2014 GMC Yukon XL Oil Pressure Low, Stop Engine Light

[Jason McInerney]

Hi all, first time poster! Absolutely appreciate any help.


My 2014 GMC Yukon XL (SLT) has what may be a unique issue. Please note that I do not work on any cars, much less my own. I open the hood once every now and again to make my wife think I am useful.

Over the last 12 months, the display has read out: "Oil Pressure Low, Stop Engine" 3 times. It seems to happen right around the time an oil change is due or roughly every 5k miles. There is no change in the sound of the engine nor is there any change in the way the car drives. But, the oil pressure gauge drops as I accelerate then goes a bit haywire.

This has happened 3 times over the past year and each time, I immediately went to get an oil change. This solved the problem, for a period.

In addition, I took it to the dealership (I am guessing my powertrain warranty would cover this problem, not matter what it is) and left it with them for a few hours and they couldn't find anything wrong. I do not trust this dealership. In addition I took it to them AFTER the oil change AFTER the most recent oil pressure warning.

The truck has 75k miles on it and is treated kindly. Synthetic oil changes every 7k miles and I try to keep up with most of the required maintenance. I drive the speed limit and rarely put the peddle to the floor. I am the second owner and have had it since 2014 when it had 18k miles.

The obvious answer is that I have to tow the car to the dealership the next time the oil pressure warning shows up. But without trusting them and assuming all or most GMC dealerships will try to push me away until i'm over 100k miles, I'm wondering if anyone has had or seen this particular issue? Maybe there is something obvious I should be asking the dealership to do?

One last thing: the stick is dry when the oil pressure signal comes on. I've checked that each time. I understand the stick will only tell me that it's low between 0.0-1.0 qt. and no oil is leaking from under the car and there is no evidence on the interior of the engine of any abnormal discoloration nor any weird but consistent smells. I have not seen an oil level low warning of any kind, either.


Thanks for even the smallest clues leading me to my next step!



Jay

 

[PG01]

Ok first thing is you need to check your oil more often.
when there is no oil on the 'stick' that is a bad thing.
Even when the engine is hot, which means after driving 10-15 minutes, there should be oil on the dipstick.
After the truck cools down, again 5-10-15 minutes the oil level on the dip stick should be in the higher range on the dipstick in the xhatch pattern.
when its hot, not running, the oil level will be lower portion on the xhatch pattern until it all drains down to the bottom of the motor into the oil pan.
I think you are experiencing a low oil level in turn triggering your warning lights etc.
When you get a chance search for AFM catch cans and oil consumption in 07-14 tahoes/yukons/suburbans and read up on it this will explain alot
Most inportant is to make sure your oil level is correct and for your situation i would check every couple of weeks inbetween oil changes.
Hope i helped some

 

[Jason McInerney]

Ok first thing is you need to check your oil more often.
when there is no oil on the 'stick' that is a bad thing.
Even when the engine is hot, which means after driving 10-15 minutes, there should be oil on the dipstick.
After the truck cools down, again 5-10-15 minutes the oil level on the dip stick should be in the higher range on the dipstick in the xhatch pattern.
when its hot, not running, the oil level will be lower portion on the xhatch pattern until it all drains down to the bottom of the motor into the oil pan.
I think you are experiencing a low oil level in turn triggering your warning lights etc.
When you get a chance search for AFM catch cans and oil consumption in 07-14 tahoes/yukons/suburbans and read up on it this will explain alot
Most inportant is to make sure your oil level is correct and for your situation i would check every couple of weeks inbetween oil changes.
Hope i helped some

I can't even begin to tell you how appreciative I am of your help. I will start tracking the oil with regularity.. I was also thinking that the low oil level was probably tripping the oil pressure sensor. But, I couldn't imagine how so much oil would be disappearing over such a short period of time.. especially with no physical evidence. The shady dealership told me that it's normal for this model/year to lose 1 qt. between oil changes. But if it is losing 1 qt between oil changes, would that be enough to reduce the oil pressure to a dangerous level? I am wondering out loud how low the oil level would probably/maybe have to be, to cause a dangerous dip in oil pressure. Thanks again, I really appreciate it. I'm definitely hoping to have this resolved before i hit 100k miles and i'll immediately do the research you suggested. Thanks again!

 

[PG01]

Best thing for you to do is keep an eye on the level.
Not getting too detailed....
I believe in oil changes every 3-5000 miles, thats what i learned thats what i do....(my honda is a different story, a long, different story)
1 quart normal, well yes and no....imo its not normal for any engine to go thru a quart of oil, (im not talking about race, built, beat up, old or any motor other then a stock old reg engine such as what is in your truck or mine) in between changes. that being said, there are many factors, too many factors, to take into consideration, type of oil used, time in between oil changes, driving habits, conditon of vehicle etc.
gm's oil life monitor is, again imo, is just a timer, counter, whatever u want to call it. More of a suggestion as to when to change your oil. Not a very good system imo.
They say todays synthetic (some conventionals too) dont break down as fast but to me, the longer oil is in and engine, running or not, the more it breaks down which in turn has less lubrication and in turn wears down engine parts faster which then, an engine can and may burn oil....or not.
gm has a design flaw, imo, that they wont own up to, unless pushed and then its still a fight to get them to repair/replace components of your engine.
I hope you didnt hurt the motor by running it low on oil but if it sounds and feels the same to you, you should be fine, no trying to scare you but low oil level and pressure can hurt it. Check the oil more often.
Bottom line here, point im trying to make, is for you, the owner of the vehicle, is to keep up on maintenance and to check your oil more frequently then you are used to. In your owners manual, if you have one, they suggest you check your oil at every gas fill, well they used to say that.
This is mostly my opinion and i hope i helped you out.
Do look into the AFM, catch can, oil consumption issues, you will be surprised.
Good luck