MrJonjonoo7sweet I need to do this
My 4.8 is consuming alot of oil. 1.5l over 2500km. It makes good power so I'm gonna look into this valve cover think. Never heard about this before
Late to the party, but also removing the metered orifice and drilling the hole out to around 13/16 you can then put in a grommet and use a real pcv valve from a 99 to 02 4.8,5.3,6.0 and have no problems with consumption. If you notice, the majority of trucks that have the oil issue is the fixed orifice 04 and later engines. Its because they have a constant pull on the tube so the oil can't drop back through the holes. The real pcv "chatters" back and forth suction, no suction, etc. So oil can drain. We figured that out at the dealership i worked at in 06 after several vehicles came back with the updated cover still eating oil.
Got to be a couple hundred fixed orifice trucks with the pcv valve covers on them. And they never had oil issues after that repair. Trust me plenty came back for fuel sending units or 4l60e replacement lol
Nice. What grommet did you use?
@@greyhairedmountainbiker116 just a replacement grommet for a 99-02 truck that would have originally had a factory pcv valve
So I should buy a valve cover for an 02 silverado for my 2013 ?
@@tipsreviews7476 i dont know that the2013 heads are the same bolt pattern for valve covers. Thats is something you would have to check
Bro, awesome update to the 5.3L Valve Cover for oil consumption...My 2007 5.3L routinely consumes 1qt per month for nearly 18 years...Looking forward to fabricating the valve cover tomorrow. After 18 years, I am sure the throttle body on the intake at the PCV valve also needs to be cleaned out as well. 18 years x 12 quarts is a lot of oil to go through that intake. Maybe I will close the job out with a SeaFoam treatment after I get it fabricated, cleaned, and put a few miles on it. Great video, thank you.
Thanks for that input I did an oil change to my 01 suburban about 4 months ago and just yesterday I had to do it again and wondered where did all the oil went left me scratching my head 🤷🏻♂️ I will definitely do the same process you did cheers bud
@Dirty Sanchez the pvc pipe pulls the oil into the intake,
thats why many run a catch can before it goes to the intake to filter out the oil in liquid form.
They drain the catch can every 2 fillups.
He is adding in the drain holes that GM deleted, converting the "updated" valve cover back closer to the obsolete one. The problem was the oil spraying on the "drain holes", which were under slight vacuum. If you don't get oil behind the baffle, there is very little to drain back. How can he be an expert on GM oil consumption when he doesn't recognize the differences? If it works, it might be due to a different location of the holes. (it's not like 2 weeks is a fair test).
Just wondering since this “ baffle” has been such a pain in the ass for so long, why not just remove the baffle all together!!!! And I thought that was the “ updated” rocker arm cover he had in his hands?!?
@@M21-w1ythen you will suffer bad oil consumption issues
A great deal of very helpful detailed information on repairing the stuck lifter problem,
Thank you very much for all the great videos
Great video Looks like a updated design. Has the square vent at right. The old style had a oval hole to the left a bit. Most videos recomend use the old cover and drilling 3/16 the baffle with about 13 holes and the PCV hole larger, at left.
Yup I mentioned it in description. I was wrong in the video. Either way both designs are flawed. It gets worse if the lifters let too much oil passed and overwhelm the cover too yet.
TY for this tip video as it fix my oil problem on my VX Holden Calais with the 3rd gen LS1 as I did it why I was giving her a birth... Grateful LS owner from New Zealand...
What size drill bit did you use on the valve cover drain holes?
The oil consumption issue started because of Government interference because of EPA fuel regulations. My 2001 2500hd & the 2002 yukon I had before probably used 1 qt every 10K but the 2009 yukon I have now uses 1 qt every 1K. I'll attempt this while fixing a stuck lifter( that's how I found your Channel). Its funny how mechanics always find fixes for Engineers screw ups😂. Great videos
Well. I had the mystery coolant leak. OPENED VALVE COVER because I had a lot of smoke suddenly for a few days ( and my oil was quite 'cruddy'). Passenger side had a small clear bubble puddle in exact same location. I stressed but just cleaned my valve covers really good (brake cleaner and C air), and crosses my fingers. YES!! after couple starts it stopped blowing clouds. It now has the min white cloud. I think I'm just going to live with the small coolant leak.
Also drilling the oil ring lands on the skirt side (not the wrist pin side)
Just strait into the piston like the old SBC windows they had but just two simple oil drwin back holes to assit the clog prone oil drain vallies the pistons have.
Doing this stopped my massive over oiling of the piston walls.
(Mind you i added oil squirters also after adding the squirters the smoking was WORSE until i had made MORE holes (mine use 3 some go as far as 4 with high pressure and volume pumps)
But every! Single! Junkyard motor ive ever touched or 80k+ Ls family block had the same stuck oil ring issue. With exception of some LS3 from corvettes witj high maintenance.
But trucks! 10/10 ive had minimum 2 STUCK SOLID piston oil scraper rings and they smoked like a tire fire after sitting for who knows how long too but once cleaned just cleaned and drilled boom notta puff.
Purchased new valve cover with updated opening. Drilled the holes as you did,fingers crossed seems to be hold up fairly well thanks
He drilled holes on the stock valve cover, the updated valve cover wouldn't need holes to be drilled sense it was updated to correct this issue 🤷♂️🤦
@@highstream5594 the one in the video is the updated one.
@@highstream5594 that was the updated valve cover he had in his hands……………… makes me wonder just how much of an “ expert” he is with his engine building, LoL.
Yup. I'll give that a try. My 6.0 has 280,000 miles on it. Never burnt oil ever. Until I bought a 5th wheel camper. Now it goes through it pretty quick. Works the motor pretty hard... im changing knock sensors right now. The intake is off and I noticed it was full of oil.
I have the same issue did this work and also did cause your engine to misfire
@@tattooart420 if I remember right. I was getting a p0300 code. While changing the knock sensors lots of oil dumped out of the intake. And the truck was going through oil. More than normal... I never noticed much of a miss. But the computer was picking up something... I dont really know of I fixed it. I traded the truck to my sister.
This video came up in my suggestions list. Watched the whole video👍 and subbed! I have a 2004 Silverado with a 5.3l. Purchased with 124,000 miles. Had a terrible lifter tick in it. When I changed the oil the first time after the purchase nothing came out of the drain hole, it was caked up that bad. Plenty of shcelack on the dipstick. After I got it drained I used a wire with a small j on the end and about 6 cans of carb cleaner to dredge and clean the bottom of the pan out without pulling it.
Put this engine through several flush cycles. 5 quarts 10/30 1 quart auto Trans fluid with a tall, mid-grade Fram oil filter.
About every 300 miles the filters would start to load up, I could tell that by watching the oil pressure would gradually drop to about half of what it was when oil change was fresh. Oil change like before, with Trans fluid for 3 oil change cylcles every 1,000mile, change the filter out every 500 miles and top off oil. Now just doing oil and filter. No more lifter tick!
I still have oil consumption short of 2,000 miles I have to add a quart. I'll be going after the valve covers next now that I've seen this video. Thanks for sharing.
Check the hose from the valve cover for oil residue first. If it looks wet it's coming through the hose from cover issue. I thought the 2004 had the valley cover pcv system though. If that's the case this might not apply. It could be new enough though. Nice work with the atf and filters to clean up that engine though. I actually have a couple vids I talk about atf for a flush.
I’m having to change my plugs way sooner than I should and I thought I had the updated valve cover gasket when I pulled it off the first time I changed the plugs...didn’t know that the updated cover included holes and not just the squared off PCV vent hole. I might have to give this a shot, thank you so much!
I understand the method and the reason behind it, but will the extra holes cause more oil to get behind the baffle or any other issues..
I haven't finished watching your video. But years ago I had 283 bored 60. And I oil consumption and I couldn't figure it out so I had a thought that maybe go back to the stock valve covers and as soon as I did that my problem went away. What I figured out is the after market valve covers didn't have the Bethlehem in there all they had was deal that bolted on the bottom where the PVC valve fixed up against it. The stock 1 had batles in there where it would suck oil up through there. Now I need to get back to the video
1:15 man that's the biggest U-joint I've ever seen. That's like Optimus Prime's elbow.
Great explanation! One one the best videos about this kind of issue
I do that "trick" on Briggs and Stratton engines when I remove the governor. Or you can do your thing by removing the baffle covers by chiseling those rivet heads off and replacing them with screws, so it can be cleaned out when servicing the engine and put back together. You know, do the actual work instead of trying to get out of the actual work that needs done.
What kind of screws and when you chisel out the rivets does it leave a joke for the screws to go into? Thanks
@@JustTrizIt have to drill holes. Use sheet metal screws to put it back together. The rivets are part of the casting that is smashed to hold baffle cover on.
Doing mine this weekend. Have to replace the gaskets anyway. Thank you for posting this.
Any updates on your valve cover really curious to do mine
@@earljackson7179 haven't got around to doing them yet. We got snowed in last month. Be getting to them soon. It's just the driver side that needs done. I'm checking my lifters out is why I'm just replacing both valve cover gaskets. A lot of people do this fix and it seems to hold up pretty good.
I have been researching this issue and I believe that the cover that you are working on is the updated one. The most significant difference that I can tell is the location and the shape of the large hole. The updated cover is square with tabs and is further from the PCV opening. My question is, could I get away with cleaning my old one, drilling a few larger holes, and continue using it, or am I better off buying the update?
I was wondering the same. If I understand right, the original is just a round hole ?
That's definitely the updated valve cover
Jeff the one he had in his hands was the updated valve cover and he did not need to drill any holes. The only thing he could or even should have done is to drill out the drain hole directly under the pcv location. That is it, but even that is not entirely necessary.
I switched mine over to the updated one, the one he has (which I did not drill any holes in mine to test an see if it needed them or not), hoping it would lower the oil consumption. It did not help lower it at all, so I recommend drilling the holes as he did. I'll be doing that this next oil change and go from there. I believe it will help. The one hole at the end does not seem like it would be enough.
@@dustinhale6497 Any update?
Thank you so much. 2010 Chevy Silverado exact same issue. Going to do this 👍
Our 09 tahoe was a quart about every week or two. Had to change the #7 plug every couple of months.
You fix it?
I mean that sounds like something different especially since you know number 7 is an issue
Just purchased a tahoe cheap because owner thought it was burning oil 🤣
Most of the times when I found #7 oil fouled after replacing the plug and updating the valve cover, that cylinder usually has scoring when torn down. GM tech here.
@@rkinniI'm so happy to find a GM tech on here! Can I ask you a few questions about oil pan clearance issues pertaining to wanting to use a f-body or CTS-V oil pan on my 2010 avalanche (5 3). My lmg engine is getting replaced with an ls3 at my local dealership once my circle d converter comes in. From my understanding the LS3 crate engine comes with a f-body oil pan. My question is if I purchase the engine and installation from my local chevy dealership will they be able to complete the install with the f-body oil pan or use the lmg oil pan? I have purchased an aftermarket oil pan baffle kit for the f-body oil pan to prevent oil starvation. Will it be possible for a 25 year tech to finesse the ls3 f-body oil pan in my 2010 avalanche or will the dealership balk at me and want to use the lmg oil pan? I am willing to pay the extra labor to notch the crossmember if possible. Could you please shed any light on if I can use the f-body or CTS-v oil pan with my 2010 avalanche LS3 swap or will the notch it since the body is not under warranty? Any insight you can share would help me greatly. This is my 1st swap and thanks in advance!
They need to just bring back the replaceable PCV valves... Why did they change that?
to sell more valve covers?
just like ball joints!
😉
That valve cover is the good one to have.
GM service bulletin for that over 10 years ago, always read them before jumping to conclusions.
Guess I didn’t get my service bulletin 🤷♂️
I have an 07 Tahoe 5.3 Was told to get a new Valve cover because every where My engine can leak fluids it is, Was told the engine is trying to breathe. After a thousand dollars worth of work replacing all those Gaskets and seals here we are. PVC, Ok Got the new Valve cover and it has that plate in it but it's all Glued down on the edges. Why do I need that plate? Wouldn't this breathe better without the plate all together?
I put the updayed PCV valve in with the smaller hole. It did help a little but didnt stop the oil use that much. 02, 6.0 Chevy 4x4.
You might have lifters that are pushing more oil than the valve cover can clear. Take the valve cover off, start the engine, and see how much oil pushes out of the rockers. If it's squirting over the fender the lifter is shot. These typically have hardly any oil coming off the rockers at idle.
for me its 1/2 - 1 quart every 1000 miles i drive my truck for work every day and i do 1000 miles a week. im gonna try this on my valve cover and see if it works. once it gets warmer of course
Let us know if it helps?
I see from your response to Ed Spencer you know about the LS6 valley cover with PCV vent . I installed one of those on my 2000 LS1 with a catch can for the valley & one for valve covers , haven't really put many miles on it since changing it from stock , I'm still going to check valve covers & add your modification though , thanks for the "enlightenment" I'll let you know how it goes.....
Great hack thanks , simple is always the best trick.
Try soaking it in awesome that stuffs amazing!...worked on my Olds 307 valve cover gaskets, timing covers, exhaust manifolds etc...I mean like new clean!!!
Holy crap I haven't used that stuff in a while, almost forgot about it. I'll have to get some more next time I'm near a dollar store. That stuff meets its name, and heck it's even priced alright.
Sorry for the late response!…but yeah I have a 86 Olds Cutlass Supreme Brougham and I removed the 307 engine and tranny and those old engines are known to leak all over the place but my god they don’t die!…however It was caked with oil buildup but that awesome cleaned that engine up with nooooo problem!…and the little oil I missed the machine shop cleaned up!…the stuff is the real deal!…I got all my mechanic neighbors using it!…
My 05 6L Yukon Denali has been blowing a large blue haze of smoke on cold start for 4 seconds then clears ... I'm sure mine is clogged also. I've had this problem for 2 months now and was told more than once its valve guide leaking . So tomorrow's project is to pull valve cover
Thank you for the instructional and informational video. Question...what size drill bit did you use to drill holes? Thank you.
Outstanding video content! I don't have time to drill the holes and clean everything out. Ordered a "latest revision" driver side GM valve cover for around $140 from Amazon. My engine is not consuming a measurable amount of oil. I mainly just wanted to know 100% if this is the core reason I'm finding oil residue in my intake. Should be zero oil in the intake. Looks like this is the sole reason. My Jeeps LQ9 runs absolutely perfect, so I knew it wasn't an engine problem causing it.
I have the AFM chip to delete AFM and have the updated valve cover. STILL burn a quart of oil every 350 miles. It’s been ridiculous. I’m going to try this and get back with you. Thank you for the video.
While the cover is off start it and watch the oil spraying from the pushrod. If any shoot a stream the lifter has a issue and could also be a source of oil consumption.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair if it is spraying out of the pushrod would that excess oil be leaving out the PCV into the intake? I notice that when I “get on” the accelerator a puff of smoke comes out the exhaust. Thoughts?
@@tinbus149 That puff of smoke is because the intake has a puddle of oil in it from the pcv system. So when you get on it the puddle shifts to the back cylinders pooring some in and thus smoke out the tailpipe. So if a lifter is spraying more oil then the valve cover can drain out it will suck it in, or if the cove is blocked and can't drain it naturally even without bad lifters it willsuck it in and puddle as well.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair okay, I’m gonna work on that valve cover this weekend. I’ll let you know what I get from that over the next month or so. I’ll subscribe. Thank you for your time.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair Was able to get the valve cover off yesterday. I did not notice the pushrods spraying too much oil or spraying a stream of oil. I drilled the holes and cleaned the cover as much as I could. I will get back to you with the results. Thank you for the advice.
My 2007 valve cover (old style) has the 3/4 inch hole on the forward end and 2 small slots for oil drainage near the middle 2 hold down screws. I didn't drill any more holes like you did but I did enlarge the drain hole under the PCV orifice. I put the oil level right at the top of the full mark and check it at 1000K miles. It's been using a qt. every 1000 to 1500 miles.
You might have a lifter flooding the valve cover with oil because it's failing hydraulically. Add another drain hole next to the oe one closer to the back. When you have the valve cover off for doing that also check if the lifter is doing as I explained earlier. You can do this by starting the truck with the valve cover off and watching how much oil squirts out of the rockers. A good functioning lifter should hardly have any oil come out of that little pushrod hole at the pushrod side of the rocker. If it's squirting over the fenders and making a huge mess as soon as you start it, that lifter is bad. It's likely a bad lifter at the back flooding that drain hole.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair Thanks,I'll check that out.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair Great info, thanks again for sharing your vast knowledge on these engines. Complicated and cumbersome at times, yet if they can be corrected, you can't beat em for transportation and beats alternatives.
Just curious, that part you are calling the PCV valve which isn;t really a PCV valve in the traditional sense but is a "restricted port", what would happen if that "restricted port was removed, some machine work done to the valve cover so a grommet and traditional PCV valve could be installed? Back in the day day, before LS based engines the old school PCV valves were used and I don't recall big problems with oil consumption. You did have to occasionally replace the PCV valve but they were inexpensive and easy to replace. Any thoughts?
One could probably open it up and add a pcv valve above it and it might help but it could also effect the idle portion of the tune because it could flow a different amount of crankcase air in the intake.
I've thought of this too. If there was a way to measure the exact amount of airflow on the shitty built in pcv valve cover. Then get a pcv valve that flows the same and fit it into that valve cover
99 -02 had a regular pcv valve in a gromet, my 99 never used a drop of oil or never had a puff of smoke!
Now i have an 06 that has all these problems. I plan on cleaning the baffles out and then adding a catch can with both valve covers running through it. this will also get rid of the right covers vent hose from going into the throttlebody.( no more gummy butterfly).
De hecho hay un video donde una persona cambió la tapa de punterías, con la pcv antigua de las que compras en AutoZone y al parecer le funcionó muy bien. Saludos desde cd.juarez Chihuahua México Frontera con el paso TX.
I have the 53 iron block and it is always done a quart of oil every oil change (3000-3800 mi) I thought it was because I broke the engine and wrong but this makes sense and I need to replace my valve cover gasket so what better time right Plus I just found out about the PCV valve mine still has the original 144,000 miles.
Have you considered the lack of oil ring drain back holes behind the oil ring in the stock piston also being an issue that also contributes to high oil consumption?
Apparently the oil ring over time can become "carbon cooked" in it's land and no longer functions as intended.
Yes I have, it happens but with today's oils is insanely rare. Besides, all you have to do to verify if it's the valve cover is see if that pcv tube is soaked with oil.
What size are the holes
Your the man keep it up man thanks 👍👍👍👍👍
I have seen several General Motors engines taken apart and that ring gaps from the factory have been .030 period that is a ridiculously large ring Gap for a stock engine. It is a good ring gap for an engine is making a thousand horsepower because the heat build-up will bring that Gap much closer together. And spraying oil on the bottoms of the Pistons to keep them cool and getting oil on the cylinder sleeves should not be causing oil usage.
An old school method for cleaning out the sludge on that valve cover, is using oven cleaner
It's also crazy how inconsistent they are even on one that's not very worn out.
Thanks for sharing buddy, I'm going to try this on my 02 4.8
AWESOME videos!!! Excellent info on GM!!!
Thanks for this video👍🏽I seen this back in October ‘22 & just got around to doing this procedure on my 2006 Silverado with the 5.3L today. I didn’t really have blue smoke many others complain of but the oil consumption for sure. I’ll be monitoring my oil level for a lil while to see if this helped though I’m sure it will. I’m not sure how GM’s idea of one tiny weep hole after the Pcv hose is supposed to drain much oil back into the head.
It worked. I checked the oil a few weeks ago & today, still at about the full mark on my 5.3 vortec which is between the 4th & 5th hole on the dipstick. 👍🏽👍🏽
@@209Stretch Hey, did you modify the baffle or just use the updated style valve cover on drivers side? Thx for your input, trying to assist a friend and also do whatever I can on my 2002 5.3 in Tahoe.
@mu9627 First I replaced the original valve cover with the updated valve cover which did absolutely nothing. oil consumption was still as before so with that one I ended up doing the same thing this guy did and the oil consumption has been next to zero. I hope this helps.
@209Stretch thanks for providing your experience with it. Yes, this helps. Hate to say, yet consensus does hold some value, doesn't account for some variables. Every engine can operate just a little bit different. Manifold vacuum and crankcase pressures, amount of blowby, cold or hot. I'm grateful for the posted replies to what would seem a simple solution to a semi complex issue. When they run, they're amazing. Reasonable fuel economy, good emissions and power on tap. Just like my Oldsmobile 350 with a q jet and 2:56 single wheel peel Cutlass. Reasonable economy if driven easy, great power... took longer to warm up, yet all cast iron...oh, yet no pcv issues! .with the EFE passage under the intake it could sometimes be hard to start hot.
idid it 2 years ago less oil loss than before thanks for the info
I've got LS9 covers and a Mightymouse can and going through oil. Saving to watch later.
You might have lifters that are badly leaking.
@CrazedPerformanceRepair I just saw your reply. I have Johnson axle oiling lifters, which reduce oil psi 10-15. I've been monitoring oil consumption since my last oil change and I'm losing about 1qt every 400mi. I'm going to send in a UOA and see if they can eliminate a poor honing when engine was rebuilt in 2019.
Acid/moisture buildup in engine. I may try this mod on mine since i took care of the lifter tick by engine flush snd o ring replacement.
That is the updated cover
Yeah I think so, that's what I was puzzled about
Yes it's the new style.
Thats what brought me here, I just got one from GM and it has no slots, only the one hole under the PCV orafice
@@integr8er66 what year?
So should I still out holes in it?
Any idea why the spark plug tube would be filling with oil? I noticed the spark plug screws in near the exhaust manifold and not through the valve cover.
When did GM start using the updated version? My 2011 4.3 uses almost a quart in 600 miles and there is no smoke in the exhaust. I can smell unburned fuel in the exhaust. Im changing the purge valve in a few days.
THANK YOU!!! MY PROBLEM SOLVED WITH THIS METHOD...🥰🔥🔥👍
I'm going to try it, I'm sick of changing plugs and spending money on oil
You mentioned the PCV removes stuff from the engine but thats not at all what its for. Its purpose is to create a vacuum in the crank case to remove any potential crank case pressure from the combustion cycles. Its typically connected to the lower plenum or intake pipe to utilize the vacuum created by the engine.
Then why is the other valve cover equipped with a much larger open breathing hole that goes straight to the air cleaner box? It's purpose is to help clean out what goes by the rings. (Blow-by, residual fuel, combustion gasses etc.) It may end up with a very slight drop in crankcase pressure versus atmosphere due to the fact other end is in the airbox. But it is almost unmeasurable it's so small in most engines. After all the air cleaner isn't completely free flowing. That is certainly not the reason for the system though.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair on my 2016 Tahoe, both valve cover breathers connect to the intake piping. On pretty much every modern car I have owned its that way.
The oil filters designed to do the cleaning and removing of debris in the oil. In older cars it was literally just a breather/filter to remove crank case pressure since crank case pressure leads to bearing failure.
@@ArmandoRodriguezJr check again, one goes to vacuum (intake) and the other goes to air filter(atmosphere). Sure they are both on intake plumbing but before and after throttle body. This makes a huge difference. Very few cars have have a vacuum in the crankcase. The only ones that do that to my knowledge are actual purpose built race cars. To do this they add a vacuum pump to the engine and plumb it to the crankcase. I know because I have built them. I do have another car I built that I used the engine vacuum to pull a vacuum in the crankcase from the intake. It pulls only a 1/2"-1" of vacuum depending on how much vacuum the intake has but under load the crankcase sees pressure. That car put down 1019 hp to the rear tire last time it was on the dyno. Stock vehicles are a different story. The have less then 1/4" vacuum unless the air cleaner is plugged. I don't consider such a small amount a vacuum.
@@CrazedPerformanceRepair if you type 3 or 4 more paragraphs and tell me you built 2 engines I might change my story... but I guess it wouldn't make a difference. Do some research on Google or bing. I was just trying to be helpful.
@@ArmandoRodriguezJr I'm not bashing but all the research in the world won't beat actual experience. I've built more engines then I can remember. I've done at least 6 on this channel alone. I've only been on youtube for under 3 yrs now. Yes I've had a vacuum gauge on the crankcase, many times. It is useful in diagnosis.
I hope you can answer me this, I just bought a new valve cover for my 2011 sierra. Should I, and I'm thinking I should, drill extra holes like you did this one?
What causes heavy vacuum from the oil fill cap when in idle? Its a 2007 tahoe with the 5.3 engine, the valve cover was updated already and AFM is disabled with the range disbaler. 180,000miles, no codes and some oil consumption.
I used a grinder and cut 1" slots when I rebuilt my ls it maybe uses 1/4 of a quart every couple months but I do run it hard hot rodding and driving 80 on the turnpike
Too be fair, the less oil consumption of a dedicated drag vs a street driven vehicle has nothing to do with blow-by; in a drag application the engine will spend most of its life at, or near, wot where no vacuum exists. It would be better to plumb a catch can with a breather between the cover and intake.
True, but the cars I build making power are driving on the street and sure run a catch can. But get this, almost a in measurable amount of oil is found when it's drained. Build it right or lose oil through the crankcase vent.
That valve cover IS the updated model. The original valve cover had a flat round hole (no curled edges).
The rectangular hole with the curled edges and no drain holes is what they claim to be the improvements.
I haven't needed to update the valve cover on my 08 Sierra. I went with one of those oil catch cans before I learned about the valve cover.
I'm aware, see description.
I've got almost 200k on my 03 5.3 and it hasn't ever used oil but since my last oil change it has used almost a quart,so I may take a valve cover off on next oil change when due in 1k.
Whiles it's off check if the cyl 7 lifter is leaking too much oil up the pushrods. It should barely piddle out of it. If it's squirting oil the lifter may be oversaturating the valve cover. This will prevent the valve covers baffle from doing its job because it has no place to bleed off.
I know this is an older video
But just wanted to say that
Chrysler had the same problem, oil consumption in 1987 with the 3.0 V6 Mitsubishi they used in the minivan. TSB had us drill two 1/4” holes in the baffle. One on each end
About a year later they came out with a recall to replace the valve cover
Interest, thanks for the information.
You have a great source of knowledge thanks
Another oil consumption problem is the factory pistons the oil ring land doesn't have enough return holes to remove the oil from the oil rings if you reuse the factory pistons drill more return holes in the oil ring landing allowing the oil to exit the ring easier
Yup, I was just telling someone the other day that the oil consumption fix is to throw away the gm pistons and get aftermarket ones with real rings, not the Tonka truck ones that the oems are using.
I added more holes to my updated cover and it got rid of a valve tick
So thorough on everything, except what size hole you drilled! ???
Just make it bigger. The goal it better drainage. Go for next size up bit in a basic bit set.
so ONLY ONE cover has to be modded?
Does this oil thats consumed get burned and show blue smoke in the exhaust?
I have a 2002 Chevy Silverado 5.3 can the oil tube o ring be put on after taking the oil pan off cause I need to replace it
what size drill bit to use? see that shield rivet mount? about 25% less than that size. 9:35 in the video
I will try this on the update version of the valve cover. I am consuming about a quart between oil changes but it should not be consuming any oil after the update. Hopefully it will work after i do this update to it.
@Jason Benavides it did not. I thought about having it torn down again and try rebuilding it myself or saving for a new engine. Maybe the one I have is just cursed. I don’t know what else to do.