I finally pulled off the left valve cover on my 2007 5.3L. Mine had that 3/4 inch hole between the 1st. and 2nd. hold down bolts and 2 small slots in the lower center part of the baffle (these are to drain oil from the inside of the baffle I guess). The baffle was riveted tight on the inside of the valve cover. My original plan was to plug up the 3/4 inch hole and dremel a square hole similar to your valve cover. What I ended up doing was enlarging that oil drain hole under the PCV orifice by about 1/2. Hopefully this will allow the oil trapped inside the baffle to drain out faster and not be sucked into the intake manifold. I put the oil level right at the top of the fill mark and check it at 1000K miles.
I've been looking for info on (what I believe to be) this same problem! I'll be doing this very soon. Thank you for recording all of this, AND for posting the update that it seemed to fix your issue.
Excellent video. I have a 2005 GMC with the 5.3 V8 and the oil consumption/burn is getting worse. I would attempt the process that you showed us but I'm not confident enough to do it right now. I do believe that it would help. Well done!
Since I'm finally getting the time to do this fix myself, I checked your video out! My passenger side is definitely leaking. So I'm doing new valve covers first. And every so often I get blue smoke out the tail pipe. It was suggested to me to try the Moroso oil/air separator catch can (#85481 for the Gen IV engine) in order to stop this occasional oil smoke on startup. That's the route I'm going to take. I really enjoyed the video and it was definitely helpful! Thanks
You have the best demeaner as you work on your truck. Thank you for the video. I have a 2005 Silverado 5.3L , LS with bad oil leak issues. I want to tackle replacing both valve covers. I'll tell you General Motors really dropped the ball on Chevy trucks with the 5.3L motors. I inherited my truck because my '03 was totaled because of the frame bent from a rear end collision. My regret is I should have kept it as a salvage. I bought it new of the factory semi that brought it to the Dealer in Arlington, Tx. and I took care of it like a baby. It only had 103,000 miles on it. I will refer to your video in case I need to. But really thanks a million, it is the best video out there that I've seen. New sub.Question, what is the brand name of the valve covers and where did you purchase them?
Thank you for the compliments, for watching and the sub. I bought at O'Reilly Auto Parts, might be Dorman for the valve cover and Fel-Pro for the gaskets but not 100% sure on the brand.
I did my 2005 LS engine 5.3. has a permanent PCV valve. Started blowing out bluish-white smoke on some startups. So I did some UA-cam searches found out this is very common for these years. I removed the driver side valve cover and drilled 10 holes in the baffle. What would I put it back on I use the old gasket and the original 4 grommets on the top four bolts that hold the valve cover on. People suggested always buy a new soft rubber grommets so that it will put even pressure on the valve cover when you tighten them down. Otherwise when you tighten down the old ones it's much more difficult to get even pressure and it will result in a leak of oil down on the exhaust manifold which is what happened to me so now I've got to go back and try to figure out how to loosen up some of the bolts and maybe tighten some others I don't know.
People always complain about oil loss but the problem is the intake is sucking oil through pcv valve, if you are doing this it would be a good idea to do a catch can running off pcv
Labor charges at dealerships are so outrageously high, the only way they can get customers to use them is to design everything so it's a PITA to work on one's self. Thanks for the great video! I hate car dealers and the so called engineers who design today's motor vehicles. A good example is my Dodge Grand Caravan where the upper and lower air intakes must be removed to change the spark plugs. I'd like to meet the moron who designed that mess. The dealerships charge around 3 hours labor to change the plugs. It can be done in less than an 90 minutes if one uses the shortcuts that are posted on you tube.
Oil does not “sit” in there and get sucked into the intake. It drains out the whole bottom of that piece inside there. It’s when the pcv valve gets clogged up is when you start getting oil consumption.
If that tube ( not a real PVC) gets clogged, how would that make the engine consume oil? Shouldn’t the oil just return to the pan through the oil return passages on each end of the cylinder heads?
@@M21-w1y This is exactly what I have been wondering. I think a lot of people talk about this issue but really don't have an understanding of what is really happening.
Great video and all. But my question, I did an oil change 2 months ago , because I did a flush on my engine since I got a lifter tick. It went away after the 3rd oil change .. but today that I checked my dipstick , it was dryer than a bone. Can that be an issue or why it burned my oil this quick ?
That would be a great idea. It would also give you the gap so you can measure in the future to see how restricted it gets. Thanks for sharing the idea, I like it! Thanks for watching.
Great video.....i have a 2008 gmc sierra with th 4.8 liter...no afm on those....factory valve covers..it uses about a quart n half every 4000 miles...it has 162000 miles on it now but has always used oil...no smoke,no leaks....gonna try this...will it work with the old style valve cover (factory)?
I wonder how it would be to cut a square hole in the forward end of that baffle (on my original cover) with a dremel tool and possibly JB weld a patch over the old round hold ? I will pull mine off next week and see(2007 5.3L Tahoe with 230K) .Excellent video.
They fixed the issue they just can't fix how often you change your oil and quality of oil you use. If engineers were to designe thing perfect I would be out of a job.
1-Original valve cover had the slots. GM's "fix" was a joke. Opening up the hole by the pipe nipple works. Gotta clean the orifice like in this video (passenger side also). 2- I doubt that much oil came from the grommet, but you washed it. 3- What's that AFM sticker on your brake reservoir? Did you have that deleted? If not, amazing it hasn't failed by now.
1. I wonder if the year of the vehicle matters, my original one did not have them (I am original owner). If I have the issue again I will try this. 2. I suppose there could have been multiple issues, however a couple years later now and have not had any issues (hope it stays that way). 3. I have never messed with the cylinder reduction. Have not had any problems with it. Still drops to V4 as I am driving. Thanks for the feedback and thanks for watching.
@@Weekendwarriorworkshop I doubt the year matters. I guess you have a LY5. My experience leads me to believe that when the AMF activates while oil pressure is low (idk below 30 psi) is when the havok starts. Keeping oil changed and eyes on the pressure helps. Not ever overheating or changing oil immediately if it does should help also.
When you search the TSB over this problem it explains what is going on and the few fixes they recommend. I am getting ready to mess with this problem soon. I have a 2013 that burns through 2 quart’s between oil changes. It has been like that since about 60k miles and I am at 90 now.
@@BigErnieMcKraken Not sure about models, but some of the intake tubes have reservoirs that capture some of it. I clean the tubes out. A catch can will provide a temporary fix (gotta check/empty though) until you can resolve the issue.
Nice job. Passenger side is your fresh air intake for the pcv. FYI most computers have three points ie triangle....car home PC cell phone ect. Sense, decide and act. Ie home PC Sense you press the G key,based on programming Decides you want to see letter G on monitor action displays G on monitor. Car Sense you step on accelerator, Decides to open fuel injectors longer for more fuel, Act open injection longer, Sense Oxygen sensor too much fuel ect. Very oversimplified I'm not going over fuel maps,bits,bytes ect.
Initially I thought you said you had white smoke and then later he said blue smoke coming out of the exhaust. Then much later in the video you said you found a leaking valve cover gasket on the passenger side. I didn't see how the two are related
I ended up having a leak in the grommet in the valve cover that was leaking down just above the spark plug. I bought a kit to replace the grommets and the valve gasket at same time. Been over a year and still no leaks or loosing oil so seems to have fixed it for me. Good luck and thanks for watching!
Those dipshits could’ve designed a replaceable pcv valve just like all the older models if they really wanted to. This built in design is stupid with as much oil as they burn when these clog up or go bad.
I have an 2011 Avalanche, with 209K, it just started missing on cyl1, throwing a P0301 code, smokes something awful on startup. This engine has ran like a top , wife and i have put the last 150k on it ourselves, it has been using about a quart between oil changes, would the pcv valve cause this, any info would help, it does shake and check engine light flashes as driving it, Thank you
@richardbarber2945 how do you fix the stuck lifter? Any tricks? I have the same problem, same cylinder. Mechanic tells me I most likely need a new engine bit with the complications on these engines I don't think he's right as he didn't dig into it
Lol if gm made all the bolt heads the same size we may think it was a Ford. They are great for using common size bolt heads even on bigger or smaller bolts.
Mine doesn't smoke but uses 2 quarts every 3 k to 4500 miles..Should I do this repair or is it something else?? ONLY 70 K MILES on it but it has done thus since day 1.
Are you getting a blueish color smoke out the tail pipe? If so it might be something internal that is causing to burn oil. If not, then I would recommend starting with inspecting for oil leaks. I would try taking the exhaust heat shield off and check thoroughly for leaks around the valve covers and grommets. For the grommets you might need to take the coil rack off to inspect. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
@@Weekendwarriorworkshop no leaks and no smoke..Im not sure where it goes..I use synthetic and change oil every 4k or so and its always almost 2 qt low..I have owned it since new and its been a great truck but has always used oil..Must slowly burn or blow it by.
That is a good idea. I was concerned about drilling a hole and having metal shavings left behind since the plate is steel, but if you have a way to make sure you can get all the metal shavings out that might help. Thanks for watching.
Hello guys, This past weekend replaced the cover on my 2012 ppv tahoe 5 3, but I noticed that I had already the updated cover, my problem is little weird, no cold start smoke, no hight rpm's smoke, but when Im going down a hill just iddling when acelerate back trow bunch of smoke (blue), but after that no smoke. Untill iddle againg for like 10 seconds
I think he said 6 inch pounds then later you said 106 for the top of the valve cover 4 bolts. Older engines it is recommended buying new rubber grommets for even pressure.
On what I found I believe so. Was great learning experience for me so I thought sharing it all could help others too. I figured that was better to be open and honest with the whole thing instead of trying to crop the video to make it appear like I figured it out right away. Thanks for watching
Chevy never could get their PCV system right. Best place for that valve is toward the front of the valve cover with a baffle. Same with their EVAP systems, just can't seem to get them right. Of course the LS motors are junk to begin with.
I like this style of video. It feels like we're alongside you every step of the way. 👍🏽
Glad to hear it!
@@Weekendwarriorworkshopdid have misfire code
I finally pulled off the left valve cover on my 2007 5.3L. Mine had that 3/4 inch hole between the 1st. and 2nd. hold down bolts and 2 small slots in the lower center part of the baffle (these are to drain oil from the inside of the baffle I guess). The baffle was riveted tight on the inside of the valve cover. My original plan was to plug up the 3/4 inch hole and dremel a square hole similar to your valve cover. What I ended up doing was enlarging that oil drain hole under the PCV orifice by about 1/2. Hopefully this will allow the oil trapped inside the baffle to drain out faster and not be sucked into the intake manifold. I put the oil level right at the top of the fill mark and check it at 1000K miles.
I've been looking for info on (what I believe to be) this same problem! I'll be doing this very soon. Thank you for recording all of this, AND for posting the update that it seemed to fix your issue.
Excellent video. I have a 2005 GMC with the 5.3 V8 and the oil consumption/burn is getting worse. I would attempt the process that you showed us but I'm not confident enough to do it right now. I do believe that it would help. Well done!
My 2009 loses some oil and occasionally smokes on start up. Gonna follow your suggestions on my project.
Great video!
Thanks for watching, good luck.
Update: It has been a little over a year now and still working great. No oil leaks and not burning oil.
Link for magnet:
amzn.to/40BmURE
Since I'm finally getting the time to do this fix myself, I checked your video out! My passenger side is definitely leaking. So I'm doing new valve covers first. And every so often I get blue smoke out the tail pipe. It was suggested to me to try the Moroso oil/air separator catch can (#85481 for the Gen IV engine) in order to stop this occasional oil smoke on startup. That's the route I'm going to take. I really enjoyed the video and it was definitely helpful! Thanks
Glad it was helpful. Thanks for watching and good luck on your fix.
Will probably work, but now you'll probably still use oil because everything is plugged
People will over torque the 10mm
You have the best demeaner as you work on your truck. Thank you for the video. I have a 2005 Silverado 5.3L , LS with bad oil leak issues. I want to tackle replacing both valve covers. I'll tell you General Motors really dropped the ball on Chevy trucks with the 5.3L motors. I inherited my truck because my '03 was totaled because of the frame bent from a rear end collision. My regret is I should have kept it as a salvage. I bought it new of the factory semi that brought it to the Dealer in Arlington, Tx. and I took care of it like a baby. It only had 103,000 miles on it. I will refer to your video in case I need to. But really thanks a million, it is the best video out there that I've seen. New sub.Question, what is the brand name of the valve covers and where did you purchase them?
Thank you for the compliments, for watching and the sub. I bought at O'Reilly Auto Parts, might be Dorman for the valve cover and Fel-Pro for the gaskets but not 100% sure on the brand.
I did my 2005 LS engine 5.3. has a permanent PCV valve. Started blowing out bluish-white smoke on some startups. So I did some UA-cam searches found out this is very common for these years.
I removed the driver side valve cover and drilled 10 holes in the baffle. What would I put it back on I use the old gasket and the original 4 grommets on the top four bolts that hold the valve cover on. People suggested always buy a new soft rubber grommets so that it will put even pressure on the valve cover when you tighten them down. Otherwise when you tighten down the old ones it's much more difficult to get even pressure and it will result in a leak of oil down on the exhaust manifold which is what happened to me so now I've got to go back and try to figure out how to loosen up some of the bolts and maybe tighten some others I don't know.
Just reminder gravity makes oil leak down. So above spark plugs #4 would be valve cover gasket or maybe oil filler tube o-ring.
I run a flush every oil change. I spray the orifice with carb cleaner every oil change. I use top grade oil and shorter oil change frequency.
What kind of flush? Mystery oil?
My 11 came factory with updated valve cover. I still think it’s all results of the short dome cover. They damn near set on the rockers.
People always complain about oil loss but the problem is the intake is sucking oil through pcv valve, if you are doing this it would be a good idea to do a catch can running off pcv
So what does the catch can actually do? Does it just catch the oil or does it stop it from losing oil?
love your videos!
Thank you for the video. Instructive and interesting.
Damn I been searching for this answer ! Thank you think I have the same problem
Good luck on the fix. Thanks for watching.
Labor charges at dealerships are so outrageously high, the only way they can get customers to use them is to design everything so it's a PITA to work on one's self. Thanks for the great video! I hate car dealers and the so called engineers who design today's motor vehicles. A good example is my Dodge Grand Caravan where the upper and lower air intakes must be removed to change the spark plugs. I'd like to meet the moron who designed that mess. The dealerships charge around 3 hours labor to change the plugs. It can be done in less than an 90 minutes if one uses the shortcuts that are posted on you tube.
Ive have the same curiosity about the valve cover bolt size difference !!
The oil Lay's agent the gasket, at all times, so it more than likely was leaking, but the grommets probably shrank and hardened too.
Oil does not “sit” in there and get sucked into the intake. It drains out the whole bottom of that piece inside there. It’s when the pcv valve gets clogged up is when you start getting oil consumption.
If that tube ( not a real PVC) gets clogged, how would that make the engine consume oil? Shouldn’t the oil just return to the pan through the oil return passages on each end of the cylinder heads?
@@M21-w1y This is exactly what I have been wondering. I think a lot of people talk about this issue but really don't have an understanding of what is really happening.
Great video and all. But my question, I did an oil change 2 months ago , because I did a flush on my engine since I got a lifter tick. It went away after the 3rd oil change .. but today that I checked my dipstick , it was dryer than a bone. Can that be an issue or why it burned my oil this quick ?
Did you find any external leaks?
Great video . Oil leaks can be head scratchers .
Thanks for watching
You could use a feeler gauge to scrap out the deposits at the seam
That would be a great idea. It would also give you the gap so you can measure in the future to see how restricted it gets. Thanks for sharing the idea, I like it! Thanks for watching.
Does the 2010 Sierra have the same built in pcv valve?
I believe 2007-2013 are the same, but the parts store should be able to tell you for sure. Thanks for watching.
Great video.....i have a 2008 gmc sierra with th 4.8 liter...no afm on those....factory valve covers..it uses about a quart n half every 4000 miles...it has 162000 miles on it now but has always used oil...no smoke,no leaks....gonna try this...will it work with the old style valve cover (factory)?
Good luck, hope it works out. Thanks for watching.
I wonder how it would be to cut a square hole in the forward end of that baffle (on my original cover) with a dremel tool and possibly JB weld a patch over the old round hold ? I will pull mine off next week and see(2007 5.3L Tahoe with 230K) .Excellent video.
Let me know how it works for you...thanks for watching.
@@Weekendwarriorworkshop I sure will.
They fixed the issue they just can't fix how often you change your oil and quality of oil you use. If engineers were to designe thing perfect I would be out of a job.
1-Original valve cover had the slots. GM's "fix" was a joke. Opening up the hole by the pipe nipple works. Gotta clean the orifice like in this video (passenger side also).
2- I doubt that much oil came from the grommet, but you washed it.
3- What's that AFM sticker on your brake reservoir? Did you have that deleted? If not, amazing it hasn't failed by now.
1. I wonder if the year of the vehicle matters, my original one did not have them (I am original owner). If I have the issue again I will try this.
2. I suppose there could have been multiple issues, however a couple years later now and have not had any issues (hope it stays that way).
3. I have never messed with the cylinder reduction. Have not had any problems with it. Still drops to V4 as I am driving.
Thanks for the feedback and thanks for watching.
@@Weekendwarriorworkshop I doubt the year matters. I guess you have a LY5. My experience leads me to believe that when the AMF activates while oil pressure is low (idk below 30 psi) is when the havok starts. Keeping oil changed and eyes on the pressure helps. Not ever overheating or changing oil immediately if it does should help also.
When you search the TSB over this problem it explains what is going on and the few fixes they recommend. I am getting ready to mess with this problem soon. I have a 2013 that burns through 2 quart’s between oil changes. It has been like that since about 60k miles and I am at 90 now.
@@BigErnieMcKraken Check your throttle body. If it's oily, it's sucking oil.
@@BigErnieMcKraken Not sure about models, but some of the intake tubes have reservoirs that capture some of it. I clean the tubes out. A catch can will provide a temporary fix (gotta check/empty though) until you can resolve the issue.
Nice job. Passenger side is your fresh air intake for the pcv. FYI most computers have three points ie triangle....car home PC cell phone ect. Sense, decide and act. Ie home PC Sense you press the G key,based on programming Decides you want to see letter G on monitor action displays G on monitor.
Car Sense you step on accelerator, Decides to open fuel injectors longer for more fuel, Act open injection longer, Sense Oxygen sensor too much fuel ect.
Very oversimplified I'm not going over fuel maps,bits,bytes ect.
Thanks for the knowledge and thanks for watching
Whats the updated version for the valve covers?
Initially I thought you said you had white smoke and then later he said blue smoke coming out of the exhaust. Then much later in the video you said you found a leaking valve cover gasket on the passenger side. I didn't see how the two are related
Did it fix your oil consumption?
Has so far 10 months later. Thanks for watching.
I'm going through the same problem now did you know where the oil you found in cylinder #4 came from???
I ended up having a leak in the grommet in the valve cover that was leaking down just above the spark plug. I bought a kit to replace the grommets and the valve gasket at same time. Been over a year and still no leaks or loosing oil so seems to have fixed it for me. Good luck and thanks for watching!
White smoke is coolant, blue is oil.
Hi nice video. Doing the same right now. Any feedback on the results after running it for a while? Did it solve the issue? Russell from Qatar
Going on over a year and has still held up. Happy with fix. Thanks for watching and good luck with your fix.
Maybe run some type of cleaner through the oil. Or maybe change the oil sooner so it doesn't clog stuff up
Those dipshits could’ve designed a replaceable pcv valve just like all the older models if they really wanted to. This built in design is stupid with as much oil as they burn when these clog up or go bad.
Did this fix the problem? Does it still burn oil?
Two years later, the fix is still working.
You just created another problem at the car wash getting the intake wet where your knock sensors sit holding water
Thanks for the heads up. I will keep an eye out for it.
It corrodes & shorts out sensors puddling . Bad design causes xtra work pulling entire intake
I have an 2011 Avalanche, with 209K, it just started missing on cyl1, throwing a P0301 code, smokes something awful on startup. This engine has ran like a top , wife and i have put the last 150k on it ourselves, it has been using about a quart between oil changes, would the pcv valve cause this, any info would help, it does shake and check engine light flashes as driving it, Thank you
I would recommend to start by pulling the spark plugs and inspecting them. They might need to be changed. Might be a combination
You got a stuck lifter. Cylinders 1,7 on drivers side are AFM lifters and 4,6 on passenger
@richardbarber2945 how do you fix the stuck lifter? Any tricks? I have the same problem, same cylinder. Mechanic tells me I most likely need a new engine bit with the complications on these engines I don't think he's right as he didn't dig into it
You might have a collapsed lifter or rocker arm that your afm cylinder
Hey about how many mile did you get on the new valve cover before it started to smoke again?
Still watching so maybe you will mention in the video.
It was around 20k if I remember correctly
IhUu
Lol if gm made all the bolt heads the same size we may think it was a Ford. They are great for using common size bolt heads even on bigger or smaller bolts.
LOL...get good distribution use of all my sockets. Thanks for watching
Mine doesn't smoke but uses 2 quarts every 3 k to 4500 miles..Should I do this repair or is it something else?? ONLY 70 K MILES on it but it has done thus since day 1.
Are you getting a blueish color smoke out the tail pipe? If so it might be something internal that is causing to burn oil. If not, then I would recommend starting with inspecting for oil leaks. I would try taking the exhaust heat shield off and check thoroughly for leaks around the valve covers and grommets. For the grommets you might need to take the coil rack off to inspect. Hope this helps. Thanks for watching.
@@Weekendwarriorworkshop no leaks and no smoke..Im not sure where it goes..I use synthetic and change oil every 4k or so and its always almost 2 qt low..I have owned it since new and its been a great truck but has always used oil..Must slowly burn or blow it by.
@@daveyboy8907 Have you tried doing a compression test on each cylinder? This might help narrow down the issue....just a thought.
@@daveyboy8907 throw on a range device to deactivate AFM.
Lol, What about making the hole, orifice, peep hole a little bit bigger ?
That is a good idea. I was concerned about drilling a hole and having metal shavings left behind since the plate is steel, but if you have a way to make sure you can get all the metal shavings out that might help. Thanks for watching.
Hello guys,
This past weekend replaced the cover on my 2012 ppv tahoe 5 3, but I noticed that I had already the updated cover, my problem is little weird, no cold start smoke, no hight rpm's smoke, but when Im going down a hill just iddling when acelerate back trow bunch of smoke (blue), but after that no smoke. Untill iddle againg for like 10 seconds
The TSB over this problem mentioned that 2011 and after should already have the updated cover.
Did you reduce the oil consumption/blue smoke with your efforts?
J
Yes, no more smoke or loosing oil. Happy with the fix. Thanks for watching.
I think he said 6 inch pounds then later you said 106 for the top of the valve cover 4 bolts. Older engines it is recommended buying new rubber grommets for even pressure.
Could you have just replaced the grommet instead of taking it all apart
On what I found I believe so. Was great learning experience for me so I thought sharing it all could help others too. I figured that was better to be open and honest with the whole thing instead of trying to crop the video to make it appear like I figured it out right away.
Thanks for watching
Use a oil catch can and don't worry so much.
The problem is that the hole is to small,,just drill it out to a larger size,,takes about 5 seconds,,It will solve the problem..
Im still losing a lot of oil WTF I already change it
Chevy never could get their PCV system right. Best place for that valve is toward the front of the valve cover with a baffle. Same with their EVAP systems, just can't seem to get them right. Of course the LS motors are junk to begin with.
I just changed the oil sensor, now that was in a ridiculous hard spot. Wishing that was in front as well. Thank you for watching.
@@Weekendwarriorworkshop my brother is finding out the hard way the issues these engines present. Thanks for making the video.
Did you clean or replace the screen under the switch?
Dumb comment. Ford and Dodge trucks both have their own specific problems so whatever you have also has irritating issues too.
Greeeeat
Your lucky you dont have an 07 because youd be spening 300$ on new covers
Ouch
There is no PCV value in a LS motor just clean the valve cover
You kidding!!!! Over an hour to see this ??? No way thanks!😂🤣