2014 Malibu LS 2.5L recommended oil viscosity

[Quickster2]

Has their been an update to the oil recommendations for this motor from Chevy or is everyone sticking to 5W20? My Son is buying a used 1 for commuting. Has the engine been "back spec'd" to 0W20? Thx

 

[Cujet]

The 2.5 is a very updated version of the ecotec. While it has a new quieter timing chain, and a host of other new and cool features, the ecotec range of engines have traditionally had chain wear issues when people use thin oil and follow the oil life monitor, which is in essence, extended oil change intervals. Chains are subject to accelerated wear due to particulates. Chains also wear faster with uber thin oils. The combination of thin oils further thinned through fuel dilution and shear via extended intervals, along with particulate accumulation has predictable results. As always, I'd use a quality synthetic and change it at the severe duty interval. Oil is cheap, engine repairs are not. Remember, oil changes are the only way to drain out contaminates such as fuel dilution and particulates. Here is a good website for info on engine configuration and you can clearly see the chains (remember, it's the balancer chain that goes first) : http://media.gm.com/media/us/en/chevrole..._vibration.html The good news is that problems are in essence eliminated with the more frequent OCI's.

 

[Durango]

I have two cars in the Chevy brand: 2008 Impala SS 5.3 liter and a 2013 Camaro RS both recommend 5W-30 Dexos. I'm guessing the oil weights haven't changed. Durango

 

[bigt61]

I think all the 5W-20 stuff on Chevys has now been changed to 0W-20. My local dealer only has bulk 0W-20 Dexos blend, 5W-30 Dexos blend and 5W-30 non Dexos. If they need anything other than that (like full synthetic), the tech has to walk into parts and get bottles.

 

[Trav]

5w30 and sleep well. Some engines are designed for lighter oils and that's fine but this isn't one of them. Just because it can run on it doesn't mean it should. 0w20 may give a very slight increase in fuel economy which will be within statistical noise of the 5w30 but may also increase engine wear and reduce the engines life expectancy as a trade off. IMHO anything that is back spec;d is not in the consumers best interest.

 

[fdcg27]

Wonder whether potential chain wear is what caused Subaru to reduce the recommended OCI on their current engines from 7.5K to 6K?

 

[Quickster2]

After Christmas I'll go to the local dealer and check spec's. The owners manual spec's 5W20 and lists 0W20 as an alternative. Regardless, I will sleep well with either oil. Myself, for our 5 vehicles, all are subject to a 5K OCI. The Viper (OCI based on # of track days) & Ram 6.4L get PUP 0W40. The Cayenne S gets Castrol Edge 0w40 Euro. The Jeep & the Caliber get 5w20 Castrol Edge High Mileage. Wix XP filters except for the Porsche. Thx for the replies.

 

[gabriel9766]

Originally Posted By: Quickster2

After Christmas I'll go to the local dealer and check spec's. The owners manual spec's 5W20 and lists 0W20 as an alternative. Regardless, I will sleep well with either oil. Myself, for our 5 vehicles, all are subject to a 5K OCI. The Viper (OCI based on # of track days) & Ram 6.4L get PUP 0W40. The Cayenne S gets Castrol Edge 0w40 Euro. The Jeep & the Caliber get 5w20 Castrol Edge High Mileage. Wix XP filters except for the Porsche. Thx for the replies.

my 2015 Malibu with the 2.5L has had nothing but full syn 0w20 since new and last 2 UAO'S have been stellar folling the OLM. I'm running Mobil1 AFE 0W20 right now, next is PPPP 0W20. Just follow the OLM for the 2.5L it is easy on oil. Im at almost 38k now with no problems so far with this car.

 

[SR5]

GM-Australia say to use Dexos 5W30 on the Malibu

 

[Cujet]

Originally Posted By: Quickster2

After Christmas I'll go to the local dealer and check spec's. The owners manual spec's 5W20 and lists 0W20 as an alternative. Regardless, I will sleep well with either oil. Myself, for our 5 vehicles, all are subject to a 5K OCI. The Viper (OCI based on # of track days) & Ram 6.4L get PUP 0W40. The Cayenne S gets Castrol Edge 0w40 Euro. The Jeep & the Caliber get 5w20 Castrol Edge High Mileage. Wix XP filters except for the Porsche. Thx for the replies.

With that kind of diligence, there won't be a problem. The ecotec's that nearly universally experienced balancer chain failures were going over 8000 miles between changes on cheap oil due to dealer service and poor OLM settings. But it's good to note that the failures did occur WELL before the warranty was up. So, the wear rate was very high. Also, the few UOA's I've seen from these engines never indicated a serious problem.

 

[BlueOvalFitter]

Originally Posted By: Quickster2

Has their been an update to the oil recommendations for this motor from Chevy or is everyone sticking to 5W20? My Son is buying a used 1 for commuting. Has the engine been "back spec'd" to 0W20? Thx

What does the manual and oil cap read? That's your answer.

 

[03s]

from the manual. but I'd use full synthetic. Viscosity Grade SAE 5W-30 is the best viscosity grade for the 2.0L L4 engine and the 2.4L L4 engine. SAE 5W-20 is the best viscosity grade for the 2.5L L4 engine. SAE 0W-20 may be used as an alternative. Do not use other viscosity grade oils such as SAE 10W-30, 10W-40, or 20W-50. Cold Temperature Operation: In an area of extreme cold, where the temperature falls below −29°C (−20° F), an SAE 0W-30 oil may be used. An oil of this viscosity grade will provide easier cold starting for the engine at extremely low temperatures. When selecting an oil of the appropriate viscosity grade, always select an oil of the correct specification Engine Oil Use only engine oil licensed to the dexos1 specification of the proper SAE viscosity grade. ACDelco dexos1 Synthetic Blend is recommended.

 

[Quickster2]

My Son had decided to go with PUP 0W20 & Wix XP filters certainly for this winter here in Michigan. OCI's will be far ahead of the EVIC oil change indicator. My earlier post on the Viper was incorrect. It should of stated Mopar SRT filter for it. Thanks again for the replies. Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays!!!

 

[Ram02]

My Malibu has the same motor I’ve up the weight to 5w30 . It’s the block and share a lot of the parts from. The 2.0T which uses 5w30. Ive notice no difference since the move

 

[A_Harman]

Originally Posted By: 03s

from the manual. but I'd use full synthetic. Viscosity Grade SAE 5W-30 is the best viscosity grade for the 2.0L L4 engine and the 2.4L L4 engine. SAE 5W-20 is the best viscosity grade for the 2.5L L4 engine. SAE 0W-20 may be used as an alternative. Do not use other viscosity grade oils such as SAE 10W-30, 10W-40, or 20W-50. Cold Temperature Operation: In an area of extreme cold, where the temperature falls below −29°C (−20° F), an SAE 0W-30 oil may be used. An oil of this viscosity grade will provide easier cold starting for the engine at extremely low temperatures. When selecting an oil of the appropriate viscosity grade, always select an oil of the correct specification Engine Oil Use only engine oil licensed to the dexos1 specification of the proper SAE viscosity grade. ACDelco dexos1 Synthetic Blend is recommended.

Interesting that GM specifies Xw20 for the 2.5, and Xw30 for the 2.0 and 2.4. It must be the dual-lift rocker arm system and concerns with low temperature switching that drive the 20-weight specification.