Oil Loss???

[JHarris1385]

My dip stick has never read correctly. The whole thing is always wet to the brim. I have never untill this change had any worries of oil loss. When I drain I drain into a pan (not pictured) that measures how much came out. .....
Well....this time is a little different. I drained the oil and about ONE quart came out. I even jacked the VX up in various spots to try and get more to come out. The little oil that did drain looks to be so little that I doubt if the engine could even run on so little.

Let me know what you think. I am confused to say the least. Is seems impossible.


This is what came out and the filter oil was dumped here too.
The depth is not deep at all.
http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/100_4153.jpg

What I put back in +1.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/100_4154.jpg

[johnnyapollo]

You might want to change your oil change interval to something shorter just to make sure you catch things before they get this low. It's odd that your dipstick isn't reading right - since it's actually measuring the level in the oil pan, it makes me wonder if there's some big blob of "crap" in the pan or something that's causing the level to not register properly. Have you ever peeled it off and taken a look? Make sure to get a gasket if you're so inclined.

-- John

[rowhard]

don't get the wrong idea here, but maybe you might want to compare dipsticks with another VX owner or maybe even another Isuzu that has the same engine to make sure you have the correct length distick.

[etlsport]

sorry im sure this is a silly question but when you check your oil do you pull the dipstick, wipe it clean and then check it again?

[nfpgasmask]

That does not sound good. You should be dumping around 4 quarts I would think. I know that when I change my oil, I use the same 5 quart jug for the used oil, and it almost always fills up...

Etl makes a good point, are you checking the oil properly? Also, try checking it in the morning after the VX has been sitting. If you only have a quart or so draining, that dipstick should come out pretty dry. Hopefully you don't have any sludge in there.

Bart

[JHarris1385]

Good points. Can someone send what their dip stick looks like. So I can compare? Maybe mine is too long. It is always wet, AND deffinately did not show a low amount for only that to come out. I think there might be some blockage. Where you would I get a gasket? Is it a simple pull off, regasket, put back on prodedure or what should I need to clean it?

Thanks for the input. Im kinda of worried but the engine runs strong. Almost better than ever.

[etlsport]

J let me know if u want me to e-mail u the high res original so you can see more detail

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/dipstick_001.jpg (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=10524)

[DarkWing]

Hey, looking at your pix made me remember. The stripes on the intake, silver on the black and it looks like black on the blue, well, mine are coming off of the front. What do you think I could use to get them to stick back on????

D.W.
#0147

[johnnyapollo]

Take them all off and replace with some fresh tape.

-- John

[etlsport]

yep i just took mine off and re-taped them with masking tape, then painted the whole piece blue, then pulled the tape off, the best thing for you to do if u want them silver again is pull them off and handpaint some silver stripes on there

[Ldub]

My dip stick has never read correctly. The whole thing is always wet to the brim.

This has been working the back of my brain since I read it...

There is no way this is possible if you are checking your oil properly...unless there is an obstruction in the dip stick tube.

And just in case anyone needs a refresher...

Turn off engine

Let sit for a couple minutes (like while you're filling gas)

Remove dipstick & wipe dry with a rag

Re-insert dipstick fully

Remove & read oil level :_wrench:

[JHarris1385]

Just took it to the mechanic today and he cant figure out why. I showed him the pictures of what drained and the tub I used for reference and the amount was so little we doubted the engine would run as well as it does on that little. We checked all points today and could not find ANYTHING.

Good news.
Im dropping my diff brackets
Changing the TOD and Tranny oil.
Replacing the inner oil seal
Measuring for a black diamond plate belly pan/skid plate
Flipping the bj's
...all next saturday.

[psychos2]

yep i just took mine off and re-taped them with masking tape, then painted the whole piece blue, then pulled the tape off, the best thing for you to do if u want them silver again is pull them off and handpaint some silver stripes on there

I painted the whole thing and then used pin stripping to make the stripes. shawn

[PHO2GR4]

Mmmmm....Hershey's chocolate syrup!!!!

Oh, it was oil?!? That's not nearly enough... :eek:

[tom4bren]

Me thinks it's time to drop your oil pan and see what's in there. You may want to run some lighter weight oil through with the pan removed to make sure there is no sludge anywhere else.

[ZEUS]

While your axle is out of the VX during the diff drop would probably be the most convenient time to pull the pan out to look things over. Just make sure you have everything you need on hand.

[JHarris1385]

Could I pick up the gasket for the oil pan at any autozone or such?

[Ldub]

IIRC, there is no pan gasket, just a bead of hi-temp silicone.:_wrench:

[nfpgasmask]

You can't just drop the pan, correct? Isn't there something in the way, ie cross member?

Bart

[Trudy Carp]

I have found that the Egr service was definitely the key to stopping the oil consumption problem. Before, the dipstick was impossible to read even a day after an oil change. Seems the richened fuel mix was washing out the
rings and diluting the oil down pretty quickly. Once it was thinned out by the
fuel dilution it was hard to see on the dipstick. My first oil changes were very much like yours, hardly anything in the pan. Couldn't believe my engine wasn't blown.
The day I bought it in Fort Collins, the dealer changed the oil for me before I left. It had 67k miles on it. I stopped for fuel in Denver and decided to check the oil. Down 2 quarts already! Topped it off and proceeded up the mountains to Alma and home. Checked the oil when I got home and it was down 2 quarts again? At this point the dipstick became hard to read, so I put it in the garage and waited till morning to check it again. After sitting overnight and draining thoroughly, it was readable and definitely 2 quarts low again! It was consuming 6 quarts every 500 miles! Now we're down to 4 quarts every 3500 miles of hard running. Definite improvement. There really is a connection between clogged egr and oil usage.

[nfpgasmask]

Yeah, I need to find a nice step by step instructions with photos on how to clean my EGR.

Bart

[blacksambo]

While I've heard the EGR issue before, have you checked your oil filler cap gasket?? If it's not sealing perfectly it will allow oil into the intake system. Also, we've gone on our two Vx's from a quart of oil usage per 1000 miles to almost zero usage by upgrading our PCV valve to the Purolator brand #1061 with a fresh filler gasket. Try it you'll like it.

[LittleBeast]

EGR cleaning:
http://isuzufaq.ibctech.ca/#faq1
http://www.icess.ucsb.edu/~greg/rodeo/egr.htm
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=85576&highlight=egr
http://isuzufaq.ibctech.ca/EGR.doc
http://isuzufaq.ibctech.ca/egr-repair.pdf

Fuel filter change (easy):
http://www.vehicross.info/forums/showthread.php?t=1673

My dipstick does the same thing, however, if the holes are not filled up on the stick than that means it is not actually going down into the oil, but rather picking it up from the sides of the shaft probably. I usually top off til the top hole is filled in.

[GreatDivideVX]

I know you have likely resolved the issue by now but the stuff in your pan doesn't look like oil but dirty (brown) diff fluid. Are you certain you drained the oil pan right behind the radiator? Don't let the printed words on the oil pan "Tokyo Radiator Company" fool you. That would also explain the small amount of fluid. The oil change on the VX is so easy you don't even need a jack but pick the correct pan!

[Trudy Carp]

Having been there, done that, I'm surprised this still gets the big ? that it does, as often as it comes up in the Troubleshooting Forum. I have wondered myself how mine ran on 1 quart without blowing, but it did, multiple times. Emptied itself on the way home from just having it changed, in 200 miles. Got to the house, pulled the stick, nothing. Took 4 quarts to get a full reading on the stick. Engine damage? Probably. It scares me how many times only a quart ran out when it was getting changed. However, I did my homework and solved the problem. Now I only use about 2 qts every 3500 miles. Here's how:

BIG #1. Clean the egr system every 25k miles. About $200. As carbon builds, the computer gradually richens the fuel mixture to compensate. This dilutes the oil with fuel when it washes past the rings. Hence, the unreadabe dipstick. Oil's just too thin to read. Notice that you can read it fine when you just did your oil change. After 100 miles of driving, it's unreadable again. Isuzu claims this to be the main reason why 3.5's blow their bottom ends, be it a Trooper, Rodeo, or Vehicross. They just get run out of oil.

#2. Don't have an Isuzu dealer near by, go to a GM dealer. My local GM dealer (Hudson in Silverthorne) services mine and the other 2 VehiCross's in my imediate area. They joke that they have become the designated VehiCross service center for this area. All 3 of us have been there at the same time. They did my EGR service, replaced my EGR valve, both upstream Oxygen sensors, and changed my oil. Every part, including the oil filter, came out of their stock. My MAF is even a GM part that came off their shelf. Every Isuzu part has a GM part# on it as well. Not all of them are viable GM #'s but most ignition, fuel injection, and emission parts are. They are always cheaper than their Isuzu counterpart, but still OEM.

Their tranny guy just rebuilt my T-case and installed it right before I went to Moab for Memorial weekend this year. After all, a Canyon/Colorado pickup is an Isuzu I280/I290 truck. The Trailblazer/Envoy is an Asender, etc. So it's very familiar territory to a GM tech.

So, get that EGR service asap and see how huge a difference it makes!