2002 Silverado 5.3 Oil Change Wrench

TOTALRECALL · October 25, 2008

Hi - I searched but mostly get oil topics. What size is the oil pan nut - and is it metric or standard. I don't always do my own oil changes, so it's been a year or so. I may have the chance to get the use of a lift and I want to have the right tools with me - well at least the right wrench for the oil pan nut.

Thanks

Mike

MS3DALE · October 25, 2008

15mm.

They've since changed it to 13mm on the new trucks,Also if you go into your dealer to buy a new one it will be 13mm. (Unless they have some old stock still available)

Ranger · October 25, 2008

The drain plug on my 07 5.3 is still 15mm as well, you might be thinking of aluminum blocks or maybe I just got lucky...

MS3DALE · October 25, 2008

The drain plug on my 07 5.3 is still 15mm as well, you might be thinking of aluminum blocks or maybe I just got lucky...

Don't know,You might have just got lucky....All the ones I've seen have been 13mm,And like I said,If you go into your dealer to buy a new one it should be a 13mm (Unless like I said before they still have old stock)

It shouldn't matter if the block is iron or aluminum,The oil pans are the same on either one (aluminum)

VMax2007 · October 25, 2008

The drain plug on my 07 5.3 is still 15mm as well, you might be thinking of aluminum blocks or maybe I just got lucky...

Don't know,You might have just got lucky....All the ones I've seen have been 13mm,And like I said,If you go into your dealer to buy a new one it should be a 13mm (Unless like I said before they still have old stock)

It shouldn't matter if the block is iron or aluminum,The oil pans are the same on either one (aluminum)

Really? The iron blocks have a cast aluminum oil pan also?

I know on my aluminum 6.0, the oil pan is more of a "cover" than a pan since it is a deep skirt block (the crank is completely up in the block, with 6 bolt mains; 4 + 2 cross bolts).

I assume they went from a 15mm to a 13mm to reduce the chances of over-torquing it and stripping the threads in the cast aluminum.

Why would you consider it being "lucky" to have a 15mm? Why would that be better? I would think having the 13mm would be better since they changed to it for a reason.

Ranger · October 25, 2008

Bigger nuts don't strip as easy is what my experience is, at least on the heads. I use a 3/8 drive socket on it anyways and I generally get it really snug then 1/4 turn past.

MS3DALE · October 25, 2008

The drain plug on my 07 5.3 is still 15mm as well, you might be thinking of aluminum blocks or maybe I just got lucky...

Don't know,You might have just got lucky....All the ones I've seen have been 13mm,And like I said,If you go into your dealer to buy a new one it should be a 13mm (Unless like I said before they still have old stock)

It shouldn't matter if the block is iron or aluminum,The oil pans are the same on either one (aluminum)

Really? The iron blocks have a cast aluminum oil pan also?

I know on my aluminum 6.0, the oil pan is more of a "cover" than a pan since it is a deep skirt block (the crank is completely up in the block, with 6 bolt mains; 4 + 2 cross bolts).

Yep,All Gen III and Gen IV engines have aluminum oil pans,My '99 and '04 both had them.

And even on the 6.0,They call it an oil pan,not a cover.

I should also add that the 4.8,5.3,6.0,and 6.2 all use the same oil pan,The only one thats different is the one for the 6.0 Hybrid's (RPO "LFA")

VMax2007 · October 27, 2008

The drain plug on my 07 5.3 is still 15mm as well, you might be thinking of aluminum blocks or maybe I just got lucky...

Don't know,You might have just got lucky....All the ones I've seen have been 13mm,And like I said,If you go into your dealer to buy a new one it should be a 13mm (Unless like I said before they still have old stock)

It shouldn't matter if the block is iron or aluminum,The oil pans are the same on either one (aluminum)

Really? The iron blocks have a cast aluminum oil pan also?

I know on my aluminum 6.0, the oil pan is more of a "cover" than a pan since it is a deep skirt block (the crank is completely up in the block, with 6 bolt mains; 4 + 2 cross bolts).

Yep,All Gen III and Gen IV engines have aluminum oil pans,My '99 and '04 both had them.

And even on the 6.0,They call it an oil pan,not a cover.

I should also add that the 4.8,5.3,6.0,and 6.2 all use the same oil pan,The only one thats different is the one for the 6.0 Hybrid's (RPO "LFA")

Rich,

How can this be when the aluminum block in the 6.0 is a "deep skirt" design? I assume the iron blocks are not deep skirt blocks.

dlstewart01 · October 27, 2008

From 99 to present all 4.8-5.3- 6.0 blocks are the same design, wheather cast iron or aluminum. The oil pans are the same for all engines. If you look up oil pans the part # is the same. And the oil pans are aluminum.

Have a good one,

Don

MS3DALE · October 27, 2008

The blocks are the same design.

All the oil pans on GEN III engines are the same,And all the oil pans on "GEN IV" engines are the same (Except for the Hybrid like I mentioned before)

Or put it this way,The "GEN III" engines have one part number oil pan,And the "GEN IV" engines have another part number oil pan.

dlstewart01 · October 27, 2008

The blocks are the same design.
All the oil pans on GEN III engines are the same,And all the oil pans on "GEN IV" engines are the same (Except for the Hybrid like I mentioned before)

Or put it this way,The "GEN III" engines have one part number oil pan,And the "GEN IV" engines have another part number oil pan.

You are right on the oil pans. When I was looking up the part # I could only find 1999-2006. I could not find 07-08 part #. Probably not much difference though.

Don