What did you do to your NNBS GMT900 Tahoe/Yukon Today?

[CHOO CHOO]

After searching and googling, the low oil light or low oil seems to be common with our models/years vehicles.

I drive about 14 miles a day, stop and go traffic. Usually have to add a qt after about 4k miles.

Mechanic has never found any issues so far, but I will have him check the next go round.

 

[CHOO CHOO]

https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2...Vaw0aEPtU_sdQ2snkT8Lr0ANt&cshid=1555280566930

 

[R3cord303]

After searching and googling, the low oil light or low oil seems to be common with our models/years vehicles.


I drive about 14 miles a day, stop and go traffic. Usually have to add a qt after about 4k miles.

Mechanic has never found any issues so far, but I will have him check the next go round.

Is your vehicle part of the valve cover TSB?

 

[HiHoeSilver]

After searching and googling, the low oil light or low oil seems to be common with our models/years vehicles.

I drive about 14 miles a day, stop and go traffic. Usually have to add a qt after about 4k miles.

Mechanic has never found any issues so far, but I will have him check the next go round.

Not riding you by any means here, Phil, but my question stands. You say that you have to add a quart at 4k. How do you know this if you don't check the stick?

Is it just a "the light goes off" thing? To be straight, that's kinda like saying "I don't look at the gas gauge. When the low range light comes on I throw 2 gallons in there and I'm good."

 

[CHOO CHOO]

Not riding you by any means here, Phil, but my question stands. You say that you have to add a quart at 4k. How do you know this if you don't check the stick?

Is it just a "the light goes off" thing? To be straight, that's kinda like saying "I don't look at the gas gauge. When the low range light comes on I throw 2 gallons in there and I'm good."

The engine oil low light comes on and I put in a qt and it goes away.

And when you say the low range gas light comes on and you put two gallons in and it's good. Well, that's exactly it. That's how it works and what the light is for. You get low on gas and you fill your tank. It's a notification.

These vehicles are known for oil consumption, so I'm not sure what you are getting at.

 

[CHOO CHOO]

Is your vehicle part of the valve cover TSB?

I would assume so going by what year the Tahoe is, but never taken it to a dealership to see if it's actually covered. Would a regular mechanic do work on a tsb as well or just dealerships.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

The engine oil low light comes on and I put in a qt and it goes away.

And when you say the low range gas light comes on and you put two gallons in and it's good. Well, that's exactly it. That's how it works and what the light is for. You get low on gas and you fill your tank. It's a notification.

These vehicles are known for oil consumption, so I'm not sure what you are getting at.

I'm getting at the fact that your are more likely around 2 quarts low by the time that light comes on, and maybe you could even just put 1/2 qt in and get the light off. You'd still be driving around with 4.5 vs 6 qts in the engine.
Not necessarily the end of your truck, or even a big deal. Just that there's no way you can know without looking at the stick. That's what it's for.

 

[CHOO CHOO]

I'm getting at the fact that your are more likely around 2 quarts low by the time that light comes on, and maybe you could even just put 1/2 qt in and get the light off. You'd still be driving around with 4.5 vs 6 qts in the engine.
Not necessarily the end of your truck, or even a big deal. Just that there's no way you can know without looking at the stick. That's what it's for.

Fair enough. And in that retrospect, I completely understand. So here is my counter(even it maybe be reckless)

At what point is it going to start causing harm to the engine? I would assume that the alert is there to notify you of a potential/future problem. But if the engine is running at 4.5-5 qts, is that still considered safe? Will it cause harm? If so, why would GM not have the warning light come on sooner?

Either way, I think I will look into the tsb and seeing if blackbear can turn off my afm.

 

[iamdub]

I would assume so going by what year the Tahoe is, but never taken it to a dealership to see if it's actually covered. Would a regular mechanic do work on a tsb as well or just dealerships.

Doesn't matter if it's a TSB. It'll only be covered if it's a recall and even then there may be a time or mileage limitation which I'm sure you'd be well beyond anyway. A TSB is basically just the manufacturer saying "We officially recognize a problem and here's our recommended/approved course of action". Generally, a recall is issued only if it's a matter of safety being compromised.

Also, not to ride you about the oil thing, but just because it's common knowledge that these engines consume oil doesn't mean a low oil level should be shrugged off as if it's a "normal operation" thing. It's also common knowledge that filling your fuel tank with watered-down gasoline will cause engine issues. Would you dismiss it like "Eh, ALL engines run like shit with water in the tank" and keep on filling it with the watery gasoline? It's a design flaw and the word being so widespread means it's an issue that needs special attention. Simply monitoring the oil level is the first step. Going by the low oil light isn't a safe way of monitoring.

On the other hand, there's probably just enough oil in the sump that the pickup is still submerged at lower RPM. So, your short and leisurely drives are probably why you haven't had any issues with running it low on oil. Now, if you were in a situation where you had the engine at high RPM for a little while (quickly accelerating to merge or pass, etc.), then the sump might be sucked dry and you could possibly damage or destroy something.

 

[Rocket Man]

So you wouldn't buy a vehicle from me because I follow basic oil changing guidelines? That sounds kinda silly. 3-5k change your oil and filter. Unless you know something different, seems kinda silly. Because I am not a guru or enthusiast, you assume I'm a bad vehicle owner? I follow almost all basic guidelines and what the manual says to do.

And if you are buying a used vehicle, unless you get a certified dealership vehicle or someone who can prove with receipts what has been done and serviced you are taking a risk.

I'm not perfect and or that knowledgeable with vehicles tbh, but I follow the basic guidelines of the manual and what I know needs done. Have I made mistakes or missed something, of course. But everyone does. Hell, I am in love with your crewcab, but it still has issues. So does that make you a bad owner? Of course not.

Just because I don't check a dipstick doesn't mean i'm a bad owner. Come on man.....

Because you wait until the low oil light comes on to add oil. That’s causing damage whether you want to admit it or not. That’s only there as a last resort before you do serious damage. You’re probably running 2 quarts or more low on oil at that point. Oil maintenance is the single most important item to pay attention to, it’s the lifeblood of your engine. And remember, it’s you who started this by saying “who checks their oil with a dipstick anyway?” It’s common sense engine maintenance. And I don’t see why you would bring a totally custom bagged vehicle like my CC into this fray. I am meticulous on maintenance on all my vehicles, especially engine oil. I even check the levels and change the fluids in my transmissions, differentials and transfer cases. Dipsticks are there for a reason. The day they quit putting them in is the day they they aren’t needed, because engines won’t use oil for lubrication by then. So I don’t care if you disagree, nor if you check your oil but I won’t buy a vehicle from somebody who I know doesn’t because if you’re running it so low on oil for the light to come on, you’re most likely damaging your engine. These LS-based engines will run for 400-500,000 miles or more if they’re maintained right. But not if they’re run low on oil.

 

[CHOO CHOO]

Doesn't matter if it's a TSB. It'll only be covered if it's a recall and even then there may be a time or mileage limitation which I'm sure you'd be well beyond anyway. A TSB is basically just the manufacturer saying "We officially recognize a problem and here's our recommended/approved course of action". Generally, a recall is issued only if it's a matter of safety being compromised.

Also, not to ride you about the oil thing, but just because it's common knowledge that these engines consume oil doesn't mean a low oil level should be shrugged off as if it's a "normal operation" thing. It's also common knowledge that filling your fuel tank with watered-down gasoline will cause engine issues. Would you dismiss it like "Eh, ALL engines run like shit with water in the tank" and keep on filling it with the watery gasoline? It's a design flaw and the word being so widespread means it's an issue that needs special attention. Simply monitoring the oil level is the first step. Going by the low oil light isn't a safe way of monitoring.

On the other hand, there's probably just enough oil in the sump that the pickup is still submerged at lower RPM. So, your short and leisurely drives are probably why you haven't had any issues with running it low on oil. Now, if you were in a situation where you had the engine at high RPM for a little while (quickly accelerating to merge or pass, etc.), then the sump might be sucked dry and you could possibly damage or destroy something.

Thank you. That makes sense that a surge or rush of rpms draining it rapidly can cause more harm or seize.

And how would I know if I put watery gasoline in the vehicle. The gas stations i usually go to are the same 2-3 and have never had problems.

My whole point in this, is that I try my best to follow the guidelines provided. Busting my balls because I don't check the dipstick when I change the oil or add a qt seems a bit absurd. If the oil light comes on and I add a qt and it goes away, it should be safe imo. I would sincerely hope that if the oil light goes off and it is still low on oil, that gm would have the light setting set a bit on the safe side to allow a bit of cushion in how much oil is still inside.

I change my oil around 5k, and follow the owners manual guidelines. Relax, my used vehicle will still get you safely down the road for quite some time.

 

[Fless]

I change my oil around 5k, and follow the owners manual guidelines.

I would think that your owner's manual would have something like this:

 

[CHOO CHOO]

Because you wait until the low oil light comes on to add oil. That’s causing damage whether you want to admit it or not. That’s only there as a last resort before you do serious damage. You’re probably running 2 quarts or more low on oil at that point. Oil maintenance is the single most important item to pay attention to, it’s the lifeblood of your engine. And remember, it’s you who started this by saying “who checks their oil with a dipstick anyway?” It’s common sense engine maintenance. And I don’t see why you would bring a totally custom bagged vehicle like my CC into this fray. I am meticulous on maintenance on all my vehicles, especially engine oil. I even check the levels and change the fluids in my transmissions, differentials and transfer cases. Dipsticks are there for a reason. The day they quit putting them in is the day they they aren’t needed, because engines won’t use oil for lubrication by then. So I don’t care if you disagree, nor if you check your oil but I won’t buy a vehicle from somebody who I know doesn’t because if you’re running it so low on oil for the light to come on, you’re most likely damaging your engine. These LS-based engines will run for 400-500,000 miles or more if they’re maintained right. But not if they’re run low on oil.

So enlighten me on why these engines are known to have consumption problems. And you are basing your words on most people in here, not on the average driver. I extremely doubt the average driver checks their dipstick on the regular. They go by what sticker the mechanic puts in the windshield and when it says to change the oil next. I can't speak for everyone, but I can't say I've ever known someone to regularly check their oil. They change it when it's time to be changed.

And I bring your cc into this because of how meticulous you are with it. I follow your build on here and know what you do. But I know there are issues as well. Some may be out of your hand or not done by you, but, you bought it used if I'm not mistaken.

My point is that there is no reason to bust someone's balls about not using a dipstick. The low oil light is there just like a check engine light. If something is wrong, the light comes on. Just because someone doesn't monitor everything on their vehicle doesn't mean something is gonna go bad. My check engine light is on actually, my evap sensor is bad. Should I have checked that routinely? No. My brakes are squeaking a little, I checked them and the pads are fine. When I went camping last year, my vehicle was running great. Went up the mountains and a caliper seized. Should I have checked that somehow beforehand? How will I know if a caliper is gonna seize by looking at it. See where I am going with this? Relax man, I change my oil and filter regularly. It's still a reliable vehicle.

 

[CHOO CHOO]

I would think that your owner's manual would have something like this:

View attachment 221002

Do you follow each of these at each fill of your gas tank? If not, why not?

 

[Sam Harris]

Thank you. That makes sense that a surge or rush of rpms draining it rapidly can cause more harm or seize.

And how would I know if I put watery gasoline in the vehicle. The gas stations i usually go to are the same 2-3 and have never had problems.

My whole point in this, is that I try my best to follow the guidelines provided. Busting my balls because I don't check the dipstick when I change the oil or add a qt seems a bit absurd. If the oil light comes on and I add a qt and it goes away, it should be safe imo. I would sincerely hope that if the oil light goes off and it is still low on oil, that gm would have the light setting set a bit on the safe side to allow a bit of cushion in how much oil is still inside.

I change my oil around 5k, and follow the owners manual guidelines. Relax, my used vehicle will still get you safely down the road for quite some time.

You started this discussion, knowing you were going to be berated for not properly checking your oil.
Waiting until the light comes on is clearly not the proper way to maintain your vehicle. (I’m sure you recognize this, but seems you’re arguing to troll it a bit)
Any of us reading the thread know you wait to add oil until the light comes on, and I’d say most of us would shy away from even a killer deal on one of your vehicles.
When you buy any used vehicle, you take a chance, not knowing how it’s been maintained (barring those awesome owners who meticulously maintain, and log the data). That’s a very different situation from buying a vehicle from someone KNOWING they wait to add oil until the light comes on.
This is not equivalent to an oil interval light. Hey, you’re at 5%, get it done. This is, hey, you’ve dropped below a critical threshold, and you need to address it now!
I’d also argue you do not follow the owners manual “guidelines”, as stated, since every single vehicle I’ve ever owned advises you to check the oil frequently, along with other -far less important fluids.

I wasn’t planning on chiming in, but after your numerous responses, claiming you’re not hurting anything, and initial statement, you knew this was coming, and decided to spur us all on with your responses.

 

[iamdub]

Thank you. That makes sense that a surge or rush of rpms draining it rapidly can cause more harm or seize.

And how would I know if I put watery gasoline in the vehicle. The gas stations i usually go to are the same 2-3 and have never had problems.

My whole point in this, is that I try my best to follow the guidelines provided. Busting my balls because I don't check the dipstick when I change the oil or add a qt seems a bit absurd. If the oil light comes on and I add a qt and it goes away, it should be safe imo. I would sincerely hope that if the oil light goes off and it is still low on oil, that gm would have the light setting set a bit on the safe side to allow a bit of cushion in how much oil is still inside.

I change my oil around 5k, and follow the owners manual guidelines. Relax, my used vehicle will still get you safely down the road for quite some time.

You wouldn't know about the watery gas until you started driving away from the station. But all that's beside the point.

Bottom line to the low oil thing is that it's risky. With your driving, you're PROBABLY ok, but, it's still being unnecessarily risky. I understand you live a risky lifestyle, but why bring your ****** hauler into it?

I agree that having enough oil to turn the light off should be "safe". But that's "safe" for gentle operation. If 1-2 quarts low was safe for all driving conditions, then GM wouldn't design it to hold 6 quarts. They had to account for the engine being at an angle when traveling up and down steep grades, the amount that is sucked from the sump at higher RPM before it can drain back into it, etc.

 

[CHOO CHOO]

You started this discussion, knowing you were going to be berated for not properly checking your oil.
Waiting until the light comes on is clearly not the proper way to maintain your vehicle. (I’m sure you recognize this, but seems you’re arguing to troll it a bit)
Any of us reading the thread know you wait to add oil until the light comes on, and I’d say most of us would shy away from even a killer deal on one of your vehicles.
When you buy any used vehicle, you take a chance, not knowing how it’s been maintained (barring those awesome owners who meticulously maintain, and log the data). That’s a very different situation from buying a vehicle from someone KNOWING they wait to add oil until the light comes on.
This is not equivalent to an oil interval light. Hey, you’re at 5%, get it done. This is, hey, you’ve dropped below a critical threshold, and you need to address it now!
I’d also argue you do not follow the owners manual “guidelines”, as stated, since every single vehicle I’ve ever owned advises you to check the oil frequently, along with other -far less important fluids.

I wasn’t planning on chiming in, but after your numerous responses, claiming you’re not hurting anything, and initial statement, you knew this was coming, and decided to spur us all on with your responses.

Do you follow these guidelines to a tee? If not, why? Do you check all of them at each fuel fill? I highly doubt it.

The light says hey you've dropped below the critical threshold address it now, so that's what I did. And yet somehow GM knows about a very common oil consumption issue and still let's it go? If GM's tolerance is about 1qt per 1k miles from most of the comments I've read, then I'm within tolerance am I not mistaken? There has to be a tolerance and safe net for when the light to come on.

I'm not trying to troll or stir up shit, I just think it's excessive. With as digital as we are these days and having all the technology we do, most of these things are factored in and alert us when something arises.

At what point is critical? When the light comes on, is it at a critical point? Can you prove it is or is not?

If my DIC can monitor my oil life by mileage, there is no reason my oil gauge can't be monitored by the DIC as well. My gas tank light comes on and tells me when or if I'm low. Is it a crime to let your tank light come on too?

That's what the notification is for. I know these vehicles have an oil consumption issue. When the light comes on, I add a qt of oil and get it changed soon. The light goes off, then I know it's at a safe level according to my DIC.

It's a notification. If you can prove as to whether it's for a critical point or just that you are a little low, then I will apologize if I am wrong.

 

[HiHoeSilver]

Fair enough. And in that retrospect, I completely understand. So here is my counter(even it maybe be reckless)

At what point is it going to start causing harm to the engine? I would assume that the alert is there to notify you of a potential/future problem. But if the engine is running at 4.5-5 qts, is that still considered safe? Will it cause harm? If so, why would GM not have the warning light come on sooner?

Either way, I think I will look into the tsb and seeing if blackbear can turn off my afm.

Well, I'm not sure really what's "safe" or not, but here's what I do know...

I have pushed my OCI by 1000 each of my last two changes. First time from 4k to 5k, based on analysis and recommendation from Blackstone. Numbers came back great. Level showed within a quart of full when changed. I didn't plan on really pushing past 5k (even though the lab said I could), but winter sucked severely, and I ended up going 6k. I also slacked on checking the stick because cold=lazy in my world. When I finally changed it, I was almost 2 qts low! (never got a message or light. Maybe nbs doesn't have it?) If I could kick myself in the nuts, I would have. And the oil analysis.....? Oil was fine, but my engine wear numbers (aluminum, iron, and lead) MORE THAN TRIPLED.

I will NOT be doing that again. Hopefully with a shorter interval and CONSISTENTLY CHECKING the stick, my numbers will go back to my "normal" this time around.

 

[CHOO CHOO]

You wouldn't know about the watery gas until you started driving away from the station. But all that's beside the point.

Bottom line to the low oil thing is that it's risky. With your driving, you're PROBABLY ok, but, it's still being unnecessarily risky. I understand you live a risky lifestyle, but why bring your ****** hauler into it? [emoji14]

I agree that having enough oil to turn the light off should be "safe". But that's "safe" for gentle operation. If 1-2 quarts low was safe for all driving conditions, then GM wouldn't design it to hold 6 quarts. They had to account for the engine being at an angle when traveling up and down steep grades, the amount that is sucked from the sump at higher RPM before it can drain back into it, etc.

Leave the hookers out of this! Hahaha

I know it may seem risky to most on here, but I'm not an enthusiast and super meticulous. I change things when they need to be changed and fill my tank when I need to or want to. You said a good few words. "They had to account for"
Why would GM not account for low oil light and have it come on early. They know how most are(myself included) and change the oil when it says to (my case 5k) and do the routine maintenance it calls for. They would have to play it safe for the average consumer, not the enthusiasts.

I chang my oil very close to 5k. If I add oil, I know I need to change it soon and get it done as soon as I can by myself or my mechanic.

The next time it's in the shop, I'll have him heck for leaks and see what he says.

 

[CHOO CHOO]

Well, I'm not sure really what's "safe" or not, but here's what I do know...

I have pushed my OCI by 1000 each of my last two changes. First time from 4k to 5k, based on analysis and recommendation from Blackstone. Numbers came back great. Level showed within a quart of full when changed. I didn't plan on really pushing past 5k (even though the lab said I could), but winter sucked severely, and I ended up going 6k. I also slacked on checking the stick because cold=lazy in my world. When I finally changed it, I was almost 2 qts low! (never got a message or light. Maybe nbs doesn't have it?) If I could kick myself in the nuts, I would have. And the oil analysis.....? Oil was fine, but my engine wear numbers (aluminum, iron, and lead) MORE THAN TRIPLED.

I will NOT be doing that again. Hopefully with a shorter interval and CONSISTENTLY CHECKING the stick, my numbers will go back to my "normal" this time around.

See, info like this is more of why I am here and we are all here. To learn. So it being two qts low caused that much more wear? The numbers I assume you mean what metals where found in the oil and how much? If that's the case, then this is more info that I need to read/hear. This is viable info imo. What's safe and not safe is hard to prove without some sort of ability to measure. Your oil analysis gives this ability. I doubt going over your 5k rule is what did it, more of it being low. If it was full and you went 6k, I wonder if it would be the same. Well, I know you won't be testing that theory .. hahaha



Again, relax. I'll start checking the dipstick and you can keep calling me one. Thank you for giving me viable Info to prove me wrong.