Buick LaCrosse Excessive Oil Use

[Benzadmiral]

The 3800 engine you can change the PCV valve on. It's a little hard to explain how to find it, but it's easy -- I did it at least twice on my 3800-powered Park Avenue. My advice is to use the OEM part; I bought an aftermarket PCV valve and it rattled in the housing. OEM fit perfectly. Some weight or brands of oil may be consumed more easily: The PA gulped Castrol Edge 5W-30, but was much better on almost all the other conventional oils I tried over the years.

The 2.4 L Ecotec is another animal entirely. Mine (a 2011 Regal) began using oil quite a bit, and I found the PCV valve is integral to the manifold and not easily changed by the owner.

 

[Globetrot1]

Aside from faulty motor components check your PCV system. A stuck open valve will suck the oil up for reburn- you won’t notice. Other car has oil catch can on PCV line, when “used” it isn’t impossible to push a quart through in 1K miles......

Hi performance engines will use oil at an alarming rate due to sloppy ring tolerances which is needed for expansion. Doesn’t apply to Buick’s of coarse lol.

This is a great answer. I will elaborate later.

Yes, my 2008 LaCrosse 3800 has used oil. It used to vary. It was using 1/2 to 2/3 of a quart every 2,000 miles. I was thinking, "WTH?" This is the venerable cast iron V6. My '92 3800 didn't even use 1/4 of a quart when it was ready to change the oil and the car had almost 300,000 miles.

GM took the chicken sh*t way out when it said that 1 quart every 2,000 miles is normal. I was under that so I didn't qualify. I also didn't want my engine ripped apart. I believe that, on "trully" affected cars, it was something having to do with valve seals. I don't know how many cars, percentage wise, have this problem since I continue to see so many 15 year old base LaCrosse CXs on the road.

Back to Rich. I wanted to change my PCV valve because I had never done it. I looked at a YouTube on how to do it. It looked easy but not like it was on old school GM RWD intermediates. The clamp holding it in place at the top of the plenum didn't want to rotate. I took it to a neighborhood guy. I had the PCV valve. He got it to rotate and popped in the PCV valce for me for a pittance. Since then, the oil is at full every time I check my oil dipstick.

I, too, felt that there was nothing wrong with my valve seals. I guess this process with oil being lost in the PCV system is called "blow by." Correct me if I'm wrong.

PCV valves need to be changed and this could be one cheap maintenance thing to do if they can't find anything wrong with the car.

 

[Ernesto]

😡
I have a Buick LaCrosse and it is using more than a quart of oil every 2,000 miles.
It started using 1 quart of oil every 3,000 miles. Which GM says is normal. Then it went to 1 quart every 2,000 miles. We called GM and got a case number. Now it is using 1 ½ Quart in 1,162 miles. We have to pay for it to be diagnosed tomorrow. Has anybody else had or is having this problem?

Yes my 2010 buick lacrosse 1 at. Every almost 2weeks not miles.

 

[Sank]

😡
I have a Buick LaCrosse and it is using more than a quart of oil every 2,000 miles.
It started using 1 quart of oil every 3,000 miles. Which GM says is normal. Then it went to 1 quart every 2,000 miles. We called GM and got a case number. Now it is using 1 ½ Quart in 1,162 miles. We have to pay for it to be diagnosed tomorrow. Has anybody else had or is having this problem?

 

[G-463007]

😡
I have a Buick LaCrosse and it is using more than a quart of oil every 2,000 miles.
It started using 1 quart of oil every 3,000 miles. Which GM says is normal. Then it went to 1 quart every 2,000 miles. We called GM and got a case number. Now it is using 1 ½ Quart in 1,162 miles. We have to pay for it to be diagnosed tomorrow. Has anybody else had or is having this problem?

I have a 2010 buick lacrosse (200,000km on it), and my car stopped running when I was on the highway. Garage said it had no oil and that engine was burning oil and hence it ruined my engine. Ironic thing is I was on my way to dealership when it happened to get an oil change (not knowing there wasn't any oil in it), and I didn't make it

 

[Smith1000]

It seems like an oil warning light would have come on. My '13 LaCrosse burns a little oil. The engine doesn't actually have a pcv valve and the tube openings can become clogged. I once blew them out with compressed error and it seemed to help reduce the oil consumption. The '13 has the 3.6, though. Not sure what your 2010 has in it. I am fairly certain the 3.8 has a pcv valve.--if it is a 3.8.

 

[Yostjacob8]

Anyone find out issue i have 2013 buick laccrosse 3.6 v6 mechanics cant tell me Nothing 2 qts low in 4k miles

 

[Yostjacob8]

Anyone find out any issues i have a 2013 buick laccrosse 2qts in 4k miles mechanics cant give me a answer

 

[Globetrot1]

For those with 3800 (3.8) V6s from the first-gen LaCrosse who have this issue, first try changing the PCV valve. It's cheap and it's right under where the MAP sensor sits. The sensor is above where the PCV valve slots in and can sort of seize there, so I'd have a mechanic get it off. It will only take them a couple of minutes.

Lately, it appears that my dealership transitioned from having some conventional oil around to semi or full synthetic. My oil has been lasting longer and is cleaner.

If that doesn't fix the problem, it's the valve seals that the TSB was addressing, which is a damn shame for the heirloom engine that is the Series III. It's too bad that Series II, also a great engine, had a black eye from the bad and cheap intake manifolds that could have caused much more serious problems if ignored or not headed off.

 

[Yostjacob8]

I have a 2013 Buick lacrosse burns a quart every 2000k miles should I be worried about anything or is there anything to help it it's the 3.6 V6

 

[Gluttenforpunishment]

Try an ounce of this stuff in the oil and transmission... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NVW1LM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

This will not work on piston rings or metal gaskets... Anything rubber, it works.

 

[Yostjacob8]

Try an ounce of this stuff in the oil and transmission... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B000NVW1LM?psc=1&ref=ppx_yo2ov_dt_b_product_details

This will not work on piston rings or metal gaskets... Anything rubber, it works.

It actually just burns it it doesn't leak

 

[Smith1000]

I have a 2013 3.6 and it also burns some oil. The PCV "valve" in it is not a check valve per se. It is just a pass-thru tube, no valve. There is a procedure to drill out the holes to a bit larger diameter and I did this to the tube in mine. It may have reduced the oil consumption somewhat, but it still burns oil. I have wondered if it would be possible to add an-inline check valve to the tube to make it function similar to a PCV valve, but have not attempted to do this.

 

[Human]

I've had the same problem with my 2013 eAssist. I started using STP High Mileage Oil Treatment and topping it up with high mileage synthetic oil when it gets low. Since I've been using the STP, the oil level has stayed more consistent.

 

[Smith1000]

Is the STP high mileage oil treatment kind of thick when poured in?

 

[Human]

Is the STP high mileage oil treatment kind of thick when poured in?

Yes, it's about the consistency of honey.

 

[Rally Sport]

Found this:

bulletin on this for oil consumpution.#2034062 Some customers may comment of excessive oil consumption on the 3800 Series III engines. An engine that has excessive oil consumption uses 0.9L (1 qt) of oil or more within 3,200 km (2,000 mi).
This condition may be caused by the retaining ring on the exhaust valve stem seal not securely holding the seal on the cylinder head guide boss. If this occurs, the exhaust valve stem seal(s) may move off the cylinder head guide boss and no longer provide a sealing function between the exhaust valve stem and the valve guide.this bulletin covers 06-08 lucerne with 3.8 vin code 2 and 4.

I just looked that bulletin up and it said it was for the ignition switch number 2034062.