oil change/ brand

tkkz71 · July 27, 2015

was wondering do you change oil based on mileage or on percentage? also which brand mobil 1, royal purple, valvoline ect? thanks

GuyGene · July 27, 2015

I'd go by mileage, and use only full synthetic of viscosity recommended. I've read to never go over the highest viscosity, e.g., 5w-20, do NOT use 5w-30, etc. But okay to go to 0w-20. Keep'er changed...

And, more than you want to know about motor oil:

Motor Oil

The higher the psi the oil has, the better.

Wear protection reference categories are:

Over 105,000 psi = INCREDIBLE wear protection

90,000 to 105,000 psi = OUTSTANDING wear protection

75,000 to 90,000 psi = GOOD wear protection

1. 5W30 Pennzoil Ultra, API SM synthetic = 115,612 psi.

2. 5W30 Mobil 1, API SN synthetic = 105,875 psi

3. 10W30 Valvoline VR1 Synthetic Racing Oil, API SL (black bottle) = 101,139 psi

4. 5W20 Castrol Edge with Titanium, API SN synthetic = 99,983 psi

5. 5W30 Pennzoil Ultra Platinum, Pure Plus Technology, made from pure natural gas, API SN = 99,039 psi This oil was introduced in 2014, and comes in a dark gray bottle with a blue vertical stripe on the label.

6. 0W20 Mobil 1 Advanced Fuel Economy, API SN synthetic = 96,364 psi

7. 5W20 Mobil 1, API SN synthetic = 94,663 psi

8. 5W20 Valvoline SynPower, API SN synthetic = 94,460 psi

Diesel: 5W30 Amsoil Series 3000 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil synthetic, API CI-4 PLUS, CF, SL, ACEA A3/B3, E2, E3, E5, E7 = 102,642 psi

This is BY FAR, the highest ranked Diesel oil I have ever tested. This oil is Engineered for Diesel engines not equipped with Diesel particulate filters (DPF). Amsoil says this oil delivers better wear protection than other popular Diesel oils. And in this case, their hype is absolutely true. They also say it effectively reduces fuel consumption, with its advanced fuel efficient formula. This oil costs $11.15 per quart in the 2013 Amsoil Factory Direct Retail Catalog, which is 10% more than Amsoils 5W40 Premium Synthetic Diesel Oil. So, in this case, you pay only 10% more for the Amsoil Series 3000 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil, but you get a whopping 33% more wear protection than you get with the Amsoils 5W40 Premium Synthetic Diesel Oil. Money very well spent, if you run a Diesel oil intended for engines not equipped with Diesel particulate filters. The next highest ranked Diesel oil ranks far lower on the ranking list. So, this 5W30 Amsoil Series 3000 Heavy Duty Diesel Oil is in a class of its own, among all the Diesel oils I have tested.

Many of you have posted opinions about synthetic oil claiming that since you don't tow, or don't work the truck hard and change it sooner than ~10,000 miles or so that there is "no need" to use a full synthetic oil, or that you would no derive any benefits if you did use synthetic oil.

That really is not quite correct. Many people overlook one important fact about full PAO synthetic oil: It does not contain any of the parrafinic elements that make up the base of all conventional and "blended" oils.

Parrafin, of course is otherwise known as "wax". All blends are in the range of 85-90% dino, if not even higher, so there is still an abundance of wax present in blends.

The wax base in conventional oil (dino) is what gives it the neccesary "robustness' to withstand the extreme and diverse operating temperatures and pressures. Unfortunately, the wax is also the main contributor to sludge build-up within an engine.

If you only remember one thing about engine oil and engine cleanliness, it is this:

Sludge is far and away the #1 cause of engine failure.

All name-brand dino oils have advanced additive packages to prevent and combat sludge, but it still eventually occurs no matter what you do.

It takes (basically) four things to make sludge in an engine:

Air

Heat

Petroleum

Water

Air and heat are givens, as they are simply the nature of an internal combustion engine.

Water comes from moisture developed when operating an internal combustion engine, and can be controlled somewhat and dealt with with a variety of oil additives and engine devices (PCV system primarily), but they are not anywhere near 100% effective either, so water is also a "given".

However, a full PAO synthetic oil does not derive from parrafinic- based petroleum.

It is sourced from the family of ethylene and propane gasses. Absolutely zero wax content.

A Note: because all motor oils ( dino, blends and synthetics) require additive packages, and because all additive packages DO contain small but still-present petroleum products, there is no such thing as a modern motor oil with absolute ZERO wax content. Full synthetic is very, very close, but not quite zero.

Dino motor oil does not have to be "used up" or dirty before sludge starts to occur: It happens ALL THE TIME as you are operating your engine. The additives are designed to keep it in check until you cahnge the oil, but it still accumulates.

The big advantage to full synthetic is that because it has (nearly) no wax in it, it basically makes (nearly) NO SLUDGE in your engine.

This will make your engine far outlast any engine run in similar circumstances on dino oil.

Now....if you plan on getting rid of the truck around or before about 100,000 miles, then it may well indeed be a waste of your money to use synthetic. Modern (Ford) engines with modern dino oils are well capabale of reaching 100K with little or no excessive degradation due to sludge build-up. You would probably not notice any driveability issues during that time.

However...if you are mostly concerned with making your engine last forever (or as close as is possible) and plan on keeping it forever, then a full synthetic is probably highly recommended for you.

Another note: All "full synthetics' are not the same:

PAO (polyalphaolephin) synthetics are a Group-V base stock derived from non-wax based sources.

Group-IV parrafinic based stocks are derived from parrafinic sources, but go through many expensive extra-refining steps (iso-propane dewaxing, severe hydro-treating, etc...) to give them the ability to perform nearly as well as a PAO synthetic. It still has wax in it, and the FTC allows Group-IV oils to also be sold and advertised as "full synthetic". In reality it is not.

If you are interested in that story, look up the Mobil v. Castrol (Syntec) story from about 20 years ago.

Group-IV are very good, but they still have wax in them.

Mobil 1 has always been a full PAO. ExxonMobil now sells in addition to Mobil 1 a Group-IV product called "Mobil Super-Syn Full Synthetic" which is only to go head-to-head with other Group-IV oils. (price point stuff)

Amsoil has for many years switched back and forth indiscrimently between full PAO and Group-IV in their line of "Full Synthetic" oils, depending on where they get the best deal from thier suppliers. They took a lot of heat for that from industry insiders, and because of that, a few years ago they too introduced 2 lines of "full synthetics", one a full PAO and the other a Group -IV.

Basically, a clean engine lasts far longer than a sludged up engine, and nothing keeps an engine cleaner than a good full synthetic oil.

14GMCZ71 · July 27, 2015

I do my own oil changes and use Mobil1 0W-20 Advanced Fuel Economy Dexos1 Certified Synthetic Oil & ACDelco Oil Filter ( Was PF63 - GM#89017525 - Now Using PF63E - GM#19330000 for the 5.3 in my '14 GMC ). I changed my oil at 1,000 miles and again at 5,000 miles. I drive the truck about 7,000 miles per year. From here on out I plan to change the oil two times per year ( 12 month period ) - fall and spring.

tkkz71 · July 27, 2015

wow thank you for all the info! i was definitely planning on using full synthetic. just wasn't sure which brand and when to do it.. miles or percentage. in the past i would go about 3500-4000 between changes. does that sound about right? per GM certified warranty they won't change oil for free until it's at 10%. I don't want to do that. i will just change it myself.

LongrangeLauber · July 27, 2015

I go off the 7500 mile factory interval. Considering Mobil 1 EP 0w-20 is guaranteed 15k I figured at half it's life it is fine. Have ran it since the first oil change at 900 miles. Also use the Mobil 1 filter

redwngr · July 27, 2015

Dexos is an oil specification, not a brand.

There is a long list of oils approved to the Dexos specification.

http://www.centerforqa.com/gm/dexos1-brands

It includes both full synthetic and synthetic blend options.

TxTruckMan · July 28, 2015

Unless you have the 4.3L V6, you should use 0W20 with the Dexos spec. Those are the only two requirements - abide by them and your engine will be fine. Everything else is just personal preference and/or wasted money.

And GM spent a lot of effort developing the OLM - why people don't use it boggles my mind.

fondupot · July 28, 2015

I just had my final "free" oil change. I will continue to use the OLM to change my oil. I will likely change the oil between 20-30%. I will likely use Mobile 1, or Amsoil if I decided to sign back up as a member.

14GMCZ71 · July 28, 2015

I drive my truck to work Monday through Friday - less than 4 miles one way - and around town with occasional out of town trips.

My '14 just turned 6,000 miles - purchased on 8-16-14. As I stated in an earlier post I changed the oil at 1,000 miles and again at 5,000 miles.

I plan to change the oil two times per year from here on out - fall and spring. I don't consider this a waste of money or my time. Just my personal preference.

2017SierraSLT · July 28, 2015

I use only Pennzoil Ultra oil, and NON-E Core Delco oil filters. If a non E Core Delco is unavailable, then Hastings, or WIX. I change at 5k mile intervals. The OLM is usually at 10 percent or less.

ghgmi · July 29, 2015

I drive my truck to work Monday through Friday - less than 4 miles one way - and around town with occasional out of town trips.

My '14 just turned 6,000 miles - purchased on 8-16-14. As I stated in an earlier post I changed the oil at 1,000 miles and again at 5,000 miles.

I plan to change the oil two times per year from here on out - fall and spring. I don't consider this a waste of money or my time. Just my personal preference.

Agreed. If for nothing else it makes you set aside time to take a look at everything, and it's worth doing that at least a couple of times a year. (But at 20k miles/yr, I don't have that "problem".)

Spurshot · July 29, 2015

To the OP, following the Oil Life Monitor (OLM) in the dash will keep your warranty and give you a long, long engine life. If you desire reduced wear, use Mobil 1 and change at the recommended OLM interval.

Spurshot · July 29, 2015

I drive my truck to work Monday through Friday - less than 4 miles one way - and around town with occasional out of town trips.

My '14 just turned 6,000 miles - purchased on 8-16-14. As I stated in an earlier post I changed the oil at 1,000 miles and again at 5,000 miles.

I plan to change the oil two times per year from here on out - fall and spring. I don't consider this a waste of money or my time. Just my personal preference.

Some of my out of town trips have been 6000 miles in the course of 2 weeks, let alone 2 years. I had over 50,000 miles on my last truck after 2 years. I would buy one with a shower if they offered it. LOL

LongrangeLauber · July 29, 2015

Some of my out of town trips have been 6000 miles in the course of 2 weeks, let alone 2 years. I had over 50,000 miles on my last truck after 2 years. I would buy one with a shower if they offered it. LOL

I've got 22k on mine and I've had it 8 months lol