Sugar Bears 2015 GMC Terrain SLE-2 2.4 AWD

Grumpy Bear · April 8, 2022

UOA

4/7/2022

1,750 miles on this OCI. (Similar to last test length)

No oil change.

Ordered and sent an Advanced UOA from Synthetic Advantage Lab. Should be there by Monday and perhaps results by that evening for posting. As Paul Harvey would say, "Stand by for news!"

Questions I have this will answer:

1.) Stuck rings increased wear. We freed the rings. Did the wear abate?

2.) How much impact, if any, did this have on the percent fuel dilution?

3) Did the last 'tweaks' of the CCV system have any impact on H20 concentrations?

4.) Will Kirkland without TRIAX S-7 perform as well as with it? (wear)

5) If 3 and 4 improved what impact does this have on TBN/TAN and JOAP indexing numbers?

CadillacLuke24 · April 9, 2022

With the Northstar V8 (yes I know the can of worms we could open with this. I love the Northstar but am well aware of its flaws), it was known to consume oil and or stick the rings from plodding around town

One recommended 'cleaning' procedure for the engine was the WOT procedure. Ideally, with a 4spd trans, stick it in second, spool it up to damn near redline, and coast down from there. The concept is the engine braking was creating a vacuum, and that would forcibly remove carbon from the combustion chambers and the cylinder rings, properly seating the rings and allowing them to function as intended.

Several members on the Cadillac forums noted it helped oil consumption, I noticed my DeVille runs better after, it works well with the Camaro, and it works well with the Silverado. Of note, engine braking down Casper mountain for several minutes at a time at a sustained 4000 RPM also does the trick.

May not be your cup of tea, but a possible remedy to your current malady.

KARNUT · April 9, 2022

1 hour ago, CadillacLuke24 said:

With the Northstar V8 (yes I know the can of worms we could open with this. I love the Northstar but am well aware of its flaws), it was known to consume oil and or stick the rings from plodding around town

One recommended 'cleaning' procedure for the engine was the WOT procedure. Ideally, with a 4spd trans, stick it in second, spool it up to damn near redline, and coast down from there. The concept is the engine braking was creating a vacuum, and that would forcibly remove carbon from the combustion chambers and the cylinder rings, properly seating the rings and allowing them to function as intended.

Several members on the Cadillac forums noted it helped oil consumption, I noticed my DeVille runs better after, it works well with the Camaro, and it works well with the Silverado. Of note, engine braking down Casper mountain for several minutes at a time at a sustained 4000 RPM also does the trick.

May not be your cup of tea, but a possible remedy to your current malady.

Reminds me of the 5.7 diesel. We had 3 all required weekend fixes. Later the 6.5. We had three in pickups. Our local dealer advised us to not keep them past the warranty period. With the exception of me no other Chevy trucks were purchased again in my family business. Usually what happens they finally get them right after people lose confidence and quit buying. I even had two Pontic Fieros and loved them, especially the V-6 GT. Grumpys little SUV and cylinder deactivation makes me wary of GM.

Grumpy Bear · April 12, 2022

#3 UOA.

Wear rates are dramatically reduced. Piston and Bore wear arrested. Result of free rings.

We now have 697 additional miles on this unit since this sample was drawn. 2,435 miles accumulated with no additions required.

The oil is highly stressed by both viscosity metrics (Now a 5W20) and Indexing numbers (Oxidation, Sulfation). It is doing what an oil should do. Sacrifice itself to protect the motor. And winning!! This batch has fought a good fight and it's time to retire it. Fresh oil to arrive tomorrow. Until I get on the schedule OCI's will be shortened to 1.5K miles. TBN is depleted.

Fuel dilution continues to plague this motor (5.2%) as I wait for a slot in the shops schedule. Injectors have been on the bench two weeks now.

Staying with the Kirkland seems a good choice looking in the rearview mirror. Will stay on same until fuel is under control.

Hat's off to Synthetic Advantage and a shout of thanks for your service.

Grumpy Bear · April 12, 2022

167,362 Mile Service

4/12/2022

2,453 OCI

1 ounce make up oil

Oil usage this OCI was .0092% of fuel. 70% below the Engineering lower limit

28.93 MPG this OCI. Up a tick.

5 Quarts Super Tech 5W30 High Mileage (Picked up wrong jug)

NAPA 27802 cellulose filter. (cheap).

Decided not to wait on COSTCO order as it is to rain next few days. Meant to use the Super Tech just not the HM version.

Pulled Valvomax this time to get complete drain of stressed oil. Took a bath in oil. :crackup: (Wasn't funny when it happened)

Have a tentative appointment for Friday IF he ever finishes the Ford Power Joke he's wrestling with.

Edited April 30, 2022 by Grumpy Bear

customboss · April 13, 2022

It's a breath of fresh air to see someone on this board use science to correct a troubled engine.

Thanks to Nick of SYNTHETIC ADVANTAGE for offering the testing and Grumpy Bear to share its use here.

One of my nieces has a 2013 Buick Lacrosse, she is an underpaid school teacher ( who drives it for UBER to make ends meet for her family) in Indiana. AT 90,000 miles on the 3.6 V6 with FWD transaxle her mechanics told her the transmission was failing.

Clutch plates break/crack on the transaxles in this design and her's was slipping intermittently but shifting fine. So that wasn't the issue.

I had her take to 5 different places in Bloomington IN and all wouldn't service it but they did pull codes of course. All told her they would not service it and that they would change her transmission....for $4500 to $7500.

Everybody read the 2 MIL/TCM codes circuit press low D and E. There was no code on MIL indicator in cockpit. Just internal to TCM.

I finally found a place to flush and fill trans with BG machine and requested AMSOIL ATL be installed.

While up and connecting the BG machine they found both return and pressure lines leaking. Codes were right. Two lines replaced no leaks. No air to suck in and no fluid slowly leaking out.

After service its running and shifting like a top. The BS that says a AT or Autotransaxle cannot be serviced and run another 100,000 miles is a ripoff propagated online and in the tech field of repair.

Beware.

Grumpy Bear · April 24, 2022

168,000 Mile Services

168,014 actual maintenance and 165,028 oil change.

663 OCI

5 Quarts Kirkland 5W30, no filter

Motor-Vac prior to injector change.

Changed all four injectors and fuel pipe between rail and HPFP

Epoxied the 1/16" PCV hole closed. New CCV system is now the only system. Live or die; it is what it is now.

Intake runners and valve backs looked VERY GOOD so just touch up work for new gaskets.

Washed out intake manifold prior to epoxy work. NO OIL IN MANIFOLD.

Cleaned throttle body and MAF sensor.

New gaskets though out. Every part used; GM Direct Fit.

I changed oil early 1.) Motor -Vac chemicals 2.) Reset zero for fuel dilution test to come. I don't want any interference from past issues clouding current progress.

Okay then. So much for this PVC system dumping oil into the intake manifold. So much for a catch can requirement due to the modifications.

Post Mortem: Coking of the tips showed severe spray pattern issues. Coking that even cleanings and pour in cures did not solve.

I'll run this oil 500 miles. Dump and fill with a good filter and run again for 1500 then test for fuel. That's the plan.

Edited April 24, 2022 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · April 26, 2022

168,566 Services

4/26/2022

517.6 miles this OCI This was the purge shot from the Motor-Vac procedure. Already looked 2K miles old.

5 Quarts Kirkland Signature 5W30

1 FRAM XG9018 filter

I'll run this batch to 170,000 and sample a bit before that. Next move pending results of TUNER test from Synthetic Advantage.

On the run over the last 36 hours it ran very nice and with a marked increase, yet unquantified, in fuel efficiency. She gave me a one tank measured result in 25 mph winds it normally takes a dead calm day and much slower driving to obtain. But being the data junkie I am I know one data point is not a trend.

Spend some time on this picture and note all the differences.

FRAM ULTRA Synthetic Filters are 99% at 20 Micron.

Grumpy Bear · May 1, 2022

Scan Gauge II Calibration

5/1/2022

Enough was enough. Different pumps at different stations on different slopes gave some wild swings between pump and gauge records. Every once in awhile as much as a gallon. Lot's of reasons for this and it got stupid after the injector swap.

So....I filled it at the local Casey's until it would not take another drop and drove it for half a tank.

2 gallons past the average first 'click" Affirmed when it took 2 gallons more used to get off the full mark

Picked a pump and a direction at a quite store with a reputation for an honest fill. On the second fill the State Inspector was there calibrating MY pump. I waited and we talked. Got a nice little education and a perfect pump for the refill. Blah blah bla...now three fills later I have repeatability to within fractions of a tenth of a LITER. Ounces of difference or the same as the 3 draw method the State uses. Now what ever this Scan Gauge says it used is what it used no matter how much fuel it takes at the pump varied by whatever affects that 2 gallon vapor space. Nearlly 2X the pre injector offset. And now...back to looking for cheaper gas than Casey's. :crackup: And a reliable gauge that says what it means and means what it says.

Tire pressure adjustment for seasonal changes. -2 psi.

Grumpy Bear · May 3, 2022

169,643 Update

5/2/2022

1,077 miles this OCI.

No make up oil.

On the stick it looks minty fresh! A bit darker in a bottle but really good.

Smells like combustion not gasoline.

Mrs. Bear is giving Dizzy the acid test this week. Road Trip!!

I expect sampling pretty soon for conformation.

Fuel economy is holding steady.

It feels no different before and after the last few months steady work. :nonod:

Not to me, not to my crew chief.

Question GM. How screwed up does it take to trip an MIL???

customboss · May 3, 2022

When vapors leak or exhaust blows above EPA emissions bag limits

Grumpy Bear · May 4, 2022

30,000 Miles of Fuel Data

Two summers and a winter's worth. There is allot of noise in this chart and some really wild tank to tank swings I hope I have a better handle on this with the latest calibration of the fuel meter. Averages and Standard Deviation Bars help make some sense of it. Red bars are for the deviation of Cumulative Average and the Yellow tank to tank over season to season. Both 1 sd.

Grumpy Bear · May 5, 2022

170,000 Miles

5/4/2022

169,869 actual when pulled.

1,303 miles for this test

@ 90 miles to the next oil change. What goes in is determined by this test.

Scope: Do we have fuel dilution under control? :dunno:

3 Ounce TUNER sample drawn and will be sent in AM to:

Attention: Nick Mikitka

Synthetic Advantage Lab

20338 Progress Drive

Strongsville, Ohio 44149

diyer2 · May 5, 2022

Grumpy,

Is that lab better for oil analysis? Cost?

Grumpy Bear · May 5, 2022

5 minutes ago, diyer2 said:

Grumpy,

Is that lab better for oil analysis? Cost?

Better.......I always have trouble with that word. Better is kind of a preference. I'd say More Useful and for me a better value.

I use it because they do the test I think need doing. And a few of the test done, like fuel dilution is done with a GC and not an extrapolation from a Flash Cup test. I've done flash cup testing and it's more art than science when it comes to Fuel Dilution. Flash cup is more like hitting the dart board. GC is hitting the Bullseye.

They do a Karl Fisher water test. Something I've done many of myself and know its accuracy is true to the PPM. Other sometimes do a 'crackle test". Again that one is like hitting the wall the dart board is on vs the Bullseye.

Yes they cost more than some others but I also trust the results more.

On the full test he runs not just the TBN but the TAN as well. That little fact is the one that actually sold me on this outfit. Others test only TBN which is half a picture puzzle.

That said some others have an Ala Cart menu this one does not which can be cheaper if you are looking for something very specific. For example if you want an ISO cleanliness test..it isn't offered in the current Synthetic Advantage Menu. Blackstone does them however.

This TUNER test is $60 and the full enchilada is $158. That was my last two invoices anyway. To be certain drop Nick a PM on costing. He is easy to talk to and will answer all your questions. @Black02Silverado