BREAKING: GM is officially recalling the L87

[jerry455]

You will have better results changing oil more frequently than by adding ATF to the oil. If you are changing oil at the required intervals, I would be surprised if there would be any sludge in your engine. I don't think any modern engine using synthetic oil will sludge up like the "old" days. Oil is that much better than it was when I started changing oil in the early 70's. Back then, a sludged motor was more common. I have only seen a couple of sludged motors recently, because there was no oil change ever done and they were leased vehicles.

 

[Mma-007]

I gotta ask. Wouldn't the oil come out darker just because of the adding ATF?

It does come out darker than what it’s supposed to yes. But, it’s getting whatever junk is in the engine. I often see bits of sludge come out. So it’s doing something for sure. Now I only add 1 quart of atf to my existing 8 quarts of oil.

 

[Mma-007]

That's an interesting claim. Can you expand on it some? Any reference?

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I’m going to add articles that support what I’m saying too.

 

[BacDoc]

So I took my Tahoe for the inspection and the other ECM recall yesterday.

Fortunately it passed and I got the free oil treatment and they had the truck washed when I picked it up.
I was in a hurry and the dealer said take the truck and I could stop by and get the paperwork and the manual insert when I had the time.
He said that the info on the truck was in the system and they changed oil and filter and put the 0-40W cap on.

Took a couple hours and the service guy was very apologetic and extremely polite. The car was was nice too as I have been doing a lot of fishing and my truck was pretty dirty.

 

[vcode]

Example:
Video

I’m going to add articles that support what I’m saying too.

Don't bother. I can find many links from actual experts that completely debunk that claim.

 

[Stbentoak]

Sorry for the late reply. I run transmission oil in my rig before an oil change to clean out any sludge that might’ve accumulated since I brought it. The oil does come out darker than what it should be so it must be doing something for sure. It’s a personal preference and in no way shape or form am I advocating it. Use at your own risk. Oil additives like “Liquid Moly, Marvel Mystery oil, Seaform” are the essentially clear ATF fluid.

Open up a can of sea foam and tell me that it resembles anything like ATF. That's quite a stretch.....MMO and Liquid Moly, Uh maybe, just maybe... But not Seafoam...

 

[Antonm]

Don't bother. I can find many links from actual experts that completely debunk that claim.

Not to mention the differences between a pressurized force oil lubrication system (like a car engine) and that of a splash lubricated lawn mover engine,,,because yeah,, the bearing clearances, materials, and loads are the same between those right?

Like a lot of old mechanic hacks, there was a time when it was appropriate and potentially helpful, in this case, that time was the 1950's. Thanks to advances is oil chemistry and engine design, sludge isn't near the issue it once was.
...

 

[jfoj]

@Mma-007

You are the original owner of a 2023 and have around 12k miles and have sludge in the engine?? Something is wrong here. If your oil is coming out black especially, if you are changing the oil 2x a year something is wrong. Maybe you are driving VERY short distances. With the large oil capacity of these engines, if the ambient temperature is below 50F, it typically takes close to 30 minutes of driving to being the oil up to the engine coolant temperature. Also allowing the engine to warm up at idle, does not warm the oil up nearly as fast as starting the engine and driving the vehicle. If you start the engine, allow the RPM to drop and stabilize then drive he vehicle. Do not cold start and allow the engine to warm up for 10-15 minutes, it will not warm the oil up, it will likely fuel contaminate the oil.

Given you have so few miles on a 2023 model, you either drive very short distances, to the store, church or locally or only drive on longer trips. When I start my truck, more often than not the trip will take between 2 1/2 - 6 hours. I do not make many short in town trips and even if I do, these trips are typically 30+ minutes of driving given where I live and where many of the stores are located.

Picture of my dipstick with 1500 miles on current oil as well as the same oil on the towel.

 

[homesick]

Example:
Video

I’m going to add articles that support what I’m saying too.

'This is clear ATF' and 'ATF is a suitable sub for engine oil' are two different claims.

joe

 

[tagexpcom]

@Mma-007

You are the original owner of a 2023 and have around 12k miles and have sludge in the engine?? Something is wrong here. If your oil is coming out black especially, if you are changing the oil 2x a year something is wrong. Maybe you are driving VERY short distances. With the large oil capacity of these engines, if the ambient temperature is below 50F, it typically takes close to 30 minutes of driving to being the oil up to the engine coolant temperature. Also allowing the engine to warm up at idle, does not warm the oil up nearly as fast as starting the engine and driving the vehicle. If you start the engine, allow the RPM to drop and stabilize then drive he vehicle. Do not cold start and allow the engine to warm up for 10-15 minutes, it will not warm the oil up, it will likely fuel contaminate the oil.

Given you have so few miles on a 2023 model, you either drive very short distances, to the store, church or locally or only drive on longer trips. When I start my truck, more often than not the trip will take between 2 1/2 - 6 hours. I do not make many short in town trips and even if I do, these trips are typically 30+ minutes of driving given where I live and where many of the stores are located.

Picture of my dipstick with 1500 miles on current oil as well as the same oil on the towel.

View attachment 471320

I'm 2021 Yukon 6.2L with 67K miles. Had recall/oil-change (0-w40) about 2K miles ago. Here's a pic - the oil looks OK to me. I'm not an expert but I have seen 'dark' oil in earlier years (other vehicles) and this color doesn't seem alarming - seems OK.

 

[jfoj]

@tagexpcom

Your oil looks good for 67k miles on the engine and after 2k miles. Keep in mind probably at least 1 quart or more of dirty oil is left in the oil cooler, oil cooler lines and in the engine when changing the oil so it is hard even immediately after and oil change to have pristine looking oil, but it should not look black by any means.

If the oil is black in any of these 6.2l engines, I would be worried the oil is getting cooked by a bearing ready to go!

 

[vcode]

@Mma-007

You are the original owner of a 2023 and have around 12k miles and have sludge in the engine?? Something is wrong here. If your oil is coming out black especially, if you are changing the oil 2x a year something is wrong. Maybe you are driving VERY short distances. With the large oil capacity of these engines, if the ambient temperature is below 50F, it typically takes close to 30 minutes of driving to being the oil up to the engine coolant temperature. Also allowing the engine to warm up at idle, does not warm the oil up nearly as fast as starting the engine and driving the vehicle. If you start the engine, allow the RPM to drop and stabilize then drive he vehicle. Do not cold start and allow the engine to warm up for 10-15 minutes, it will not warm the oil up, it will likely fuel contaminate the oil.

Given you have so few miles on a 2023 model, you either drive very short distances, to the store, church or locally or only drive on longer trips. When I start my truck, more often than not the trip will take between 2 1/2 - 6 hours. I do not make many short in town trips and even if I do, these trips are typically 30+ minutes of driving given where I live and where many of the stores are located.

Picture of my dipstick with 1500 miles on current oil as well as the same oil on the towel.

View attachment 471320

He says he changes it every 1000 miles (6 months). If you are seeing a lot of sludge there are other issues going on.

 

[jfoj]

@vcode,

Not sure what is going on with Mma-007 and why he is putting transmission fluid in the crankcase and why he claims his oil has sludge.

I guess he is just "assuming" there is sludge in the engine??

If the oil is being changed every 1-2k miles, then the oil should look very clean, almost pristine unless he drive 2-4 miles daily and the engine and oil never warm up. Also depends on the climate the vehicle is operated in as well, Northern locations where it is colder will kill the oil during short trips.

SMH

 

[Torqvaw]

Sorry if this is a dup... Just saw this yesterday. Looks like new as of Wednesday.

 

[Antonm]

Interesting video.

Assuming what they showed is the same across all defective L87s (I mean, their sample size is like 2, so not statistically significant yet), then it makes sense why GM has recommended a thicker viscosity oil.

Both of the big issues they talk about would be helped (or band-aided, as I'm sure some people will say) by using a thicker viscosity oil.

The only thing in that video that has me thrown off is the amount of sludge in the pan. The amount of bearing wear isn't enough to cause that much crap in the pan. Perhaps there is also an abnormal amount of machining debris being left inside the engines as well.
...

 

[GMCnewbee]

We dropped off our 2022 Yukon Denali this morning for the PICO recall test. It has 25k miles and the Dealer just called to tell me that it has passed the test. So I now have the 0W -40 oil. Also had the new Michelin tires rotated, new battery, and new wiper blades. With my 10 year engine warranty in hand I think I will hang onto the Yukon for a while and see how it goes. We still love it, so I will begin a longevity test until something irresistible comes along.

 

[vcode]

We dropped off our 2022 Yukon Denali this morning for the PICO recall test. It has 25k miles and the Dealer just called to tell me that it has passed the test. So I now have the 0W -40 oil. Also had the new Michelin tires rotated, new battery, and new wiper blades. With my 10 year engine warranty in hand I think I will hang onto the Yukon for a while and see how it goes. We still love it, so I will begin a longevity test until something irresistible comes along.

Remember the 10 year warranty only covers the parts listed in the recall. Most of the engines is still 5/60.

 

[GMCnewbee]

Remember the 10 year warranty only covers the parts listed in the recall. Most of the engines is still 5/60.

Understood. I'm just hoping that I can treat it now as a "normal" vehicle. Yea, things do happen, but I am hoping that "loss of propulsion" is not going to be one of them. I will report it if anything does go wrong.

 

[NoYukonYet_1Jeep]

Quick follow up since I passed the engine recall test. No issues. 38k on the Yukon Denali, only things coming up (they tell me) are tranny fluid at 45k. I’ll opt for brakes soon also.

Another quick thanks on the suggestion for a “good Will” repair (lumbar module crapped out) - was initially quoted $750 for parts and labor, but since only 2k miles over 36k warranty, ended up costing me $75. Great experience at a local family owned GMC dealership.

Unrelated, but worth sharing - had some hard water spots from my sprinkler system, tried a few home remedies unsuccessfully, but finally bit the bullet and paid for a premium wash & wax at my favorite local spot ~$200. Wow, truck looks phemonal. Brand new-ish shine and completely removed hard water spots that were bugging me.

Quick shout to the veterans . Thank you for your service

 

[KMeloney]

Unrelated, but worth sharing - had some hard water spots from my sprinkler system, tried a few home remedies unsuccessfully, but finally bit the bullet and paid for a premium wash & wax at my favorite local spot ~$200. Wow, truck looks phemonal. Brand new-ish shine and completely removed hard water spots that were bugging me.

How did THEY get the water spots out? Thanks!