BurbMan wrote:
Mine used 1 quart every 3000 miles since it was brand new. Consumption is about half that since I changed to Mobil 1 Hi-Mileage a couple years ago. Guys that complained to their dealer were told that the official GM standard for oil consumption is more than 1 quart of oil to 100 gallons of gas....so at 12 mpg, it would need to use more than a quart every 1200 miles to be considered problematic.
FYI, it does have an oil level sensor in the pan, and you'll get a "low oil level" message if it's 2 qts low.
X2
My Suburban has 152K miles on it and, like BurbMan, has used about 1 quart per 3000-5000 miles since new. When I tow, it seems to burn a little more oil (1qt per 3000 miles)than when not towing (1qt per 5000 miles). I bought it with 5K miles on it and have been running Mobil 1 since I got it.
I talked to an engineer at the Tonawanda, NY plant that built the 8.1 engine. He said the oil consumption is due to the fact that it was designed to also run on natural gas. The rings had to be made of a harder material, which don't seal as well as softer rings.
I have to keep my 2002 Sub running, as there hasn't been an equivalent replacemnt since 2007(?) when they got rid of the 8.1L.
Now the new (2015+) subs don't even have a 3/4 ton version anymore. There are some rumors of a HD version coming out, but it still won't have a BB or Diesel.
Steve