2020 Silverado 1500 6.2L towing

Purchased my 2019 TB Custom new 5.3 I have 20,000 miles on it now at 200 miles I put in the range technology in to deactivate the afm.I change oil n filter between 4500to 5000 miles PP 5/30 AC Delco filter not falling for 0/20.I go from oil change to oil change and the full mark on the dipstick does not move,not at all. Consumes no oil unless gas is in the oil. If I were you do 1 thing at a time deactivate the afm and test then I would try different oil weight if you do not get the results. Also my TB custom is very sensitive when checking oil on level ground make sure when checking oil to be on perfect level ground.
 
I have a 17 LTZ 6.2 with tow pkg. Replace the 206 degree thermostat with camaro/caddy 196 degree unit. If you have the tow pkg a 15 min mod is to flip the 180 degree trans thermostat internals for 30 degree drop in the trans. I have towed 12000 lbs across the country no heat issues. I also use 15-40 in Arizona heat with no issues and use less than a quart between changes. The injectors on these do fail so i run a bottle of gumout/PEA every oil change. Disable the AFM to possibly avoid lifter collapse issue if it is a commuter and constantly switching.
 
Picked up the truck in November and did the first oil change through the dealer. Second oil change I did myself and discovered I had used 3/4 of a quart over 5500 miles with the factory gm oil. I refilled with Mobil 1 EP 0w-20 and a Mobil one EP filter. I’m pretty sure I’m over analyzing this but is this a good oil for towing? Oil consumption is about 1/4 quart at 3k miles so far. 90% of my miles are gonna be highway miles BUT I have a travel trailer I use for work that weighs 6500 ish loaded out and some jobs can be 900 miles or more from home. My concern is how this oil would handle towing like this. Are there better options? I might make 1-2 trips like this in a year and myself and the wife take trips with the camper as well. I’m new to the site and really just would like some opinions. I run valvoline advanced synthetic in my wife and daughters Camaros ( 2019 with v6 and 2020 with 2.0 turbo) and have no rock solid preferences for brand but have ran a good bit of valvoline and castroil in the past. I was told by my service guy that he didn’t recommend the factory oil for past 5k miles. He owns one and says it’s purely personal preference but he doesn’t take his past 5k miles. Honestly I don’t mind paying a little extra for a quality oil that will give good protection for my engine and I’d really like an oil I can sleep well with going by the oil life monitor. The oils I’m considering are the mobile 1 EP, valvoline advanced synthetic, castroil edge, or amsoil ss. I run all amsoil in my atv and love it but it seems like a waste considering I’ll only run it for 6-8k miles. I realize the EP is an extended interval oil as well but it’s half the price of the amsoil ss.

Make sure you're waiting long enough for the oil to drain back. Something is different with the DFM version of these engines that makes it take longer for the oil to drain back to the oil pan. When the 2019's came out, there were a few guys posting about their new DFM V8 burning oil. After reading the manual, they realized that it states to wait up to 2 hours to get the most accurate oil level on the dipstick (they say that if you can't wait that long, to at least wait 15 minutes with a hot engine or 30 minutes if its cold). Lo and behold, when they checked their oil after waiting an hour, the oil level was back to the full line. It hadn't burned a quart of oil like they initially thought.

Another guy made a post about how he was changing the oil on his brand new 2019 5.3 Silverado, added the required 8 quarts of oil, and it still wasn't registering on the dip stick. He questioned just how much oil he was supposed to add since apparently 8 quarts was not enough. He posted a comment the next day:

Ok so I added 1/2 quart this morning and barely saw anything register on the dipstick. I drove to work (about 30 min drive) and after work I checked the oil after it had been sitting all day. The dipstick not only registered the oil, but it was over the upper limit. Will a 1/2 quart extra do any damage or do I need to drain some out before driving? I've attached a photo of the oil mark.\

Park the truck on level ground and let it sit longer than you usually would. I think you'll find that it's not using as much oil as you think.
 
It’s a big ol brick for sure but the truck does tow it very nicely. I’m curious the difference in the components for the camaro and the Silverado engine wise. I’d feel a lil better with a 5w-30 at least and a 0w-40 would be my choice given the option. I wonder if the variable oil pump makes this a non issue with raising oil pressures when needed.
The Gen V v8's are designed around the idea of high flow rates instead of just high pressure. They modified the bypass pressure spec for oil filters when these engines came out in 2013/14. Considering the pump on the 2019's operates at 60 PSI while moving and ~90 PSI when cold, I don't think the engine needs a 40 weight even for towing.
 
I would be very upset if I had a new car that was using that much oil. I have a 2014 Chevy Express 3500 dually with the 6.0L and I use Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5w30 and it does not use any oil in 6k OCI, and it is attached to a class C motorhome at 9k empty.

Then again, even Toyota tells customers that it's normal for their engines to burn up to 1 quart every 1,200 miles. Less than a quart between oil changes is fairly good for factory 0W20 during the break-in period. Especially since drainback on these new DFM V8's seems to take a while before the dipstick reading is accurate (because of the individual oil control solenoids for each cylinder perhaps?).
 
I have a Tahoe with the 5.3 and 100k miles on it. I generally change the oil every 6-7k miles using Mobil 1 full synthetic. It has AFM and I have not disabled it. At this point, it uses about a quart every 3-4k miles, which to me isn't bad. It always used some oil, but it hasn't gotten significantly worse.
 
Hit 4800 miles and was a quart low. So decided to change it. Swapped brands and tried some rotella gas truck to see if there’s any difference in consumption.
 
I have a 2016 Yukon XL with 5.3.
0w20 required is a bunch of cafe non sense
0w20 in winter light towing ok
Summer 5w30 or 10w30
Towing in summer 5w40 or 10w40
Period

I tow 5,000 pounds all over the Rocky Mountain West. 8,000 foot mountain passes-the manual states 0w/20 and that's what it gets. With 35,000 miles on it-it hasn't blown up yet. Getting ready to leave for a 30 day (three thousand mile) plus towing trip next month.

How high are the mountains in Minnesota?

2018-5.3 Silverado Crew Cab LTZ.

Maybe you know more than the engineers who designed the motor.
 
All these reports of oil burning surprises me. I have heard before that GM was saying 1 qt in 5k was normal but I figured they were just trying to get out of warranty work and Toyota says 1 qt in 1200:eek: But with the many reports here of people burning oil in this day and age with so many sensors and cats and the fact that every car I have ever had that burned oil at this rate was usually a sluggy mess inside. Either they have finally gone beyond what they can seal up with this thin oil or they are trying to take us back to 2 strokes.:giggle:
 
In one respect, I believe that oil consumption is something to be aware of, IF it is happening, BUT as long as the "Add Oil" message does not display between changes, no big deal. On our parts dept fleet of GM pickups, using the OLM to change the oil (usually a bit past the 0% level), no "add oil" or change in oil pressure. Which usually is about 7500 miles the way it is being used. In the 6.0L box van I used to drive, I ran it 15K miles on one oil change once. I got the confidence to do that as at 10K miles, the oil still looked clean and was still at the "FULL" mark. Still "FULL" at 15K, too. All of this is on GM Dexos bulk oil.

The OEM oil recommendation is based on what was used to do the CAFE and emissions testing for certification. Therefore, the OEMs advocate the particular viscosities on that basis. But I believe that many AFM-type engines need the thinner oils for correct operation of that system?

I highly suspect there are no internal differences in an engine in a pickup truck, in a Camaro, or whatever. The more higher-perf vehicles might spec heavier oils due to the usage those cars might see, by observation. These "performance-oriented" vehicles might also have an engine oil cooler, too, which can figure into the whole viscosity deal, too.

Read your owner's manual and see if the "fine print" might have some alternative viscosity oils listed for special applications. Also, go through your Driver Info Ctr options and set the trans temp, tire pressure, and other screens you might be interestedin watching while towing.

I understand your concerns about a seeming "light" viscosity motor oil in a vehicle that can two trailers for hours on end. Also consider that the engine block and heads are aluminum, with a cast aluminum oil pan, which holds 8-9 quarts of oil. Which is not quite what we had in the prior small or big block Chevy V-8s (which usually held 5 quarts of oil, including the oil filter). Additionally, all of the viscosity recommendations have been validated by GM for any use the vehicle might encounter. The Dexos 1 Gen 2 spec is for a full-syn oil, whereas Dexos 1 Gen 1 was a part-syn oil.

Be sure to maintain documentation for your oil and filter changes, for warranty purposes. Which can make taking it to the dealer (or trust-worthy oil change establishment) for such a better way to ensure it's all documented, plus not having to dispose of the waste oil and old oil filter. Most dealers and such send information to CarFax, so any maintenance is documented there for future p0ossible buyers to see.

Those trucks are amazing. Enjoy!
CBODY67
 
All these reports of oil burning surprises me. I have heard before that GM was saying 1 qt in 5k was normal but I figured they were just trying to get out of warranty work and Toyota says 1 qt in 1200:eek: But with the many reports here of people burning oil in this day and age with so many sensors and cats and the fact that every car I have ever had that burned oil at this rate was usually a sluggy mess inside. Either they have finally gone beyond what they can seal up with this thin oil or they are trying to take us back to 2 strokes.:giggle:
Before GM will do any warranty work regarding oil consumption, the dealer will do the oil change and the customer will return to the dealer every so often for an oil level check. This is for documentation purposes. Until the next scheduled oil change is needed. The outcome of that will determine how things proceed.

Many dealers recommend a 5K OCI, as a matter of course. Which is sooner than the OLM will recommend it, by observation.
 
I tow 5,000 pounds all over the Rocky Mountain West. 8,000 foot mountain passes-the manual states 0w/20 and that's what it gets. With 35,000 miles on it-it hasn't blown up yet. Getting ready to leave for a 30 day (three thousand mile) plus towing trip next month.

How high are the mountains in Minnesota?

2018-5.3 Silverado Crew Cab LTZ.

Maybe you know more than the engineers who designed the motor.
No mountains in Minnesota, but towing a 9,000 lb travel trailer all over the US, (42 states). Plus a 2 spot car trailer loaded close to 11,000 lbs couple times a month. Dont care what the manual states... It seems like a bunch of planet huggers write it. Oh and yes of course I know more than the planet huggers... 10w40 went in couple weeks ago... Im liking it. Check in back in 250k miles... Ckn
 
No mountains in Minnesota, but towing a 9,000 lb travel trailer all over the US, (42 states). Plus a 2 spot car trailer loaded close to 11,000 lbs couple times a month. Dont care what the manual states... It seems like a bunch of planet huggers write it. Oh and yes of course I know more than the planet huggers... 10w40 went in couple weeks ago... Im liking it. Check in back in 250k miles... Ckn
Yep. Save the whales for vegan Greta.
I'm not a big fan of non-synthetic 10w40s. There are a few synthetic 10w40s, I have 2 unopened pails of Duron 10w40 waiting for the fall change in a couple of trucks. Delo is the thickest 5w40 I know of, and is in one of my critters. Weather permitting, above freezing, you might like an SAE30.
 
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I tow 5,000 pounds all over the Rocky Mountain West. 8,000 foot mountain passes-the manual states 0w/20 and that's what it gets. With 35,000 miles on it-it hasn't blown up yet. Getting ready to leave for a 30 day (three thousand mile) plus towing trip next month.

How high are the mountains in Minnesota?

2018-5.3 Silverado Crew Cab LTZ.

Maybe you know more than the engineers who designed the motor.

Its not really about knowing more. Its about the constraints put in the engineers. When GM, Ford and Ram are pumping out half a million half-ton trucks a year each, they put a lot of weight on mpg.
 
Its not really about knowing more. Its about the constraints put in the engineers. When GM, Ford and Ram are pumping out half a million half-ton trucks a year each, they put a lot of weight on mpg.
That's what the "arm chair" engineers on here say......in "thick vs. thin".
 
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No mountains in Minnesota, but towing a 9,000 lb travel trailer all over the US, (42 states). Plus a 2 spot car trailer loaded close to 11,000 lbs couple times a month. Dont care what the manual states... It seems like a bunch of planet huggers write it. Oh and yes of course I know more than the planet huggers... 10w40 went in couple weeks ago... Im liking it. Check in back in 250k miles... Ckn
Planet huggers? Why are people so rude these days? Why can't people do things that you agree or disagree with without people calling them stupid names? Why can't ideals exist without people attaching stupid names to it? Give it a rest. Talk about the topics like an adult. Geez.
 
It appears that thickies are pro free speech.

While thinnies are pro censorship, & also indulge in the name calling/labels they profess to abhor.

15w40 vs 0w20 anyone?

Planet huggers? Why are people so rude these days? Why can't people do things that you agree or disagree with without people calling them stupid names? Why can't ideals exist without people attaching stupid names to it? Give it a rest. Talk about the topics like an adult. Geez.

Real mature. I have an idea. Why don't you discuss the topics without adding silly peanut gallery comments to the mix?
 
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