Grumpy Bears 2015 Silverado 2WD

[swathdiver]

On 8/16/2018 at 12:52 PM, Grumpy Bear said:

This isn't transmission life. It's transmission fluid life and fluid is the life of the transmission.

 

...Now I know why the book says 45K. 

Marty, Just got my Blackstone-Labs report back on the transmission:

 

 

 

Original fluid was all changed at 117K and sample was taken at 153K.  Cold sample was purplish in color and smelled fine.

Edited March 15, 2020 by swathdiver

[Grumpy Bear]

On 3/15/2020 at 5:19 AM, swathdiver said:

Marty, Just got my Blackstone-Labs report back on the transmission:

 

Original fluid was all changed at 117K and sample was taken at 153K.  Cold sample was purplish in color and smelled fine.

I see in his notes he highlights insoluble materials are at the limit and hints at oxidation. I also note the service interval is 35,606 miles. Was the change at 117K a drop and fill, a flush or other? Would have been interesting to note the results on the OEM fill before the change. 

[swathdiver]

16 minutes ago, Grumpy Bear said:

I see in his notes he highlights insoluble materials are at the limit and hints at oxidation. I also note the service interval is 35,606 miles. Was the change at 117K a drop and fill, a flush or other? Would have been interesting to note the results on the OEM fill before the change. 

It was a full fluid exchange using the Trans Flow machine, no going inside at 117K.  Yes, had I known/thought of having the trans analyzed back then I certainly would have.  Picked up 6 gallons of Dex VI and will switch it all out this week sometime and keep the drive line in a 36K to 40K schedule from now on.

[Grumpy Bear]

11 minutes ago, swathdiver said:

It was a full fluid exchange using the Trans Flow machine, no going inside at 117K.  Yes, had I known/thought of having the trans analyzed back then I certainly would have.  Picked up 6 gallons of Dex VI and will switch it all out this week sometime and keep the drive line in a 36K to 40K schedule from now on.

Great information sir. Thanks!! Now I have to look and see how long it's been for Peppers last exchange. I do a 50% drop and fill so looks like 25K OCI would be about right now that I have the bulk of the fluid exchanged. Good stuff sir. 

[j-ten-ner]

34 minutes ago, swathdiver said:

...and keep the drive line in a 36K to 40K schedule from now on.

I changed all fluids at 2,000 km (1,240-ish mls), and then every 50,000 km ( 31,000-ish mls) ever since. Engine oil every 10,000 km give and take.

Now at 200,000 km (124,000-ish mls) and no problems at all. Tranny still shifting crisp and no noticeable slippage.

Just came back from fuelling the boat (4,000-ish lbs) and engine is chugging along in 6. gear at some 1,250 rpm on a slight incline w/o breaking a sweat.

I think it's worth the extra $. No, not scientifically , but just for good measure.

 

so long

j-ten-ner

[Grumpy Bear]

3/29/2020

 

Doubting that I'll run out another tank; the running average at the end of March is 25.13 mpg. A mild up tick on a strong month wherein the lowest tank was 26.16 mpg. Higher daytime temperatures a big help. 

 

I've started tracking fuel per oil change and considering using this as a marker instead of miles. Someone brought this up once in another thread. For now just tracking. Interesting idea. If that someone reads this post drop a line and give some detail if you like. 

 

Right at 2K on this oil change. AMSOIL is darker out of the bottle than Red Line. Taking some getting use to when doing visual checks.

 

She got a bath this month.   I need a warm low wind day to wipe down under the hood again. 

 

Driving has become our family social distancing recreation and we've been finding some new roads. Perhaps when spring is in bloom some new photos. 

[diyer2]

200 K OCI's

https://www.truckinginfo.com/153413/200-000-mile-oil-changes

[Grumpy Bear]

On 3/29/2020 at 11:22 AM, diyer2 said:

200 K OCI's

https://www.truckinginfo.com/153413/200-000-mile-oil-changes

Okay I've reviewed this document and have some observations.

 

1.) Diesel motors. Way different than gas motors on multiple levels that affect OCI's

2.) Evap chamber temperatures 195 - 210 F. It's a secondary filtration type. Removes soluble materials. Acid, Water, Fuel. 

3.) 1-2 micron bypass filtration. 

4.) Cat C15 motors carry 10 GALLONS of oil!!!!

5.) No mention of make up oil or additive addition.

 

Not to say some of this isn't useful....as always.  

 

[diyer2]

I just thought this was interesting.

Technology marches on.

After all we put a man on the moon approaching 51 years ago.

 

[Grumpy Bear]

3 hours ago, diyer2 said:

I just thought this was interesting.

Technology marches on.

After all we put a man on the moon approaching 51 years ago.

 

Oh it's way more than interesting. Down right insightful is what it is. I've been all over the map with filtration and the more I play with it the more interesting it becomes. I bought a bypass system from Nick (our AMSOIL guy) and just haven't installed it yet. Maybe this will be the push that gets it done.   I appreciate your sharing that link sir. Stay safe and find more of those neat little cartoons you use for emojis.  

[Grumpy Bear]

4500 miles on Red Line

 

 

2000 miles on AMSOIL

 

 

Just for my records 4/1/2020

 

[Grumpy Bear]

April 2020.

 

3,300 miles on the AMSOIL now and the color is the same as last post. No usage. Odd red tint. Anyway....she seem to like it.

 

28.0 MPG for April all said and done. Yearly running average is up to 25.71 mpg. 113,500 miles on these tires..

I need a few warm days strung together to clean and do winter chip repairs. Amazing few actually. 

 

I've recently switched my display from MPG to MPL and set markers at 7.3 and 8.0. (27.6/30.3 mpg) A window instead of a target. I don't stress so much over holding peaks now but don't wish to be wasteful either. Instead of attempting to maximize fuel in any situation I now take advantage of a favorable one.  

 

Still monitoring gallons of fuel per OCI. MPH based average in miles/hours is still in an upward trend. Even though I don't feel like I've speed up much the clocks say other. 60-62 mph seems a happy place for Pepper with temperatures in the upper 60's, lower 70's. Thermostat stays open but throttled in the 173 F area. Oil temps hanging 193-197 F, perfect and transmission fluid staying between 140 to 160 F. My favorite times are these temps in the spring and fall. Hers too. 

Edited April 29, 2020 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

5/3/2020 Road Trip! 

 

200 miles round trip is Dwight Illinois. A town with a lot of history. You get a hint when your looking at head stones from people born in 1744. Lots of Civil War Vets. Haven't seen stones his old since New England. 

 

English royalty found it a hunting destination. King Edward VII. 

 

A major rail head. In fact the town was built for the railroad. First Illinois 'death row' facility for women. Looks like an old castle.  Illinois 17 and 47 cross here. Most of Historic Dwight is still in tact downtown. Cool place for a day visit and minutes from one of our favorite drives along the Illinois River, US 6.

 

 

 

See the moon?

WIKI snippet

The prince comes to town

The best remembered event in the early history of Dwight was the time England's Prince Albert, the Prince of Wales, son of Queen Victoria and heir to the British throne, came to stay for a few days in the town. (At that time, the town was known as Dwight's Station.) The prince was supposedly traveling incognito as Lord Renfrew, using one of his lesser titles, but this fooled no one. The visit was important enough that local people recorded the exact time the prince arrived: twenty-seven minutes after six on the afternoon on Saturday, September 22, 1860. He was to stay with James C. Spencer, one of Dwight's founders, at Spencer's farm south of town. Local couches and chairs were deemed insufficient for His Royal Highness, so Spencer's furniture was stored, and the prince's own furniture, which had been shipped ahead, was placed in the house. Soon after the Crown Prince arrived the shooting began; the first bird shot by the royal visitor was a little screech owl, which can not have provided much in the way or either sport or food. In the following days the hunting improved. The royal party eventually killed over 200 prairie chickens and quail. Prince Albert attended Sunday services at the local Presbyterian church. On Wednesday, September 26, he departed but not before planting an elm on Spencer's farm. Prince Albert went on to become King Edward VII, and the people of Dwight have never tired of talking about the visit.^[21] In 1878 the grounds of the house where the prince stayed were improved by the famed American landscape architect Ossian Cole Simonds and in the present century were given to the town and have become Renfrew Park.^[22]

Edited May 5, 2020 by Grumpy Bear

[Grumpy Bear]

5/22/2020                                               Get around get around I get around

 

US Route 66

 

 

 

50 cents a gallon!! 

 

Wife wanted a return trip to Dwight to look closer at the cities history and architecture. This is part of that on a side street that is part of the original route 66 to Pontiac. I've driven odd bits of this highway over the years but never the full length. On the bucket list.

 

 

 

These were operational when I was a child.

I've pumped gas on these types of pumps. 

 

 

Edited May 11, 2020 by Grumpy Bear
Format

[Grumpy Bear]

5/22/2020                                                       Operational Notes 

 

Pepper has about 4,500 miles on this oil change and when I pull the stick it looks like it looked at 2000 miles. 

 

 

 

This is NOT the result of any one change but of several acting in concert.

 

     The oil cooler is in the hot side tank of the radiator. A cooler thermostat lowers bulk oil temperatures in the sump but also lowers cylinder wall temperatures. I've been playing with this since she had 45 K on the clock but it wasn't until 95 K I had a reliable set up. Running a Riesch Racing (Australian "Dayco") 170 F summer time, Stant Superstat 180 F winter time.  These two along with subtile glycol adjustment seasonally allow me to hold a bulk oil temperature between 185 and 205 F regardless of the season by using 'load' as the trim targeting 195F. That just means moderate day in day out operation being mindful of the bulk temp and adjusting road speed v conditions. Getting it up over 175 F early is important in controlling nitration. That means as soon as the oil pressure is stable, seconds after start up, I'm moving at a moderate pace until she reaches 160 F bulk temp when in I pick up the pace thereafter. Sounds awfully complicated but you get wise to her temper quite quickly. Second nature pretty fast. This is more than warm enough to vaporize water/fuel/acids. Low enough to prevent free radical oxidation with the right base oil selection.

 

     Base oil selection is important when operating temperatures are not totally flexible. Both Red Line HP and AMSOIL SS are PAO's with a large enough amount of Ester to delay oxidation onsets well past the 160 F of a conventional mineral oil. Mineral oils that are now called Synthetics are still mineral oils and yes their onset is higher that days gone by they are not over 200 F.  Detroit factory bulk oil temperatures are. 

 

     AMSOIL is an exceptionally clean oil. Right there with Pennzoil Ultra/Shell Helix Natural Gas Crude products. Cheaper than Chevron custom ISOCLEAN  filtered bulk products. Pennzoil Ultra / Shell Helix would be my third choice. Clean enough for hydraulic systems now employed for VVT/VVL and AFM/DOD systems. 

 

     Filtration. Currently I'm using Purolator BOSS Synthetic Media filters with a 75 Beta at @ 5 micron and loving them. I've seen back to back testing on the AMSOIL filters and wouldn't hesitate to use them at the right price point. They will clean a dirty oil up to clean oil specs. I do have an AMSOIL Bypass 2 micro setup but haven't put it in service yet. Future yet. 

 

     OCI's. I keep it shorter than most. I'm protecting a power train, not the oil. That said it isn't the same for every vehicle in my fleet and no, it isn't as of yet data driven by unit. Perhaps in the future. Repeatable visual first then testing. 

 

Summary:

 

Conservative oil temperatures. 

Moderate operation

Base oil selection 

Filtration

Prudent oil change intervals. 

 

You might note I say nothing anymore about additives. Curious that, right? I'll soon be switching to 10W30 in everything but the Honda. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edited May 12, 2020 by Grumpy Bear