Oil type for 2014 Sierra 5.3

[Z45]

AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-20 + AMSOIL EAO17 Oil Filter + AMSOIL EAA123 Air Filter. Change oil every 15,000 miles or 1 yr. No oil use in over 30,000 miles.

[Black02Silverado]

AMSOIL Signature Series 0W-20 + AMSOIL EAO17 Oil Filter + AMSOIL EAA123 Air Filter. Change oil every 15,000 miles or 1 yr. No oil use in over 30,000 miles.

Sad that AMSOIL no longer makes the EAA123 air filter. It had to be the best selling air filter in their EAA line.

[07Softail]

 

The Vettes run 5w30 not 5w20. The Vettes have a different performance requirement hence the higher weight oil.

Yeah I had to go look at my oil jugs 5w-30 is correct, All GEN V v8 engines are the same platform LT-1, L-86 same part number (different tune) L-83 smaller cubes. no real difference. Mileage is the only reason GM comes up with this 0w-20 crap!

 

RT

[TedH]

I made my first oil change on my 2014 HC last month (bought used in April). Replaced it with the Mobil 1 0W20 Full Syn. One observation I had when I was draining the oil back into the empty container was that it almost had the consistency of WATER. The oil is very 'runny'. Is this more due to its composition for 'cooling' vs 'wear prevention'? I was almost inclined to add a qt of my 5W30 6-pack that I had on the shelf from when I had my 2003 Silverado (4.8L) but decided against. I have approx 2 qts remaining from the second 5-quart bottle. One other thing: I put more oil in than I took out. It seemed to be down about 1-2 quarts (from the 8.5 qt capacity). Is this all from the AFM and the oil that is sprayed on the undersides of the pistons (burnt?) to keep the pistons cooler?

 

This engine is different from my 4.8L in many ways (not just power).

Edited November 19, 2016 by TedH

[Arth]

Well you over filled.

 

To my knowledge they changed the capacity to 8.0 quarts some time ago.

 

Came out with a bulletin saying 8.5 was to much.

 

Google would be your friend in finding this information quickly.

I made my first oil change on my 2014 HC last month (bought used in April). Replaced it with the Mobil 1 0W20 Full Syn. One observation I had when I was draining the oil back into the empty container was that it almost had the consistency of WATER. The oil is very 'runny'. Is this more due to its composition for 'cooling' vs 'wear prevention'? I was almost inclined to add a qt of my 5W30 6-pack that I had on the shelf from when I had my 2003 Silverado (4.8L) but decided against. I have approx 2 qts remaining from the second 5-quart bottle. One other thing: I put more oil in than I took out. It seemed to be down about 1-2 quarts (from the 8.5 qt capacity). Is this all from the AFM and the oil that is sprayed on the undersides of the pistons (burnt?) to keep the pistons cooler?

 

This engine is different from my 4.8L in many ways (not just power).

[TedH]

Well you over filled.

 

To my knowledge they changed the capacity to 8.0 quarts some time ago.

 

Came out with a bulletin saying 8.5 was to much.

 

Google would be your friend in finding this information quickly.

Not really. I only put 8.0 in. But I got MAYBE 6-6.5 out.

[Arth]

Not really. I only put 8.0 in. But I got MAYBE 6-6.5 out.

Okay.

 

Just figured you put 8.5 in since you said it had a 8.5 capacity.

[TedH]

Okay.

 

Just figured you put 8.5 in since you said it had a 8.5 capacity.

I wondered at the 8.5 cap since I drew so much less out. Figured I would put 8.0 in and keep an eye on it. It is right about the full mark currently.

[redwngr]

5.3 and 6.2 0w 20

 

4.3 and 6.0 5w 30

 

 

Oil viscosity recommended is to suit the oil pressures and volumes along with bearing clearances.

[07Softail]

5.3 and 6.2 0w 20

 

4.3 and 6.0 5w 30

 

 

Oil viscosity recommended is to suit the oil pressures and volumes along with bearing clearances.

6.2 LT-1 is the exact same longblock as the L-86 not a damn bit of difference in bearing clearance neither is the 5.3 for that matter or 4.3 and on and on.

 

RT

 

RT

[Billyssilver2014]

Damn. 0W20.. what a shame. 5W30 used to be good for just about anything except Diesels. I take it they went to that 0W20 crap when the new direct injection thingies came out in 14 for the trucks? Sheesh, have to wonder if that is what is causing the high oil consumption people complain about in DI engines, but I've also heard it's due to the piston rings having to be engineered the way they are to make DI engines work which as a side effect results in more oil consumption vs the non-di engines.

Tolerances on the engines for the '14+ trucks are much tighter than they used to be. Tighter places calls for thinner oils. Manufacturers are all about fuel economy these days.

 

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[Cowpie]

Problem is, viscosity does not mean "thinner". It means resistance to flow. Remember your basic physics in science class from school. You need a balancing act of good flow for cooling and some resistance so that oil is not squeezed out of high pressure areas too quickly and lubrication suffers. This tighter tolerance argument doesn't really apply. Motor oil molecules are considerably smaller than the tightest tolerances in a engine. But it can be said that how the oil flows thru those areas has to be considered. And I am not convinced that the 5.3 and 6.2 have "tighter tolerances" than a new production 4.3 and 6.0. They may be of different design, but metallurgy and parts components are made on the same class of machines by the same third party vendors. Yes, most of the engine parts are NOT made by GM themselves but are outsourced.

 

And if I had a Ecotec engine that recommended 0w20, I would just use a 5w20. Only difference is the cold flow rating, yet a 5w20 will have a much lower NOACK (burn off volatility rate) and tend to be more shear stable. Both extremely important for VVT and AFM components. Yes, even Amsoil shows a major difference between 0w20 and 5w20, just check their spec sheets. And a 5w20 is rated for meeting the industry CCS standards down to -30C / -22F. Unless one is dealing with some obscenely low temps, using a 0w20 is not the greatest choice. A 0w20 requires significantly more polymeric viscosity improvers in the mix than a 5w20 does. And it is those viscosity improvers that can shear under the right conditions and take a motor oil out of grade. I even use a 10w30 as opposed to a 5w30 in my 2015 6.0 (and my Caddy 3.6) for the very same reasoning. The Caddy is a 2006 and shows no sign of the engine dying off. Yet, GM had a recommend of 5w30 M1 oil on the oil cap. Never used it.

 

And both of them.... 0w20 and 5w20 have the same exact viscosity at engine operating temps. Winter, summer, year round, doesn't make a difference. And there are a stack of 5w20's that are on the dexos1 approved list for those that worry about such things.

 

And I defy a dealer or OEM to be able to tell the difference between a used 0w20 and a 5w20, even under lab testing. The cost to get to that level of testing would not be cost effective as opposed to just repairing the engine. A simple Blackstone $25 used oil sample test will not do it.

Edited January 6, 2017 by Cowpie

[Z45]

NOACK Volatility, mass % loss, 1 hr, @ 250ºC (ASTM D5800

[sdeeter19555]

NOACK Volatility, mass % loss, 1 hr, @ 250ºC (ASTM D5800

I've seen this first hand with CI4+ Rotella in a 2004.5 Cummins...If I ran the truck hard for any length of time, the oil would get thick and I would lose a quart of volume (in a 12 quart system). It didn't use oil, it cooked it.

 

Synthetics solved the problem...

 

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[HondaHawkGT]

Yeah I had to go look at my oil jugs 5w-30 is correct, All GEN V v8 engines are the same platform LT-1, L-86 same part number (different tune) L-83 smaller cubes. no real difference. Mileage is the only reason GM comes up with this 0w-20 crap!

 

RT

 

Yep it's pretty obvious GM is pushing 0w20 for the trucks simply for EPA fuel economy. I'm running 5w30 in the summer.