Search the Community

Thought that this might be a thread of interest and maybe a way for some to keep track of their oil changes. Basically post the vehicle you changed the oil on, at what mileage and how long you go on the oil change. If you follow the oil life monitor (OLM) then post at what percent it was reading at the time of the change. Also what brand oil/weight and oil filter you use. Here is an example; 7/21/18 2002 Silverado 182,157 total miles on truck 5,147 miles on oil OLM at 0% Oil AMSOIL Signature Series 10w-30 out SS 0w-20 in Ea064 filter out and Ea030 filter on Sent sample off to Dysonanalysis to see how this sample did. Reason for so short is I changed out the oil pan, intake gaskets and rear main seal so there will be some sealant in there somewhere. My oil consumption went to 0 after the intake gasket change. So it must have had a small leak. I use to go through a qt in 5k miles. No more smoke on start up after pulling the trailer either so I'm happy. Also I have been running E85 for most of this oil change and I want to see what effect it has had on the oil.

"Opinion ‘Car Talk’ host: Independent auto shops deserve the right to repair your car September 28, 2022 at 7:00 a.m. EDT (Washington Post staff illustration; images by iStock) Ray Magliozzi is one half of NPR’s show “Car Talk,” a longtime independent repair-shop owner, a Dear Car Talk columnist and a car reviewer on CarTalk.com. When your car breaks, what do you do? Okay, after you utter a certain word? You have to decide where to take the car to get it fixed, right? You really have two choices. You can go to the dealership or an independent repair shop. However, some car manufacturers don’t want to share key information for diagnosing and fixing cars with independent shops — and that’s something that’s not only bad for repair shops but also bad for you. As a radio host who has advised thousands on their car problems and as an independent shop owner myself, I know all too well that car owners benefit when they have more choices. Congress is considering a national “right-to-repair” law, and lawmakers need to pass it to protect your rights as a consumer. Story continues below advertisement Back in the old days, when people were still switching over from traveling by mastodon, you repaired cars with your eyes, ears, nose and hands — and, if you were desperate, a Chilton repair manual. Now, you often repair a car by first plugging a computer into the on-board-diagnostics port and seeing what the computer tells you is broken. So, what’s the problem? Carmakers and their dealerships want to maintain control of modern diagnostic tools, which forces customers to come to them for repairs. Even though independents are willing to pay to license these tools, dealers see an advantage in exclusivity. Dealerships have always had certain advantages. They have better coffee in their waiting rooms. Heck, they have waiting rooms. They have clean restrooms that don’t double as auxiliary air-filter storage. They also work on your particular make of car all day, every day. So they might be familiar with an oddball problem because they’ve worked on 4,000 Camrys. Story continues below advertisement Independent shops are small businesses, run by individuals — some of whom are terrific people and mechanics and some of whom will blame your car troubles on demonic possession and give you essential oils to fix it. But independent shops have their own advantage: price. Their labor and parts costs are usually much lower — hey, who do you think is ultimately paying for the dealerships’ coffee and fancy couches? Some research has found that dealers, on average, charged as much as 20 percent more than independent shops for the same repairs. This article was featured in the Opinions A.M. newsletter. Sign up here for a digest of opinions in your inbox six days a week. There’s also the matter of distance. Not every town in the United States has a stop light, let alone a dealership for every car brand. There are 16,752 franchised car dealers in the United States, according to the National Automobile Dealers Association, but there are nearly 240,000 repair shops — meaning that for a lot of people, an independent shop is the only nearby option. Story continues below advertisement At Car Talk, there are times we’ll strongly recommend an independent shop for standard work like brakes, shocks, the engine and regular service. And there are times we’ll recommend going to the dealership, like when you have a particularly rare problem that might be unique to your make and model. But at the end of the day, you should take your car to the dealer to be fixed because you want to not because dealers have hoarded all the key information. Beyond the information needed to diagnose and fix your car, dealerships also want to maintain control of your car’s telematics. What are telematics? Well, now that everything is connected to the internet, your car can notify your dealer when your car needs an oil change or has a blown sensor. Using the software they’re denying to independent shops, the dealer can then diagnose the trouble code, call you and schedule a repair. Most modern cars already have this ability. Car manufacturers point to the importance of keeping your car’s data safe — including your location, say — as a reason to deny independent shops access to these tools and codes. They are right about the need for data security, but part of privacy is that you should be the one to decide who has access to your data. Story continues below advertisement At least 17 states have laws on the books stating that your vehicle’s data belongs to you. Many independent repair shops will need to invest in tools to keep customer data secure, but just because they’ll need to invest doesn’t mean they can’t compete with dealers. Lack of choice — and competition — is never good for the consumer. So consumer groups and independent shops are promoting what they call right-to-repair legislation, guaranteeing consumers more choice by requiring automakers to license their data with independent repair shops. The voters in my fair state of Massachusetts approved just such a law in 2020. In 2021, 27 states introduced or passed similar legislation. Beyond those state laws, there’s a national push to protect consumers and independent shops. H.R. 6570, a national right-to-repair bill, has been sitting with the House Energy and Commerce Committee for months. My Car Talk colleagues and I know not everyone will support right-to-repair laws. Dealerships won’t like the level playing field. Mechanics might not like how much work they’ll actually have to do. Still, this is an issue everyone else can get behind. If you own something, you should be able to choose where to repair it. "

Just changed the oil on my 2014 gmc sierra 4.3l. It required six quarts of oil which is what i used but now i am afraid if its overfilled or not. Its a completely different reading than what it was before the oil change. Althought its not above the hashmarks there are 2 dots on there which I’m not sure if those are the oil level indicators or the hashmarks are the oil level indicators. The dots are kinda hidden which is why I’m not sure if those even are oil indicators dots. Im really hoping i filled it up correctly and wont ruin the engine by overfilling the oil. I installed a fumoto valve so it could be easier to drain excess oil. I do note there was a metallic ticking noise that was present before the oil change but disappeared afterwards. following picture (2) is before the oil change one of each side of the dipstick The next two fuller looking ones are after the oil change one for each side of the dipstick

Hello all, 2005 GMC Sierra 1500 4x4 L33 5.3 with 208k miles. I did some research, and found that my oil pickup tube o-ring is most likely causing my oil pressure 'issues' The 'issue' is that in the morning during the first start up of the day, the oil pressure registers low enough to trigger the low oil pressure warning. At idle in PARK it will usually stabilize (when cold) between 5 and 20 psi, but it will drop below that when idling in DRIVE as well, during the first few minutes of operation. Asthe engine warms up, the oil pressure increases, and generally driving down the road when cold it reads 20 psi, when warm its 30-35 psi. Like I said, I believe the culprit is the pickup tube o-ring. My question is, what is involved in dropping the oil pan to replace this $5 part? Do I HAVE to remove the front diff and everything associated with it?

Hope nobody minds, but I'm going to start up a Quick Reference Guide for common parts/fluids/bulbs for the T1 HD trucks. I'll try to keep it updated if anything changes. If a mod wants to sticky it, I'm down for that too. Owners Manuals Chevrolet: https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2020/chevrolet/silverado-2500-3500/2020-chevrolet-silverado-owners-manual.pdf GMC: https://my.gmc.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2020/gmc/sierra-2500-3500/2020-gmc-sierra-owners-manual.pdf Diesel Supplement: https://my.chevrolet.com/content/dam/gmownercenter/gmna/dynamic/manuals/2020/chevrolet/multimodel/2020-6.6-duramax-diesel-supplement.pdf Oil Changes 6.6 gas L8T (VIN code "7") Capacity: 8 Quarts AC Delco Oil Filter: PF63E / 19383806 Drain Plug Size: 12X1.75X18.15 6.6 Diesel L5P (VIN code "Y") Capacity: 10 Quarts AC Delco Oil Filter: PF26 / 89017527 Drain Plug Size: 12X1.75X18.15 Engine Air Filters 6.6 Gas: A3244C / 84121219 6.6 Diesel: A3248C / 84554703 Engine Fuel Filter 6.6 Diesel L5P: TP1015 / 23304096 Interior Filters Passenger Compartment Air Filter: CF185 / 13508023 Wiper Blades Drivers & Passenger Sides: 23387857 Spark Plugs 6.6 Gas L8T: 41-114 / 12622441 Glow Plugs 6.6 Diesel L5P: 68G / 12690238 Fuel Tank Sizes 6.6 Gas L8T, All Box/Cab Configurations: 36 Gallons 6.6 Diesel L5P Double Cab Long Box/Crew Cab Standard and Long Box Configurations: 36 Gallons. 6.6 Diesel L5P Double Cab Standard Box Configuration: 29 Gallons. 6.6 Diesel L5P Regular Cab Long Box Configuration: 28 Gallons. Diesel Exhaust Fluid Tank Capacity: 7 gallons Automatic Transmission Fluid 6L90 6 Speed MYD (Gas engine): DEXRON-VI Automatic Transmission Fluid 10L1000 10 Speed MGM/MGU (Diesel engine): DEXRON ULV Automatic Transmission Fluid. Transmission Capacities (Approximate): 6L90 6 Speed MYD (Gas engine) Pan Drop: 6.0 quarts Overhaul: 10.5 quarts Complete System: 12.4 quarts 10L1000 10 Speed MGM/MGU (Diesel engine) Overhual: 20.6 quarts Complete System: 22.08 quarts Transfer Case Fluid Electronic Shift Non-Autotrac MP 1625/1626–NQF: Dexron VI Electronic Shift Autotrac MP 3025–NQH: Dexron VI Transfer Case Fluid Capacities Electronic Shift Non-Autotrac MP 1625/1626–NQF: 2.4 Quarts Electronic Shift Autotrac MP 3025–NQH: 1.6 Quarts Brake System Hydraulic Brake System (Vehicles with DOT 3 brake fluid): DOT 3 Hydraulic Brake Fluid Hydraulic Brake System (Vehicles with DOT 4 brake fluid): DOT 4 Hydraulic Brake Fluid Wheel Lug Nut Torque All Models: 140 lb-ft / 190 N-m Front Axle 9.25" Axle Lubricant: 75w85 Synthetic High Efficiency Lubricant, 10-4091 / 19300457 Capacity: 1.9 Quarts Rear Axle 11.5" Axle Lubricant:75w90 Synthetic Lubricant, 10-4016 / 88900401 Capacity: 3.17 Quarts Rear Axle 12.0" Axle Lubricant:75w90 Synthetic Lubricant, 10-4016 / 88900401 Capacity: 3.17 Quarts

I have a 2017 Silverado 5.3L. Used to stay around 40 pounds of oil. Now when idling, is goes down to 20-25 ish pounds. It’s not throwing any codes up but does have a bit of a knock if I floor it without letting the pressure build back up first. Cold start it’s just below 40 pounds but at operating temps (210) it drops like crazy. It’s not oil quality or level, I just changed it last week and it was good for half a day and went back down.

2011 Chevy 1500 LT crew - 144k miles So, after countless hours of searching, I’ve decided to post here in desperate need of help. My truck is currently in the shop, and on its 3rd mechanic trying to diagnose/fix the issue. Originally I was getting an oil pressure sensor unit code months ago, and about a month of driving later, and I finally lost my oil pressure gauge (dropped to zero) but the truck was perfectly fine. No loss of oil, etc. So I brought it in to get it fixed and change the oil - they put an OEM part in and changed the screen. Reset everything and I picked it up, a few moments later my check engine light returned. Scanned it when I got home, same error code - active. Checked for oil leaks, etc - nothing. Returned a month later for them to fix it, they put in another OEM part and new screen…drive it 3 miles down the road, and it trips again. They’ve checked the valve cover gasket and checked the PCM, everything seems fine. The truck is not burning oil either. I’ll add that my oil pressure gauge on my dash works fine now since they swapped sensors too. Everyone is stumped on what to do, and I’m about to potentially go down the rabbit hole of ‘throwing parts at it’. Starting with the PCM and then the valve cover gasket, and many thousands of bucks potentially. Does anyone have the slightest idea what’s going on? The PCM is throwing no other codes either, he has graphed and checked it. Is it possible for the PCM to be corrupt without it giving errors, etc? The tech is a 30 year vet, and a family friend - so by no means is he stupid. But this has stumped two other techs with equal experience too. Now my truck is past inspection, and with my Check Engine light on, it’ll never pass. Plus I’m still half way on my loan, so just selling it isn’t an option. Help!!!!

Thought oil pressure was low so when I got home I checked the level, level was fine. However, the oil was black. Dealer did the first oil change maybe 1500 miles ago (only 8900mi on it currently) and the oil is black already. Is that normal? I understand that the black color indicates the presence of carbon and is normal, and does not mean it needs to be changed simply based on color. It didn't smell burnt or "old" either. I really do not run this truck that hard and especially not so during the last 1500 miles. I'm just hoping someone can educate me on the world of diesel engine oil and differences vs gas engine oil. I would expect the oil not to be thorougly black after such a recent oil change.

Hello everyone! Finally installed my UPR can and Airaid intake last week and wanted to give some feedback to anyone interested in something similar. Back story is that we bought a 2018 Yukon XL Denali in Dec then had all lifters n cam replaced 2 weeks after due to dreaded tick on engine with 33k miles. As tech said internals are clean, I decided to go with a can to protect investment especially aftering asking tech and service manager about them and its impact on the warranty. They stated as long as warranty claim isn't affected by catch can, there wouldn't be any issue. Anyways here's some pics of the installation (plenty of videos are available to walk you through it) The UPR kit is well designed for a clean and OEM look.

I recently became acknowledged about the myth of the 3,000 mile oil change on newer vehicles with advanced oil. I own a 2006 silverado 2500 v8 6L WT and I change my oil every 5k miles with Mobil synthetic 5w-30. I cannot seem to find the exact information within my car manual or my Haynes/Chilton manual for the recommended interval between oil changes. Is there anywhere I can look up how often I can change my oil with the specific engine of within my truck? I have heard some oils can go 10k+ miles on some vehicles. I'd love to do less oil changes, but don't want to endanger my engine since oil changes are so quick though I'd love to save money too! Where can I find this exact information or do you have any other suggestions? Thanks in advance!

I have the 4.3 L V6 Silverado that calls for 6 quarts of oil. However, if I put 6 quarts in the truck it seems to be well past the full “waffle mark“ (crosshatch fill zone)on the dipstick. It actually almost goes up to the point where the dipstick reader and the wire connect. Seems awfully high. However, if I put 5 1/2 quarts in it, it almost reaches the top of the waffle impression. and yes, I completely emptied the oil and drained it on a flat surface. in fact, when you read the dipstick with 6 quarts of oil in it, it’s almost hard to tell that the oil is actually going well above the top of the full mark of the dipstick because it tapers off at the top. If you hold it in the perfect light, you can tell that it is well above the waffle mark Anyone else notice this oddity in the dipstick reading?

Hello, Wondering if it normal for my oil pressure to shoot up with the RPM? I have a 4.3L v6 in my Express. Proper oil was used? What could cause that? Will this become a problem for leaks later? That's what I'm afraid of. Thanks,

I have a 1996 GMC Sierra k1500, I recently I had to replace the clutch system, after that the truck started to go through antifreeze like crazy we could never figure out where it was going (no leaks that were visual) truck never over heated. we ended up replacing the hoses, we went ahead and put in a new alternator thinking the fan was not working. after that, the truck started to overheat so we put in a new radiator, went to do an oil change seen that the oil was milky, so drained everything did full oil change including filter, checked oil again and still has a watery milky color in the oil. Can anyone please tell me what to do from here? TIA ****MORE DETAILS: Great thank you will try the plug thing I have had truck setting since Sat. here's something that got me thinking, when replacing the radiator, we noticed that the oil cooler lines on the old radiator had a o ring to them, the new radiator did not, so he used the old o ring when attaching to the new radiator. could this be causing a bleed over ?

Truck drives fine but obviously it isn’t good. Haven’t noticed any oil puddles on the floor or any big leaking. What you guys think it can be? Here’s a pic.

Currently working on a 6.0L V8 (2000 LQ9 I believe) and cannot seem to locate the PCV valve and hose (see image for reference). I was under the impression that they weren’t integrated into the valve cover until around 2005. The body of this truck is a 2000 Sierra 1500 but the engine was replaced from the 4.8 to the 6.0 at some point so I’m guessing for a lot of the component locations. First time poster, any helps appreciated.

my 6.0 with 230xxx has low oil pressure but no knocks maybe a little tick though. When i bought the truck it had maybe 5-9psi cold dropping to 0 warm. Thought it may have been a pickup tube oring or oil pump so i went ahead and replaced the pickup tube, o ring, and pump. it now gets 20 cold 7 warm at idle and 0 warm at idle and 20 warm running 1700 rpm. Which is a lot better but still a problem. I am aware the bearings may be shot and need a total rebuild, that is not out of the options. It is not electrical or sensor based issue same psi with a mechanical gauge. However I need to replace my harmonic balancer and take off the timing cover again so i was looking at it and could it be as simple as a o camshaft retainer plate? it has a build in thin o ring which if fails will drain pressure as it connects the oil gallys. Am I correct in thinking that this could solve my issues? Any input is helpful, thanks.

Hi there, So I ride a 18 Sierra 1500 with the 5.3L and keep getting gas in my oil, my high pressure fuel pump let go in March of 2019 (40000kms ish) and was the first time I got gas in the oil, they replaced it and it was good until late December of 2019, I drove 800 kms to home, parked at the restaurant and went to go home and got a bunch of codes, saying that bank was to lean, bank 1 to rich, bank 2 to lean, bank 2 to rich and a open circuit fault code. The truck was in limp mode but got it to the dealership, they found a short to a relay for the hp fuel pump and my crank case filled with gas (same as the last time but now the truck at 69000kms) they tested the O2’s, fuel injectors, injector cycles and such, they all passed the test so they figured the hp fuel pump went, so they replaced it. I then drove not even 3000kms and my truck was doing 33L/100kms downhill at 104km/h, no codes or engine lights. Checked the oil and it was over filled and smelled of gas, brought into the dealership and they said the Intake tube after the MAF was loose causing the engine to over fuel, now not even 2000kms (3 weeks) into the dealership “fixing” the issue, my oil is over filled and smells strong like gasoline. Any ideas on what the issue could be? I don’t want to keep paying for an oil change every 2-3000kms and 100$ deductible for my extended warranty. I know it’s not healthy for the engine and GM Canada won’t do anything about it.. Any ideas as to what the issue might be would be awesome, thanks

John Goreham Contributing Writer, GM-Trucks.com 10/26/2015 GM-Trucks.com wonders if you wait for the car to remind you to change your oil, or if you change it more proactively. Our own Zane Merva is not the type of guy to wait for instructions. He recently drained the oil in his family's new Buick Encore and felt glad he did. Zane tells us that the oil maintenance reminder said there was still 43% remaining in the factory oil's life. However when he drained it, it was "very dark." The good news is that at least on the Encore, changing the oil at home is easy and took only fifteen minutes start to finish. He filled it up with Pennzoil Platinum full synthetic motor oil. What is your view? Should oil in a vehicle you plan to keep beyond the warranty be changed sooner than the vehicle says? Or do you think it is better to only do what is required when the vehicle's algorithm says the time is right? If you do change your oil yourself, tell us why. Is it to save money, be involved in caring for something you value, or for convenience?

Took my 2017 Chevy Silverado z71 to the dealer today . Engine was ticking on top end sounded like a lifter tick and slight deeper knock in bottom end . oil presure was all over the place would go from 65 psi to 25 psi at same rpm. I have 44,000 miles. Has anyone else had this issue? With the strike in play who know how long I will be without my truck.

Hi guys I have a question about the Viscosity Grade that I can use on my 2016 GMC Sierra 5.3 engine, the recommended oil viscosity is 0w20 but I live in an extremely hot country (I'm talking 130-140 degrees) and I’m not sure if this is the best oil for my truck or not it has around 100k miles now and I’m thinking that its time to change it to 5w30 but the owners manual recommends 0w20 so I’m not sure if I can change to 5w30 or not.

Has anyone installed a water/methanol inject kit on any of the small blocks (2014-2018)? I personally have the LV3 4.3L V6. Looking to eliminate the carbon build up, caused by direct injection, on the intake valves. Right now I'm trusting that Sea Foam is doing the job every 30k miles. EDIT* I'm also interested in the increased performance after tuning. I am aware that a catch can would eliminate the majority of carbon build up on the valves.

2016 Silverado LTZ 5.3L I had 8 injectors replaced at Chevrolet 5/13/19. Code read p050d (NoWarranty) Check engine light had come on before but it would go away. I just now took it in for injectors. Every time I’m in heavy traffic I get home and it ticks almost like a Diesel. Im saying diesel because I had a gas 2005 F150 that sounded like a diesel. There is No check engine Light on now. I know something is wrong. What could be the problem? What is it that can cause the motor to work extra hard and feel strained. I still feel a rough idle when I let go of the gas.

Just wanted to show this to whoever is interested. Other weights are also on sale. PepBoys has Pennzoil Platinum oil on sale for $31.98 per 5qt + $15 PepBoys rebate per jug so $16.98 after rebate + $10 rebate from Pennzoil which stacks on top = $7 per 5qt jug. Limit 2. https://www.pepboys.com/pennzoil-platinum-high-mileage-motor-oil-0w-20-5-qt-/product/1809055?quantity=1 PepBoys rebate form: https://s3.amazonaws.com/pepboys-image-production/images/promotions/PBA-190501.pdf Pennzoil rebate form: https://images-na.ssl-images-amazon.com/images/G/01/15/54/30/45/99/12/15543045991249._CB467049274_.pdf

Mobil 1 Truck & SUV - https://mobiloil.com/en/article/why-the-mobil-advantage/mobil-1-performance/ford-f-150-motor-oil-results?WT.ac=Home-JT_Truck_and_SUV_Test Anyone using this yet? Don't want to start an oil debate.

Hi everybody, Just bought my first GMC a week ago. It is a 2016 with 55,000 miles 5.3 SLT 4x4 with Z71. I looked the car over pretty good but noticed something after we got home. Is this the common leaking crimps I have been learning about on these vehicles with transmission lines? I have to crawl under the vehicle this weekend but this was the picture I was able to get. The gunk had no smell to it at all. And not sure if the Rancho shocks are completely shot on this Z71 package but on the highway and my first speed bump the words....Old Cadillac came to mind about how much it wallows. Thanks everybody for your time....