# Engine Oil 5 W 30 is it okay?



## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Engine Oil 5 W 30 is it okay? for

2004 Chevrolet Truck Silverado 2500HD 4WD 6.0L SFI 8cyl

That what my Chevy dealer put in under free oil & oil filter changes for a year.


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Why I am asking I ran 15 W 40 diesel oil in my 1991 Chevy, Chenneye, V-6, 4.3 liter, 1500 W/T 4x4 It almost had 300,000 miles on it. Floor rusted out where cab hooks on to the frame. Had no Engine problems Just Ignition module problems.
Also ran that oil in 1983 Chevy 1984 Pontiac station 305 cu in, Liter 5.0 I traded in for the 4 wheel drive truck.


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## chevboy167 (Dec 7, 2011)

if thats what the owners manual recommends, then its ok. alot people still switch oil weights from summer to winter. 5w-30 in colder temps helps engine parts turn over bit faster when starting it cold. 10w-30 is a bit thicker when engine temps run warmer in the summer months. helps the oil from thinning out & losing its lubricating properties. me.. i just run 10w-30 MOBIL 1 all year. or any proven good synthetic. its all up to what you trust and prefer. but take the freebies when u can!!! cheers


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## mayhem (Aug 25, 2006)

Its the manufacturer recomended oil, same stuff I use in my 6.0.


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## Milwaukee (Dec 28, 2007)

Remind me not buy your truck when you plan sell.

Do you realized this modern engine are Different than old engines you had back in old day. They had tighter bearing clearance. Thick oil make harder. 

I must remind all people who had Ford with 5.4L that go to oil change I told them 5W20 or 5w30 not 10W40 or 15W40 or 20W50 because they heard noise


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## Plowtoy (Dec 15, 2001)

TomsSnowPlowING;1387453 said:


> Engine Oil 5 W 30 is it okay? for
> 
> 2004 Chevrolet Truck Silverado 2500HD 4WD 6.0L SFI 8cyl
> 
> That what my Chevy dealer put in under free oil & oil filter changes for a year.


Tom, you will get all kinds of answers to your question and their all based on opinion (unless there is an automotive engineer on PS that can prove to me that were doing something that's harming our engine). I personally will run no less than 10W40 in my gas vehicles, but I (like you) have had great success with heavier oil. I am getting 200k to 250k before I get rid of my vehicles, and they still have 55 to 60 psi oil pressure going down the road and 40 at idle in gear (hot) with those miles. Typically I run 20W50 in the summer when I'm towing our camper, and 10W40 in the winter when I'm plowing. Currently I have 15W50 synthetic in my Yukon, but synthetic pours in like water, and to me that just seems too thin. I normally run conventional oil but it was cheaper this past time to get synthetic. 
On the other hand, the diesel always get 15W40, just because. 
There are engines out there now that take 0W20 and that's just nuts IMO. I agree that technology has come a long way's since the 70s and 80s but things still wear out, like bearings, and tolerances will increase over time so that's my reasoning for using heavier oil.
I would say, use what your comfortable with, the biggest thing is to to use oil that MEETS or EXCEEDS the manufacture reconditions and make sure that there is enough oil in the system


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

Just been running 15 W 40 and no engine problems. Went to school rebuilding engines. That what instructor told us to run. 
Sister-In-Law ran 5 W 30 in her car once again what the owners manual recommends. She blown her motor 60 days after warranty was up.
Why I am iffy on that 5 W 30. Unless she got the cheap 5 W 30?


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## TomsSnowPlowING (Jan 11, 2011)

*0 w 20*

0 W 20 never saw it.?
Have seen 5 W 20 at Lawn mower & snow blower shops.


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## CJsSnowplowing (Nov 16, 2009)

5 W 30 reason why I get those Extra Warranty coverage.
7 Engine later due to spun bearing. 
On the 7th engine started running 15 W 40. It keeps the engine cleaner inside. 
No more spun bearing. 
All on a 1999 Chevy S10 Blazer Vortec Engine.


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## BlizzardBeater (Aug 29, 2010)

TomsSnowPlowING;1387659 said:


> 0 W 20 never saw it.?
> Have seen 5 W 20 at Lawn mower & snow blower shops.


A lot of manufacturers are recommending this as their oil weight. I believe most Hondas are running it, ford has some motors running it I think. I remember the first time I saw the recommendation, I thought it was a typo! There have been motors running it for several years now.


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## buckhigh (Oct 21, 2008)

This is an interesting topic hearing everyones responses. I drive an 02 Chevy 2500hd with a brand new reman OEM GM 6.0 Vortec engine with 100k mile warranty. GM recommends 5W30, nothing more nothing less. The Service manager warned me not to run anything but 5W30 in this engine. The engine seals were designed to be used with only 5W30 dino oil. NO SYNTHETIC! Dealer used Pennzoil 5W30 since the install and I've kept it that way 20,000 miles later. With $6000 invested in a new engine, I'll take their advice to honor all warranty issues.


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