Opinion on Oil Choice for 2004 Tahoe 5.3

[coop442s]

Hello all,

Reading the introductory stickies above I'll start with this:

1. What kind of vehicle you have - 2004 Chevrolet Tahoe Z71 5.3L V8
2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well - use oil meeting GM6094M 5w-30 or 10w-30 if 5w-30 is not available. Do not use 10w-40 or 20w-50. If exposed to refular tempratures below -29.0*C use 5w-30 synthetic or 0w-30.
3. Where you live - Birmingham, Alabama
4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?) - fast (70-80 mph, 85 max for short times)
5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?) - 90% Highway, average 90-95 miles a day, 5 days a week.
6. Whether your car has any known problems - only known issues is a ticking lifter on startup that comes and goes, rear main needs to be replaced (scheduled to be replaced later this month when I can get access to lift, oil level checked daily just to be safe, current estimated loss of a third of a quart a week.

If you have any preferences -- synthetic vs. conventional, store-bought vs. ordered online, how long you'd like to go between oil changes, etc. -- or any other info you think might be important, let us know that as well. - prefer synthetic, prefer choices readily available locally, not sure on OCI.

Previous owner(s) neglected an oil change or many, replaced oil pan gasket and cleaned pan and pickup thoroughly. Have had the vehicle for the past 12,000 miles (purchased October 2016) and have used short OCI of around every 2-3 weeks using Valvoline MaxLife HM 5w-30 and WIX or Napa Gold filters to great success of reducing sludge in engine. Excessive, maybe but to me it has helped. Replaced valve cover gaskets at time of oil pan gasket and a little over a month of go replaced the drivers side valve cover (bad fixed orifice tube) and relieved to have seen major reduction of sludge to the point you wouldn't have believed they were the same motor. My original plan was to run the short OCI for 6 months (End in middle of April) and switch to Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic HM 5w-30 with Napa Platinum or Purolator Pure one filter. Does anyone see any reason not to swap or should I swap to a different oil weight, and what would a recommended OCI be with this choice? 3000 or 5000? I'm new to the world of there is more than branding when it comes to oil and just seeking some advice and opinions.

Thank you,
Michael

 

[JC1]

Wow an OCI every 2-3 weeks. I hope you got that oil and filter at an excellent price.

Have you removed the valve covers to see the amount of sludge in the top end?

Most here won't like Purolator for an oil filter. I think max life is fine for what you are doing. I personally would leave the oil in for longer now that you've done a few oil changes and those highway miles are easy on your motor. Once the rear main seal is replaced, so could switch over to synthetic. You might go through more oil if you use synthetic before the RMS is replaced.

Post some pics of the used oil filters and oil that drains out, so we can see how bad it's currently looking.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Mobil1 High Mileage 5w30 due to its HM seal conditioners for old engines, and slightly higher hths 3.1 than some other 5w30 choices.
Fram Ultra oil filter is better than the ones you named by far. Double layer media, wire backed, more capacity.
Oil Change Interval: So much hiway driving, but you should change it when OLM (oil change light) tells you to. GM invested and researched this OLM algorithm thingie exhaustively and it is quite good. If that model year doesn't have an OLM oil change reminder light, then change it at 10,000 miles or 1 year whichever comes first, with all those hiway miles that will work great.

 

[NormanBuntz]

I do the oil changes on a friend's 2003 Trailblazer 6 cylinder, which calls for 5w-30. If your truck does not have an OLM, I would keep using the regular Maxlife 5w-30 and use change intervals of 5K miles. Good work by you in cleaning up the engine.

 

[userfriendly]

My opinion, not a recommendation, call it rubbish BITOG advice if you like, is either a quality SAE 30 like Mobil 1330 or Delo 400 or any brand of 15w40 CJ-4. All good to at least 10K miles.

 

[bbhero]

Micheal I think your plan of Valvoline Full Synthetic Maxlife 5w30 is just fine. I would run a Fram Ultra filter with it. Run the Maxlife for 10k miles and run the Fram Ultra for 20k miles.
Also

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Doesn't your Tahoe have an OLM? If so, you can safely go by its recommendations with no problem

I like to use the cheapest synthetic on sale and run it to the computer-suggested OCI. Napa Synthetic is often on sale for $3/qt a few times a year (not currently on sale right now, though). Pair it with a Napa Gold filter.

 

[steve20]

Mike---We have the same truck--even down to the Z71, which I believe also rewards (?) you with a 4.10 rear end. Ours runs about 2250 on the highway at 70 mph, which is not dozing by any means.
From the results of the great job on the clean-up, that muck may not have been in there all that long (not baked on). With the substitution of a Fram Ultra Filter (over NAPA/WIX/Purolator), I think you have a successful plan.
Over the past 13 years, I have found the OLM to be accurate-backed up with a used oil analysis, but in your case, I would use the lesser of the OLM or 5 K miles OCI.
Our truck is not a high mileage example, 151 K Miles (over 90% is suburban stop-and-go) most of those miles on NAPA Syn & AC-Delco filters.
Continued Good Luck to You
Steve

 

[Indydriver]

Hey, Coop-Welcome to BITOG. I have a 2007 Tahoe 5.3. Here's my maintenance/repair log for the last 14 months. You can pick out the oil changes. I use the Tahoe to clean out odds and ends in my garage hence the different oils. My base product is M1 5W-30 and Wix filters. It burns about a quart inbetween changes so I could probably benefit from a HM oil.

TAHOE
01/01/16: 74,102 Oil & Filter 5w30 Synblend; rotation, balance, alignment; replace a/c compressor drive belt
02/25/16: 82,263 Oil & Filter PP 5w30+Wix / 7% OLM, 8161 interval
03/07/16: 84,650 rotation, alignment, tire repair (TPMS), brakes at 50%
03/16/16: 86,298 Replace L front wheel bearing hub $364.75
05/04/16: 90,660 Oil & Wix Filter PP 10W-30 / 7% OLM, 8,397 interval
06/05/16: 92,231 Rear brakes-new rotors and pads; front brakes-adjust, clean, lube;
Brake fluid exchange; balance, rotate, align
08/19/16: 96,374 Front tires replaced under prorated warranty $137.46; align
08/29/16: 97,440 Oil & Filter M1 5W-30+Wix / 27% OLM, 6,780 interval
11/07/16: 99,686 Firestone: replace front struts under warranty; replace spark plugs; rotate (newer tires to rear), align, front brakes inspected (good); battery tested (good)
01/25/17: 103,900 Oil & Filter M1 0W-30+Wix / 26% OLM 6,460 interval
02/01/17: 104,703 Hare Chevrolet: Transmission Service(flush); 4WD Service(front/rear diff, transfer case)
03/09/17: 109,043 Front tires replaced under warranty $183.22; balance, rotate (new tires on rear), align
03/11/17: 109,306 Replace R front wheel bearing; re-align $385.00
03/15/17: 109,579 R front backing plate damaged by Firestone during wheel bearing repair which ruined R front rotor. So...new Backing Plate, new rotors and pads (R&L), re-aligned. I paid $210.77 for pads and L rotor.

 

[barkingspider]

Supertech 10w30 syn and use OLM. I use autozone clearance oils 5 & 10w30 in my escalade and it's all good

 

[coop442s]

Originally Posted By: JC1
Wow an OCI every 2-3 weeks. I hope you got that oil and filter at an excellent price.

Have you removed the valve covers to see the amount of sludge in the top end?

Most here won't like Purolator for an oil filter. I think max life is fine for what you are doing. I personally would leave the oil in for longer now that you've done a few oil changes and those highway miles are easy on your motor. Once the rear main seal is replaced, so could switch over to synthetic. You might go through more oil if you use synthetic before the RMS is replaced.

Post some pics of the used oil filters and oil that drains out, so we can see how bad it's currently looking.


I did, I always keep an eye out for sales and stock up on oil and filters. I have removed the valve covers and there is a definite reduction in sludge on the valvetrain, which I was happy to see. I can cut the oil filter open tonight/tomorrow and post pics (oil was changed in the past few days, old oil goes straight into recycle barrel but can describe it because I make mental notes on it. Color: black, no silvery sheen showing metal, no burnt oil smell (worked on plenty of other people's cars that have are routinely overdue for oil changes know that smell well), no gas smell, or milky oil showing coolant getting in the oil, no sludge in bottom of oil drain pan when pouring into recycle barrel.

Originally Posted By: steve20
Mike---We have the same truck--even down to the Z71, which I believe also rewards (?) you with a 4.10 rear end. Ours runs about 2250 on the highway at 70 mph, which is not dozing by any means.
From the results of the great job on the clean-up, that muck may not have been in there all that long (not baked on). With the substitution of a Fram Ultra Filter (over NAPA/WIX/Purolator), I think you have a successful plan.
Over the past 13 years, I have found the OLM to be accurate-backed up with a used oil analysis, but in your case, I would use the lesser of the OLM or 5 K miles OCI.
Our truck is not a high mileage example, 151 K Miles (over 90% is suburban stop-and-go) most of those miles on NAPA Syn & AC-Delco filters.
Continued Good Luck to You
Steve


Thank you, I lucked out and my truck was optioned with GT4 3.73 for a little better highway mileage.

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog

Doesn't your Tahoe have an OLM? If so, you can safely go by its recommendations with no problem

I like to use the cheapest synthetic on sale and run it to the computer-suggested OCI. Napa Synthetic is often on sale for $3/qt a few times a year (not currently on sale right now, though). Pair it with a Napa Gold filter.


My Tahoe does have an OLM and one of my questions was going to be if I should follow it or go mileage based OCI once I swap (if I swap) to the full synthetic MaxLife HM after the Rear Main replacement. Not that I'm looking forward to pulling the transfer case and transmission out of my truck...

Also FRAM isn't a bad word here? Again just beginning to dive deeper into the behind the label of the oil world I've always heard FRAM was a bad word when it came to oil filters along with K&N air filters allowing to much through their filters.

Thank y'all for the welcome, I look forward to the learning experiences.
Michael

 

[harryberry]

Mobil 1 High Mileage or Royal Purple. Also good to use an oil treatment such as the Everglide to boost mpg and further protect your engine. This combination works perfectly for me.

 

[slacktide_bitog]

Originally Posted By: coop442s
My Tahoe does have an OLM and one of my questions was going to be if I should follow it or go mileage based OCI once I swap (if I swap) to the full synthetic MaxLife HM after the Rear Main replacement. Not that I'm looking forward to pulling the transfer case and transmission out of my truck...

Also FRAM isn't a bad word here? Again just beginning to dive deeper into the behind the label of the oil world I've always heard FRAM was a bad word when it came to oil filters along with K&N air filters allowing to much through their filters.

Thank y'all for the welcome, I look forward to the learning experiences.
Michael


Stick with the OLM regardless of which oil you use.

Fram filters have gotten much better, and K&N air filters are still a bad idea.

 

[coop442s]

Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog


Stick with the OLM regardless of which oil you use.

Fram filters have gotten much better, and K&N air filters are still a bad idea.


Thank you, from the general consensus after the rear main replacement swapping to Valvoline Full Synthetic (SynPower?) MaxLife using Fram Ultra and going by the OLM for change intervals?

Again thank you guys, I hope I can in the future return the favor for all the help!
Michael

 

[steve20]

Very lucky with the 3.73----we had that one on a previous Tahoe--IIRC it spun around 2K rpm at 70 instead of the 2250 with the 4.11 We only get around 16 mpg hwy.
Steve