Oil Capacity Question/Verification

Disclaimer: Links on this page pointing to Amazon, eBay and other sites may include affiliate code. If you click them and make a purchase, we may earn a small commission.

Scarey

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2024
Posts
119
Reaction score
73
I think GM tried to squeeze to much in the way of fuel economy out of the 6.2l and chose the 2 stage oil pump in order reduce pumping loss in the oil pump except when absolutely necessary. But interesting that GM engineers deemed the 6.2l to need 80 PSI of oil pressure under higher RPM operation, but were satisfied with 40-45 PSI when the engine is under severe loading at lower RPM, lugging!

With all the stupid Auto Stop/Start garbage (soon to hopefully be a thing of the past) I would have expected the manufacturers to put an oil accumulator with an electrical trigger or an electric oil pump like they use in the automatic transmissions to keep the oil pressure in the bearings during all these dry starts. For all that do not disable the Auto Stop/Start feature, I wonder how much they are aging their engine during all these repeated engine starts.
An old rule of thumb was 90% of engine wear occurs during start. Auto start/stop is the dumbest thing ever.
 

Z15

Full Access Member
Joined
May 24, 2009
Posts
198
Reaction score
132
Location
Michigan ,USA
5.3L and 6.2L takes 8 qts. Anyone thinking it takes more is wrong! Stop overfilling!
These modern engines can take a long time (deliberate) for all oil to drain back to the pan, hours in some cases. The Anti-Drain Back Valve in the oil filter also keeps oil up in the lifer galleys to prevent dry starts. If you do your own oil changes you will notice this because once you loosen the filter, oil comes gushing out.

Here are the official capacity charts
 
Last edited:
OP
OP
J

jfoj

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Posts
724
Reaction score
499
@Z15

Sorry this is clearly not the case these engines take nine quarts. That's what factory fill is and that's what we've matched and many members and people outside the forum have seen the same thing.

But do what you want and follow a piece of paper.
 
OP
OP
J

jfoj

Full Access Member
Joined
Aug 9, 2012
Posts
724
Reaction score
499
Look ay my dipstick picture above. These dipsticks suck and make the true level hard to determine

Your 2012 spec was probably 8.5 qts until GM put out a bulletin that changed the spec to 8.0 qts around 2014.

But you do what you feel is right!
 

Silverado4x4

Full Access Member
Joined
Jan 15, 2023
Posts
183
Reaction score
208
Location
Maryland
@Z15

Sorry this is clearly not the case these engines take nine quarts. That's what factory fill is and that's what we've matched and many members and people outside the forum have seen the same thing.

But do what you want and follow a piece of paper.
So your saying GM is wrong? OK so go ahead a put 9qts in and let the crank hit the oil and aerated (froth) the oil and circulate air bubbles through the motor. GM specifies 8qts and that what it gets.
 

Scarey

Full Access Member
Joined
Oct 15, 2024
Posts
119
Reaction score
73
So your saying GM is wrong? OK so go ahead a put 9qts in and let the crank hit the oil and aerated (froth) the oil and circulate air bubbles through the motor. GM specifies 8qts and that what it gets.
I don’t think overfilling is that critical, within reason. But I think under filling is far more serious.
 

Forum statistics

Threads
134,851
Posts
1,909,520
Members
100,209
Latest member
alyssadf
Top