I’ve got a 2024 Chevy Trax with the rubber timing belt in oil and gasoline direct injection (& turbo charged) If I drive 12,000 miles per year ( a good bit of it short trips ) I’m concerned about gasoline in oil contamination and it’s effect on the rubber belt.
If I budget appropriately $100 a year to “do it yourself “ oil changes ( I don’t mind doing the job one bit) am I better off doing 4 changes with Walmart synthetic, 3 changes with “ name brand” synthetic or 2 changes with Amsoil.
I’m leaning towards the 4 changes per year because of the rubber in oil debacle but also wonder if the cheaper “possibly just meeting standards “ oil is good enough for the turbo charger also.
You are better doing your oil changes using an oil that meets or exceeds the manufacturer’s specifications and changing the oil per the manufacturer’s stated intervals whether that be time or distance, whichever comes first. Going to the dealer while you’re under warranty isn’t a bad idea. If you do your own oil changes, keep the receipts. As your car is under warranty, the burden of proof that the maintenance as performed is on you.
As long as you use one of Chevy’s recommended oils, there won’t be any maintenance-related downside to more frequent oil changes, as long as they are done correctly. I’d guess you’d get better results with more oil & filter changes than fewer. There’s a point of diminishing returns of course. Remember the manufacturer may not have the same objectives for your car as you do.
Is there a simple way provided to measure the timing belt dimensions? If so, suggest to include that measurement as part of your oil change job.
“Remember the manufacturer may not have the same objectives as you” BINGO! George.
Their concern might only be making the 5 year 60,000 mile mark and not the 150,000 mile rubber ( interference type engine) timing belt change interval.
Cut that recommended oil change interval in half for your own good. If it says 12,000, change at 6,000. Change my mind. 520k, 480k, 320k, 240k etc. with nary an engine problem except for the diesel.
I did a little research on the web and found out that wet timing belts have been in use in Europe for about 15 years. The belts are made to tolerate oil, but it seems that the oil must be clean and meet specifications for this engine.
GM is going for a 5W20 oil. You need to use only the oil specified for this engine. The engine also comes with an oil life monitor. Consensus seems to be that you do your oil changes before it is down to 25%. Going too long on the oil can severely damage the engine.
BTW, I suspect that the 5w20 oil is more for the turbo than the belt as it can tolerate higher heat than 0w20. The turbo in this engine runs harder than previous turbo engines, thus its center bearing will get hotter and when you shut down, the residual oil around the bearing will have to absorb all this heat.
There were a couple of articles about warming up this engine in very cold weather because of the turbo. Not sure the authors actually have one of these or are just passing on old wives tails, BUT you can do yourself a big favor here by allowing the engine to cool down a bit before shutdown.
Dial down the driving speeds during the last mile before shutdown and letting the engine idle for a minute before shutdown will allow oil to be pumped through that center bearing when the turbo is not generating much heat and cool it down, This will increase the longevity of the oil and the turbo.
BTW, the belt change interval is 150k miles or ten years, same as for the timing chain in the 1.3L engine.
I’m really showing my age now but in the 1960’s when I first started rebuilding VW air cooled engines, VW recommended against using 10w30 rather than straight 30w.
I’m sure multigrade oil has come a long way since then : )
Ford eco boost engines apparently use BIO (belt in oil) in some or all U.S. versions. Lots of belt trouble starting at about 50k linked to a silicone seal or bushing on the belt tensioner deteriorating and then causing misalignment of the belt.
Aside from that I imagine contaminated oil would be the biggest problem for rubber belts.
We used 15% for our 2003 Olds Silhouette and the engine was running fine without oil use at around 180,000 miles when we donated it. The GM OLM is a sophisticated system and has been in use since the late 1980s. If the OP wants to be more conservative he can use 20% or 25% as suggested above.
It will be interesting to see what the on board system says about the oil life ……I won’t be letting it go beyond 4,000 miles no matter what it advises, because of the new rubber in oil belt.
That is true, but that is not what I was talking about. It has to do with the coking temp of the oil. The wider the viscosity spread, the lower the temperature the oil will coke at, all other things in the oil being equal. Also the misting temperature is lower with a wider viscosity range.
Yup, from cars.com
“GM claims that Dexos — marketed and spelled with a lowercase “d,” as in, dexos — keeps engines cleaner, reduces sludge, improves fuel economy and reduces engine wear because it flows easier than other oils, and it can help emissions components last longer.
Because GM vehicles come with an oil-life monitor that calculates oil-change intervals based on the number of cold starts, how the engine is driven and other factors, the automaker does not recommend oil changes based on the number of miles alone.
When GM says Dexos is “recommended” for 2011 and newer GM vehicles, it means that if you don’t use Dexos, or a synthetic oil that meets Dexos specifications, your warranty could be voided if your engine suffers oil-related damage”
I am in the group that has dealership do oil changes until the warranty expires.
BTW, my turbo four Ford has a timing chain, not a belt.
