Changed To Amsoil 0w30

MEGA14 · September 30, 2007

I had my first Amsoil Oil change done previously , am 6,500 km ( about 4K miles ) in and the "Change Engine Oil " light has arrived . Pretty good considering how hard I drive the Truck .

I chose to go with what I considered to be the best of the 3 options Amsoil came up with ( 0W30 and filter ) from my Truck's profile : 2002 Silverado Crew Cab LS with 8.1/Allison . I also have a K&N Fipk .

I bought a case with 12 quarts in it and the engine took about 7 to fill initially . I went through the other 5 before the change oil light came on ! I had previously used RP 5W30 for about a year and a half but it was getting harder and harder to find so I switched to Mobil Synthetic 5W30 but stopped using that after reading that it wasn't 100% synthetic .

Should I go to Amsoil 5W30 instead or continue with the 0W30 as this problem may be typical and will end after more changes ?

grimmysnr · September 30, 2007

The 0 is the weight at startup. Regardless of what the first number is it will run as a 30 weight when warmed up. You should go lower on the first number depending on the outside ambient temperature at startup. In the summer I run 10w30 and winters I run 5w30. Im not sure if there is a too low is bad kinda thing but I really dont know anybody who runs anything less than 5. In Alaska its SUV and Pickup truck central and our temperatures get into the negatives easily. Running 5w and a block heater is the norm.

**Edit**

After re-reading your problem described I think you are having to change your oil too early simply because the viscosity is too low. Thus, wearing the oil out faster because it has no weight to it. Just a thought.

MEGA14 · October 8, 2007

The 0 is the weight at startup. Regardless of what the first number is it will run as a 30 weight when warmed up. You should go lower on the first number depending on the outside ambient temperature at startup. In the summer I run 10w30 and winters I run 5w30. Im not sure if there is a too low is bad kinda thing but I really dont know anybody who runs anything less than 5. In Alaska its SUV and Pickup truck central and our temperatures get into the negatives easily. Running 5w and a block heater is the norm.

**Edit**

After re-reading your problem described I think you are having to change your oil too early simply because the viscosity is too low. Thus, wearing the oil out faster because it has no weight to it. Just a thought.

As you and many others suggested , I did indeed change back to 5W30 Amsoiland consumption has slowed dramatically . Thanks .

I also changed the original K&N Fipk filter to an exact replica which Amsoil produces that doesn't require the overnight cleaning and morning oiling every so often .

Amsoil claims 4x greater air flow over the K&N and cleaning is done by vacuuming only . It's great .

dlstewart01 · October 8, 2007

0W30 is a 30 weight. The 0 is not a weight. It just means that it will flow better at a cold temperature than a 5W. A 5W will flow better than a 10W . Oil is thicker when cold and thiner when warm. Put in the frezer and try to pour when cold. Heat it and you will see the difference.

The lower 1st number means at a certain cold temp it will flow better than a straight weight. I hope I didn't confuse anyone.

Thanks and have a great day,

Don

grimmysnr · October 8, 2007

0W30 is a 30 weight. The 0 is not a weight. It just means that it will flow better at a cold temperature than a 5W. A 5W will flow better than a 10W . Oil is thicker when cold and thiner when warm. Put in the frezer and try to pour when cold. Heat it and you will see the difference.
The lower 1st number means at a certain cold temp it will flow better than a straight weight. I hope I didn't confuse anyone.

Thanks and have a great day,

Don

Yeah thats kinda what i wanted to say but didnt have any other word to use but weight. But in any case

usmc3529 · October 8, 2007

0W30 is a 30 weight. The 0 is not a weight. It just means that it will flow better at a cold temperature than a 5W. A 5W will flow better than a 10W . Oil is thicker when cold and thiner when warm. Put in the frezer and try to pour when cold. Heat it and you will see the difference.
The lower 1st number means at a certain cold temp it will flow better than a straight weight. I hope I didn't confuse anyone.

Thanks and have a great day,

Don

Yeah thats kinda what i wanted to say but didnt have any other word to use but weight. But in any case

You are wasting money when switching oils and weights. These trucks are designed to run off of 5w30 and there is no need to switch to 0w30 or freakin 10w40 like some do. A semi synthetic is your best bet for a bigger engine silverado (ie 4.8 and above) semi syns provide better cold start up protection and lube better due to the enhanced lube molicules. Fyll syns dont hurt but I only recomend them for extreme towing or racing apps. Also for those of you that do not know the electronic engine oil life monitor is just a gag item-ignore it. It does not tell you when you oil is getting dirty or used or really needs to be changed. It is simply an hour/time meter and runs off the rpms of the trucks . From the time your trucks starts up and is idling or driving it is racking up time on the monitor and when the PC thinks its time to have an oil change it displays the alert. As you drive the oil life reduces only because of the amount of time you put on while the engine is running. Again ignore the light, I do not care if you run amsoil, royal poop(purpal) or the worst of the bunch Mobil 1 the oil needs to be changed at the 3,000 mile mark. All oils break down at that mark. The benefits of semi syns and full syns are that the provide better lubrication, heat dissipation, cold start protection and better wear protection. They dont have special molecules to allow them to go 7500 miles between changing. Again, syns protect better but all oils break down over the same amount of time.

slimjim2525 · October 8, 2007

0W30 is a 30 weight. The 0 is not a weight. It just means that it will flow better at a cold temperature than a 5W. A 5W will flow better than a 10W . Oil is thicker when cold and thiner when warm. Put in the frezer and try to pour when cold. Heat it and you will see the difference.
The lower 1st number means at a certain cold temp it will flow better than a straight weight. I hope I didn't confuse anyone.

Thanks and have a great day,

Don

Yeah thats kinda what i wanted to say but didnt have any other word to use but weight. But in any case

You are wasting money when switching oils and weights. These trucks are designed to run off of 5w30 and there is no need to switch to 0w30 or freakin 10w40 like some do. A semi synthetic is your best bet for a bigger engine silverado (ie 4.8 and above) semi syns provide better cold start up protection and lube better due to the enhanced lube molicules. Fyll syns dont hurt but I only recomend them for extreme towing or racing apps. Also for those of you that do not know the electronic engine oil life monitor is just a gag item-ignore it. It does not tell you when you oil is getting dirty or used or really needs to be changed. It is simply an hour/time meter and runs off the rpms of the trucks . From the time your trucks starts up and is idling or driving it is racking up time on the monitor and when the PC thinks its time to have an oil change it displays the alert. As you drive the oil life reduces only because of the amount of time you put on while the engine is running. Again ignore the light, I do not care if you run amsoil, royal poop(purpal) or the worst of the bunch Mobil 1 the oil needs to be changed at the 3,000 mile mark. All oils break down at that mark. The benefits of semi syns and full syns are that the provide better lubrication, heat dissipation, cold start protection and better wear protection. They dont have special molecules to allow them to go 7500 miles between changing. Again, syns protect better but all oils break down over the same amount of time.

Most of what you said here is untrue. First, the oil life monitor is more than an hourmeter. Your engine oil life will definately decrease at a quicker rate when you are towing, or higher rpms used. Also I have not driven my truck in two months and my oil life monitor decreased, so how could it simply be just an hourmeter. And you certainly don't need to change your oil at 3000 miles, are you kidding me, that was in the 1970's. Use the oil life monitor or not, but you definately do not have to change your oil at 3000 miles. I use regular dino oil and change at 5-6000 miles, and that's fine, probably still a little conservative.

larry arizona · October 8, 2007

OK I am going to freak everyone out. 2002 Z71PU with 5.3L.

Been running Amsoil 0W30 since the 3,000 mile mark and I run it as amsoil recommends at a 30,000 mile interval with proper filter changes (yes I said 30,000 miles). I have sent the oil for analysis and it comes back as AOK. Truck has over 90K on it and runs perfect and uses less than a pint per 15K miles.

This past oil change I went to the EAO filter which is rated for 25K miles. So now I will run 25K miles between changes of oil and filter.

Changing oil is overrated and a waste of money.

Let the overexaggerated 3000 mile oil changers respond with a collective gasp!!!!

bassadict69 · October 8, 2007

Check here for a desc of the workings of the OLM...

http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/sho...=0&page=317

Dans Denali · October 8, 2007

Check here for a desc of the workings of the OLM...

http://theoildrop.server101.com/forums/sho...=0&page=317

Good article on the OLM system. My OLM lights come on at 5k and that has always been good enough for me. Has anyone acyually wore out an engine lately? I bet my neighbors change their oil at 20K intervals if they remember at all and the rigs just keep running even after they are handed down to the teenagers. I put 5w30 synthetic in when towing the travel trailer from Seattle to Palm Springs just because I feel guilty running the piss out of it up the mountains but does it really matter?

Dan

usmc3529 · October 8, 2007

Its is just a time gauge. Same thing as an hour meter on a motocross bike. It runs as your engine runs. There is no secret chemical or smurf inside your motor that tells you when your oil is dirty. You can have a week long argument over the intervals of when to change your oil. The 3k mile mark was set by engineers, testing labs etc. Its the point of when oil starts to break down and provide less protection. Some say they go 7500 miles between oil changes and never have a problem. Some are like me who have seen motors that have used those increments or longer and see the wear that it causes. Its cheap insurance to change it with the proper oil as well especially if you tow or are hard on the truck.

dlstewart01 · October 8, 2007

Its is just a time gauge. Same thing as an hour meter on a motocross bike. It runs as your engine runs. There is no secret chemical or smurf inside your motor that tells you when your oil is dirty. You can have a week long argument over the intervals of when to change your oil. The 3k mile mark was set by engineers, testing labs etc. Its the point of when oil starts to break down and provide less protection. Some say they go 7500 miles between oil changes and never have a problem. Some are like me who have seen motors that have used those increments or longer and see the wear that it causes. Its cheap insurance to change it with the proper oil as well especially if you tow or are hard on the truck.

Actually you are wrong. Time is just one of the factures used. Rpms, tempature- hot cold, load on engine, speed and there may be others that I can't remember. I read a paper on this by the engineer at GM who designed this system. It is much more complex than just time.

Have a great day,

Don

dlstewart01 · October 8, 2007

I too am from the old school of 3000 mi oil changes. I have broken the habbit and am now between 4K to 5K miles. With the advancement of oil especially SM you can't get a bad oil if you stick to brand names. The only places that still preach 3000 mi changes are the iffy-lubs because they would loose too much money if people started going longer.

Checkout bobistheoilguy.com, I know they are a strange bunch and they don't like GM but if you can get through the BS you can actually learn a lot about oil.

Have a great day,

Don

2004GMC1500CC · October 9, 2007

so I switched to Mobil Synthetic 5W30 but stopped using that after reading that it wasn't 100% synthetic .

Please offer proof of this statement.

dlstewart01 · October 9, 2007

so I switched to Mobil Synthetic 5W30 but stopped using that after reading that it wasn't 100% synthetic .

Please offer proof of this statement.

If you get on bobistheoilguy.com and do a lot of searching and reading there is a lot of evidence that points in that direction. And I don't mean people like you and I. I'm talking people in the oil business for 30 years.

Tom from NJ who is a 30 year employee at Hatco Corp who makes PAO which synthetic oil is made from discovered this in their lab on 2 samples of Mobil1. Tom is the Director of Quality Control.

Personally I don't know for sure but I know what my guess would be.

Have a good one,

Don