2001 Tahoe Oil Reccomendation

Pennzoil motor oil
Status
Not open for further replies.
M

MechEngineer

Joined
Jul 14, 2013
Messages
2
Location
MI
I just bought a 2001 Tahoe and haven't even had it long enough to do an oil change. I'm looking for a recommendation on which oil to use. In accordance with this thread: Here are the details:

1) 2001 Chevy Tahoe w/ 5.3L V8 & 208k miles.
2) Owner's manual specs 5w30 w/ API star-burst for gasoline engines.
3) I live in Grand Rapids, MI
4) I have an easy driving style (gas is expensive at 15MPG)
5) Daily commute is 35 miles one way (70 miles a day
shocked.gif
) 1 mile city, 24 highway, 10 country roads.
6) No known problems. Runs like a dream.

I would prefer store bough oil, I need to get 3 months and about 6k miles between changes, and would like to save money with conventional or semi-synthetic, but will use full synthetic to make sure I get the mile interval I need.

I had a 2003 F150 (totaled when someone turned in front of me) that I ran Motorcraft oil in because that's what the manual said to use. The Tahoe doesn't have a recommended brand listed. I've also used Valvoline and parts store brand in the past.

Previous owner said he used Pennzoil, but wasn't more specific about type.

Oil looks clean and at the proper level on the dipstick. Owners manual says the truck will tell me when it wants the oil changed.

Thanks for the help!
 
I've got a 99 silverado with a 5.3. It gets Pennzoil Conventional 10w30 in summer and GC in winter. 260000 so far and no consumption and piston slap is all but eliminated with these oils.
 
For cost and durability I would stay with Pennzoil 5w30. Watch your oil consumption or lack of over your first oci. Or if you had good luck with Motorcraft than it would be a good choice. If you are staying at 5k to 6k intervals both of these would serve you well with our Michigan weather.
 
Valvoline Maxlife 5w30 conventional. It's a high mileage oil that will help keep that engine from leaking and start to clean up any sludge you've got going on. If you find out that you're consuming oil, try 10w-40 for the next change.

Use that and a PureONE or Wix filter for 5,000 miles and you'll be in good shape. Just keep an eye on the level until you know what rate of consumption you have.
 
Max life 5w30 or gtx high mileage. Pennzoil Conventional is also appropriate if your consumption is modest. Remember to reset the olm when you changed your it. Should be as easy as my buick. Turn key to run, pump gas three times in five seconds, if oil light flashes turn key off and your reset.
 
Here is another sleeper for you. Shell Rotella T-6 10w30 hdeo. I noticed some today at the St. Johns Walmart. Price was around 13 dollars a gallon. It is dual rated for gas or diesel engines. Rated a synthetic blend, it would be a great choice for spring, summer, and fall use. You could switch back to a 5w30 conventional for the winter.
 
Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w30 gave me very low consumption in my LS1 Camaro.

Change the oil when the OLM tells you to, and not before. You can trust it.
 
A lot of people will probably think this is overkill, but I prefer running ACEA A3/B4 oils in those engines because of the OLM. Even ACEA A5/B5 will do.

Although the OLM is calibrated for conventional oil meeting ILSAC spec, it averages about 10,000 miles in my applications and the fact that ACEA specs are for extended drains makes it a good choice IMO.
 
Note that every vehicle in our fleet is GM and uses the OLM for servicing.

Ours trigger at a little over 4k miles all the way out to 12k miles depending on the duty cycle. Varies quite a bit and speaks to the general calibration as pretty good.

I would agree with your comment on oil quality, as we never use any less than a syn blend.
 
You might save money by using a synthetic like Pennzoil Platinum or Mobil 1 5w30 with 6 month changes. They will also have a cold flow advantage.

Maybe start with a conventional oil--with an OLM reset as explained by 901 Memphis--to see about consumption and to see how the OLM responds to your driving.

I have a 2001 Silverado 5.3. The OLM has tripped at mileages from 2500 to 7000 or more depending on driving conditions and weather. I would expect yours to go pretty far considering your commute.

I have been using Mobil 1 at intervals up to 8700 miles or 12-14 months (I drive a lot less than you). Generally, when the "Change Oil" light comes on early, I reset it and then change next time, under the assumption that the synthetic can be used longer than conventional. A 7200 mile UOA also gave me confidence that the oil can go at least that long.

I lived in GR for three years, with a commute of about 18 miles each way. The OLM came on consistently at 3200-3400, and I changed oil between 6 and 7 thousand.
 
Originally Posted By: Clevy
I've got a 99 silverado with a 5.3. It gets Pennzoil Conventional 10w30 in summer and GC in winter. 260000 so far and no consumption and piston slap is all but eliminated with these oils.


I'm interest on what oil filter you running with those oil
 
My 2006 5.3 OLM reaches 0% at about 5K (winter) and 8K (summer) with a driving cycle of 2 city miles and 22 country road miles with only a few stops. Your daily cycle is similar and you might also notice the OLM going off sooner in the winter.

I typically run conventional in the warmer months and synthetic in the winter. But I don’t go to 0% on the OLM either. Rather, I change two or three times a year based on the calendar. Typically 4K to 6K miles between oil changes.

6K will probably work in the warmer months, but you may not make that many miles in the winter before the OLM goes off. You may want to run synthetic if your OLM goes off a little more often than you want to change the oil.

Have tried several different oil brands in my 5.3, but haven’t really noticed any differences between them.
 
Wow! Talk about an active message board! Thanks for the replies. I think I'll go with Pennzoil Conventional and PureONE filter, reset the OLM, and track my consumption until the OLM trips. Based on miles, consumption, and time to OLM trip, I may switch to a full synthetic.

Clevy, what does the piston slap sound like? I'd like to keep an ear out. I don't have any weird sounds yet, but this is my first Chevy and I don't know what their odd sounds are.
 
We own a fleet full of 5.3's among others, and one thing is for certain. They are NOT fussy about oils.

If you have any serious consumption with 30w you can jump right to Maxlife 40w or another HM style oil. Just make sure the PCV setup is kept clean!
 
Originally Posted By: A_Harman
Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w30 gave me very low consumption in my LS1 Camaro.

Change the oil when the OLM tells you to, and not before. You can trust it.


+1 for my Equinox. Mobil 1 High Mileage and you can use any quality filter. Trust the OLM! I believe 01s had the light versus the countdown like the newer models. I have the light and it is super easy to set it when you change the oil. Just change it when the light comes on and enjoy! Those are great SUVs with a bulletproof engine/transmission
 
From my experience with the LS series the OLM is very well calibrated and PCMO's have only improved in the last dozen years. So I would use a name brand conventional 5W30 and follow the OLM. This engine family is very easy on oil in general everyday use.
 
My 2001 Tahoe has 160k miles. I run Mobil 1 0w-40 with a PureONE filter. Burns about a quart roughly 3,200 miles.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Similar threads

J
2001 Tahoe Oil Type?
Replies
16
Views
5K
Aquamania
KeithKman
  • Locked
Oil recommendation for a 2001 Chevy Tahoe
Replies
12
Views
90K
PT1
A
  • Locked
Overthinking cold weather oil for Tahoe & Yukon?
2
Replies
23
Views
8K
Adventurer_96
D
  • Locked
Heaving Ticking in 2005 Tahoe w/300,000 miles
2
Replies
23
Views
21K
ARB1977
B
  • Locked
Oil for 2002 RSX and 2004 Tahoe.
Replies
4
Views
3K
Dave Hess
Back
Top Bottom