2018 Denali/Concerns about engine with too much oil

[Marky Dissod]

Torque measures twisting force, regardless of movement: Foot-Lbs
Work measures movement accomplished regardless of force: Lb-Feet

 

[Nashoba]

140 foot pounds for steel, aluminum and chrome for my generation. I think the lug nuts are 22 mm, most are either that or 21 mm.

Swathdiver, I have driven the Denali a couple of times since you asked about the 10-speed transmission. It seems to be OK as near as I can tell. It shifts well and smoothly most of the time. The only time I have noticed some hesitancy/hunting was right after I had poured the beans to it and then slowed down by letting off the pedal. When I gave it fuel again, just the normal driving amount, it seemed to hunt around for about two or three seconds, then settled down again. I know it runs through the gears quite well on the way from ten through 80 mph. Just slick smooth shifts and the power and speed just keep building. The 6.2L is one fine engine.

 

[Nashoba]

Oil in general still bothers me some, to tell you the truth. The oil pressure seldom gets higher than 43-45 pounds and after heating up, often resides around 38 pounds of so when idling at a stop light. I just don't like that. Another things that bothers me is the rough ride. I really thought the premium air shock system was going to produce a premium ride, which it does on the highway most of the time, but fails miserably around town here in Ada, OK, where roads are not the best, far from it. I haven't seen any indication that I can select another ride option such as touring, track or snow. So I guess I am stuck with the ride quality??? I have to say that my 2013 Nissan Frontier S King Cab with the 2.5L 4 cylinder engine, 5 speed manual transmission, crank up windows, A/C and good radio rides better in town and just a smoothly on the highway. Lowered the Denali tire pressure down to 35 from the 40 psi my wife's cousin ran in them, but the ride still is disappointing.

 

[Nashoba]

Don't mess with a K&N air filter stick with OEM. The K&N relies on the oil you treat the filter with to trap dirt if you over treat the filter it can affect the MAF sensor and create all kind of fuel issues due to the oil getting on the sensor and giving the computer mixed readings under treatment means less filtration. Your not going to gain anything by running the K&N then you have to clean it with there cleaning kit let the filter dry then treat it with the oil for the filter.

What can happen if you have too much oil in the motor the crank shaft will spin in the oil creating tiny air bubbles due to too much oil by whipping more or less creating foam in the oil which is pumped throughout the motor meaning less lubrication. After running the motor with too much oil and then pull the dip stick if you see foamy oil on the stick not good if it looks normal no foam your ok.

Noticed no foam or bubbles at any time.

 

[SpyShops212]

Oil in general still bothers me some, to tell you the truth. The oil pressure seldom gets higher than 43-45 pounds and after heating up, often resides around 38 pounds of so when idling at a stop light. I just don't like that. Another things that bothers me is the rough ride. I really thought the premium air shock system was going to produce a premium ride, which it does on the highway most of the time, but fails miserably around town here in Ada, OK, where roads are not the best, far from it. I haven't seen any indication that I can select another ride option such as touring, track or snow. So I guess I am stuck with the ride quality??? I have to say that my 2013 Nissan Frontier S King Cab with the 2.5L 4 cylinder engine, 5 speed manual transmission, crank up windows, A/C and good radio rides better in town and just a smoothly on the highway. Lowered the Denali tire pressure down to 35 from the 40 psi my wife's cousin ran in them, but the ride still is disappointing.

I would check your tire psi which should be 35 psi. The factory front struts last 50-60k if lucky. The replacements were improved and will last 2-3x over factory. The replacement factory struts are made by BWI. I bought my 2018 Escalade w/ 48k and thought the suspension was crap. I replaced the struts because I took my truck to get an alignment and the service guy told me my struts were leaking. I also changed my 22” tires from Bridgestones to Michelin Defenders LTX and that made a huge difference. I am love the way my Escalade drives with the new struts and tires. The Escalade, Tahoe and GMC have the same suspension setup.

 

[Nashoba]

Do not drive with the oil level above the mark. Can squeeze it out. If it is possible to change the oil without starting the engine, do it, if not and you have to go, then buy a dropper for intravenous injections and a syringe at the pharmacy, and pump out the excess through the oil dipstick.
In general, on these engines there is an increase in the oil level, because fuel gets into it, so it must be thoroughly burned periodically, moving along the highway for about 30 minutes

Thanks for the information, Vladimir2306. I have continued to monitor the oil level now through my second oil change and have sent a sample to Blackstone Labs to begin to detect the problem/issue. This first report reveals everything is better than or equal to their recommended norms for everything but the Flashpoint in degrees F, which is 345 and should be >385; and the Fuel % which is 2.0% and should be <2.0%. This indicates exactly what you said, that there is fuel in the oil, although it still does not smell of fuel. There also is NO antifreeze and NO water in the fuel, and the Insolubles are at 0.2% and should be <0.6%, all of which is good. My sample from the Denali was with 5,433 on the oil and 70,560 on the engine. They said to run it for the average of all their tests of 6,200 miles for the next change and specimen collection for them to test. Right now, they say the 2.0% fuel is only borderline so the next test may reveal the presence of a real "fuel in the oil" problem or not. The daily average for the Denali is about 52 miles during the school year and perhaps 37 during the summer. I do know next time that I will run the Denali at least 30 minutes before I change the oil for the test. Thanks for the information.

 

[Nashoba]

I really hate to tell you this, but I might really regret NOT telling you, so ...

Since BP bought Castrol, their motor oils' quality has been declining.
Other motor oils have been keeping pace, or getting better.
Some non-Group4 oils now outperform some Castrol Group4 formulations in stress testing.
(Nevermind that, years ago, Castrol successfully lobbied to expand the definition of the word 'synthetic' to include motor oil that was NOT artificially synthesized under controlled lab conditions.)

Hopefully your cousin's next vehicle is an electric one, for that vehicle's sake.

The more EXCESS motor oil in the crankcase, the more important it becomes to drive gently and ask as little of the motor oil as reasonably possible.
If you're driving Miss Daisy, an extra 1/2 a quart's not a problem. Racing would be quite another matter.

There are plenty of aftermarket air filters I'd prefer over K&N. They are all FOAM (think desert racing).
Since those are out of my price range, I'll stick with OE-type air filtration media.

Well, they bought a new 2023 with every single bell and whistle on it that GMC offered, to the tune or $85,000+, but the same high-dollar tricoat white and the white interior. Sure if pretty outside but the white interior is just not for us. Never have liked white vehicle interiors. I imagine they will still depend on the dealership for all their service on this one. They are relatives, so I never have vehicle advice for them. That's as bad as talking politics and religion.

 

[Nashoba]

Referential update, Vladimmir2306. I couldn't remember the fuel-related numbers for my 2013 Nissan Frontier 2.5 Liter 5 speed manual transmission S Package truck, but they are definitely better than the Denali. Flashpoint of the oil sample was 425 degrees F and the benchmark for the Blackstone tests is >385 degrees. The fuel % in the oil was <0.5% with a benchmark of <2.0%. As in the Denali, the Frontier oil had 0% Antifreeze and 0% Water in it. The Insolubles % was 0.2% with a benchmark of <0.6%. Blackstone said the report, in total, was very good and they saw nothing to worry about at this time. Wish the Denali's report was this good in every aspect.