5W-30 vs 10W-30

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

m1dn

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 15, 2022
Posts
178
Reaction score
316
Looking to do another oil change soon on my 08 Yukon 6.2 with 135k on the clock.

Was thinking to run an engine flush before the oil change, put a PF48 ACDelco filter but unsure about which oil to get.
I've looked around the forum and some folks stick with 5W, while others lean towards 10W on higher miles.

What you do prefer/run?
 

Blackcar

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2018
Posts
700
Reaction score
612
I believe that when engine in hot they both have 30 weight oil and 5 weight will flow quicker at start up and if freezing out 5 will flow better, on oil filter I use PF63 like Fubar715 said.
Why do you think you need to flush a good grade oil has package in it to clean and if it is getting dirty quickly after change try to change by color of oil until it gets better, I think flush could lead to problems.
 

B-train

Full Access Member
Joined
Sep 12, 2022
Posts
2,270
Reaction score
3,903
I have the same truck, but with 175K on it. I have run 1/2 quart of ATF in the oil for 500 miles or so before the change interval of 5k. It washes stuff out, never had an issue, done it for years. Not every oil change BTW, just every 20k or so.

Also, just stick with 5w-30 and a PF63 filter. I go on Amazon and buy the Genuine OE filters in bulk once a year. Just ordered 6 more at $7 each. Better quality and more filtration area. GM went to the short filter as a cost savings I'm sure, so I just went back to what it SHOULD have and it works well.
 

repairman54

Member
Joined
Dec 26, 2022
Posts
63
Reaction score
100
Location
NW NJ
I only put motor oil in my engines. With proper regular oil changes no need for flush additives. Why would one want to dilute the critical protection of the oil film on bearings with those additives or other urban legend fluids no matter what the makers claim.
Even with a dirty motor you want slow dissolving of junk not a rapid release of junk to be floating around inside.
AC UPF filter user BTW.
 

Foggy

Full Access Member
Joined
Jul 25, 2019
Posts
1,094
Reaction score
1,407
Location
KS
If you think you need to "flush" your oiling system, then just change the oil
twice..
Run your new oil and filter for a hundred miles or so, then change it again...
You don't want large chunks of crap getting into the VVT, DOD, Oil Pressure sending unit,
etc.. If you happen to loosen up something that doesn't dissolve right away you will
have issues.
BTW, I use AC Delco or Wix oil filters in my GM's. Our trucks can use the wix 57045
It's longer and will hold a tad more oil.
If you aren't working with super high mileage engine with bad bearing clearances,
then just use the 5w30 Synthetic Oil recommended by GM.
If you are in an extremely hot or cold climate would be the only times to change viscosity
 

Blackcar

Full Access Member
Joined
Mar 31, 2018
Posts
700
Reaction score
612
I have 02 Yukon 5.3 that has had piston slap at start up since new. I few years ago I started using 10W30 for a while and slap started getting worse (louder) so went back to 5W30 and went back to the way it was. Three years ago, went 5W30 synthetic blend and noise seems less but seems to go away quicker. This vehicle has 69000 miles.
 
Last edited:

ScottyBoy

Full Access Member
Joined
Jun 27, 2010
Posts
2,608
Reaction score
1,816
Location
Shreveport, La
Just some friendly advice, if you decide to run any sort of engine flush in your engine, I HIGHLY suggest that you drop your oil pan afterwards and clean out the pan and clean any sludge off of the oil pump pickup tube screen, or else replace the pickup tube. I flushed mine twice in the 15 years I've owned my 2001 Suburban. First time I did it I had to replace the oil pan gasket anyways, so I had no problem with dropping the pan afterwards. I was shocked by the amount of sludge that was dislodged by the flush. All the sludge throughout the engine was loosened up by the flush additive, and it accumulated in the oil pan. I flushed it again nearly 100k miles later, but I made the huge mistake of not dropping the pan this time, I just drained it and poured in fresh oil. A few weeks later, I slipped a camshaft bearing. I lost all oil pressure and THEN I decided to drop the pan and I was horrified by the amount of sludge in the oil pan. It was almost as much as the first flush I did nearly 10 years ago. I thought maybe my oil pump was bad. I cleaned it all up, I installed a new oil pump and still had no pressure. After more diagnosing, I found I had pressure in the front of the engine right at the pump, but no oil was getting to the back of the engine. Every mechanic I spoke with said the exact same thing, that for all that to happen like I describe then I slipped a cam bearing and it's blocking the oil passage. So now I'm in the process of getting a crate engine installed. So I beg of you, don't be stupid like I was. Go ahead and flush it if you want, but just be sure to drop the oil pan afterwards. If you have a 2wd it's actually really easy. It's a little more involved on a 4wd, but it's still doable.
 

Just Fishing

Can't fix stupid
Joined
Aug 30, 2020
Posts
3,936
Reaction score
8,548
Location
Utah
I had some good mud in the bottom of my pan after using seafoam in the crank ok my old 5.3.

I wouldn't go too crazy with the flush on an engine with an unknown history.

I think part of that resulted in some trash getting into the oil pump pressure bypass and extra low oil pressure shortly after.

However, that was also after i changed the oil for the first time after buying it.

The oil felt thick to me, like they put in an additive to hide something...


So who knows, that engine had issues... lol
 

Forum statistics

Threads
132,366
Posts
1,866,805
Members
96,989
Latest member
Mreedini
Top