There's Also Castrol Edge Extended performance 5W30, it's ACEA C2, so it's a little thinner for grade and would have a slightly lower HTHS than an ACEA C3 oil like the Euro L or Edge LL, but still thicker than 0W20.
Towing with GM Light Duty 3.0L diesel
- Thread starter rbk777
- Start date
AZjeff
$50 Site Donor 2023
Curious you'll determine the 30 wt is doing anything different than the spec'd 20? As you said about the 20 no proof that it is or isn't.
Just call it instinct on 20w oil. I just think GM is more worried about emissions and MPG than engine longevity, and that's why they spec'd 20w. I also don't know who makes the ACDelco stuff--I'd be more inclined to trust Mobil's Dexos-D, but it's twice as expensive and I change my oil a lot. I have not yet heard anyone tell me why a Euro spec 30w with good certifications for turbo diesels with particulate filters would be bad. I'm sure open to learning.
What is in Dexos-D (or maybe what isn't there) that would make the emissions system go, especially if I'm using a 0w30 that's MB 229.51 certified? I realize we are all guessing now, but there has to be some logic behind the guess.
Your truck your money. If you are going to change the oil in 5,000 miles, you could get a uoa to see what is what. That should tell you where the oil is and how it is performing in your engine. And, if you think about it, how is the oil going to perform so poorly after just 5,000 miles that it would wear your engine out? Not really a guess but a logical question.
Not an expert--that's why I'm here. So are you saying that all oils protect against wear equally, and there is no difference in wear protection in a 20w vs a 30w oil? That does not sound right. Remember, we are talking about pulling an 8K lb. trailer in 95 degree heat, with hills involved.
you are within the towing parameters that the gm engineers specified for your truck, i see no reason to deviate from the oil specified by the gm engineers for your truck.
Doesn't this truck have some sort of oil cooler, really the thin stuff should be fine , if you really want something a little thicker, maybe try out something that's ACEA C2 like that Castrol Edge EP, it's pretty thin for being a 30 grade, just a hair under 10CSt at 100C, so it's like 20 something percent thicker than a Dexos D oil would be, whereas an ACEA C3/Dexos2 oil would be nearly skating on the edge towards a 40 grade at 12CSt which is like 50% thicker than a 0W20.
Has anybody done a real oil analysis on the 3.0 that measures fuel dilution? By "real" I mean someone who uses GC like OAI.
I suspect this engine does have fuel dilution like my 2.8 does, around 2-2.7%. Based on that I do and would use a thicker oil in the 3.0 because the viscosity drops as the fuel accumulates in the oil.
Mobil 5w30 ESP or a CK-4 10w30 would be my choice.
I suspect this engine does have fuel dilution like my 2.8 does, around 2-2.7%. Based on that I do and would use a thicker oil in the 3.0 because the viscosity drops as the fuel accumulates in the oil.
Mobil 5w30 ESP or a CK-4 10w30 would be my choice.
How similar is the 3.0L to the 2.8L other than them both being diesel engines offered in GM pickup trucks, the 2.8L is a modified vm motori design, isn't it? While the new 3.0L is a new in house design, I thought?
CleanSump
Site Donor 2022
I believe the DexosD spec won't allow for an oil heavier than 0W-20.
I'd stick to the licensed list until after your warranty before looking at non licensed oils.
Give it a bit of time and the license list will grow whenever the Mobil/GM agreement ends. All of the major manufacturers including Castrol, Shell, Valvoline, Liqui Moly, Motul, Fuchs, Total, etc. all make oils that are OEM approved for MB229.71, Porsche C20, and VW 508/509 specs. They'll get licensed without any development to meet DexosD.
If you have to have an SAE 30 to sleep at night and not white knuckle while towing, I'd stick to MB 229.51/52 or VW 504/07 oils. The spec is mainly for, low ash, low viscosity/fuel economy, soot suspension, and a minimum HTHS rating, so you'd be fine with those specs. Plenty of pros towing 8k trailers with MB diesels and 229.51/229/52 approved xW-30 oils. There are a few SAE 40s on the 229.51/52 lists.
Try a high ester oil like Motul to combat heat and breakdown.
Just some rambling thoughts that you can consider or toss out as you please. This is BITOG
I'd stick to the licensed list until after your warranty before looking at non licensed oils.
Give it a bit of time and the license list will grow whenever the Mobil/GM agreement ends. All of the major manufacturers including Castrol, Shell, Valvoline, Liqui Moly, Motul, Fuchs, Total, etc. all make oils that are OEM approved for MB229.71, Porsche C20, and VW 508/509 specs. They'll get licensed without any development to meet DexosD.
If you have to have an SAE 30 to sleep at night and not white knuckle while towing, I'd stick to MB 229.51/52 or VW 504/07 oils. The spec is mainly for, low ash, low viscosity/fuel economy, soot suspension, and a minimum HTHS rating, so you'd be fine with those specs. Plenty of pros towing 8k trailers with MB diesels and 229.51/229/52 approved xW-30 oils. There are a few SAE 40s on the 229.51/52 lists.
Try a high ester oil like Motul to combat heat and breakdown.
Just some rambling thoughts that you can consider or toss out as you please. This is BITOG
The 3.0 was developed by a German company called FEV. It is assembled by GM.
The reason the 2.8 has fuel dilution is because of the engine programming, likely injection timing to meet emissions targets. Modern diesels usually do not have fuel dilution unless they are using main injection for for DPF regeneration, which the 2.8 DOES NOT. I do not know if the 3.0 has a 7th injector or not, however it does have programming by GM so FD is a definite possibility.
anything dexos2/c3 will be fine
pennzoil euro L 5w30 or m1 esp 5w30 will get the job done.
pennzoil euro L 5w30 or m1 esp 5w30 will get the job done.
I remember when Ram tried 30w oils in their 3.0L diesel. Let's just say it didn't go well. Ended up having abnormally high failure rate as the miles and years went by.
So then they changed the SPEC, not the engine, but the spec to a 40w oil on those to combat the issue.
Now, the new Gen 3 of that engine has a totally new oil spec that's even better, but it's still 5W40.
These OEs know that 20w and 30w oils don't protect diesels properly. But as you mentioned they are only concerned with CAFE targets and getting through warranty period. Unfortunately it puts the owner in a bad position. If you switch to a 5W40 oil, your engine will be healthier and last longer but you may void your warranty IF an issue comes up. If you stay with the watery oil you'll protect warranty (100,000 miles, right?) but the engine will likely be heavily worn by the time it gets there.
I would suggest Motul X-Clean 5W40. It's specifically formulated for DPF engines like ours with <0.8% SAPS. It's got a great base stock and it will hold up and protect well in the heat. Keeps the MAP sensor cleaner over time, and reduces regeneration cycles.
So then they changed the SPEC, not the engine, but the spec to a 40w oil on those to combat the issue.
Now, the new Gen 3 of that engine has a totally new oil spec that's even better, but it's still 5W40.
These OEs know that 20w and 30w oils don't protect diesels properly. But as you mentioned they are only concerned with CAFE targets and getting through warranty period. Unfortunately it puts the owner in a bad position. If you switch to a 5W40 oil, your engine will be healthier and last longer but you may void your warranty IF an issue comes up. If you stay with the watery oil you'll protect warranty (100,000 miles, right?) but the engine will likely be heavily worn by the time it gets there.
I would suggest Motul X-Clean 5W40. It's specifically formulated for DPF engines like ours with <0.8% SAPS. It's got a great base stock and it will hold up and protect well in the heat. Keeps the MAP sensor cleaner over time, and reduces regeneration cycles.
Considering it’s really about HT/HS rather than grade, Castrol Edge 5W-30 LL with a 3.5 HT/HS and 0.8% ash seems to be a good choice. It has VW 507 00, Porsche C30 and Mercedes-Benz 229.51 approvals and is ACEA C3. $24.04 for five quarts on Walmart.com.
But the Ram engine is pretty well known for being garbage, between the EGR cooler failures, the bad bearings from the factory, oil cooler failures, etc...
I'm actually not concerned about the warranty in the slightest--theoretically I might have a problem with any emissions related claim that the oil grade would directly impact, but I'm not even sure that is something to worry about. I sure hope GM lines the cylinders on that aluminum block.
