Dealer Oil / 0W-20 / 5200 miles / 2018 Silverado

[Last_Z]

Team, First oil analysis I post here in more than 13 years. - 2018 Silverado 1500, Crew Cab, Z71 with the 5.3L (L83) engine - No idea what oil the dealer used, but should be 0W-20/Dexos 1 as recommended - 5200 miles on the oil...21,520 overall - First 3K miles was mostly long trips visiting family and moving out of state. The second half is completely different...short trips (commute is 3 miles round trip), 160* thermostat (yikes), and extremely dusty environment - AC Delco oil filter - K&N "cold air induction"...primary reason for analysis

Code

RICARDO: We found some fuel in this 0W/20 oil, but just a minor amount. 1.0% fuel is small enough to be
from normal use (e.g. short trips) or taking the sample before the engine is fully warm. With the viscosity
being well inside the 0W/20 range and wear looking good, you can be confident fuel hasn't caused issues.
Averages on the far right show typical 5.3L EcoTec3 wear after a ~6,700-mile run. Aluminum through
copper are the wear metals and they're actually a little better than we'd expect after a 5,200-mile run. No
issues stand out for this young Silverado.

Aluminum - 1
Chromium - 1
Iron - 10
Copper - 24
Lead - 0
Tin - 0
Molybdenum - 137
Nickel - 0
Manganese - 4
Silver - 0
Titanium - 0
Potassium - 1
Boron - 28
Silicon - 17 (Happy with this. The K&N filter seems to be doing a decent job.)
Sodium - 4
Calcium - 1234
Magnesium - 457
Phosphorous - 687
Zinc - 771
Barium - 1

Viscosity @210*F - 48.4
                @100*C - 6.79
Flashpoint - [b]365[/b]
Fuel - 1.0 (Strong smell of fuel while changing oil. I thought I had some dilution, but I was obviously mistaken)
Water - 0%
Antifreeze - 0%
Insolubles - 0.2
TBN - Not done

 

[paoester]

Barium? Anybody know what that is for, or is that just a lab noise error (only 1 ppm small)? I didn't think labs tested for that. It does look like the typical 0w-20 dexos1 currently on the market, with a little more moly here than most. https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4833053/ACDelco_0w20_full_synthetic_de Silicon isn't too high. There is around 10 ppm from just the anti-foaming additive alone. The rest maybe a little normal dust getting in or seal material loose in very small amounts. If you used Pennzoil Platinum 5w30, a thinner 5w30 on the market, it would fuel dilute in your application down to a 5w20 or 0w20 in no time at all, just saying that is a good option. It starts out at 9.8 cSt viscosity new, and only has to reduce to 9.2 (not far to go!) to be considered a 20 weight. Thats what I'd use in the presence of a tad bit of fuel dilution.

 

[Railrust]

Looks good! I own a 2018 Silverado with the 5.3 and I too have noticed a fuel smell on occasion when I change my oil (5,000 mile intervals). Interesting thought on going with a thin 5w30 and expecting it to thin to a 5w20 because of fuel dilution...I might give that a try.

 

[Last_Z]

Funny you mentioned PP 5W-30. I used its cousin for this interval....QS Ultimate Durability 5W-30 with the expectation it would thin out some. ...

 

[SteveG4]

Originally Posted by Last_Z

Funny you mentioned PP 5W-30. I used its cousin for this interval....QS Ultimate Durability 5W-30 with the expectation it would thin out some. ...

It's my understanding that QSUD 5W30 is markedly thicker than PP of the same viscosity. It is my hope that QSUD doesn't sheer down to a weak 5W30 or a 5W20 in my 5.3L.

 

[danez_yoda]

Those K&N intakes are knows for not filtering well in the name of airflow. high silicon could be due to that. i considered one but ran a quick but dynomometer test with and without the stock air intake on my truck. I couldnt really feel a difference so i stuck with stock and the better filtering.

 

[cb4017]

A 160* thermostat??

 

[ARCOgraphite]

Originally Posted by cb4017

A 160* thermostat??

Get that out of there! Screws up the tune up and likely the cause of you fuel dilution. Viscosity is too low with that fuel in there.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted by danez_yoda

Those K&N intakes are knows for not filtering well in the name of airflow. high silicon could be due to that. i considered one but ran a quick but dynomometer test with and without the stock air intake on my truck. I couldnt really feel a difference so i stuck with stock and the better filtering.

I agree, I'd ditch that and the 160F thermostat.

 

[Last_Z]

Team, I understand your concerns about the t-stat and the K&N system; however, the data does not support your arguments. At least not at this time. I lived in Florida before moving to New Mexico. Both are nearly extreme hot weather climates. I currently have the truck tuned to 91-93 octane. The best octane I can get right now is 91. One big drawback to the intake is that it sucks hot air. This combination of tune, hot weather and intake can result in pinging if chamber temperatures are allowed to spike. This is the reason for the t-stat. The intake has absolutely increased responsiveness and power, despite it not being truly cold air. At that, the factory system is MUCH better. Silicon is somewhat high, but the wear numbers are relatively good. The silicon the must be a combination of dust, oil chemistry and residual silicon from the assembly process. Let's not forget this engine only has 20k miles. Insolubles are very good, water is 0% and fuel is within acceptable limits, especially for direct injection. The numbers are telling me everything is ok. We'll see what happens during winter. Ric

 

[Last_Z]

Hello everyone, I did a follow-up UOA on my truck last month. Here are some notes for you to consider: - UOA length: 7090 miles (took the oil life monitor down to 6%). 29,583 miles overall. - Oil is Quaker State Ultimate Durability 5W-30. I went up in grade anticipating oil dilution. - M1 oil filter - 160* thermostat - Same K&N intake system with a prefilter - Driving consisted of VERY VERY short commutes. Work is 1.2 miles from my house. Between the 160* thermostat and the cold temperatures here in Alamogordo, NM; the oil took a beating and sheared down a lot from fuel dilution. ***The first set of comments from Blackstone on top, second set of comments on bottom*** ***Values on the left is first UOA, number on the right is second UOA***

Originally Posted by Last_Z

Team, First oil analysis I post here in more than 13 years. - 2018 Silverado 1500, Crew Cab, Z71 with the 5.3L (L83) engine - No idea what oil the dealer used, but should be 0W-20/Dexos 1 as recommended - 5200 miles on the oil...21,520 overall - First 3K miles was mostly long trips visiting family and moving out of state. The second half is completely different...short trips (commute is 3 miles round trip), 160* thermostat (yikes), and extremely dusty environment - AC Delco oil filter - K&N "cold air induction"...primary reason for analysis

Code

RICARDO: We found some fuel in this 0W/20 oil, but just a minor amount. 1.0% fuel is small enough to be
from normal use (e.g. short trips) or taking the sample before the engine is fully warm. With the viscosity
being well inside the 0W/20 range and wear looking good, you can be confident fuel hasn't caused issues.
Averages on the far right show typical 5.3L EcoTec3 wear after a ~6,700-mile run. Aluminum through
copper are the wear metals and they're actually a little better than we'd expect after a 5,200-mile run. No
issues stand out for this young Silverado.

RICARDO: We mentioned fuel last time and it went up to 2.5%, a little over the 2.0% we deem high (and
that explains the low viscosity). If this result becomes the norm, then there might well be a fuel system issue
to look into. Check for a rising oil level on the dipstick every now and again. If the oil level is fine and you
aren't draining more oil than you put in, perhaps this result was just the by-product of short trips or a lot of
idling. Everything else checks out. A bit more iron is the norm after a longer run (and this level is still better
than average). No coolant or water found.

Aluminum - 1 - 5
Chromium - 1 - 1
Iron - 10 - 20
Copper - 24 - 25
Lead - 0 - 0
Tin - 0 - 0
Molybdenum - 137 - 146
Nickel - 0 - 0
Manganese - 4 - 4
Silver - 0 -0
Titanium - 0 - 0
Potassium - 1 -1
Boron - 28 - 22
Silicon - 17 - 14
Sodium - 4 - 4
Calcium - 1234 - 1197
Magnesium - 457 - 419
Phosphorous - 687 - 623
Zinc - 771 - 726
Barium - 1 - 0

Viscosity @210*F - 48.4 - 50.4
                @100*C - 6.79 - 7.40
Flashpoint - [b]365 - 335[/b]
Fuel - 1.0 - [b]2-5[/b]
Water - 0% - 0%
Antifreeze - 0% - 0%
Insolubles - 0.2 - 0.2
TBN - Not done - Not done

 

[mpack88]

Why such a cool thermostate?

 

[mahanddeem]

Originally Posted by mpack88

Why such a cool thermostate?

Not good I agree, 185 is minimum!

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by Railrust

Looks good! I own a 2018 Silverado with the 5.3 and I too have noticed a fuel smell on occasion when I change my oil (5,000 mile intervals). Interesting thought on going with a thin 5w30 and expecting it to thin to a 5w20 because of fuel dilution...I might give that a try.

According to a esteemed former GM Engineer this is necessary.

 

[dave1251]

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4904365/2 Members on this site can't stop looking for problems. I have the correct answer for you. If you are convinced there is a "problem" there will be a problem even when there isn't a problem.

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

Originally Posted by danez_yoda

Those K&N intakes are knows for not filtering well in the name of airflow. high silicon could be due to that. i considered one but ran a quick but dynomometer test with and without the stock air intake on my truck. I couldnt really feel a difference so i stuck with stock and the better filtering.

Isn't there a study here that shows that K&N are actually worse for airflow after a short time in service?

 

[AJB0009]

There is a Project Farm air filter test from about a month ago. K&N let a lot more dirt in. There is also a very comprehensive test report on the home page of this site somewhere (I read it several years ago). They let more air through, but think about this; that is only going to matter at full throttle or very near to it. How often do you have the pedal to the floor? I haven't in several years in any of my vehicles. If you are going to run a vehicle hard and sell it, go with the K&N. I keep vehicles for ever. A stock filter set up with a quality filter is going to put a lot cleaner air into your engine, and therefore have less wear.

 

[SteveG4]

Originally Posted by AJB0009

I keep vehicles for ever. A stock filter set up with a quality filter is going to put a lot cleaner air into your engine, and therefore have less wear.

Wholeheartedly agree!

 

[Nick814]

You havent went WOT in years??? How boring

 

[dave1251]

Originally Posted by Nick814

You havent went WOT in years??? How boring

WOT runs are benefitual if done occasionally.