PCM 6.0 oil

[Cent]

What oil does PCM recommend for the 6.0 with 409 hp.

[Bdecker]

I run royal purple 15/40 full synthetic. Order it on Amazon.

[dbutcher]

PCM's owners manuals for several years are on its website.

[j2nh]

PCM Service Bulletin from July 2019.

 

This is a change for 6.0L, 6.0L HO, 7.4L SLX, 6.2 L Supercharged, 5.3 DI and 6.2 DI engines.

 

Dexos Gen 2 5W-30 All Temperatures.

 

 

[Horton]

I was told to use the Pennzoil Platinum full Synthetic. 5 -30 or 10-30. I'm not a mechanic .... you might want to double-check with your local dealer.

[Jody_Seal]

I use the royal purple in my big hp engines.

However it gets real expensive when you have to change oil every 50 hours.

We put 300 hours a year on a boat. At over $9.00 a quart that's big money for an oil change. Down side to Royal purple is dont let it sit In the pan for long lengths of time without cycling the oil pump.

 

I have been Running 15-40 rotella in my 09 6.0, it now has over 1500 hours on it with no issues whatsoever. Dont know that I want to change to a lighter weight oil now.

 

[RichardDoane]

Viscosity change is driven by the recent warranty issues with the oil pump on those engines

[BrennanKMN]

Any SN or SM API spec 15w40 oil for the older non-cat engines. At 50 hour drain intervals the oil is changed long before its useful life is up be it conventional or synthetic.

[dshock]

Can someone provide a link for the service bulletin? I searched for it last night without any luck.

[skiinxs]

Just checked the PCM website and the manuals for the 2020 engines are now available. sure enough, now recommending Dexos 2 5w30. No more searching for the crazy combination of 15W40 diesel oil with the SM gas certification that oil makers have been dropping.

[Cent]

PCM web page recommends 15w 40 conventional oil for all of their engines other than the XR7 and XS7; for the last two engines they recommend 5w30 synthetic.

 

So the conclusion is the 6.0 should have 15W 40. They recommend conventional oil in the manual; apparently on the basis that full synthetic has not been shown to have a benefit; they do say synthetic can be used but it is not a basis to extend the time between oil changes.

[skiinxs]

@cent that was the old recommendation. Look at the 2020 manual and specs on Pcm web site.

[A_B]

Since Mobil 1 was first available in the 1970's, I run synthetic in everything I own that doesn't have oil mixed in the gas. Saves valves and carbon buildup like you can't believe. I would not change out at 50-hours except for the first oil change on a new motor. Mobil 1 ain't what she used to be, but Pennzoil and others consistently test pretty good.

[Ski_Dad]

Oil weight is confusing for me as well. I have an LS1 and they originally specd 15w40 (Indmar) but I've been told I can run 5w30 as well. It would be running 5w30 in a Corvette or Camaro.

 

Still running 15w40 but I would think 5w30 would help more on those cold morning starts.

[A_B]

The first rating is just the cold weather viscosity. So if it says 15W and you are running 5W, it just means the oil will flow through the engine faster at startup, which I don't think is a bad thing. The 40 vs 30 just means at 212 degrees F that the 40 is a little thicker. Again, the 30 will run through the engine faster, taking heat with it, so I don't think that is bad either. I think the general rule my Dad taught me a long time ago is if it was calling for 30 oil, don't go heavier with 40 or 50 weight oil. It would slow the engine circulation as designed, cause more heat and harder on the engine to turn it. Not a technical definition, but just what I have always done for about 45 years....

 

By reading some of these engine specs, you would think the engineers looked for the most rare oil in the world and used that as the spec, just to be a pain.

[dshock]

@Cent - the PCM website is confusing because they still have the old information in the FAQ section. However, this came from PCM/Nautique this morning:

 

 

 

[Cent]

Thanks sschok

[PatM]

So for me, the challenged in knowledge of these matters, the Dexos Gen 2 is synthetic?

 

[skiinxs]

@"Pat M" Yes, only synthetic can meet that standard. I think the "2" designation is aimed At diesels . Not sure on that one though.

[Kelvin]

There’s Dexos1 Gen2 with a green logo, DexosD with an Orange logo for Diesel and Dexos2 with a blue label (this is the new one in the PCM spec).

 

 

[E_T]

@Jody_Seal have you ever sent off for a used oil analysis? It would be interesting to see how the motor is warring. Amsoil> Royal Purple.

[Alberto Soares]

My 2010 6.0, 1500 hrs, is running perfectly, 15W40 twice a year and only E25 Gasoline. Changed 1 air sensor many years ago and recently the water pump.

[BrennanKMN]

@Alberto Soares There are a lot more people out there that like to spend time thinking about the best motor oil, the highest rated filter or what type of gas to use rather than actually putting hours on a boat.

I almost find it comical after a certain point.

[EricKelley]

It can be a big deal in the new engines. If you use one of the high zinc oils that used to be preferred years ago in a catylitic converter engine you will have failure of the cats. With only 4 quarts of oil in engines that consistently run near there capacity it is smart business to choose wisely. Then put a ton of hours.

[blakeyates]

LELubricants.com is an option with their 8531 Tetra-Syn. This is not a retail product on the shelves but you can buy it online. This is an advanced industrial product built solely on performance and not price. I am biased as I have rep’d this Company for 38 years but have seen some phenomenal results with this product.

[blakeyates]

 

[DW]

I have always found it interesting that a heavier viscosity oil is spec'd for an engine that runs ~180 degree F oil temps / ~160 degree F water temp compared to similar ones that run 220+ F oil temp and 210 F ish water temps all day long. There is a huge safety factor established for the marine stuff. I would bet it would be really hard to find a tournament ski boat that actually had an oil quality failure.

 

@Jody_Seal - why do you have to do a frequent oil circ w/ RP?

[skihacker]

@DW I've always suspected this has more to do with the fact that most marine engines run constantly at higher rpm's. The average car these days runs down the highway at 1000 rpm, boats often live at 3-4000 rpm.

[blakeyates]

I believe the heavier Vis is due to offset of fuel dilution as idle and heavy throttling creates this dilemma. The heavier Vis oil helps to offset this as the fuel is pulling the viscosity down some.

[Kelvin]

Well, ever since I read the service bulletin, I have been looking in various auto parts stores for Dexos 2 oil with the blue Dexos label. Walmart carries Pennzoil Platinum Euro L 5W-30. That is the only place I have found any oil with the new Dexos2 label. Also, the naming GM used for Dexos, Dexos1, Gen2 and Dexos2 is very confusing. Many workers in the auto parts stores don't know or appreciate the differences. I don't know if GM could have made it more confusing.

[Ski_Dad]

if I was going to run 5w30 in my boat it would probably be this stuff - it's a little thicker than your standard 5w30 oil

 

https://shell-livedocs.com/data/published/en/86da4bf5-68c8-4676-bbe7-a2d42cc13ba7.pdf

[jjackkrash]

I am fairly convinced the service advisory means use the green label Dexos 1, Gen2 rated oil, not Dexos2 rated oil, but there seems to be some disagreement in this thread. Anyone know for sure? The service advisory isn't exactly a model of clarity. I just bought 2 gallons of Dexos 1, Gen 2 rated Royal Purple, and don't want to pour it in the hole until I'm sure.

[Ski2000]

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