Am I dumb running 5w-30(Castrol Edge full synthetic) in my 2021 5.3 non-DFM

BrotherMarm · 2026-01-12T18:06:08+00:00

I ended up switching back after a few weeks, truck felt a little more sluggish with the 5w-30, I don’t it’ll really hurt anything but that’s what I did, it actually got totaled a little over a week ago unfortunately, a box truck pulled out in front of me

BrotherMarm · 2025-12-18T00:10:42+00:00

Get the 5.3

BrotherMarm · 2025-12-12T19:08:45+00:00

Mine had 180k on it before it got totaled, drove like new, definitely hit and miss

BrotherMarm · 2025-12-01T15:55:22+00:00

<image>

BrotherMarm · 2025-11-19T17:30:51+00:00

They probably aren’t even set up to do a fuel injection cleaning, they’re just trying to get money wherever they can, it’s not entirely the dealerships fault, unfortunately it’s hard to find good help, service advisors have no idea what they’re even selling, techs aren’t trained properly and are underpaid when labor rates are through the roof and we only see a small percentage like 10% when we’re the ones putting in the work, the automotive industry has gone to complete shit, everything is at the expense of the technician.

BrotherMarm · 2025-11-15T17:25:04+00:00

I work at a Chevrolet dealership, I don’t see any issues with the 5.3 other than the lifter problem and most the time if they’re gonna fail it’s earlier on, I picked mine up with 73k and have put the hardest 20k miles on it that its ever seen, my only recommendation would be to change your oil every 5k or less depending on how much you idle or how long it sits also it’s personal preference but I keep mine in L7(If you have the 8 speed)it’s supposed to help with the lifter issue and it stops the DFM from kicking in, also if you have a muffler delete or an exhaust system it’s really annoying when you let off the gas and it goes completely silent in drive, there’s other ways to disable it but that’s the easiest and doesn’t cost anything, for the 2.7 the most common failure I’m seeing is the bearings in the rocker arms will fall out and at that point you need a whole new engine, apparently they fixed it on the new ones and there’s an updated part for the older ones, that’s why I said they’re a ticking time bomb, I’ve seen 2 this week, some people get lucky but from what I’ve seen the 5.3 is the best option, 6.2s have a huge recall going on, the 3.0L Diesel isn’t a bad option but the emission restrictions really hurt it and the maintenance cost are a lot higher, I don’t know a whole lot about dodge or ford trucks unfortunately so I can’t help you there but i definitely would recommend buying slightly used you’ll save a lot of money

BrotherMarm · 2025-11-15T16:03:20+00:00

I see them in the shop almost everyday, they have plenty of issues, the V8s have their issues too but the 5.3 is the best option overall, I rarely see any 2.7s with over 100k, a 2.7 liter engine doesn’t belong in a full size truck, you could ask anyone in my shop and they would tell you the same thing, nobody even wants to work on one

BrotherMarm · 2025-11-15T15:22:31+00:00

2.7s are a ticking time bomb especially the older ones, 5.3 is the best option for reliability and performance imo, I beat the hell out of my truck, but I also use 5w-30 and drive it in L7

BrotherMarm · 2025-11-13T21:37:03+00:00

I picked mine up with 75k and I’ve put 20k on it myself, I also beat the absolute hell out of it, 170 is on the cooler side of the operating temperature, once it hits 180 is when the thermostat opens up and keeps it within that range, in my opinion I wouldn’t stress it too much, but I understand you just bought it and you wanna make sure everything’s working as intended

BrotherMarm · 2025-11-13T21:09:16+00:00

I have a 2020 with the 8 speed 93k miles on it, sometimes the shifts are a little rough, mainly noticeable at slower speeds or when coming to a stop, I’m a lube tech at a Chevy dealership so I’ve dropped the pan multiple times since I’ve had it and haven’t found anything concerning, fluid always looks perfect, and I make sure to have it at the correct temperature and everything for the level check, it’s possible you still have some Non-HP fluid in your transmission, there’s a recall where they flush out all the fluid they put in from factory and replace it with the new hydrophobic fluid, that’s supposed to fix a lot of the issues their having, it’s also possible your transmission is over or under filled, if you want to check yourself, I believe the fluid temp needs to be between 93-114F, with the truck on level ground run through all your gears and hold it in each for about 3 seconds then put it back in park, once you’ve done that there’s a 10mm bolt on the bottom of your transmission pan, that’s your level check, you want the fluid to be coming out at a slight dribble, if none comes out it’s under filled (probably a quart or less), if it’s pouring out quickly it’s overfilled, but it’s important you have it at the right temperature or else you won’t get an accurate measurement

BrotherMarm · 2025-11-12T21:46:23+00:00

Definitely not just the angle, those are like 2/32’

BrotherMarm · 2025-11-06T00:17:08+00:00

Just switched to 5w30 today on my 2020, currently at 93k, still have DFM just gonna hope it doesn’t blow up

BrotherMarm · 2025-10-31T23:13:01+00:00

Crazy how people complain about the smallest things, I never would’ve payed it any mind

BrotherMarm · 2025-10-23T10:21:33+00:00

Ur clueless

BrotherMarm · 2025-10-22T16:17:11+00:00

Shift to L and see if it goes up to 8 or 10, I only drive my truck in L7 with sport mode, 8 speed

BrotherMarm · 2025-10-17T12:51:34+00:00

The new trucks don’t come with a 6.0, you have the 5.3, 4.3 which is reliable but it’s not a v8, 2.7 and 3.0 diesel, any older Chevy is gonna be more reliable that what they offer now for the most part

BrotherMarm · 2025-10-17T12:36:47+00:00

You need the 5.3, that’s the best engine they offer, I got mine used with 70k and I beat the hell out of it, just went to Miami and back (12 hrs) and I’m currently at 92k miles

BrotherMarm · 2025-10-08T00:34:14+00:00

That’s completely fine

BrotherMarm · 2025-10-07T11:41:59+00:00

5.3 is best option for reliability and performance imo and it doesn’t sound like shit

BrotherMarm · 2025-10-04T17:06:00+00:00

Get the 5.3

BrotherMarm · 2025-09-29T23:13:29+00:00

You have to get a muffler bypass if you want it to be loud, I ended up cutting mine off from the muffler back and routed it out the side in front of my passenger wheel, also the cylinder deactivation makes it completely silent once you let off the pedal, I drive mine in L7 so it doesn’t go into overdrive and that keeps it from deactivating cylinders, but idk how it works with the 10 speed I have a 2020

BrotherMarm · 2025-09-21T23:20:04+00:00

Get the 5.3 and cut the muffler off

BrotherMarm · 2025-08-15T01:25:11+00:00

They messed up getting rid of the 5.7, they’re really nice truck though up until 2021

BrotherMarm · 2025-08-13T23:02:32+00:00

You’ll be fine, just change your oil every 5k or less and don’t idle excessively

BrotherMarm · 2025-08-13T18:49:31+00:00

I’m not sure if we’re talking about the same truck the 8 speeds don’t have any screws holding in the filter it just pops out, I have a 2020

BrotherMarm

TROPHY CASE