2004 Escalade ESV, 6.0L, oil recommendation

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Hi,

I just acquired an 04 Escalade with the 6.0 as stated in the title. It has 125K and the engine sounds pretty good so far, maybe a little louder/ rougher at cold idle. OLM is at 10%, what do you guys think this engine would like? Oil pressure is 40 psi+.
 
5w-30 is the favorite weight for that vehicle IMO. I do like to go with synthetics especially in colder weather like yours. With the marginal cost difference spread out over the oil change interval, to me it's a no brainer to go with synthetics and the price is pretty decent at walmart.

Mobil 1, Pennzoil and Valvoline all have great products to choose from. You might want to try a High Mileage formula like Mobil 1 HM 5w-30 or Valvoline Maxlife synthetic 5w-30 or just stick with any of the standard synthetics from those 3 brands.

If cost is really a factor I would go with the Pennzoil Gold synthetic blend. Lower cost and it has a DEXOS rating.

Your home town brings back some memories! My wife and I used to live in Pepperell when I was stationed at Ft. Devens. She used to work at a furniture store in Fitchburg called Foxwise. But that was 25 years ago. I bet the area has changed a lot since we were there.
 
Trav brought up something interesting that I didn't think about. Mobil 1 0w-30 is great stuff as well. It's what I am currently using in my Chevy 6.0 and Caddy STS.
 
I had an 06 escalade, and I used 0w30 in an attempt to get as much mpg as I could out of that beast. 0w thru 10w30 will be fine in the escalade.
 
Bob i started at Donahue Chevrolet (later Smalleys) on Park St in Ayer.
The diner on the corner is gone now where i had lunch back then but Tinys is still there with some of the best onion rings in NE.

That was before i went back to Germany so it had to be more than 30 years ago.
 
I'm currently running Amsoil Signature Synthetic 5W30 in my LQ4 - 6.0 - your 6.0 should be the LQ9 version.
Currently I'm at 128k miles. Purchased 4 yrs ago with 99k miles on it.
It will run good on what ever you put in it - I've used Mobil 1,Castrol High Mileage, Valvoline Conventional and Mobil 5000 .

I'd change oil per the oil life monitor, it's pretty good at keeping up with driving habits. I have less than 1k miles in 3 months on mine currently - and it's already at 84% life left. Lots of short trips.
 
With the age and mileage seals can begin to lose their elasticity and leaks can result, so I'd recommend Mobil1 High Mileage. Not only is this a very robust oil with seal conditioners, it's also SL-rated, which is probably what you'll find recommended in your owner's manual.
 
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
Trav brought up something interesting that I didn't think about. Mobil 1 0w-30 is great stuff as well. It's what I am currently using in my Chevy 6.0 and Caddy STS.


I have that in my avalanche currently. Great startup flow and its a bit thicker at temps when i'm towing, without going to a 40 wt.
 
Wow, thanks for all the great recommendations! I loved reading about peoples' memories of my area too, it's a small world! Been in Fitchburg for 4 years now and don't plan to leave soon.

So it seems like 5w30 is an easy choice, but a couple of people have mentioned 0w30... better mileage and cold starts is appealing to me. Are there any cons to going with a 0w30? I have always had old cars with old fashioned engines requiring 10w30 and even 10w40. So I'm a little squeamish about a 0w. An enlightenment about the protection abilities of a 0w30 would be appreciated. Engine longevity is my primary concern.
 
ALL of the 0W-XX oils are outstanding products, use them year-round with confidence. You will never need the extreme cold start capability of an 0W where you live. A synthetic 5W-30 will be all you would ever need and, using M1 for an example, is heavily certified. PP is a light 5W-30.

I'm slowly converting everything I maintain to 0W-XX including my lawn tractor which is getting M1 0W-30 AFE today.



Originally Posted By: Rachael
Wow, thanks for all the great recommendations! I loved reading about peoples' memories of my area too, it's a small world! Been in Fitchburg for 4 years now and don't plan to leave soon.

So it seems like 5w30 is an easy choice, but a couple of people have mentioned 0w30... better mileage and cold starts is appealing to me. Are there any cons to going with a 0w30? I have always had old cars with old fashioned engines requiring 10w30 and even 10w40. So I'm a little squeamish about a 0w. An enlightenment about the protection abilities of a 0w30 would be appreciated. Engine longevity is my primary concern.
 
I've got an 01 c3. It's got a 6.0,awd,tow package and every single option possible.
The C3 has a different cam than the 6.0 in the 3/4 ton of the same year and has more hp/tq as well.
Basically it's identical to the escalade truck without the badge.
These engines are bulletproof. SteveSRT sold one of his work vans with this engine and it had half a million miles and still going strong for the new owner. Engine had nothing more than fluid changes.
So 125000 is nothing. Mine has roughly 120000 miles and runs stellar.
As far as oil goes I'm a pennzoil guy however this engine family isn't picky. I run 10000 mile intervals,ignoring the oil change light. If you want to follow the oil life monitor a conventional is more than adequate.
As far as brand is concerned it doesn't really matter. Oil is sold in tiers. Mobils top tier oil is basically equal to pennzoil's top tier oil and so on.
As Trav has already stated you can't go wrong with a dexos approved lubricant as well.
As far as quality goes my truck runs great,all the options still work great like the windows and so on.
Even the mirrors and heated seats are operational. Not bad for a 13 year old truck operated in sask winters for 6 months of the year.
Comparing it to my former hemi truck the c3 feels like it's got more bottom end torque. The numbers between them are very close,the hemi had 340hp/390tq. The c3 has 325hp/375tq from the factory however I bought a tuner and had the maps adjusted so the numbers are likely much closer.
Overall I am very satisfied. They are very heavy but well powered and almost nimble,and the awd is fantastic.
Enjoy your new ride. You'll tire of it long before it wears out.
 
I've found Mobil and PP (and PYB) both made my 5.3L tick quite noticeably. Mobil Super HM with Rislone quieted things down for me (160K miles). I think these engines need a good oil cooler before using a more expensive oil (mine did not come with one from the factory).
 
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