Which engine Oil to use ? no dod delete yet, just using OBD device to keep V8

[ron81]

Hello there ! Hope you all are rocking well

I have few questions to clarify and suggestions needed :

Recently brought the Yukon and had to do transmission rebuild now worried for lifters:

2018 Yukon XL SLT 5.3L
95K miles

No DOD delete yet, recently started using OBD device to keep V8

1. Which engine oil to use ? would all oil have detergent properties to clean the engine ?

2. as with Always V8, would engine get over heat and burn oil (0W20 ?)

3. What do you recommend : 0W20 or 5W30 ?

4. What brand Full Synthetic oil to use : Mobil 1 or Royal Purple or Quaker State or Kirkland (Costco) is okay to use ? or any other brand ?

5. What brand Oil filter to use - Wix/ mobil 1 etc ?

6. How often should change the oil ? 3k, 5k, 6k etc ?

7. Should i add oil additives to gas every few thousand miles? would it help in any way ?


please suggest

 

[George B]

You are going to get lots of answers on the oil but generally you can use whatever oil is on sale just change it at 5k miles. Wix, K&N or Delco for filters.

 

[wjburken]

Like @George B stated, you’ll get many opinions. In general, if you go with a full synthetic oil in the weight recommended in your manual and that meets GM’s Dexos 2 requirements, you’ll be fine.

Here’s the list of oils that have the Dexos 2 stamp.

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[ron81]

Thanks @George B and @wjburken

I just double checked, and found i have dexos 1 gen 3 (brought few of them on deal earlier, knowing i will be changing oil often on this truck)


Also, per GM manual, it says use dexos1 but its from 2018, so i guess either dexos1 gen 3 or dexos2 should be okay, since they are backward compatible.

looks like the most recent one is dexos2, not sure if there is huge difference, if so i can return and buy new dexos2 oil.

Another question is how do i know when lifter fails(or about to fail) and not safe to drive ? would there be check engine light/obd code or any symptom to make sure to tow to shop and not drive anymore.

 

[wjburken]

Thanks @George B and @wjburken

I just double checked, and found i have dexos 1 gen 3 (brought few of them on deal earlier, knowing i will be changing oil often on this truck)


Also, per GM manual, it says use dexos1 but its from 2018, so i guess either dexos1 gen 3 or dexos2 should be okay, since they are backward compatible.

looks like the most recent one is dexos2, not sure if there is huge difference, if so i can return and buy new dexos2 oil.

Another question is how do i know when lifter fails(or about to fail) and not safe to drive ? would there be check engine light/obd code or any symptom to make sure to tow to shop and not drive anymore.

The dexos 1 Gen 3 should be fine as that’s what’s in your manual.

As for lifter failure notification, there are a few things that pop up.

1) lifter ticking. A collapsed lifter will not ride the cam lobe all the way around so it will tap as it comes into contact.

2) misfires on a particular cylinder is another indicator of a possible failed lifter.

The time I had a lifter failure in our 2013, it made the typical lifter ticking noise, but to an extreme.

When the roller locked up in our 2007 (non-AFM) 6.2, it was a very noticeable screeching/tapping noise. When I pulled the lifters, the #5 intake lifter had locked up and was scrubbing the cam.

Others will likely add their thoughts as well.

 

[B-train]

I always default to 5w-30 full synthetic. Brand isn't really necessary, just find one and stick with it. 0w-20 was a way to get fractions of a mpg for CAFE numbers, not necessarily for longevity in my book.

One case for 0w-20 I could see is the flow capabilities for the AFM lifters vs a slightly thicker oil. I personally have run 5w-30 in 2017 Denali with a range afm disabler for 95k and had zero issues. Everything else I own requires 5w-30 so it just makes life easier.

Another point is the 6.6L gas motor is very similar in architecture and requires 5w-30. FWIW

 

[ron81]

I always default to 5w-30 full synthetic. Brand isn't really necessary, just find one and stick with it. 0w-20 was a way to get fractions of a mpg for CAFE numbers, not necessarily for longevity in my book.

One case for 0w-20 I could see is the flow capabilities for the AFM lifters vs a slightly thicker oil. I personally have run 5w-30 in 2017 Denali with a range afm disabler for 95k and had zero issues. Everything else I own requires 5w-30 so it just makes life easier.

Another point is the 6.6L gas motor is very similar in architecture and requires 5w-30. FWIW

thanks, since I have 5.3L slt and running V8 always via obd device, do you feel 5w30 is better for preventing lifters issue in my case or 0w-20 ? I guess 0w-20 might burn easily due to being thin and always v8 might cause overheating as compare to v8~v4 flip flop ?

although I don't tow but mostly long drives with 8 people and luggage.

my other cars use 0w-20, so prefer that but can go with 5w-30 if its better for lifters.

 

[B-train]

5w-30 would be better for what your are doing. Keeping it in V8 won't affect a thing and should prevent lifter issues down the road. It won't create any more heat either, the engine will just do its thing. A heavier weight oil will provide better protection under higher load and/or heat.

 

[Marky Dissod]

... 0W20 might burn easily due to being thin ...

Motor oils that burn easily, are less likely to 'burn easily' if the engine temp is kept cooler, say, by tuning the ecm to turn on the fans sooner than GM's higher fan-on temp threshold settings.

... always v8 might cause overheating as compare to v8 / v4 flipflop?

Not one person has ever experienced engine coolant temps anywhere near overheating as a result of disabling V4 mode regardless of how V4 mode was disabled.
If you want to run cooler, get your ecm tuned to lower the fan-on temp threshold settings.

 

[Onlyone]

As expensive as oil has become, I figure why not use the best. I run Amsoil oil and filters. I would stick with 5w30. The price isn't bad for the level of quality you get. Nothing wrong with the other main synthetic brands when changed at a sane interval either.