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8.1 issues.

Stuck

In Hell
Joined
May 20, 2020
Member Number
424
Messages
1,820
So I have a 2001 suburban 8.1 with a 125k miles. Recently Ive started getting a burnt oil exhaust smell. No clouds of blue smoke just the smell. I know these are known to use oil and I generally add about 2.5 - 3 quarts per 5k oil change. What are the common oil issues on the engine? I dont know if its weather related or not, it started when we got down into the teens and single digits. I havent really noticed whether it goes away or not as all my driving has been pretty short recently. I do let it warm up for a bit with the remote start before I leave. It also has a Black Bear tune done by the previous owner down south. I dont know if the mapping could have anything to do with cold weather running. Im a tard when it comes to all things related to the mapping or a tune.
 
No oil on the hitch. It does smell more like burnt oil on an exhaust manifold than the normal blue smoke smell. Im almost positive it is coming out of the tailpipe. It does seem to go away or at least diminish when it warms up.
 
The only external leaks my 01' 8.1 has had are the oil pressure sending unit which will leak down the back of the block and leave a puddle and the oil lines from block to rad on the drivers side, they leaked only when running and never left a puddle.
 
crisbee1 said:
The only external leaks my 01' 8.1 has had are the oil pressure sending unit which will leak down the back of the block and leave a puddle and the oil lines from block to rad on the drivers side, they leaked only when running and never left a puddle.
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Stuck That is likely the issue.

Crankshaft /camshaft sensor are issue that is recommended to upgrade to newer version (05+) for better change of design. I'd have to find link for that one.

I'm working on replacing the crimp part of oil hose that leaks, which is common. Better than replacing entire line since crimp will fail later down the road.

Also, good read 8.1L/496 Tech
 
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What? said:
Stuck That is likely the issue.

Crankshaft /camshaft sensor are issue that is recommended to upgrade to newer version (05+) for better change of design. I'd have to find link for that one.

I'm working on replacing the crimp part of oil hose that leaks, which is common. Better than replacing entire line since crimp will fail later down the road.

Also, good read 8.1L/496 Tech
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Thanks for the info I think thats the link I was looking for last week. I need to dig into whats going on I just havent had time. I did have a small leak on the radiator lines but it looks to have stopped after replacing the radiator. So it may have been the actual connection in my case but I will double check.

The cam/crank sensor is in the valley on that, correct? Ive seen info on it before. I would assume that leads to the burnt oil smoke like a bad valve seal does?
 
PCV system sucks way too much oil. Put a catch can in-line and just dump it back in.
 
Stuck said:
So I have a 2001 suburban 8.1 with a 125k miles. Recently Ive started getting a burnt oil exhaust smell. No clouds of blue smoke just the smell. I know these are known to use oil and I generally add about 2.5 - 3 quarts per 5k oil change. What are the common oil issues on the engine? I dont know if its weather related or not, it started when we got down into the teens and single digits. I havent really noticed whether it goes away or not as all my driving has been pretty short recently. I do let it warm up for a bit with the remote start before I leave. It also has a Black Bear tune done by the previous owner down south. I dont know if the mapping could have anything to do with cold weather running. Im a tard when it comes to all things related to the mapping or a tune.
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Check valve covers for leaks too.
 
Aggie06 said:
Stuck did you ever figure out what the issue was?
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I havent had a chance with everything else going on. I havent noticed it much lately. Between working on the house, cabin, work bullshit, travelling with the kids and fixing stupid shit, I havent had time to dig into it. I just make sure it has oil and run it. Hopefully things will slow down and I can park it and dig into it.

Im thinking it may be the sending unit. I dont have any drips in the driveway and its just a faint wiff when running. I smell it more often when backing up though.
 
Stuck said:
I havent had a chance with everything else going on. I havent noticed it much lately. Between working on the house, cabin, work bullshit, travelling with the kids and fixing stupid shit, I havent had time to dig into it. I just make sure it has oil and run it. Hopefully things will slow down and I can park it and dig into it.

Im thinking it may be the sending unit. I dont have any drips in the driveway and its just a faint wiff when running. I smell it more often when backing up though.
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Reason I asked is I have a 2019 5.3 (L84) that is having similar issues. Faint burned oil smell, no visible leaks, using between 2-3 qts in 5K. I’m starting to think it’s is PCV related. That, or it’s related to the engines dynamic fuel management.
 
If it's coming out the tailpipe and seems to go away once warm I'm gonna say valve seals probably, you run it home turn it off oil leaks past the vslve seals while it's sitting over night, morning comes you fire it off and the oil burns off after a few minutes
 
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