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2015 Chev. Silverado oil change - 0-20 wt.

A

andy r

Member
Time to change the oil on a new to me 2015 Chev. Silverado. Currently has 26,000 miles. According to the owners manual the 5.3 engine has a
recommended oil weight of 0 - 20. Guess I have never used 0 - 20 wt. Plan on using Mobil 1, which I have used in several vehicles over the
years without any problems. Would 10-30 provide more protection??? I guess the 0 - 20 wt. would flow easier at startup. Does the 0 - 20
wt. still hold true when the engine has 100,000 miles?? Any comments?? Thanks.
 
10 -30 would possibly damage it! Why would you use something not recommended by the manufacturer? Our 13 silverado uses 5-30 dexos, and works very well. Our 15 Subaru uses 0-20 Mobil 1, and I don't need to add any between 6000 mile changes.
 
the reason they are recomending these light oils now a days is due to aluminium engines and tighter oil clearances, is the way i got it figured. i refuse to use a 5-20 wt oil and stayed with 10-30 in the jeep. even in 80 degree weather i believe that is not sufficient. but no trouble yet. and yes the more miles on an engine i believe heavier oil is ok. a lot depend on start up procedures anyhow. do not rev your engine when cold. plug it in. these engines nowadays start good and cold hardly affects starting. not like engines of 30 years ago with a carburator.
 
on my 20065 dodge with 69000 I stick with 5w20 I tried 10 30 once light came on said wrong oil viscosity
 
I have found that the 0-20 worked very well in the 4.6 ford motor to get oil to the overhead valves quicker. There are several You tube videos about lifter problems with those chevy engines. I have a friend with a nice pickup that has a similar engine with a stuck lifter that requires both heads to come off to repair the lifter, so I don't think it would be a good idea to experiment.
 
Better follow what the Manufacture states in the Operators Manual. Your Warranty will be no good if you don't follow it. If you have engine problems the first thing the dealer does is take a engine oil sample. It better be what is recommended or you pay!!!
 
If I remember the numbers correctly, my 2004 Silverado calls for 5-30. My 2012 Jeep Patriot calls for 5-20. Your 0-20 recommendation continues the trend. I bought 5-20 and have been using it in both. Oil pressure has not suffered at all on the GM. Cold starts are a terrible thing. I'm going with the trend, you might as well also.
 
As mentioned- tight tolerances require thinner oil, another reason to stick with manufactureres reccomended oil is in your engine the VVT(variable valve timing) mechanism is operated by the oil and requires a specific viscosity to function well. If you have concerns about oil performance I would go true synthetic ( Mobil 1 , amsoil etc)
 
I worked for a company the shop foreman would only use 15-40 in all engines. The company bought 5 new 2007 Chevys with 6.0 engines they did all the oil changes at 3000 miles and all 5 of the trucks within 100000 miles either had to have new engines or oil pumps. The head tech found out from GM that the oil pump was positioned different on these newer engines and the heaver oil would not pick up correctly on cold start up and thus starved for a few seconds every start. After a few more costly moves like this the foreman was fired and they use the correct oil on all there newer trucks with no issues. John
 
You can use what you want but I suggest you use exactly what GM recommends. I worked at an equipment company where oil was very important. A lot of research and development went into oil to be compatible and efficient in the equipment it was intended for. Also, what was good 5-10 years ago may not be the best now as designs change. Just my two cents. Paul
 
I have a 2008 Buick with the V6 with VVT 200000 miles on it. I ran the 5w20 stuff changed oil and filter when the service engine light came on. it started using oil somewhere around 100000 I then realized that this thin oil was contributing to extra wear in the engine. I began using 15-40 Rotella T with reduced oil consumption and no problems. My daughter has a Honda accord bought new for her Same story, 97000 miles it is using oil. The main purpose of the thin oil is to increase fuel mileage by1 tenth of 1 percent so as to contribute to the manufacturers CAFE rating. My advise.... use what you have to so as not to void the warranty, change it often and when the warranty is out begin to use a good quality higher viscosity oil to extend the life of your vehicle. oh I put the 15-40 in the 08 Accord on Thursday, she said it runs great.
 
I run 0w20 in my 2014 silverado.That's what they recommend for those engines with low pressure piston rings. Chevy charged me 75 bucks for an oil change.Mine takes 8 1/2 quart. I'm changing my own now. NAPA had the oil for 2.99 a quart and the filter was 7 bucks.
 
Use exactly what the factory recommends, and keep it changed religiously!

That is a very high tech engine, uses what's called GDI (gas direct injection) that injects the fuel directly into the combustion chamber. As a result there is no fuel flowing over the intake valve to keep carbon deposits washed off.

Use the wrong oil, let the level get low, or not keep it changed and you will be looking at very expensive repairs!

These will probably not prove to be "keep forever work horse trucks". Might as well be a sign under the hood "no user serviceable parts inside"!
 
I run either 0-20 or 5-20 full synthetic in my pickup as recommended. I notice a little different pressure reading between the two, but I figure if they recommend either it will be fine. I run 15/40 in EVERYTHING else tractor-related around here (or grain trucks and semis). I won't run anything less than the recommended in the pickup or cars. They are too new and have too much new-fangled engineering behind them. I've been through many engines farming and know how they are built and what they can handle. You won't see me tearing apart a new engine for a rebuild or internal repairs. It just isn't done out of necessity like it is my field tractors.

I will leave the car oil the way they designed it. I didn't spend money on them not to listen.
 
(quoted from post at 21:56:34 02/05/17) I have a 2008 Buick with the V6 with VVT 200000 miles on it. I ran the 5w20 stuff changed oil and filter when the service engine light came on. it started using oil somewhere around 100000 I then realized that this thin oil was contributing to extra wear in the engine. I began using 15-40 Rotella T with reduced oil consumption and no problems. My daughter has a Honda accord bought new for her Same story, 97000 miles it is using oil. The main purpose of the thin oil is to increase fuel mileage by1 tenth of 1 percent so as to contribute to the manufacturers CAFE rating. My advise.... use what you have to so as not to void the warranty, change it often and when the warranty is out begin to use a good quality higher viscosity oil to extend the life of your vehicle. oh I put the 15-40 in the 08 Accord on Thursday, she said it runs great.
Click to expand...

Notice that the thicker oil was used after the bearing clearances had increased ?
 
I have a older GMC truck that I run Rotella 15-40 summer and 10-30 winter. I have an 06 Impala and run 10-30 all year round.
 
Its not tighter clearances that warrant thinner oils, bearing clearances don't get tighter with modern engines or they were not necessarily loose on older engines. The main thing that drives lighter oil in modern vehicles is fuel economy standards. It's not going to mean much to you but when the manufacturers produce millions of vehicles and they can lower fuel economy 1 percent then it stacks up and makes a big difference.

I'm not saying everything will be fine with 20w50 oil, or even 10w30 but thinner oil is not a "requirement" for modern engines, its only what they recommend for new standards. With that said, if they recommend 0w-20 then its should be just fine for that engine.
 
The 0w20 seems mighty thin when it is drained hot. My wife's minivan requires 5w20, but I run 5w30 since it is out of warranty. Some manufacturer's can set a P code for oil that is too thick. Chrysler does. Also, it's not just about the viscosity rating anymore; some OEM's now require the oil to have specific additive packages as well, like GM using Dexos approved oil in some of their vehicles.
 
I think I would stick with what they say for a new engine. As it gets older MAYBE adjust one grade thicker. And MAYBE one grade thicker or thinner for extreme heat or cold but only after the engine is older and worn a bit.
 
This !!!! Keep the oil fresh and clean - especially lighter oil. Read your manual, most likely it will say to change very 3000 (or 4500) miles under "extreme duty" situations. When you read further you will find that driving your car on the North American continent is "extreme duty". Dodge screwed a friend on a warranty over that a few years ago on a 2.7 V6. Manual said to change every 6000 miles unless it was "extreme duty", friend changed it every 4000 or so. At 27,000 the engine lost time and destroyed itself and Dodge refused to cover for that reason.
 
(quoted from post at 07:20:07 02/06/17) This !!!! Keep the oil fresh and clean - especially lighter oil. Read your manual, most likely it will say to change very 3000 (or 4500) miles under "extreme duty" situations. When you read further you will find that driving your car on the North American continent is "extreme duty". Dodge screwed a friend on a warranty over that a few years ago on a 2.7 V6. Manual said to change every 6000 miles unless it was "extreme duty", friend changed it every 4000 or so. At 27,000 the engine lost time and destroyed itself and Dodge refused to cover for that reason.
Click to expand...

Years ago Underwriters Labs came up with a definition of extreme conditions. It's much shorter to list "regular" or not "extreme" conditions. Those good conditions were 70-80 degrees F, humidity about 70%, highway driving only. Anything else was described as "extreme" conditions.

Rick
 
Whether you *think* it's better or not, or whether it actually *is* beetter or not, is IRRELEVANT.

Warranty says 0W-20. Put 0W-20 in it until the warranty expires. After that you can put 85W-140 gear lube in it if that floats your boat, but personally, I would stick with 0W-20.

It's not the 1960's anymore. Technology has advanced.
 
Andy...check with your local dealer, the 2015 came with two years worth of free oil changes, yours might still have some left. I bought a used 2015 a year ago and have gotten three free oil changes so far. Dealer told me last time I still had two to go. Dan
 

Our 2012 Silverado with the 5.3 calls for 5w-30. That 0-20 stuff is something Ford recommended a few years ago. I think I would read the owners manual again.
 
ONLY use what the owners manual says.

newer engines with computer activated variable valve timing must have the right oil.

AMSOIL or to a lesser extent Mobil 1 (you mentioned) are good choices.
 
If it's burning a lot of oil already or if oil pressure at idle is very low, I would take it back to the dealer for a warranty repair. If all is good, I would stay with the manufacturer's recommendation until it has over 200,000 miles on it.
 
dano, my son has an 06 with the VVT, and there was a discussion on-line about a recall to shorten the "change oil" light downwards from 8000 miles to something less. Overhead cams and valves failing. VERY expensive repair. Being 2 years older than yours, his fill cap says 5-w-30
 
Read your owner's manual. Times and engine technologies have changed for us old time "gotta have heavy duty oil" guys........course that was back when we were getting 9 and 10 mpg on our trucks with our 454 conventional pushrod V8 engines.
 
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