Grumpy Bears 2015 Silverado 2WD

Grumpy Bear · June 12, 2021

A/C tables turn on Cooling Fans?

6/12/2021

Old business first:

I have 500 miles on this oil change since cleaning the pan area. Not a drop of oil to be seen anywhere. Great!

I learned something new about Pepper I never knew before and it would have concerned me IF another member had not mentioned in passing that cooling fans can also be switched on by the A/C tables. If you recall Pepper has a Riesch Racing 170 F thermostat mounted in a IPSCO alloy holder in the upper hose. 37 F cooler than factory. The fan setting is 210 F so I haven't heard a fan turn on since a few years ago when I was trapped in stalled traffic for over an hour on I-39 on a 95 F day like today. That day is was right at sundown so I just rolled down the windows and we moved at a snails pace. The water temperature would cycle 212 F down to 190 F the back and again. Trans temperature hit 220 F even with the pill flip. No air is no air. Oil temperatures reached 220 F as well. I turned off the air to lessen the load. Mistake it seems.

Well today it was also 95 F and instead of stalled in traffic the wife had some stops to make. She also insisted on the A/C, something I don't use much when I'm alone. Anyway this hot soaks the driveline driving temperatures up and up BUT the fans kicked on about 182 F (water) and were on high by 185 F. Water temperature never exceeded 186 F. With the air off in a situation like this 202F is common. Anyway, trans 174 F and motor oil held under 197F. I don't know what the ECM is reading but I was surprised and very happy about it. I have a call out to another member who tunes to explain this to me.

I just know that I wish I had known this about 5 years ago.

Grumpy Bear · June 15, 2021

Interesting stuff!

http://www.energyfuse.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/07/pic-1024x500.png

There is a long list of reasons to drive slower that physics will bear out. Safety! Fuel economy. Reduced emissions. Lower wear rates leading to longer vehicle life. All of which leads to lower operating cost and a longer healthier life. One of the more interesting aspects is the idea that you can drive slow enough to increase fuel usage and it makes total sense. That top graph illustrates the idea that there is a balance between the ideal speed and time the motor is running. For example an motor idling never gets to its destination but still consumes fuel. There are dozens of studies on this curve and while it moves a bit from example to example the results are surprisingly alike for gas ICE's. For Pepper this spot is 45 to 55 mph. 48 to 53 the sweet spot. Yet these are but two of many variables that have an effect of fuel usage.

Speed and time.

Tire type and inflation pressure. Oil viscosity. Wind speed and direction, rain. Traffic. Length of drive. Temperature. Weight. General state of tune. Road type and conditions. And while all of this is true and has an impact it is still speed and time that have the final say. All these other conditions will set the range of possibility but speed and time will pin the exact point within that range of possibilities. It's just interesting and for me...fun.

Grumpy Bear · June 16, 2021

Update on Red Line SI-1 injector cleaner.

6/15/2021

Was 28.73 mpg pre cleaning. (3 tank total). Next three tanks 29.33 mpg or 2.1% increase. Current tank is over 30 mpg.

With tax this product at O'Reilly's is a buck an ounce. That adds $3 to my normal 13 gallon fill up or 23 cents a gallon. As it is pretty easy for me to save more than that per gallon on fuel over the "area average" with use of Gas Buddy and a COSTCO membership this is doable. I may shop around for a better price on the product but it is effective and the benefit to the motor is a no brainer. 0.008 cent's per mile increase.

At a rate of .23 ounce per gallon I get 5 tanks per bottle. Continuous use treat rate is 0.17 to 0.33 ounces per gallon.

https://www.redlineoil.com/Content/files/tech/SI-1_Tech_6.20_.pdf

Grumpy Bear · June 21, 2021

This video, after the motor build has a tour of the Royal Purple Oil Filter factory which includes EVERYTHING about this filter. The filter efficiency at 20 mics is 99.99%. That would be equal to the Purolator Pure One which I find really impressive. It still used the flat blow off spring. Hum.... But a really nice video.

Item two:

I am continuing to treat the fuel with the Red Line SI-1. First three at an ounce per gallon. The next three at a half ounce per gallon and the last three are in the maintenance mode of a quarter ounce per gallon. Weather effect has been near zero. Winds and heat have remained pretty much the same for weeeeeeeks. Lord give us a break from the heat. My routes are pretty much random but my driving pattern has remained constant. Mileage improving as the system cleans.

Give the 10W30 oil we are about at the best it has given since day one so any fears I may have had about her 142K miles are put to bed.

BTY this is a really REALLY small amount of variation. Something new. Could be the steady weather. Could be something other but I like the predictability.

Edited June 21, 2021 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · June 25, 2021

It's hard to keep ones eye on the ball with so much distraction. Marketing is a HUGE distraction. Haters as well. Knowing what is important gets cloudy if you don't keep you eye on the ball.

I put this same chart up in another thread with a long missive.

The biggest issue over the years has been 'information'. Correct, accurate information. I know what does what but knowing what is in that bottle OR finding the fluid your after is torture. It's always a best guess. Even if the truth is biting you on the nose the lies have been told so much and for so long the truth is hard to accept. Feels allot like just "another story".

Oddly as many of my contacts in the industry start to retire they get a bit more free with the information. I guess it isn't all that odd, right?

Anyway, I do allot of things with machines that make others cringe and get away with it almost always. This is true because I rarely stray from the math, physics or chemistry. I do get caught now and again in a blind spot such as I did with Dizzy's motor and not taking note of the relatively low TBN pushing OCI past what it could endure and am paying for that mistake. But friends, NO mistake is without a positive spin or take away unless you insist on hanging on tightly to your ignorance and prejudice.

Edited June 25, 2021 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · June 26, 2021

142,691 Mile Service

6/26/2021

AC-Delco Part #23417074, 2 pc. Wiper blade replacements. Same blade both sides.

Only second set of replacement blades. Passenger side failed. Drivers side kept as emergency spare. Armor All before install.

Seven years of Northern Illinois weather and lasting over 70K and 3.5 years per set.

Well worth the $22 a piece price.

Grumpy Bear · June 29, 2021

Mileage, Break In and Wear

I broke this mileage chart out year over year. Orange is the years total miles / total fuel. And yes this year is still accumulating but two days from mid term and the back half often look like the mirror of the front half.

The blue line the running average as it accumulated by each years end. I cleared the Lifetime bar for clarity.

I drive a bit short of 25,000 miles a year, average. The first three years show a rapid increase with an annual peak of 27.99 mpg. The fourth year I went 0W20 adding a bit more than 1 mpg to the yearly. 2020 I was back to 5W or 10W30 where I remain and predictably the annual number dropped right back home hovering 28 MPG for 3 of the last four years.

The yearly number is still higher than the running average so it will continue to increase marginally.

IMPORTANT to those the follow such things. Mileage will continue to increase, all things considered, until the machine is fully broken in and the rate of wear has slowed to a snails pace. This took 3 years and 75,000 miles. And boyz, there is the proof. I've done this countless times.

My outlier is the result of a purposeful change in operating state. A low viscosity 0W20 oil with a HTHS equal to or greater than the SAE minimum for a *W30. The result of a PAO/POE blended product. Also not my first dance. I run a TC88 Harley on 10W40 Red Line and have since he was a pup. 50K ago.

This wear chart below is generic but typical of machine wear. Pepper at 143,000 miles seems to be getting close to leaving the first section. Yearly numbers still climbing. Slowly but climbing none the less.

Mileage in a well maintained/tuned motor will respond to wear inversely. It would seem we have a long dance ahead of us and getting ready to enter "Normal Operation". Good. How long it stays in that area is the product of the slope of wear rise. The lower I can keep the slope, the longer it will last.

GM would like to call 150K miles the far right of this graph.

Done and Dun.

This is what I mean by, "Why would I steal from myself"? A comment that followed another accusing me of 'cherry picking data, tossing out things I didn't like. If I were to be that stupid I would have no idea where in her journey we are.

There is no shortage of "Jack Fruit"

Edited June 29, 2021 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · June 30, 2021

Operational note: Mileage continues to improve using constant dosing of the Red Line SI-1 at a quarter ounce per gallon. Just by chance over this last tank I started watching the KI and was surprised to see it in ****** even on the flat and dialing back as much as 8* on hills.

Took about a minute to realize this cleaner has a top end lubricant it in and oil of any kind in the chamber will set off knock. On todays fill of a half tank I filled with 93 E-10 for a calculated octane of 89.6 (R+M)/2 and it abated within 30 miles. Just traces now and again. Close enough I think straight up 89 mid grade will be the new go to.

Grumpy Bear · July 19, 2021

145,000 Mile Oil Change

7/18/2021

6 Quarts of Red Line HP 10W30

1 Purolator PL22500 filter

Changed it myself this time. The ValvoMax is nice to use. The filter is a pain in the neck.

*****************************************

AMSOIL SS 5W30 August 25, 2016 VOA

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/amsoil-signature-series-5w-30.258216/

AMSOIL SS 5W30 July 7, 2020 VOA

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/amsoil-ss-5w30.329274/

Note change in calcium/magnesium and TBN.

50% or more Group II (MSDS) and now backing out of the detergents....

*****************************************

Bought some Pittsburg ramps at Harbor Freight that look allot like Rhino Ramps. About the same price and hold 13,000 pounds. 6" rise was enough to get my chunky monkey under her with ease.

Edited July 19, 2021 by Grumpy Bear

Donstar · July 19, 2021

Your shirt reminded me of a cup my daughter found funny.

Grumpy Bear · July 26, 2021

7/26/2021 Operational notes: (and Sunday Drive)

My weather application is telling me that for my zip code July is the hottest month of the year and on average 83 F is the high. Record 100 F. It has been a bit warmer than 'average' of late. A steady string of 88's for days with no end in sight. That is after the 'cool front' passed through two days ago lowering peak heat humidity from 70% to 40% which felt nice.

Nice enough for a long Sunday drive and some Chester's Chicken . Well their cook quit and we were disappointed. 40 miles and no Chester. Next closest place with fast food the Sugar Bear will eat was Morris so off we go. Oh what the heck, Fairbury is only 120 miles from home and have some really good ice cream and we are half way there already. It was worth the trip. Lemon! And we met some new people who opened an Air BNB called Wells On Main who happened to think the ice cream was pretty good too. Good to know for the US66 tour people.

Temperature is running 88 to 90 F over the course of the day. We had a 6 mph tailwind going to and the same as a head wind going home. Primary highways down and I-39 home. 55 MPH both ways save slower speed limits and traffic going down. I learned some new things about Pepper on this drive. Not new maybe but more quantified.

In open air and a head wind as in driving I-39 trans temps run in the low 150's but on primary roads with towns, stops, traffic mid 170's. She cooled down in about 20 miles or less if given some air. It runs 5 to 8 hotter in a tailwind. That makes sense given the speed. Average speed for the same target speed in 5 mpg faster on the Interstate cutting over a half hour from the return trip of identical distance.

You don't have to drive fast to make good time. You need good time to be fast.

The Red Line HP 10W30 runs about 3-5 degrees hotter that the AMSOIL SS 10W30. This also makes sense as the Red Line HP is more viscous at both the 100 C and HTHS temperatures. By a bunch. 10.0 vs 11.1 at 100C/212F and 2.9 vs 3.5 HTHS viscosity. That's 20% greater on the HTHS. The spec of a W40!

So...you would think that the lighter oil would be more fuel efficient, right? Total trip plus 30.15 mpg.

So anyway....After tanking up and my now normal add of Red Line SI-1 a quarter ounce per gallon and heading up the on ramp of I-88 I gave her a stomp. Something about hearing a chirp to third gear AND found out it will still peg the oil pressure to the wall at 5K RPM. Perky!! Healthy!!

Edited July 26, 2021 by Grumpy Bear

Grumpy Bear · July 27, 2021

Just had my VIN decoded:

Baby was born 3/8/2015 so falls under TBS Bulletin No.: 19-NA-036 for oil usage (LV3 motors prior to 11/1/2015) and piston/ring replacement. Which of course it had never needed. But it does mean that it is indeed fitted with the troublesome low tension rings.

Fun fact. That was a SUNDAY.

As of today she is 6 years, 4 months, 2 weeks and 5 days old. 2,333 days or 62.57 miles per day.

No matter what oil was used changed on 5K intervals. Break down for first 145K miles

Miles used: Brand

5,000	AC Delco / Delco Filters
8,948	Mobil 1 / Mobil 1 filters
21,052	Quaker State UD / WIX-NAPA filters
75,000	Red Line HP / Purolator Pure One filters
35,000	AMSOIL SS / Purolator Pure One filters

145,000 total miles

AMSOIL and Red Line high detergent oils account for 76% of the miles.

Over half on Red Line alone. High detergent oils and short OCI's keep rings happy campers.

Back on Red Line HP. I think we are done experimenting. At least until Phillips plays with the formula or I get more comfortable with MPT 30K.

IF I ever was forced to go back to one of the first three oils listed my OCI would be 2,500 miles.

Grumpy Bear · August 19, 2021

8/17/2021 Road Trip

Haven't seen Dad is awhile. He hasn't made the trip here is quite some time and it's getting harder for me to make it there. I have to plan on being road buzzed for three days now. Whew! But it is what I bought Pepper for. Traveling. So....

This trip is 380 miles round trip and gas is about 30 cents a gallon cheaper in Iowa than Illinois so I don't always fill when I need gas but when I can buy it cheap. This time that came to a distance of 294 miles burning 9.401 gallons for a calculated mpg of 31.27 mpg. I had just ended a tank of 346 miles that used 11.937 gallons for a result of 28.98 mpg.

I compare the pump to the Scan Gauge II fuel meter and find that on average over 148K miles that the fill is plus or minus .17 gallons. Every pump has a different delivery speed which effects the 'trip-point' of the auto shut off and I double click each fill for accuracy. The high tank filled a bit over the metered amount the the short tank filled a bit short of the metered amount. Averaged they came out pretty close to the metered amount.

One quarter of this distance is Interstates and three quarters on US 30. 640 miles on 21.338 gallons = 29.99 mpg

Off -.12 gallons from metered. I have it calibrated to tell me it doing worse that it really is by about a 1/10 per tank.

It started a beautiful cool day, 68 F but by 4 PM and my return is was over 90 F and the air was dead and dry. Iowa looks like the New Mexico desert right now. Even the weeds are brown and wilted. The only thing green at his house are plants they water.

The derecho of August 2020 took his trees and fence. The fence was rebuilt by this 93 year old one post at a time.

This is his back yard. Last year we were sitting under 50 year old maple tree shade on that picnic table eating watermelon and cheese. Rex chasing rabbits out of the garden across lush grass ankle deep. Now...just dirt.

So we sat inside in the AC and ate cheese and crackers chased with a beer and visited. It was a nice day.

Edited August 19, 2021 by Grumpy Bear

diyer2 · August 19, 2021

Grumpy,

Enjoy the time with your dad. Cherish it. Make the trip often.

The last 20 years of my fathers life were rough due to a head injury on the job. He just got worse as time passed. He was under my care financially and medically. When he died he was in diapers eating processed food. In my eyes I lost my dad 15 years before he passed.

Sorry. Brought back sad times.

Grumpy Bear · August 19, 2021

1 hour ago, diyer2 said:

Grumpy,

Enjoy the time with your dad. Cherish it. Make the trip often.

The last 20 years of my fathers life were rough due to a head injury on the job. He just got worse as time passed. He was under my care financially and medically. When he died he was in diapers eating processed food. In my eyes I lost my dad 15 years before he passed.

Sorry. Brought back sad times.

You are right. We did for my wife's father that you did for yours. COPD took 15 years to take him and it wasn't pretty but we spent several days a week with him and his needs. They were many but....hey....it's dad.

I'm amazed by his willingness to just keep going. He's still planning and executing far into the future. It's quite something to watch. There is still a child inside that guy that likes to play....and work...work hard. He is in full contact with the world around him and it shows. How he pains for those in places like Hatti and California.

My gut tells me he will be like the Energizer Bunny. Go go go...drop.

Thanks you for the encouragement and advice sir. No need to be sorry for remembering fondly even the bad times.