Leaderboard

This is a good video on fuel additives and their effects. It's long but well worth the time. Very good information.

It is always a good idea to exercise it at least every few months to make sure the actuators don’t get stuck. It is also a good idea to actually drive it for at least a few hundred feet when you do that so seals experience motion and oil movement. Off pavement or snow/ice is best for this, but driving wet pavement in a straight line for a short distance will work if you don’t have other options. I have forgotten and gone as long as six months between exercising it on my 2021 and it has always shifted promptly. I usually just use my straight 300 foot gravel driveway.

You need to check your tires/rims, and front end parts for damage.

If it's at the bottom line it IS a quart low from full that; that is the point of the sticks markings. It says, "If the oil is below the crosshatch area at the tip of the dipstick and the engine has been off for at least 15 minutes, add 1 L (1 quart) of the recommended oil and then recheck the level". (shows a little arrow to indicate which line is at the tip of the stick for the confused word salad crew). Ya know, like the line that says 'don't drink the battery fluid". Lets use your logic. If it is 0.000001" below the mark then add a FULL quart and it will be 0.000001" below the full mark. Thus the distance of the cross-hatching is 1 quart and it is one quart low of FULL if AT the line; so yea, it's a quart low of full. Being in the 'acceptable range" if you add less doesn't alter this fact. Critical thinking people. Word salad..... I now know the reason for the ridiculous wording of present day manuals. But it still doesn't explain the pop-up on the infotainment screen that says, "Don't read this screen while driving" that pops up when your driving.

Does our 4-wheel drive system need to be exercised? If it is not used a lot?

I live in Vermont, 4WD gets used quite frequently during the year.

Personally, if it's anywhere on the upper 3/4's of the marked area I'm not adding anything, to avoid the 'risk' of overfilling. If I am close to oil change time, and it's at the bottom of the marked area, I still might not add any. For this to be the case (which it never has) the engine would be consuming an amount of oil that I am no longer worried about the longevity of it.

Interesting is I stopped off at a NAPA store in WV small town and they said they are having a hard time getting 0w-20. I also have a contact at a Chevrolet dealership that said the ULV fluid for the 10sp is hard to get as well. Not GM related but I also stopped off at our local Kia dealership and they said they were out of their ATF and it was on order inspected to get it in in a week. They said they were limited to what they could order. In the mean time AMSOIL see's what is going on and sent out a letter stating there are issues with getting supplies and pricing will have another slight increase but to be sure AMSOIL isn't seeing any issues as of now providing for their customers. They can supply as normal. Can't find what you need locally from your normal source? Contact me I can get you the best price on anything AMSOIL.

I'd guess state side Group III. That Qatar plant is a GTL unit, Group III+

It may or may not help with keeping things working, but even if it doesn't help, testing that it does work when you don't need it, makes it more likely it will work when you do need it, and/or you can fix the problem so it works when needed.

I also found this.. API activated emergency provisional licensing because of base oil supply conditions meeting force majeure thresholds. I wonder what's being substituted for Group III base oils...

GDI Injector tips are in the combustion chamber and yes, they are subject to the same aromatic hydrocarbon based carbon build up the entire chamber is subjected to. Chevron Techron is a PEA based cleaner (polyether amine) that is VERY effective if the dose is high enough. Carbon the tips disrupts the spray pattern so keeping them clean is kind of a big deal. It will clean more than the injector tips. It will keep the inside of the injector tip clean as well. When they shut off they 'hot soak' building varnish internally behind the pintle. The tip, unlike most MFI systems have several orifices of very small diameter. They have to stay clean to work right. That spray pattern is supposed to spray into the cup in the piston, not all over the cylinder walls. Old guys will understand... Top Tier Chevron has enough of the cleaner to be effective if used regularly. Other solutions could be Shell V Power Nitro + Premium and Exxon/Mobil Supreme Plus Premium ONLY use a different chemistry to the same effect with the added bonus of a friction/antiwear additive as well. Red Line SI-1 is PEA based as well with an upper cylinder lube. There's a white paper on their site for shock treatment of system left untreated for long periods. AMSOIL PI has a full system cleaner of yet another chemistry that will strip carbon out of the power cylinder pretty quick. Gumout Regane is also PEA based but at very low doses and those that are isopropanol based will not be effective. Alcohol content is way to low. Chevron Techron in any pump gas, Use by package instructions. 10 oz per 15 gallons every 3,000 miles. First use may require two treatments. So, Techron, Red Line SI-1 and AMSOIL PI if batch treating and Shell, XOM Premium or any Chevron Fuel will not just keep it clean, but will clean it if dirty. No other fuel "I'm aware of will do that". Flex Fuel motors. If you use at least 40% alcohol on a regular basis they won't carbon at all. PEA is not recommended for fuels over E-20 (www.carparts.com)

Absolutely! These forums are legion with posts of people complaining that their truck wouldn't go into 4WD when they needed it to. Most of them hadn't used it ever or in years. I try to run mine through the paces every month or so and drive it a few miles on a dirt trail near the house a couple times a year if not already off-roading.

Scan for codes. Need to start there first.

If your truck is bad as you are saying then you shouldn't be asking what's wrong with it here you should be taking it to the shop asap.

Hopefully your system has leak dye in it still? A black light will help find the dye at the leaks. Yea condenser leak is probably the most common issue on the 2014-2018 generation 1500s. Next common would be the one hose off the compressor or the compressor itself. 2014s used to crack that hose near where it attached to the compressor if I'm not mistaken. EDIT: Here's the PI for that line cracking - temp.xml It can spray dye all over the hose and compressor if it happens.

Check the a/c condenser.............they are notorious for cracking at the pinch weld. Look through the grill on the driverside. There's a small tack weld. If I remember right if you hold up a black light the refrigerant will glow if the weld is cracked

The problem for Gr III Base oils ---------------->https://www.gasworld.com/story/shell-expects-year-long-outage-at-damaged-qatar-lng-train/2251101.article/

Be careful doing this. Crash and seat standards change between generations of trucks. If something happens to you or someone in a crash, you could be held liable. The upfitter guides have measurements and all kinds of data. I think the GMT 800 seats are belts mounted to seats. The 2014, K2, is much different.

probably somewhere on gmupfitter.com and there are other considerations, like occupant/weight sensors, seat belt connections, airbag locations stuff like that to consider...

Indeed that photo makes me laugh as its almost comical in a sense when I think about Christmas at a certain brother inlaws as he turns on the tv and puts it to the burning fire place channel, an image of reality but yet far from reality in what it accomplishes in any physicals sense. When I search for answers to what is the optimum oil level in which to run an engine, of no surprise it states that its NOT ideal to run the engine constantly at the add mark but IS ideal for the longevity of the engine to run the oil level at or near the full mark on the dipstick. While its fairly typical although not written in stone as per the one quart difference between full and add on what I would refer to as a full size vehicle engine, as one goes up in engine size for trucks, field tractors, other industrial equipment etc and the oil capacity increases they stretch out the volume between full and add. Typically highway tractor engines tend to be a gallon of oil and that may be 1 tenth of the total engines oil volume. Looking back at the older GM full size pickup engines, some of them only held hardly over 4 quarts ... that 1 quart low was taking 25% of the total oils volume away and no wonder they started bumping up the total oil volume with a larger sump on pans for the same engine platform to help the engine and retain the oils integrity to increase the odds of the engines life span.

Note my quotes around "a quart low" adding 1 oz when at the bottom of the crosshatch/acceptable range would bring it back to within the acceptable range therefore it would not be considered a quart low according to what the manual calls the acceptable range even though you can add a quart and not be over filling at that point. I was explaining why the manual would not say the bottom of the crosshatch is a quart low.

Now there's some fancy double talk. Let me see if I get this right. The level is at the bottom of the hatching and you add a quart (because the range of the hatching is a quart) it brings it to the top of the hatching but.... it's not down a quart?

This used to be hard and fast but....some motors, Asian Metrics for example maybe like a half liter. The Ecotec 2.4 varies along the length of the hatched area due to a main cap girdle they are fit with occupying/displacing irregular volumes vertically an yet is still a quart from top to bottom. I'm sure there are exceptions to the most common value of a quart so peeing on each others leg would be pointless. Do your study and report back.

I did a search outside of this forum and came across a thread from this forum from two years ago which was amusing but one I recall now from a trusted member who had himself had to add a quart on his brand new truck to bring it up to near the level plug level. Then after accumulating 5000 or so miles on the truck he pulled the cover to drain it out and wiped out the bottom of the diff housing and put the factory cover back on and in his case it took exactly 4 quarts to bring it up to within that 4/10 of an inch below the fill/level check plug, far more than the GM spec. That is a big difference between that GM spec ( which is why the GM diffs are below the level they themselves say they should be when coming out of the factory ) vs what amounts to around 8 pints of oil. My own truck when I first got it home from new, I had not measured how much volume mine took since I used a hand pump on a 6 gallon pail of gear oil to top it off but I had measured it by using a bent wire on the flat shop floor after the truck sat overnight and a ruler and it was exactly 1" below the bottom of the fill hole on the rear diff. That fell right into line with what others have measured from a factory filled rear diff on these HD trucks, however the GM instructions are to fill from within between 4/10" of an inch or up to the bottom of the fill/level check hole as the full range. So that is why it alarmed me when you mentioned not seeing any oil in that window although I wasn't sure if that diff cover held the exact same amount as the factory cover so can only speculate its probably very close to retain the same oil flow characteristics over the top that the ring gear provides with the factory curved cover vs some of these odd flat back diff covers ( the whole video Gale does on that about some of the goofy after market covers out there ).

My expectations are a bit higher. No faded paint or dry rotted plastic/rubber. I use a dressing and a ceramic sealant. No hazy headlights. No door dings. Small dent in the front bumper. All rock chips repaired. No brush scratches. No windshield chips. No fender benders. Limit damage due to a proactive plan the included ceramics and PPF and prompt attention to any exterior issue. NO RUST. Stays out of the salt and had the rear wheel wells Line-X coated as well as the bed which has a bed rubber and has been under cover since before I bought it. Washed and detailed regularly. Rex chewed up the tow button, got whacked and the button replaced the same week. He's leaned his lesson. If I can train a dog the kids are easier. All suspension is original save the King Shocks I installed very early on. 50 years ago dad told me a good shock will keep the screws in the dash tight and the front end mint. He was right. Everything within new spec yet, tight and aligned well several times. Coolant system is OEM save the modifications I made early on. Not a single leak anywhere on this machine. (Did repair an intake leak on #4 during the HPFP replacement.) The injectors I replaced didn't need to be. They checked out great. One of those, while I'm in there with the manifold off and the fuel rail apart things. Not a stain or abrasion one to the upholstery. Have kept is covered since new. Never had a carpet, it's a work truck but the carpet squared I laid on the floor have keep the factory rubber liner MINT. Ceramic wind tint helps preserve the interior. Original BRAKES with 60%+ left of the pads and rotors mic excellent. We just did a full preventative brake service. Disassembly, clean inspect including measurements, lube, Dot 4 power flush including ABS system. OEM battery. OEM vacuum pump. In fact the only things not OEM are a pinion seal the high side pump and injectors and a small plastic shield around the starter. All hoses/belts etc.. are still in service and doing well. Original tires lasted 125K and had I known some additional details would have made it to 150K with legal tread. (Date out is six years, not 5 and Continental says they are good for 10 so I pulled the trigger to early) I never let my children or grandchildren run the show. Feet on the floor and hands in your lap. Dog gets a pass. A truck is a machine that gives you back whatever your willing to put into it. Same as a computer or a butter knife. I use a shovel but I scrap it, hose it off and oil it when I'm done with it. My original spade I've had 60 years. Set the bar higher...you spend less money. No, before you ask, I have spent a fraction of the cost of a new truck in my entire maintenance program including disposables, filters/fluids etc.

Here is the manual for my 2025 it does infer that the crosshatch area should be appox 1L. and it says the oil level should be checked cold and parked on level ground. Also to check every 400miles.

All Direct Injection engines risk carbon build up on their intake valves. Adding fuel injection cleaner to the fuel won't help prevent this because the fuel is being sprayed directly into the cylinder. From what I have researched a "walnut shell" cleaning service can successfully remove the built up carbon from the intake valves. However this service is much more expensive than a bottle of Techron.

I think the Banks cover is higher capacity, given I don’t see oil in the sight glass. They say to observe factory capacity over sight glass. I used approximately 6 1/4 pints bc I assume not being able to fully drain bags, and a tiny bit of spillage when I squeezed. Got Amsoil ATF as-indicated on their website. I have gas engine and six speed. Transmission service will happen after the transfer case and front differential (I’ll likely get another cover with drain, also). Besides the dipstick mod, idk what’s all underneath the pan.

Impressed myself People have been telling me since I bought it that she was going to blow any minute. 200K is certainly a milestone I'm looking forward to but I have no idea how many miles it will take to quite the pessimist among us. Pattern has been; they set a goal, Pepper exceeds that goal, the goal post gets moved. At some point I'll run out of time. It is catching up with me. We'll see. 300K? 400K? Half a million? It's not using oil yet and that is a great sign. It's not leaking from any part of the powertrain. Another good sign. So...

Fuel Update 6/7/2026 Since getting Pepper back I've been blending fuel. 50/50 E-85 - 93 pump gas. At my local pricing that is a 97 octane fuel for the price of regular and metering 48% alcohol. This much gasoline octane locally is $10 a gallon with only one local resource!! I can blend this anywhere I find E-85. Why? Longer range. Same no KR timing pull. More lubricious fuel. No loss in power cylinder cleanliness and a reasonable chance at seeing any future fuel dilution in the UOA's. When I blend with Shell or XOM premiums there is some friction modifier and antiwear enhancement. No cold weather starting issues either. So lots of pluses and few losses.

That's certainly good to hear that there was nothing alarming on the cover magnet volume wise or chunk wise of metal. I don't recall if the Banks cover holds more oil than the factor cover, what volume did you estimate that it took ?. As to the transfer case I assume you bought whatever brand you wanted of a Dexron VI automatic transmission fluid. Have you changed the automatic trans fluid at some point and actually I don't recall if your truck is the gas or diesel version as that makes the difference as to which transmission and oil type is required in 2023. The problem with my truck is that its the gas engine with the 10 speed and I've not yet attempted to see if I can drop the pan as the silly exhaust is right in the way and I do not want to touch the exhaust system on the manifold end if I can help it, the diesel does not have the Y pipe style exhaust under the pan so is not an issue to remove the pan.

It's raining on and off today, but I was able to change the rear oil and cover before it started. I ended up getting the Amsoil 75W85 for the front, 75W90 for the rear, and the right fluid for the transfer case. I wanted a cover with a drain, so that's pretty much the reason for the aftermarket one. I have a Roadmaster sway bar and had to fabricate 1" spacers for clearance, so that might be helpful if anyone has that on their truck and considering the cover swap. Old oil had 60,000 miles and just the slightest metal fuzz on the magnet; everything looked super nice. Fourth pic is just to highlight the spacers to accommodate the cover. Those bags sure make it easier than the old siphon guns.

I know when I was looking around last year to see if someone handled Amsoil gear oil to buy at the retail level which of course means full price. I found an independent shop that works a lot on GM/Duramax pickups and they did not bring in the 75W-85 as they just stuck to the 75W-90 for the front and rear as a standard practice for the HD trucks which makes sense anyway for the higher hp/torque diesel and pulling heavy loads in four wheel drive. I haven't changed my diff oils yet but still plan on using the 75W-85 for the front diff as I highly doubt I will be beating on the truck and figured for my use type the bit thinner oil would be to my benefit for the winter for that slightly less drag. Very different weather here all winter vs northern Washington near the coast, that's for sure.

I have no first-hand knowledge about it but I have seen quite a few comments that GM selected lower viscosity gear oils to slightly improve fuel mileage. Personally, I care more about longevity and reliability than fuel mileage on this type of vehicle, and I have not read any cautions about using 75w90 in place of the 75w85 specified for the front differential, so I went with the 75w90 I have used for 35 years on other GM trucks and SUVs.

Gonna need taller boots cause its getting deep. This is a truck enthusiast forum - if I wanted to here this crap I'd look a thousand other places before here. Friendly reminder why there is a block function.

The battery is very new, The truck is essentially undrivable so I have had it towed to the dealer. Since this is an E Assist truck the dealer seems the only option at this point. Scan showes multiple codes. The repair wll not be cheap