Oil Viscosity

[Plimbob]

My 07 Tahoe now has 268,000 miles on it. I have put 241,000 of those on it myself.

I religiously change the oil at worse case 3,500 miles and use what I think is a decent oil filter - Puralator One or the high end Wix. As far as oil, I have used Valvoline HM 5-30 for the last 150k. It will use about a half quart once the mileage on that change is above 2,500.

I have been wondering if a change in vis to 10-30 at this point in the engine's life is warranted due to wear. Will that improve lubrication and oil life?

Thoughts?
Thanks,
Tim

 

[kbuskill]

I would suggest contacting Blackstone Labs.

Have you ever had a used oil analysis done?

 

[Plimbob]

Ken,

Thanks for the response. I have not done that, I'll look into it.

Thanks,
Tim

 

[Hi-psi]

Have you tried just changing to a different brand oil?

I don't see the Valvoline High Mileage oil as being a Dexos licensed oil. ( https://www.gmdexos.com/owner/brands/dexos1/index.html )

I've see higher mileage engines before that would use oil between changes of a certain brand due to the specific detergents and additives in that blend, but not use any (or measurably less) of the same weight oil in a different brand.

 

[Derick]

Have you tried just changing to a different brand oil?

I don't see the Valvoline High Mileage oil as being a Dexos licensed oil. ( https://www.gmdexos.com/owner/brands/dexos1/index.html )

I've see higher mileage engines before that would use oil between changes of a certain brand due to the specific detergents and additives in that blend, but not use any (or measurably less) of the same weight oil in a different brand.

While he didn't specify, I will assume when he says HM, he means Durablend High Mileage, which is indeed on the dexos list.

 

[Hi-psi]

While he didn't specify, I will assume when he says HM, he means Durablend High Mileage, which is indeed on the dexos list.

According to the Dexos site, Durablend is only Dexos licensed in the 5w20 weight. He stated he was running "Valvoline HM 5-30". After digging further, it seems Valvoline calls their "high mileage" blends "MaxxLife", which is on the Dexos list in a 5w30.

Regardless, my statement about trying a different brand to see if it impacted the oil consumption stands. Dexos or not, GM engine or not, I've seen countless times where one brand over another would lead to less or more oil consumption.

 

[kbuskill]

Personally I would get a catch can and forget about it. I seriously doubt Blackstone will recommend a thicker oil but they should be able to give you some idea as to the wear of the engine.

You could do a top end cleaning/piston soak and see if your oil consumption improves as well.

 

[Derick]

According to the Dexos site, Durablend is only Dexos licensed in the 5w20 weight. He stated he was running "Valvoline HM 5-30". After digging further, it seems Valvoline calls their "high mileage" blends "MaxxLife", which is on the Dexos list in a 5w30.

Regardless, my statement about trying a different brand to see if it impacted the oil consumption stands. Dexos or not, GM engine or not, I've seen countless times where one brand over another would lead to less or more oil consumption.

Yeah that makes sense too...they have always had a few different names for their junk and I'm sure the dexos list isn't kept up to date as quickly as they change. To me it would be surprising to see a valvoline oil not be on there.

 

[thompsoj22]

Just me, What a success story! personally the only change id consider is changing the oil/filter at a religous 3000 mile interval and drive her with the respect she deserves! I absolutely would not change filter/oil brand or viscosity. The oil analysis would be a cool bit of info for you and the forum to gather insight in regard to what components are wearing and to what degree? Is there truly anything "coming apart" or is it all in sync and just happy to be driven/maintained to your standards.

 

[Plimbob]

Guys,

I forgot to mention that some of my oil loss however slight is due to a rear main or pan leak (Need to figure out which one it is or both?) as well. The reason I posted the question was as much about improving lubrication. I just passed 269,000 so all things considered a quart every 3,000 I don't think is too concerning.

I have tried Quaker State High Mileage 5-30 blend and there wasn't much difference in consumption. Do you guys have suggestions on a better option(s)?

I am going to do the lab analysis just to see what's going on.

Thanks everyone for you input.
Tim