Wifes07LT

About 2 months ago, the car was having trouble with cold starts. It was acting like the fuel pump was losing pressure as the car sat overnight. Once started, it ran perfectly fine, no noises, no vibrations, no lights in the dash. I had the car in the garage about 3 weeks ago to do an oil change and when I pulled the drain plug, less than a quart of oil came out of it. I do not see any oil on the engine from the top, the entire underside of the car is bone dry, there have been no spots on the ground under the car, and there has not been any smoke coming out of the tailpipe. I filled it with new oil and changed the filter, and now 3 weeks later, it seems to be about a quart low. I'm baffled!! Any common problems with oil loss with these that anyone knows of? Any common gasket failures? Maybe all the snow and salt washed away the leaked oil (stretching on that one)? I don't even know.

It's a an 07 HHR LT 2.2L with just over 100k on it, synthetic 5w30 since it was purchased brand new.

whopper

Less than one quart came out? That alone is a major problem. I'm surprised it still runs, having run that low on oil.

No, there are only isolated incidents of oil leaks that come to mind - no common issues. Valve cover gasket is about the most common issue, and it's infrequent - it can also leak into the spark plug wells, so that needs to be checked as well as the perimeter of the valve cover.

Any signs of oil in the coolant system?

A compression test may be in order.

firemangeorge

That much oil loss, if it's showing no signs of leakage then it is burning it through the exhaust.
You say no signs of smoke from the tailpipe. Maybe not at idle, but it could be under acceleration where you may not notice it.

As whopper suggested, you should get a compression test done. During the test, take a close look at the plugs. I'll bet you'll find a oil fouled plug that will point you to the problem cylinder.

donbrew

After you prove that it is burning oil.
You MAY be lucky enough that you only have a stuck oil control ring. In which case you MAY also be lucky enough that a SeaFoam Top cleaning will fix it.

I am sort of surprised that you are not getting a P0420 code.

Wifes07LT

I am utterly amazed at a few things..... A.) That it was still running, B.) That I had no driveability issues or running issues at all, C.) That I didn't have any codes or even an oil light, D.) That I am not finding any leaking oil. I would think if I had a fouled plug, it would be misfiring. I'm going to get it in the garage again this weekend, pull the airbox, and get a really close look at it. Thanks guys for your responses, I'll update with my findings

whopper

Best of luck with it. Crossing our fingers for you. Let us know what you find if possible.

Oh, you can also check the tailpipe for excessive black soot - a thin layer is pretty much the norm, but look for fluffy/flakey stuff.

donbrew

Pretty much the same thing happened with my 2011 LT. It suddenly burned 2 quarts in a thousand miles, but I got a P0420 (inefficient cat). When I pulled the cat off to inspect it, the out end was all tarred up. Also found a bad flange gasket and a bad EVAP solenoid (under the hood).

I replaced the parts and a new #2 O2 sensor, did 2 intensive SeaFoam top cleans, now life is nice.

novadude

My car was the test mule for Weapon-R to use for their cold air intake, I have been experiencing greater than normal oil loss, started about 5000 miles ago (96K)I have cleaned the filter(microfiber) regularly, but when i looked inside the intake at the throttle body I find slightly oily dust, but the air tube that goes into the valve cover isnt very oily, pulled one plug and it was a little brown but not oily, i have had to add 3 quarts over the past 3K miles,, goin to pull all plugs and do compression check, not sure after that.

Cheech81

Strange thing I've found is that I'm having the exact same issue! Was hard starting on the first start of the day, just like there was no fuel pressure, it would fire up, sputter and stall. Then the second attempt it ran fine. All of the sudden my oil pressure light came on last week and there was nothing left!!! Now it smells like it burning oil like crazy but still runs fine... Just changed the oil (wasn't much left) and its still birning oil. Has anyone used a product that worked to clean up the oil rings??

whopper

Welcome, fellow BC'r!!!

Running low or out of oil as you experienced often is the kiss of death to an engine. Hopefully it hasn't caused major long-term damage.

You can try some SEAFOAM - a lot of people on the forum have good stuff to say about the stuff. Here is an article on it - SEA FOAM! What Is It And Why Should You Use It

I think Canadian Tire and LordCo carries it. Make sure you do that oil and filter change fairly soon after that first treatment.

It is worth a try, but I wouldn't put much faith in it - but hey, one may just luck out on it. :)

Are there any oil leaks that may have been the cause of the initial oil loss? The valve cover, oil filter cap and the oil pressure sensor (on the front of the engine above the starter) are about the only known oil leak sources.

If it wasn't an oil leak issue, then someone needs to step up on the frequency of checking the oil level. And of course frequent oil and filter changes as per the owners manual recommendations are key as well.

If you try Seafoam, let us know how it worked. Others will hopefully add some suggestions for you as well. Best of luck.

ps: re slow starting - it may well be losing fuel pressure over time as it sits. You will need a fuel pressure gauge to attach to the fuel rail (or do the cheap and easy, but potentially dangerous method of pressing the valve on the fuel rail after it sits overnight before attempting to start it - use a rag or paper towel to catch the fuel - there should be a squirt of fuel that would indicate there is some pressure there - this isn't recommended at all, but if you do it you are on your own, be very careful, you don't want a fire and it MUST be done outside!!!)