Excessive Oil Consumption - keywords boss consumtion cylinder excessive guide head loss low seal smoke startstem oil up valve

The following diagnosis might be helpful if the vehicle exhibits the symptom(s) described in this PI.

Some customers may comment of excessive oil consumption on the 3800 Series III engines. An engine that has excessive oil consumption uses 0.9L (1 qt) of oil or more within 3,200 km (2,000 mi).

This condition may be caused by the retaining ring on the exhaust valve stem seal not securely holding the seal on the cylinder head guide boss. If this occurs, the exhaust valve stem seal(s) may move off the cylinder head guide boss and no longer provide a sealing function between the exhaust valve stem and the valve guide.

See Service Bulletin #05-06-01-035A for information on inspecting for incorrectly installed exhaust valve stem seals. If you find any exhaust valve stem seals that are incorrectly installed on the valve guide boss on the cylinder head then contact Jim Kelly on (586) 492-5612. He will supply you with a parts waiver and shipping information on where to send those exhaust valve stem seal(s) to.

Please follow this diagnostic or repair process thoroughly and complete each step. If the condition exhibited is resolved without completing every step, the remaining steps do not need to be performed.