Under VC pics: high-mi/low maint.Chevy 6.0

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Did the valve cover gaskets on my FIL's '03 1500HD today. 6.0/4L80E, odometer doesn't work but it's real close, if not over 300K. The last 2+ years the truck has been his DD, doing the same 35-mile (one way) all-highway work commute, then taking a terrible beating around the farm in the mean time - at least 25K a year. So far it's seen oil changes twice a year, mid-summer and around Christmas or New Year's, with syn blend Maxlife 10w30 and a Napa Gold 1522. In between times it spends as much time below the add mark as above it. Not too bad, considering.
 
Not great, but certainly nothing concerning. Piston slap aside, LSs will put up with some serious abuse. I’d do a run of PYB or PCB every 5k for the next year with a fresh filter and not worry about it.
 
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Not great, but certainly nothing concerning. Piston slap aside, LSs will put up with some serious abuse. I’d do a run of PYB or PCB every 5k for the next year with a fresh filter and not worry about it.


Why change anything? 300K miles of hard use with less than stellar maintenance and it looks that good. I don't think Pennzoil is going to provide any advantage over what he's currently using.
 
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Not great, but certainly nothing concerning. Piston slap aside, LSs will put up with some serious abuse. I’d do a run of PYB or PCB every 5k for the next year with a fresh filter and not worry about it.


Is the suggestion that PYB can clean varnish? And what oil is PCB?
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Not great, but certainly nothing concerning. Piston slap aside, LSs will put up with some serious abuse. I’d do a run of PYB or PCB every 5k for the next year with a fresh filter and not worry about it.


Is the suggestion that PYB can clean varnish? And what oil is PCB?


PolyChlorinated Biphenyls anywhere else.

Bad for you so they must be good for your engine?
 
A lot of varnish, but not bad for the miles on the vehicle. I've seen better and worse.
 
All things considered, I agree, doesn't look too bad. Sure it's got a varnish layer, but no sludge that I can see. Likely won't pass muster with some bitog folks, but at ~300k miles I don't see anything concerning. I suppose you could go to a synthetic if the varnish bothered you, but sounds like you know the maintenance requirements and satisfied with it.

Thanks for pics.
 
Strange thing is, this engine doesn't have a hint of piston slap. The way my FIL uses it, it's probably because he keeps it beat out of it! I guess I expected it to be about like it is - no sludge but could be cleaner. This is congruent with my experience with VML up to this point - IMHO for where it's supposed to sit on the oil spectrum it's doing a darn good job keeping things managed in that engine considering the OCI.

This time I bumped up from VML to full syn + MLT to help it out a little. They live 40 miles away so it's not just "handy" for him to bring the truck over, so he just keeps using it. He doesn't have any shop or shed to pull it in and work on it; I take it upon myself to change the oil at least at the top and bottom of the year (we're usually down for holidays at those times, anyway) but I'm not going take my stuff down there and do it every 3 months like it really should be - I want to help but the word "helping" related to this truck can only be used in a very temporary context. I changed the oil over new year's but it had been at least 3K since then so while I had it in for rear brakes/fuel line repair/U-joint this week I went ahead and changed it again in case the increased oil loss as of late is partly rings getting dirty. (FIL would justify it as "Nah, it's not lack of maintenance - it's just gonna wear out eventually.")

The truck really is beast, though - crew cab, 4x4 shortbed. If it was mine I'd probably be changing VML 10w30 every 5K, but I have my '85 that'll pull just as much and get about the same mileage doing it (Schaeffer's 7000 every 4-5K) so my truck roster is filled out. If the VC gaskets mitigate the oil loss it had been seeing lately I may put Schaeffer's in this truck next time. I suspect it could run 12-15K all-highway OCI's and not look "over-used" on a UOA.
 
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Looks like a well used engine to me.
He is getting his money worth out of the truck.
That looks just fine for 300k miles. I would not change a thing you are doing
 
Originally Posted By: Reddy45
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Not great, but certainly nothing concerning. Piston slap aside, LSs will put up with some serious abuse. I’d do a run of PYB or PCB every 5k for the next year with a fresh filter and not worry about it.


Is the suggestion that PYB can clean varnish? And what oil is PCB?


I believe Pennzoil Copper Bottle, it's their High Mileage formula, of course with their bottle redesign it's yellow bottle with red cap
 
I'd be happy with that at 300k. Keep on doing what you're doing.

Does it make any exhaust leak noises under the hood? The photo shows three of the manifold bolt heads broken off. Dorman makes clamps that will snug the manifold back down.
 
Originally Posted By: Alex_V
If the VC gaskets mitigate the oil loss it had been seeing lately I may put Schaeffer's in this truck next time. I suspect it could run 12-15K all-highway OCI's and not look "over-used" on a UOA.


Are you going to replace the VC gaskets/bolt grommets, as it is not very costly to do on any LSx engine?
 
It hasn't always, but driving it today as it warmed up I heard some small exhaust leaks... *sigh*, put that on the list.

Yes, I did the grommets as well. My first time doing valve covers on an LS and I'm thoroughly impressed how easy it is.

I put full syn Maxlife in it this time, but am not sure if I'll continue that trend. Good old syn blend Maxlife seems to be holding its own, and based on how it looks I have to think if I was running the same oil with a little more PM, higher average oil level (like, always above the add mark), and less than half as long an OCI, it'd look pretty darn good. Come to think of it, I think when there isn't some leftover VML in the back of the truck he buys PYB or Supertech to top it off, so it's getting at least 1-2 qts. of a lesser oil in between changes.
 
Originally Posted By: 77GrandPrix
Originally Posted By: SubieRubyRoo
Not great, but certainly nothing concerning. Piston slap aside, LSs will put up with some serious abuse. I’d do a run of PYB or PCB every 5k for the next year with a fresh filter and not worry about it.


Why change anything? 300K miles of hard use with less than stellar maintenance and it looks that good. I don't think Pennzoil is going to provide any advantage over what he's currently using.


Outstanding achievement. I’ll bet some of the most anal bittogers on the forum will never see 300,000 miles on their cars. The’ll sell them, or they’ll get rusted out and dumped or will get written off. Here we are giving advice to someone who already made 300,000 miles. Fewer than 2% of the cars in America have more than 200,000 miles, let alone 300,000.
 
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Originally Posted By: Alex_V
It hasn't always, but driving it today as it warmed up I heard some small exhaust leaks... *sigh*, put that on the list.


Here's the quick and easy fix, instead of removing the manifold and trying to get the broken bolts out:

Amazon Dorman Clamp LR and RF

Amazon Dorman Clamp LF and RR

I learned about these from LS1 Mike. He got rid of a lean code on his truck. It just quieted down what I thought was a startup knock on mine.
 
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