Anyone using Amsoil on the 3.0L Duramax?

[paxamus]

I was wondering, is anyone using Amsoil in their 3.0L Duramax?  I recently purchased one and love it.  I am not fond of the idea of the AC Delco oil and would like to use Amsoil to protect my engine for as long as possible.  Anyone tried it?  Any feedback or engine oil analysis?

 

Thanks

[Grumpy Bear]

[newdude]

Amsoil sells a 0w20 DexosD.  Go for it.  Also, 0w20 is the only approved viscosity for the 3.0 Duramax/  

Edited June 7, 2021 by newdude

[Black02Silverado]

1 hour ago, paxamus said:

I was wondering, is anyone using Amsoil in their 3.0L Duramax?  I recently purchased one and love it.  I am not fond of the idea of the AC Delco oil and would like to use Amsoil to protect my engine for as long as possible.  Anyone tried it?  Any feedback or engine oil analysis?

 

Thanks

I don't know of anyone using it for now.  I'm sure there will be some that do and someone will check in on this thread.

 

You can't go wrong with AMSOIL in your Duramax.  I was super happy that AMSOIL came out with an oil specific for this application.  Back when it was released AMSOIL and AC Delco brand were the only source at the time.  Not sure what is available now.  But running a full 100% synthetic is a great way to keep it clean and it running cool.

 

Do you have a source for AMSOIL?   If not let me know I can help and save you some money on your purchase.

[newdude]

7 minutes ago, Black02Silverado said:

I was super happy that AMSOIL came out with an oil specific for this application.  Back when it was released AMSOIL and AC Delco brand were the only source at the time.  Not sure what is available now.  But running a full 100% synthetic is a great way to keep it clean and it running cool.

 

 

 

Still pretty much the same.  ACDelco DexosD, Mobil has Mobil Super 3000 XE2 and Mobil 1 ESP X2, AMSOIL does DexosD spec.  Not sure who else there is yet.  Pennzoil makes a 0w20 Euro JL oil which is Jaguar diesel approved, but no DexosD certification yet.  Their Euro L 5w30 was approved for Dexos2 light diesel oil like in the Colorado/Canyon,

Edited June 7, 2021 by newdude

[Grumpy Bear]

7 hours ago, paxamus said:

 .....would like to use Amsoil to protect my engine for as long as possible.  

 

So....you already know the answer

 

Kool!

[Grumpy Bear]

8 hours ago, paxamus said:

  Any feedback or engine oil analysis?

 

UOA's are driving in the rearview mirror. They tell you what happened, not what will happen. Even Professionals misread the results at times. Wear metals in example. Guy #1 shows 5 ppm iron with an OCI of 5K and Guy #2 shows 20 ppm with an OCI of 20K. It's the same result. 10 ppm per 10K. Some labs give you a 'normalized' result others raw data. But it never tells you that 'your about to have an issue". If it shows up "you have/had an issue". Almost no one will give the the TBN and TAN together. You have to beg for a cleanliness test. They normally test and report what is 'popular'. 

 

There not useless and if you build a library you will see trends worth watching. Spot a issue you ARE having that isn't yet catastrophic. Coolant leak in example.   

[SVG]

Is Amsoil really DexosD spec approved? Or is it Amsoil telling you it meets the spec?

I wouldn't risk my warranty on an oil that wasn't DexosD rated.

 

And for the MLM crowd, I've been down the Amsoil path. Used it for quite a while in my Cummins with good results. I had a different experience with their synthetic diff fluid that they said was rated to the applicable SAE spec. A friend with a PowerStroke had the exact same experience.

 

When I drilled down it turned out they were using their own testing methods to validate their oils. I heard the spiel about the cost of getting an industry standard certification, blah, blah, blah.

 

I'll go with actual DexosD rated oil, thank you very much.

 

If Amsoil actually is DexosD rated, then I apologize in advance.

[Black02Silverado]

9 minutes ago, SVG said:

Is Amsoil really DexosD spec approved? Or is it Amsoil telling you it meets the spec?

I wouldn't risk my warranty on an oil that wasn't DexosD rated.

 

And for the MLM crowd, I've been down the Amsoil path. Used it for quite a while in my Cummins with good results. I had a different experience with their synthetic diff fluid that they said was rated to the applicable SAE spec. A friend with a PowerStroke had the exact same experience.

 

When I drilled down it turned out they were using their own testing methods to validate their oils. I heard the spiel about the cost of getting an industry standard certification, blah, blah, blah.

 

I'll go with actual DexosD rated oil, thank you very much.

 

If Amsoil actually is DexosD rated, then I apologize in advance.

AMSOIL isn't on the official GM list.  It meets/exceeds the specification.   You used their oil in your Cummins with good results.  Why the hesitation on it with using in the 3.0?

[Grumpy Bear]

41 minutes ago, SVG said:

When I drilled down it turned out they were using their own testing methods to validate their oils.

 

Really?  

 

You drilled down and got information no one else got.

That's one heck of a drill you've got there.

Interesting.

 

This is going to be one of those moments where proof, documentation, of such a statement is going to be required for me to bite on that one. This doesn't even make sense. 

 

 

[ColoradoCub]

I ordered two oil changes worth and plan on using it.

[SVG]

12 hours ago, Grumpy Bear said:

 

Really?  

 

You drilled down and got information no one else got.

That's one heck of a drill you've got there.

Interesting.

 

This is going to be one of those moments where proof, documentation, of such a statement is going to be required for me to bite on that one. This doesn't even make sense. 

 

 

 I wasn't anything proprietary but rather information available from Amsoil at the time. It explained some of their testing methods. I seem to recall an "8-ball" test or something similar.

 

13 hours ago, Black02Silverado said:

AMSOIL isn't on the official GM list.  It meets/exceeds the specification.   You used their oil in your Cummins with good results.  Why the hesitation on it with using in the 3.0?

As stated, I had good results when I used Amsoil in my 12V Cummins (Marine DIesel).

 

When I used Amsoil's synthetic differential lube (80w-90 if I remember correctly) the rear end made noises that it never made prior. I added their limited slip additive and it still made some noise.

 

So I dumped it and went back to Mobil1 and the rear end was quiet like it was before. I still have some of that Amsoil diff lube in my shop.

 

I spoke with a good friend who was also an Amsoil enthusiast at the time (he may still be) and he had the exact same result with the exact same product.

 

The experience made me question my faith in their products.

 

As for why I'm not using it in my 3.0, I've got a lifetime BTB warranty. I want no excuse for a warranty denial in the case of a catastrophic engine failure. I'm certainly not suggesting that using Amsoil would cause such a thing. I just don't want to stray from the manufacturers maintenance specs. I even purchased an oil change plan at my dealer so there's no question from the warranty company should something happen.

 

Amd this is from a guy who has always changed his own oil for the last 40+ years.

[Grumpy Bear]

11 minutes ago, SVG said:

 I wasn't anything proprietary but rather information available from Amsoil at the time. It explained some of their testing methods. I seem to recall an "8-ball" test or something similar.

 

That would be the SHELL 4 ball wear test. ASTM D-2266. This isn't a test that has a specification. It is report only. There is no OEM required specification. Ergo no one was using 'their own test methods' to...

 

13 hours ago, SVG said:

validate their oils

 

This was simply a comparison test. 

[Black02Silverado]

1 hour ago, SVG said:

 I wasn't anything proprietary but rather information available from Amsoil at the time. It explained some of their testing methods. I seem to recall an "8-ball" test or something similar.

 

As stated, I had good results when I used Amsoil in my 12V Cummins (Marine DIesel).

 

When I used Amsoil's synthetic differential lube (80w-90 if I remember correctly) the rear end made noises that it never made prior. I added their limited slip additive and it still made some noise.

 

So I dumped it and went back to Mobil1 and the rear end was quiet like it was before. I still have some of that Amsoil diff lube in my shop.

 

I spoke with a good friend who was also an Amsoil enthusiast at the time (he may still be) and he had the exact same result with the exact same product.

 

The experience made me question my faith in their products.

 

As for why I'm not using it in my 3.0, I've got a lifetime BTB warranty. I want no excuse for a warranty denial in the case of a catastrophic engine failure. I'm certainly not suggesting that using Amsoil would cause such a thing. I just don't want to stray from the manufacturers maintenance specs. I even purchased an oil change plan at my dealer so there's no question from the warranty company should something happen.

 

Amd this is from a guy who has always changed his own oil for the last 40+ years.

Interesting.   When I have customers that have questions like this because of something not being right when they switch over to AMSOIL I help out as much as I can to find out what is going on.  If there is an issue then it needs to be brought to AMSOIL's attention.  I've ran the Severe Gear 75w-90 for over 200k miles in my 2002 Silverado differential with changing it twice and no issues and the UOA came back good.

 

It is hard for any manufacture or business to improve on a product or correct a problem if it isn't reported back.  This is why I do what I can to help out all my customers.  To find answers and correct issues if possible.

[SVG]

7 hours ago, Black02Silverado said:

Interesting.   When I have customers that have questions like this because of something not being right when they switch over to AMSOIL I help out as much as I can to find out what is going on.  If there is an issue then it needs to be brought to AMSOIL's attention.  I've ran the Severe Gear 75w-90 for over 200k miles in my 2002 Silverado differential with changing it twice and no issues and the UOA came back good.

 

It is hard for any manufacture or business to improve on a product or correct a problem if it isn't reported back.  This is why I do what I can to help out all my customers.  To find answers and correct issues if possible.

 The gear oil may have worked well I just got spooked by the new sounds coming from my rear differential.

 

 Appreciate your response and demeanor.