5.3 has more cold start knock with NAPA Silver

[Islandvic]

2000 Silverado 2wd 5.3 w/ 54k miles

The last 3 oil changes have been with G-Oil 5-30 synthetic and AC Delco oil filters.

Historically the truck has had minimal cold start knock (except for when I use Mobil 1) when using G-Oil, PP, QS Syn.

I changed the oil again with more 5-30 G-Oil Syn but this time with a NAPA Silver oil filter I got with a NAPA oil change special.

It now has noticeably more cold start knock.

Has anyone else experienced this before?

Your thoughts and comments are welcome.

 

[dparm]

When you say knock, do you just mean it's noisier when it's cold, or is there actual engine knock?

 

[drolds]

That knock is not a good thing. The NAPA Silver to my understanding is the budget grade of Wix. The premium Wix which I also believe is the NAPA Gold filter line, is a top quality filter. The Silver one you have may or may not be defective, but if the problem started only with the change in oil filters, I would immediately replace the present filter with a premium filter.

 

[901Memphis]

Try a Fram Tough Guard it has a silicone anti drain back valve. If you still experience the same sound with a silicone adbv you might have issues or are just sensitive to the sound.

 

[Zaedock]

I recommend AC Delco filters on LS series engines.

 

[901Memphis]

AC Delco filters won't have a silicone drain back valve, which result in dry starts after the nitrile rubber ages and loses its seal.

 

[turtlevette]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
AC Delco filters won't have a silicone drain back valve, which result in dry starts after the nitrile rubber ages and loses its seal.


The oil filters on SB1 and LS engines is horizontal so there's no way It can drain. In general the lighter the oil the more piston slap is heard.

The M1 AFE in my 5.3 makes it sound like a diesel engine for the first 3 minutes. It's using a K&N filter.

 

[Merkava_4]

Go back to ACDelco and getcha some 10W-40. You don't need 5w30 in south Texas.

 

[tswm]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
getcha some 10W-40. You don't need 5w30 in south Texas.


10W40 is worse than 5W30. If we are talking about 10W40 conventionals, we are still talking about 3K mile OCIs; 10W40 is effective for a little bit, then varnishing and sludging process begins, not as bad as in the 70s, but that's the consequence of requiring too much VIIs for that grade. Now G-Oil 5W30, that is an exception, because that is ester synthetic.

OP's climate calls for either Max Life 10W30 (the older formulation) or Pennzoil HM 10W30. If as I'm guessing OP's engine is OHV, if so, then another good choice is a PYB blend, mostly PYB 10W30 plus a quart or two of PYB SAE 30.

 

[tswm]

Originally Posted By: Islandvic
I changed the oil again with more 5-30 G-Oil Syn but this time with a NAPA Silver oil filter I got with a NAPA oil change special.

It now has noticeably more cold start knock.

Has anyone else experienced this before?


With a NAPA Gold filter, the one with orange silicone ADBV, I once experienced throughout an OCI, "cold start knock" for maybe 1 to 3 seconds, basically every time on any cold start, I mean very audible valve train rattle. I don't often cut open my oil filters, but that time I did, and the silicone ADBV was thoroughly split on one side, meaning from the outer edge of the circle to the inner edge! This was like 2 years, 3 years ago. Still shaking my head over that one. In the current OCI, for the first 6K miles I ran a NAPA Silver filter (no "cold start knock" this time), then without draining the sump, only changed the filter (to a Purolator Classic, the final one in the stash for this make), because I'd read somewhere NAPA Silver media is thinner than Gold's. However, I didn't cut open the NAPA Silver, I felt not necessary, not having noticed anything unusual for the 6K I ran it.

 

[Turk]

Could be "Piston Slap". I had it REALLY BAD in my 2000 5.3L Sierra.

 

[dave123]

Turn up the radio it is all you can do it will live a long life but get use to it.

 

[dave123]

Originally Posted By: Turk
Could be "Piston Slap". I had it REALLY BAD in my 2000 5.3L Sierra.



I bet it is and same here sounded like it was going to come apart every morning at start up. No filter or oil made it better it just didn't matter.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: dave123
Originally Posted By: Turk
Could be "Piston Slap". I had it REALLY BAD in my 2000 5.3L Sierra.



I bet it is and same here sounded like it was going to come apart every morning at start up. No filter or oil made it better it just didn't matter.


Yep, we've had a lot of slappers go through our fleet. One went half a million miles!

Annoying as heck, but rarely causes any problems at all. Learn to ignore it...

 

[CarbonSteel]

These engines frequently have cold start knock no matter what filter/oil is used. Pick one and run with it.

 

[ARCOgraphite]

If that silver has the combo valve - there may lie the problem - Ive had problems with the proselect and stopped using them. A champ non-ecore (or ACDELCO) is good choice for GM.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: Turk
Could be "Piston Slap". I had it REALLY BAD in my 2000 5.3L Sierra.



+1 I had it in my 2003 5.3L it would slap for 5-10 minutes. Then got a 6.0L that did the same thing. which is why I won't buy any more GM vehicles.

 

[Doog]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: dave123
Originally Posted By: Turk
Could be "Piston Slap". I had it REALLY BAD in my 2000 5.3L Sierra.



I bet it is and same here sounded like it was going to come apart every morning at start up. No filter or oil made it better it just didn't matter.


Yep, we've had a lot of slappers go through our fleet. One went half a million miles!

Annoying as heck, but rarely causes any problems at all. Learn to ignore it...


Yeah live with that knocking POS. LOL Yeah sure.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Doog
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Originally Posted By: dave123
Originally Posted By: Turk
Could be "Piston Slap". I had it REALLY BAD in my 2000 5.3L Sierra.



I bet it is and same here sounded like it was going to come apart every morning at start up. No filter or oil made it better it just didn't matter.


Yep, we've had a lot of slappers go through our fleet. One went half a million miles!

Annoying as heck, but rarely causes any problems at all. Learn to ignore it...


Yeah live with that knocking POS. LOL Yeah sure.


Okay by me, you still get to buy your little rice rockets! We need big trucks that can haul two tons and work while stationary. The ONLY mfgr that does not change their warranty in our service is GM. I can have my equipment installed in any brand, but if it's not GM I have to sign 10 pages of waivers!

Regarding piston slap, I have personally worked on, owned, and consulted on many GM trucks. I mean DOZENS, not one or two. Several had carbon knock, that's a very similar sound that many cannot diagnose, super easy to fix. A few more had sticky lifters, another common noise that can be annoying at startup, many times remedied with better maintenance.

It's a hugely overblown problem. Everyone forgets that GM makes well over one million of these V8's every year, their failure rate is as good as it gets in hard duty. I have seen slappers from many makes and models, it is not exclusively a GM problem.

Find me a better truck and I will buy it, as this is how we earn our daily bread...

 

[KCJeep]

Originally Posted By: ARCOgraphite
If that silver has the combo valve - there may lie the problem - Ive had problems with the proselect and stopped using them. A champ non-ecore (or ACDELCO) is good choice for GM.


My experience has been the opposite. I get the best starts of any filter, yes any I've tried (a LOT) with the combo valve Napa Silver. A search will reveal multiple others with the same comment.

But it's a moot point the combo valve is not in play here, his is a GM application so his filter doesn't have a bypass at all, it's in the block. So for whatever reason the nitrile ADBV isn't cutting the mustard in the OP's truck, so yes by all means try another filter.

Wix is all over the place with the Silver line. Some have the combo valve, some have a Motorcraft style thread end bypass, some have a dome end bypass and in some apps (like the OP's) there is no bypass at all (there shouldn't be). All I have seen have been nitrile however.