Something with the oil

I have a 1999 intrigue GLS with the 3.5...ive had the car for about a year now...and i noticed that every three weeks or so i need to add more oil to the car...i know it does not leak because my husband checked and i never see oil spots on my dive way. is this normal? is it bad? i hate having to keep adding a lot of oil

Its a pretty common issue with the 3.5, I cant remember what the exact cause is, or if anyone has ever established a particular cause. I think it might have something to do with piston rings or something, and it allows the oil to be burned more than usual.

There was some hokey procedure about putting the car in 2nd and driving at high rpms for several minutes, but that never appealed to me, so I havent tried it.

I also use a bit of oil between changes, maybe a quart between changes though. Sounds like youre using a lot more.

Honestly Id say its normal, doesnt make it right though haha. I dont know how hard you drive, but I notice I seem to use more oil when I do a lot of aggressive driving.

If I remember right when my 99 3.5L was diagnosed with the slight oil consumption at about 30k miles almost 9 yrs ago. We were told by GM it was the piston rings and, some rear lower seal or something along those lines and, one other seal or gasket somewhere that GM had claimed was another common problem. They offered to replace the engine under warranty we declined and havent regretted it. The car has beyond served its purpose. 120k miles later She is just now starting to fall apart mostly suspension issues. But still runs strong it has since the diagnosing 9 yrs ago slowly started burning more oil. Not a big deal as long as it gets checked at least weekly and added as needed. On this forum somewhere I've read about all the possibilitys but quite some time ago.

you got good information from Littlehoov and rhaigh08. I will add that when you add the oil, make sure you check the level afterwards to make sure it is at the full mark. I had the same issue with my 2000 Intrigue and found that adding one quart did not get it back to the full mark. I was adding oil every 1000-1500 miles. I kept a Walmart Supertech 5 quart jug of oil in the trunk of my car for these occasions. It's the cheapest you can buy and it is pretty good oil.

My Intrigue had 175,000 miles on it before I traded it in last June. Other than the MAF sensor, I didn't have any other engine problems. The oil burning is common on this car. Just keep feeding it oil and it will be fine.

You could also try switching to a high-mileage synthetic that is designed for older vehicles that use a little bit of oil. I know some people around have done so and claim that it has stopped their oil burning issues. I have yet to do so. My 01 only uses 1.5 quarts of Mobil 1 between 6-7k mile oil change intervals. Next oil change, I may go for the 75k+ mile oil and see if it reduces consumption, but I'm still not worried about it, as it's been doing this for the last 100k miles.

I switched my 02 Intrigue to the high mileage synthetic at about 90k Miles. Since then I have only burned about a quart in 7k miles and I am way over due for an oil change I'm not gunna say how much over because its not something I'm proud of.lol.. The 02's oil consumption wasnt as bad as my 99's is and since I bought it I'v probably only used 3-4 Quarts So it has worked well for me

Thank you all, im glad to find out that this is normal:), but about high mileage oil..my car only has 34,500 miles lol i dont think thats high....can i still use it?

You Absolutely can use it it'll only benefit it helps condition seals, slows the consumption I have noticed. Other than it is a little bit more expensive. Also it is not uncommon for these engines to start burning oil early on either it is less likely but it still happens. Just trust as long as you get in the habbit of checking the oil weekly or even when fueling. You will get used to it and it will become so regular you dont even notice. It becomes like answering a phone. But as long as you keep a close eye on it your car will serve you well and maybe even exceed your expectations. However you shouldnt rely on the low oil light. That is some advice I can deffinately say. For some reason they dont really kick on all the time it might be just on my Intrigues but you can never be sure. But as long as you check it you can trust your engine to serve you well.

SWitching to synthetic is risky as it can sometimes clear out sludge around seals that were actually keeping the motor from leaking and now with the sludge gone will cause more leaks. However at only 35k miles, you should be ok.

I think I would be concerned if you are down any more than a quart or so between changes. Have your husband pull out the spark plugs and check for oil fouling. Piston rings, valve guides, or valve guide seals could all be leaking oil into your combustion chambor.

After the plugs are out, if all but one or two look good, you may be able to just replace the valve guide seals to solve the problem.

BTW, what brand and weight of oil have you been running up to this point?

my 2000 Intrigue (3.5L) is probably getting closer to using a quart between oil changes now that it is around the 100k mile mark.

I've been putting on a lot more local mileage and it's taking a lot longer to get to 5k miles before i do an oil change. I just add a little bit of oil every few weeks so it doesn't get too low.

Otherwise the engine sounds like I just pulled it off the lot from Day 1 after all the laundry list of maintenance i've done over the years.