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I do a lot of interstate driving around 70 so the engine revs around 3000 RPM. About 7 to 10 days of driving i notice it burns about a quart of oil didn't know if anyone had the same problem?

My 2013 Spark was doing the same. I am getting a new engine installed. A cylinder went bad. I drive about 80, 85mph.

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My 2013 Spark was doing the same. I am getting a new engine installed. A cylinder went bad. I drive about 80, 85mph.

What's your build date and how many miles? I have to wonder if some of the early builds had used the same specs for the rings, head bolt torque, head gaskets, ect... As the 1.2 which had a lower compression ratio than the US spec 1.25. The engine replacements would make sense then as it would be silly to patch up something which they know is likely to fail again... The only way they could fix it would be a total rebuild and the labor would be more than just swapping in a new one.

Until one of us has a chance to crack open an early build and a later build and do a comparison we won't know...

Edited by 21783mike
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What's your build date and how many miles? I have to wonder if some of the early builds had used the same specs for the rings, head bolt torque, head gaskets, ect... As the 1.2 which had a lower compression ratio than the US spec 1.25. The engine replacements would make sense then as it would be silly to patch up something which they know is likely to fail again... The only way they could fix it would be a total rebuild and the labor would be more than just swapping in a new one.

Until one of us has a chance to crack open an early build and a later build and do a comparison we won't know...

Most engines are no longer designed to be rebuilt. Major parts must be replaced. I doubt the Spark engine even has oversize pistons available, let alone undersize con rod and crank bearings. Use to be an engine could be easily and cheaply rebuilt 3-4 times.

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My 2013 Spark 1LT, auto, build date 01.2013 uses about 1/4 Qt of 5w20 non-dexos Mobil Super 1000 premium rated ILSAC GF-5 per 7,000 Mi. Other car, Chevy SS V8 has similar usage. I consider this normal compared to vehicles owned in the past. I drive the Spark hard and cruise at 75-80mph.

Edited by Retired old Gearhead
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They shouldn't be using much at all, 1/4 of a quart (8 ounces) during the entire change interval would be completely acceptable as foam blowing out the PCV valve. Maybe even half a quart over the entire interval (interval being 7500 to 9000 miles)

My motorcycle used small amounts of oil, then I found that the carbon built up on the piston and cylinders had scored the cylinders. I ended up rebuilding the heads, cylinders/pistons and the rest of the top end, it doesn't burn oil anymore and when I run the proper weight of oil I don't get oil discharge out of the PCV catch can either.

Tempted to put a catch can on my car to see if the oil is coming from PCV valve or from cylinder/piston. PCV on our cars (and most other cars) goes into the intake and the car burns whatever comes through the hose.

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FYI, in the USA oil useage is specified to 1 quart every 2000 miles, anything over that and you have a problem they are allowed to fix. Found this out at the dealer yesterday.

2 stroke Spark.... But seriously at that rate I'd think it would foul plugs.

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I think it is, bit still managing to fire through it. I'm too afraid to pull the plugs because they will accuse me of doing something to the engine. I'd like to check compression too, but again same reason that I haven't done it. And final reason is they won't believe me anyway.

My coolant is also a bit low compared to several months ago when I looked at it last, need to keep an eye on that and see if it goes down fast.

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I'm sure all members would be VERY interested to know how many 2013 owners who have over 25K-miles are NOT having the excessive oil consumption issue. The reason I ask is that I am wondering if this is a design flaw in ALL the 2013 engines. Any 2014 owners with 25k+mi please chime in as well. This would give us a better idea what is going on and if this issue was corrected in the 2014 units. Also please state whether you have a manual or auto trans. as well as the build date if you have that handy. This little survey could be very useful in determining how widespread this issue is.

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Thanx austex04! Talked to my mechanic about this issue and since his son has a 2013 Spark he is also interested in this issue. He has contacts all over the car industry and emailed me that the issue is becoming more common now that the Sparks sold in 2013 are starting to get into the 25K mi range. Seems to be a warped #4 sleeve or crack issue #4 cyl is most common. Could be due to car running lean or advanced timing or poor cooling at the #4 location. A bad sensor could cause any of these problems...still he says that from the feedback he has gotten, due to the complexity of the engine design and sensors controlling timing, mixture and coolant he can only guess. Most Sparks with the issue are manual with 20K+ miles. The manual should not make a difference but it is high in the stats probably because more manuals are on the road.

Anyone else with over 25K want to chime in?

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My Mechanic has heard from a reliable source in the industry contacts he has that GM is looking at the VVT system regarding the oil burning issue. This includes timing control sensors, blocked oil ports etc. Improper timing can result in an intake valve being cracked by piston contact and some users have had this happen.

Most issues seem to pop up around 25K so he is thinking oil sludge blocking some control ports and has seen a very similar issue on Toyota's some years back. Non of this has been verified (except the Toyota issue) as GM is quite secretive (officially) regarding unresolved issues but he has some friendly contacts in the industry that share info. So far the only fix is an engine swap but if, for example, a particular sensor is found to cause this, they may issue a recall for the part.

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Too bad they won't issue a directive to dealers that if a car comes in low on oil, do the following before just sending them out for a consumption test:

A - do XYZ

B- do ABC

C- do something else

The dealers know something is going on, but aren't allowed to do anything because they won't get paid for the work performed. It is very likely any cracked valve issue could be found with a simple leak down test as you would probably hear it whistling out the intake or exhaust. The PCV issue might be harder to diagnose because there is always oil present, maybe strap a catch can to it and send it out for 500 miles and see what the can catches. I've been tempted to do this to my car but really just can't be bothered anymore if Chevy can't be bothered to try and fix it.

As far as sludge build up, they must not be using very good oil as factory fill then, and even people who used Mobile 1 like me are suddenly having issues. I used the more expensive Mobile 1 to try and prevent any problems, now it appears it was all a waste of money. The lowest my oil life meter ever got was 6 percent left, normally it was changed around 20 percent left which should have given me a big margin for error.

We are almost 3 model years in, assuming nothing has changed in the motor then all three years are going to be subject to this possible problem, that's a lot of denial or a lot of recalls.

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My concern here now is this: Lets say GM finds that it is a sensor and they replace this sensor. What about all the damages taht could have already been caused mechanically from this build up and the timing bein off? Are you now stuck with an engine that may be faulted or damaged due to a prior issue?

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