Sugar Bears 2015 GMC Terrain SLE-2 2.4 AWD

Grumpy Bear · April 6, 2020

https://pqia.org/kirkland-signature-full-synthetic-sae-5w-30-motor-oil/

Better read than I would have given it credit for.

Grumpy Bear · May 3, 2020

5/2/2020

117,102 miles and down a half a quart. That works out to about a quart in 3,600 miles. That is an improvement from a quart in 2,700 miles. Fuel efficiency is up some.

So...if you want to run a 2.4 like a 5.3 they 5K OCI's is not nearly often enough. Wife says, "Whatever". :shakehead:

Grumpy Bear · May 7, 2020

Ordered a can for the next oil change. Flush the shop used was primarily kerosene. Many OTC flushes are.

This stuff contains:

cyclohexanone 15 - 40%

2-(propyloxy)ethanol 10 - 30 %

Some pretty aggressive solvents.

As much progress as the last procedure gave I think there is more to be done.

Grumpy Bear · May 26, 2020

Short Service Interval for BG ERP Flushing

5/26/2020

117,782 miles

3,327 service interval.

Used 1 quart this service.

It's an improvement.

This morning was the first time in months there wasn't any water in the cap.

Making progress. PVC now fully functional. Actual vacuum.

There is no darker black than what came out of this motor after the flush. Was pretty dark beforehand.

4.75 Quarts NAPA (Valvoline 5W30) and NAPA Gold Filter.

No other services this time.

Grumpy Bear · June 10, 2020

6/10/2020 Oil Usage Check

None used in 1,046 miles and the oil looks stellar for this interval. But let's not get cocky, eh? Miles are coming slow with the wife working from home most days. Patients grasshopper.

6/12/2020 1,528 miles and not a drop. Great color. She had an away job.

6/17/2020 2,000 miles and still full. This is looking pretty good.

Edited June 18, 2020 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · June 24, 2020

2015 GMC Terrain

120,000 miles

2,218 OCI miles this service. Zero oil used. Color was just starting to turn. Great run this time.

5 full quarts AMSOIL SS 10W30 and a WIX filter.

It would seem we have the rings free and PCV working as designed. No moisture, no excessive vapor traffic.

Will continue to monitor heavily until satisfied I know it's nature.

Tire rotation and balance. Full safety checks done.

Have a slight pulse in the brakes under moderate to heavy braking. Next service we will index and turn the rotors on the vehicle. Seems we have some rotor run out that doesn't show on the lathe. Not a safety issue. Just annoying.

Grumpy Bear · July 4, 2020

7/3/2020 Oil level check

Now at 121,022 miles or just over a thousand and it is still on the full mark and still hard to read as not yet coloring. I know this doesn't mean anything but I want to log the usage over time for the record.

Interesting is that she has logged the two best MPG numbers ever during this OCI, 29.23 and 29.78 mpg. I don't have a fuel log for this vehicle, just experience and a note of previous best number. These are a full 2 mpg above the previous best. A running high water mark. Mid 20's is more the norm this time of year and lower 20's winter. I do not attribute this to the oil but rather to restored ring sealing. A difference that has been notable.

CadillacLuke24 · July 6, 2020

You need to take the Deep Purple out of her sound system...she thinks she's a highway star! XD

Glad it's settling in better, sounds like you've got it cleaned up well. Wonder why the QS UD didn't do well...I have no issues, but I may drive differently.

Something I've heard from old timers on the Cadillac forum, if you have pulsations on braking, you can 'clean' the brakes. Get 'er up to speed on a suitable stretch of highway, and from highway speed, BURY the dead pedal down to ~20 mph. DO NOT STOP, and get up to speed again. Repeat 2-3 times, then go for a cooldown cruise. Seemed to work for me.

Grumpy Bear · July 20, 2020

On 7/6/2020 at 2:47 AM, CadillacLuke24 said:

Wonder why the QS UD didn't do well...I have no issues, but I may drive differently.

She's has this same motor in a Buick Verano. If you drive them back to back you get the idea real quick. The 2.4 I4 is just too small for a vehicle as large as the Terrain. At least the way she drives it. It really works at her favorite 75 mph. The Buick is barely breathing hard at that speed. Heat...that's what killed the QSUD.

Grumpy Bear · July 20, 2020

7/19/2020 Oil Level Check

2,140 Miles

Looks like a couple of ounces. Not more than a half a cup. Finally has enough color to read well.

I have the shop return my oil bottles. Last night I started draining them into a pint Ball Jar. 17 bottles gave back 16 ounces. Recapped them and put them on their lid for the night. 2 more ounces this morning from the lids for 18 ounces total. So a quart over six oil changes. About an ounce per bottle.

This motor takes 5 quarts (4.7 liters) so at this rate it starts a bit over a 1/2 a pint low. About what it reads now. As the stick in almost impossible to read with fresh oil I wonder

17/20/2020 update:

Added a measured 5 ounces, the amount the change was shorted by direct measurement.

Edited July 20, 2020 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · July 31, 2020

7/30/2020 Oil Level Check

2,650 Miles

Over half way to the 5 K OCI and still not more than a cup used to this point. I'm getting hopeful. If she gets to 5 K on a half quart I'll be giddy.

I've never seen a motor so sensitive to how level it sits but I'm getting my bearings. I have a reliable level concrete pad at Costco I've found to gauge the difference between dead level and my drive. Half a pint difference. I've also never seen a motor take as long as this one to drain down or a stick harder to read.

COVID-19 miles are sloooooooooooooooow.

Grumpy Bear · August 7, 2020

8/7/2020 Oil Level Checks

3,000 Miles

How do I start this story. I get home in time to jump in the Terrain as a passenger. She has one of our cats strapped in a carrier in the back seat and she is late to the new vet appointment. "I'm driving!" she announces. Agitated and worried she pistol whips this SUV for the entire 31 miles.(You know this is my fault, right). Track day cars don't get beat like that. Lord!

Every stop and go is on the mat and to the red line. I had no idea this thing would spin 7,000 rpm. At the end of this trip it has blown past the rings a full pint of oil. I am not a happy guy. It was on a pace for under a quart in 5 K and now?

I put a pint back in. Still a half pint low but back were we started. On the dip stick. She goes to work tomorrow, a 200 mile round trip of 70 mph Interstate. This should be interesting.

diyer2 · August 7, 2020

You're talking about the Terrian you had the PVC problem with right?

If it's any consolation, my 93 5.7l would use more oil the harder you ran it. It would use more oil keeping the RPM's higher. Holding it in lower gears, higher RPM's while climbing grades in the mountains to make better speed would do it.

Just for info it had 373 gears and 4 speed trans. Compared to my 2012 it was a dog.

So figure this. Tow my boat to Lake Powell through Eisenhower (I70 lots of grades)tunnel and the round trip oil usage is less than running it hard for 500 miles and not towing. That thing had a mind of it's own for oil usage. I checked it regular.

It used oil for about 150 K miles while I owned it. Still ran great when I sold it but I did good maintenance. Oil changes 3 K , plugs ( stock plugs were changed at 35 K miles per owners manual), cap and rotor at 50 K miles with Accel copper contact parts. Not aluminum contact stock parts. The copper contact Accel parts lasted longer and provided better spark IMO.

I used Dino oil only. Super Tech to Valvoline.

It had good compression on all cylinders, was smooth and quiet with over 230 K miles on it when I sold it. I wasn't happy about the oil usage but it ran good the entire time I owned it and put over 200 K miles on it.

I wouldn't worry about your Terrian. Sounds like it uses less oil than my 93.

Grumpy Bear · August 7, 2020

3 hours ago, diyer2 said:

You're talking about the Terrian you had the PVC problem with right?

Yes it is. Thanks for sharing your experience. It's calming.

I'd worry about it less if she would learn to check her own oil and make adjustments. She travels for work so I'm not around. It's going to bite her someday. She keeps this up and she will poison the cats and O2's at this level of use. Her money but.... I'll be the one dealing with the aftermath.

:banghead:

KARNUT · August 7, 2020

You're talking about the Terrian you had the PVC problem with right?
If it's any consolation, my 93 5.7l would use more oil the harder you ran it. It would use more oil keeping the RPM's higher. Holding it in lower gears, higher RPM's while climbing grades in the mountains to make better speed would do it.
Just for info it had 373 gears and 4 speed trans. Compared to my 2012 it was a dog.
So figure this. Tow my boat to Lake Powell through Eisenhower (I70 lots of grades)tunnel and the round trip oil usage is less than running it hard for 500 miles and not towing. That thing had a mind of it's own for oil usage. I checked it regular.
It used oil for about 150 K miles while I owned it. Still ran great when I sold it but I did good maintenance. Oil changes 3 K , plugs ( stock plugs were changed at 35 K miles per owners manual), cap and rotor at 50 K miles with Accel copper contact parts. Not aluminum contact stock parts. The copper contact Accel parts lasted longer and provided better spark IMO.

I used Dino oil only. Super Tech to Valvoline.

It had good compression on all cylinders, was smooth and quiet with over 230 K miles on it when I sold it. I wasn't happy about the oil usage but it ran good the entire time I owned it and put over 200 K miles on it.
I wouldn't worry about your Terrian. Sounds like it uses less oil than my 93.

[emoji4]

12 years ago I bought a 383 92 Chevy truck with a whipple SC. It ran like a champ. I used a qt every 500 miles, no matter how I ran it. 5 lbs of boost or 12. In February I sold it to a young family member. It still uses oil, still runs like a champ.

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