GM has a problem engine on its hands. The automaker’s 6.2-liter gasoline V8 is now under the magnifying glass. As reported by Reuters, NHTSA has launched a preliminary probe into over 870,000 GM vehicles equipped with the engine amidst reports of major failures in the field.
The engine in question is formally known as the L87, and branded as the EcoTec3. It comes from the broader LS small block engine family, and is effectively an LT1 engine that has been reconfigured for truck applications. It delivers 420 horsepower and 460 pound-feet of torque. It’s a modern and complicated engine, featuring variable valve timing, cylinder deactivation, and even a variable pressure oil pump. The direct successor of the earlier L86, it was first launched in 2019, and appears in a wide range of GM trucks and SUVs.
Reports received by NHTSA indicate that L87 engines built from 2019 onwards are suffering bearing failure with major consequences. Complaints indicate that the engines may seize, or, in extreme cases, eject connecting rods through the engine block. It’s no small problem, with over 877,000 vehicles potentially affected. Let’s explore what’s going on.
On The Ground
The 6.2-liter L87 is one of GM’s main workhorses, featured across a number of trucks and SUVs. It debuted in the Chevrolet Silverado 1500 and the GMC Sierra 1500 in 2019. It’s also found in the Chevy Suburban and Tahoe, the GMC Yukon, and the Cadillac Escalade.
Across all these vehicles, owners have found themselves suddenly facing a total loss of power when driving, only to later find out that major engine damage has occurred. The problem doesn’t seem to be limited to any one model year or model; instead, it seems to affect a range of vehicles with the L87 engine built from 2019 until today.
It doesn’t take a genius to know that a sudden engine failure can leave you in a dangerous situation. The agency notes the severity of the problem, and the inherent safety risks—explaining that “Failure or malfunction of the engine results in loss of motive power of the vehicle, which may lead to an increased risk of a crash resulting in injury and/or property damage.” Thankfully, as of yet, no crashes, injuries, or fatalities are known to have occurred.
As it stands, NHTSA has received 39 complaints regarding the matter, with submissions stretching back several years. Submissions to the agency indicate the problems often tend to crop up suddenly, without prior warning. At best, some owners hear strange noises or ticking, or get a warning for low oil pressure as the engine seizes up. In some cases, the issues have occurred in trucks with under 5,000 miles on the clock, with NHTSA recording multiple cases of total engine failure under 20,000 miles. However, some vehicles have approached 100,000 miles before failure.
Interestingly, some owners cite that their problems first became apparent when the vehicle suddenly shifted into neutral, only for them to later find the true issue to be major engine damage. Others have found they are able to restart their vehicles after an initial loss of power, only for the problem to reoccur. Most cases, however, seem to involve a single sudden incident where the engine loses power and totally seizes up.
In many cases, the engine has suddenly failed while owners are traveling at highway speeds, leaving them with zero power in a dangerous situation. “While driving on a busy road our vehicle stopped from catastrophic engine failure without warning which put my family and I instantly in danger and nearly got us killed,” stated one shaken owner. “Due to the high traffic where it stopped we were scared to stay in the vehicle and also scared to exit it, so we contacted the police before calling a tow truck.”
In cases cited by the NHTSA probe, post-incident inspection typically reveals telltale signs of engine bearing failure. One complainant notes that “while traveling at highway speeds, the vehicle suddenly and without warning lost power.” Upon pulling off the road, the engine would not restart, so the vehicle was towed to a dealership for repair. “While inspecting, dealership found internal engine bearing material in oil indicating internal mechanical failure,” reads the complaint. “Dealership removed engine oil pan and #1 and #2 connecting rods and found bearings spun causing catastrophic engine failure.”
Customer's 2023 6.2L Silverado with 28k shut off going down the road. Pan full of glitter, one damaged main bearing, three spun rod bearings.
byu/N_dixon inJustrolledintotheshop
Just knocked into the shop. 2022 GMC Sierra 1500 with the 6.2L, spun and stacked the #1 rod bearing at 15,783 miles
byu/N_dixon inJustrolledintotheshop
2023 Sierra Denali 6.2. You know it’s bad when you can see the top of cylinder 6 piston from underneath the truck.
byu/gmlubetech inJustrolledintotheshop
Horror pictures of seized 6.2L engines have started showing up in the usual places online.
Others have had even worse luck. One owner was out camping when disaster struck. “We were approximately 30 minutes out of town when the engine blew… [we] lost all electronics and had to drive off to the side of the road.” reads their complaint. Their vehicle was towed to a dealer in Arizona and fitted with a new engine, only for lightning to strike twice. “After 10 minutes of running, the new engine seized as well,” the owner told NHTSA. “My vehicle has been down for over 30 days and I still do not have it back.”
Head out on to the open Internet, and you’ll find plenty more stories along the same lines. Over on the Silverado Sierra forums, owners complain of engines suddenly seizing up, and problems with sorting out replacements under warranty. Meanwhile, on the Tahoe Yukon Forum, the story is much the same. “Have had my 2023 Yukon Denali for 9 months and broke down on [the] side of [the] road,” says Muzbomb, an owner up in Canada. “Towed to dealer and [was] informed today [the] main bearing on [the] 6.2L went.”
Another 2023 GM 6.2l Failure 2,049 miles
byu/Fast_Site7131 ingmc
Stories like this are easy to find.
Unknowns
At this stage, the root cause of the problem is unknown. Something is causing connecting rod bearing failures that are seizing up these engines. But precisely why these bearings are failing is unclear. What we do know is that some engines have failed at incredibly low mileage, and some owners have suffered multiple failures after engine replacements. This would hint towards a design flaw, rather than some minor or intermittent materials or manufacturing issue.
However, without a full engineering analysis, it’s impossible to say with any certainty what the cause could be at this stage. Nor is it clear how many vehicles are affected amongst the total population. The Autopian has contacted GM for comment on the matter.
GM has issued bulletins regarding the matter. As published via TechLink, a platform for GM techs, the document concerns investigating bearing damage in L87 engines with a no-crank condition. It instructs techs to look for bearing material and other metal debris in the oil filter. It also contains several images indicating what to look for when diagnosing bearing failure. A bearing covered in scoring marks or chunks of metal is the key tell-tale sign.
In the case of bearing failure, a total engine replacement is indicated. GM has also specified that it is important to fully replace other components in the lubrication circuit too, in order to ensure metal debris is not immediately introduced into the replacement engine. As per the bulletin:
If the main bearing debris is sent through the oil galleries and other components that are in the lubrication circuit, which are very difficult to completely clean, it could lead to additional damage when installed on a new engine. When there is extensive damage, oil cooler, oil cooler line and oil tank replacement ensures all debris is completely removed and that any bearing failure debris is not transferred into the new service engine.
-GM TechLink
This isn’t the only issue the 6.2-liter V8 has suffered, either. Lifter issues have plagued the model for some time, becoming a hot topic on owner’s forums over the last few years. Owners have shared tales of noisy lifters and even bent pushrods, some of which failed after less than 20,000 miles. GM also issued a bulletin regarding certain 2023 models that received engines with oversized lifter bores, mandating engine replacement for affected models. These issues seem to be largely separate from the bearing failures now being investigated by NHTSA, but are nonetheless another black mark against the L87 engine.
Supply Woes
It appears the failures could be common enough to cause supply problems for GM. Evidence is anecdotal, but stories of long waits are becoming increasingly common. Owners on the r/gmcsierra subreddit reported wait times of several weeks in early 2024.
Commenters on GM Authority this week suggest that the situation is more dire. “I bought a 2025 Silverado ZR2 with the 6.2 liter engine, [and] the engine blew the bearing at 3000 km,” said owner Tim Weber. “They tell me it’s going to be three to six months for a new engine from the factory.” Some owners are being told that replacement engines are currently on backorder. Meanwhile, some dealers have apparently started stockpiling replacement engines and parts in order to execute repairs faster. The Autopian has reached out to GM for comment on availability.
GM Dealer Adventures: as my wait for an engine goes into its fourth week, I’ve been evaluating emergency options. Here are some observations.
1. Deny. Deny. Deny. Only one sales guy was straight up and real with me on the engine problems. If I buy a second vehicle it will be
— Chey Cab (@CheyCab) January 19, 2025
Some owners are complaining of long waits to get their trucks fixed under warranty.
More recently, luxury car fleet operator Chey Eisenman took to Twitter to complain of a wait exceeding four weeks. Speaking to The Autopian, the founder of Chey Car noted that the 6.2 issues have reached a critical juncture. ” I own one limo licensed vehicle and it’s currently not in service needing a 6.2 engine, a 2023 Cadillac Escalade ESV,” Chey explained. ” GM has no ETA and I’ve been calling them nearly every day.”
Chey has noticed that the lifter issues have dominated in the transport industry, rather than the bearing problems. “Most of us having issues are the lifters going out and the metal particles contaminating the engine,” she says. ” There’s also reports of engines seizing up but our industry hasn’t experienced that yet that I know of.”
Ultimately, most luxury fleet operators take steps to avoid these issues, but it’s not working in this case. ” It’s unprecedented for us to have to do engines in our vehicles,” she says. “We buy new and trade out every 1-2 years.” Despite this, she reports seeing these engines go out with as little as 6,000 to 30,000 miles on the clock. The impact on the financial side is what hurts most for her operation, as she’s losing revenue as long as the vehicle is out of action. “I can’t articulate enough the hardship on my business,” she explains, noting the losses will likely stretch well into the five figure range.
Going Forward
It’s ultimately a difficult situation for GM and customers alike. At this stage, it’s unclear whether the 6.2-liter engine has a fundamental design flaw, or whether there’s a manufacturing issue at play, or something else entirely. Until the root cause of the problem is understood, GM can do little more than replace engines and hope for the best. The fact that several owners have reported engines failing after replacement suggests that the issue is still poorly understood.
If you’ve got a GM vehicle with the L87 engine under the hood, cross your fingers that it avoids this nasty calamity. Beyond sticking to the recommended maintenance schedule, it seems there is no clear way to prevent this problem at this time. Engine replacements may be hard to come by if reports from the ground are accurate, so don’t expect a quick fix at this time.
Image credits: GM
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It’s funny how this is only affecting the L87 and not the LT2 or 5.3L L84. Is the fuel pump the big difference? I work at a GMC dealership and steer people toward the 5.3L V8 or 3.0TD regardless and honestly it’s only the L87 that we’re seeing the issues with.
I own one! It’s a phenomenal engine right now and I hope we don’t have any issues. Have it in a Yukon and it cooks when I want to pass someone. Quiet and composed just ready to jump is how I’d describe it.
I have to guess this is the fault of the variable PSI oil pumps. that just seems like a terrible idea in general.
The 6.6 in the 2500 seems like a better setup for longevity, but it is known for drinking oil even when new, so yeah GM needs to get this figured out if they want to hold onto the #2 spot. Ram kind of handed them a Bye week this year with the cold turkey V8 quit. But I suspect if the 3.0 proves to be OK for the next few years and maybe they bring back a few V8’s for the rest of us. the GM market dominance will continue to dwindle.
Between the tundra engine failures, these failures, and others I’m probably not aware of, I’m wondering if there is a new, secret competition between pickup truck manufacturers to see who can design an engine that will self destruct before the first oil change.
Nano Ford v6’s dropping Valves, Godzilla Coil wires and other variables. Yeah it is getting rough to actually figure out what brand and trim level might get you past the warranty these days.
I’m buying our families 2nd Gen Tundra with the 2UZ in it off of them soon, and it’s barely got over 100k miles on it, needless to say, as long as it doesn’t rust in half, I’ll be cherishing it and maintaining it for as long as humanly possible.
When an engine fails on the highway pull over as quickly as possible. If possible do minimal braking until you are actually on the shoulder and doing a full stop. You do this to ensure you still have power braking. If you do have to deplete the power braking reserve, you will have to push extremely hard on the brakes. This is a freaky feeling, but the brakes will still work.
If you have hydraulic power steering, steering will be heavy but it should be manageable. (You are not trying to do a three point turn, you just need to turn the steering a little bit to pull over.) Electric power steering may actually stay on, as the car still can draw power from the batter for that. It is important to not yank the steering over too much without power assist during this procedure… take a deep breath and do things slowly.
Assuming you get pulled over safely, I cannot emphasize this enough. Stay in the freaking car. Do not get out. Stay in the car. It is the safest place to be until police and/or a tow truck arrives. Do not ever stand between two cars when pulled over on the shoulder of a road. When the tow truck arrives, again, get the freak into the tow truck and stay there.
Why the long lecture? Personal experience.
I was driving on the 401 (a very busy highway in Ontario) and a car had stalled on the left shoulder. A tow truck was stopped in front of the stalled car. While driving I watched in horror as a stupid driver not paying attention clipped the back right corner of the stalled car. The stalled car launched forward and into/over the tow truck. I flipped my hazards on an stopped a good 200-300 feet behind and angled my car slightly in the far left lane to force cars to go around.
Other cars stopped behind me and once I knew it was safe I went to render assistance. It was ugly. The car owner (who should have been sitting in the tow truck!) was standing between his car and the two truck. The tow truck driver was busy connecting the car for a tow.
The front of the stalled car was perched on top of the tow truck. I rendered assistance and did emergency first aid with the first person I found. They were under the wreck, and I started talking with them and doing a full body workup to assess injuries. (BTW, before doing anything I made sure I was not putting myself into a dangerous situation.) Smashed hips with likely internal injuries was my 1-2 minute assessment but they had stable vitals and started to talk more.
When they started coming slightly out of shock, I got their name and was keeping them conscious it came out they were the driver of the stalled car. My heart dropped. I gave the driver my health assessment and asked them to keep talking with me while I looked for the driver. He was stable, so I had to leave him.
The tow truck driver was further under the wreck hidden behind the tow truck wheels. Fuck. Time to crawl under the truck to render emergency aid. (It was safe, I checked carefully before making the move.) Unconscious, irregular, raspy, very weak, struggling breathing. Obvious head trauma. Weak pulse. I did a full body assessment to see if there were any bad cuts or things I could do to try and help. Outside of slow bleeding from the cracked skull there was no other bleeding. I knew this was bad, but did everything I could to help keep them alive. I paid very close attention to his vitals.
Police arrived in about 10 minutes (it felt like an eternity). They parked behind my car to build up a safe emergency area. The 2nd police car blocked the next lane over and then third made a wall of cars to protect the ambulances when they arrived. The first ambulance arrived. I passed on all the vitals I had been tracking and told them the tow truck driver was really bad, but the other victim had serious injuries as well. The two ambulance paramedics screamed at the police to call for a second (or was it a third?) ambulance and immediately rendered assistance to the tow driver. I swapped to the injured driver and did a secondary assessment to ensure they were not getting worse. Some other idiot bystanders had moved this poor guy with two smashed hips while I was occupied with the tow driver. I was really pissed that happened.
The second ambulance arrived. All four paramedics worked on the tow driver.
Eventually one medic came over and I helped them transfer the car driver to a dolly and loaded him into the car. I was tasked will constantly monitoring the car drivers vitals and doing assessments to ensure no other injuries were missed. So every 5-10 minutes or so I was pressing gently from toes to neck (skipping the obviously smashed hips), to see if other secondary injuries were manifesting. I focused in the stomach area a lot new tenderness looking for things like internal bleeding, ruptured kidneys, liver, etc. I think I was alone in the ambulance for something like an hour.
Finally one medic came back to replace me. A third ambulance had arrived while I was in the ambulance. The tow driver and first ambulance was gone (with three medics…) I gave my final assessment of how the driver was doing and seemed very stable and was very alert. I talked with that guy a lot about so many random things to keep him occupied. The medics thanked me, secured the dolly and drove away.
Then onto another hour talking to police about the accident…. I had the horrific honour of seeing the accident very clearly. During my statement they got a call saying it was “confirmed” and I looked at one of the police officers and said to them “So the tow driver has been confirmed dead?” He was surprised I was able to translate that one word. Then he simply said “Yes.” Shit.
I honestly was not surprised. His injuries were severe and I did everything that I could do and the paramedics worked their asses off rendering care. My job was to help as best I could. I have no regrets, I did what I had to do to try and save a life.
Stay safe. Stay in the car… it is the safest place. If you get in a fender bender, do not ever stand between the two cars. Ever. Ever. Ever. One distracted driver can kill you in an instant. I got to see that in real life.
Finally. Remember its just a fucking car. Your life is more important and take steps to always protect yourself.
RESQ (ref DanDanTheFireman):
-Remain calm, make sure somebody calls 911
-Ensure your own safety – don’t get run over trying to help…
-Stop major bleeding
-Quick assessment of injuries: TBI, spine, shock.
Yeah, I forgot to mention that the first thing done was a phone call to 911.
I have done emergency first aid courses at least 5 times including some run by paramedics who relayed real life experiences. All those courses kicked in big time… I was thankful I was able to help. While the tow truck driver died, I did everything I could do to help until the paramedics arrived. I did not expect to keep helping once the first ambulance arrived. But I helped there while the paramedics worked their asses off trying to save the tow truck driver.
Once I assessed the situation was safe, I kicked into ABC when rendering emergency first.
A – Airway. Is their throat clear (tongue blocking airway can happen when unconscious depending on head position)
B – Breathing. Are they breathing?
C – Circulation. Do they have a pulse? Severe bleeding?
I would do everything again without hesitation.
I am curious if other same generation LS engines of different displacements suffer the same malady. Is this a 6.2L exclusive problem, and if so, what is the difference between it and other LS engines?
As for the ‘variable pressure oil pump’, I am a bit confused as to what that means. Oil pressure is generally variable based on a number of factors, right?
Lots of cars use variable pressure pumps. It changes due to many factors such as cam adjusters being active, load, RPM and other stuff. For example if the ECU decides it’s time to turn on the piston sprayers it’ll ramp up the pressure.
I dont know how it’s made it this long before I’ve seen a story on this, but this is a real, BIG problem.
On another thread someone was asking me about 6.4 hemi reliability, and I mentioned I’ve seen two or 3 engine replacements on a 6.4 hemi, and DOZENS and DOZENS of GM 6.2 failures. What I didn’t mention is I’ve seen multi-dozens of GM 6.2 failures….and I work at a Dodge Dealership. I swear it feels like one out of 5 of these 2019 and newer trucks has either an engine failure or a transmission failure before it gets to 70,000 miles.
As all the linked stuff shows, it’s been bubbling under the surface for some time…and I didn’t know about it, either, but I wouldn’t buy a GM anyway.
I sincerely hope that legacy media ring these scum bags up. And all the dealers that pulled that bullshit where they try to say “we don’t know anything, this engine is amazing herr dee durr”
Yeah, we’re at the point now that when we take one in, we sell it to carmax. It really sucks too, because other than this issue it’s a truly incredible engine. Great power, great throttle response, doesn’t pollute much, and fuel mileage is great. But like Ford’s 3.5 Powerboost or Stellantis’ 4xe setups, there’s just no way I’d ever own one without a good warranty.
Think about what this does to the resale value of one of these. If I had one out of warranty, I’d be trying to sell it immediately.
As someone who poked around Tahoe/Yukon prices recently, the Yukon Denali (6.2L standard) is still very expensive.
Another reason that dealers and the whole dealership model needs to get blown up.
So far, I’ve only seen Autopian going after this story. Legacy media is complicit as well.
Light these mf’ers on fire…good for you guys.
…what do dealerships have to do with what’s obviously a manufacturing issue? Did you even read the article?
What a dummy you are. Did you look at the linked Twitter article?
Please don’t be stupid. Please try to learn something.
Please.
Sounds like a single anecdote from a person dealing with an overwhelmed service advisor who has no clear answers for them from GM.
Holy cow, dude. I’m not doing your research for you. But after you resolve the rectal-cranial inversion, do some checking around. You don’t even have to look that hard.
My research? The article is about engine failures, you’re talking about disliking the dealership system.You got the point to prove, you do the research. I don’t have to work to prove you right; that’s not how debate works.
Anyway, everybody who comes storming in screaming “TeH DeaLErShIpS ArE DUh PrObLEm!!!11!!” when it’s not related to sales, financing, or ‘additional fee’ services like $600 paint protection sprays or that kind of bullshit – y’know, things that a dealership does on their own that are shady that are actually a problem in the dealer system – never has any suggestions for how not having a dealership in these sorts of situations would improve anything.
So, dealerships bad. What is your proposed solution, oh learned and well-researched one?
So, if you were to, you know, read the article, you’d see the start of the “proof.” Then, if you were to read/lookup ANY (and I mean absolutely any) message boards, you’d see more.
Lazy and stupid takes are all you got, it appears. And then you even counter your own argument by listing examples of other dealer problems.
Holy fuck, man. How are you able to get through life with the complete lack of critical thinking?
Proof is everywhere, in the article and linked stuff. Period. Be smarter.
So… No suggestions on how there’s a preferable alternate system to dealerships, and no proof to support YOUR arguments.
Again, not doing research to help YOU prove YOUR point. Not my job.
C’mon. Support your proposition. Why are dealerships the problem with 6.2L L87 failures? You’ve done the research, apparently, so please present your case.
Chill out. This isn’t that kind of site. Be nicer or don’t come back, please.
will do. Thanks. Hopefully the moderation will improve, but I’m not optimistic.
[This is Matt, I am the moderator. Be nicer to other people are GTFO]
Why? The only mention of dealers was that some were stockpiling engines to have on hand for faster turnaround, not to corner the market. And replacement engines are failing too so it’s not like there is a market to corner.
Wrong. Read the linked stuff, and check out the forums. This is a design/manufacturing issue but dealers have definitely made it worse.
So say why instead of demanding everyone take your word for it.
No, sorry, dumb ass. It’s literally in the article when you look at the stuff there.
Then, as smart people do, if you start to look for other corroborating information, it’s EVERYWHERE. It’s all over.
I knew nothing about this issue until yesterday, and then this article nudged the door open further. Even the simplest search will show you more about the problem…and how people have been hosed by dealers thus far.
But, or, keep bleating like a sheep. Your call. We all already know how this is going to go for you
Dude, no one comes to this site to deal with people like you. From the moment you were challenged, you immediately started with bad language and name calling. It’s OK to disagree, but for the love of God, act like a damn grownup.
Listen, man, I don’t know you, but the other two dunces have a history of being exactly the sort of people that don’t belong here.
The facts are the facts, they have been explained, and a couple of former-site rejects stanning for dealers despite the proof that is alllllll around is not ok, and I don’t mind calling it out.
I don’t care about your opinion either, bub
He’s a bad faith debater. Literally playing chess with a pigeon.
“I knew nothing about this issue until yesterday”
And I knew nothing of this issue till an hour ago when I read this very same Autopian story. So stop being an absolute dickhole and simply show everyone what you’ve found.
Best wishes on your journey.
I accept your apology.
lol Best wishes on your journey
I’ll pray for you.
Hey
You can make your point without being abusive. We don’t do that shit around here: other opinions & points of view are welcomed. And, I think you’ll find that a polite, wel-cited case for your cause will be listened to. Ranting notsomuch
Lifters and bearings screams oil supply issues. I wonder what happens if you change out the variable pump for a high volume or high pressure unit.
It appears Katech makes an upgraded pump for the L87.
According to this I Do Cars video on the L86:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qxFFTHbJQ7Y
…the Variable Pressure Oil Pump just might be the culprit.
It’s clear that this issue has been going on since at least 2015.
And it sounds like while the L86 was ‘not great’, the L87 is ‘worse’.
So, am I going to start seeing stupid comments, like “den da engine go boom” anytime these are mentioned like I see with the Toyobaru twins (and these truck failures certainly aren’t the cases of mis-shifts)? You don’t get more basic than a large displacement pushrod engine with a 70 year history. At least Ford’s problems are from smaller displacement turbo 6s, which seems more understandable (if no less infuriating as a customer). And this is in a massive full sized truck, how f’n good mileage improvement can be expected from such a thing that they spec variable displacement and pressure oil pump for nothing but minor on-paper gains that are likely negated by any number of simple and common variables in the real world in exchange for major points of catastrophic failure? Trucks are so expensive now, but hey, at least they’re built to last, right?
“You don’t get more basic than a large displacement pushrod engine with a 70 year history.”
Throw in Direct Injection, VVT, Variable displacement and a variable pressure oil pump and you realize pretty fast that they’re not as ‘basic’ as they used to be.
fair, but this looks like a massive own goal
I agree completely with your post. Can’t wait to see how this is somehow because of gov’t regs.
More GM fuckery
I can’t speak for the L87, but all the DI, VVT, AFM, etc stuff on my 2016 5.3 seems to improve things quite a bit. My CC 4×4 truck was getting 20 MPG on the highway stock.
Now, the AFM is already a known flaw on all generations in the GM trucks.
So Hyundai/Kia aren’t the only ones spinning bearings!
GM trying to horn in on their ‘suckcess’.
I read “variable oil pressure” in the opening segment and immediately thought, “well, that sounds like a recipe for disaster”
I know, right? What is the benefit of variable oil pressure? Does it increase gas mileage, reduce pollution? Is it worth it? Or just another failure point?
These are questions that modern car makers are not asking themselves
“When it comes to improving fuel efficiency, 3% to 5% are huge numbers. Achieving those fuel efficiency numbers while also increasing the power to the wheels is the holy grail of vehicle engineering, and new variable displacement oil pumps are able to deliver this boost in efficiency.”
https://www.underhoodservice.com/variable-displacement-future-oil-pump/
3-5% is quite a bit.
Maybe there’s a clue in here:
“The GM LT1 uses a variable displacement oil pump that enables more efficient oil delivery, per the engine’s operating conditions. Its dual-pressure control enables operation at a very efficient oil pressure at lower rpm coordinated with AFM and delivers higher pressure at higher engine speeds. Extra pressure can be requested from the pump for the oil jets on the pistons. The oil jets are used only when they are needed the most: at start-up, giving the cylinders extra lubrication that reduces noise, and at higher engine speeds, or when the engine load demands, for extra cooling and greater durability.”
But just think about how green it is: over 100k miles, it saves 0.25 gallons of fuel!
According to this link variable pumps show fuel efficiency improvements of 3-5%:
https://www.underhoodservice.com/variable-displacement-future-oil-pump/
for a 17 mpg truck that works out to 170-230 gallons of fuel.
Saving less than $1000 worth of fuel at the expense of multi-thousand dollar premature engine replacements isn’t a good deal for the consumer or company.
Haha yup, should just be like old vehicles where revs go up oil pressure goes up, revs go down oil pressure goes down. Like with my firebird when pressure is low at idle I am not concerned but if it is low when I am getting on it now I am concerned. Also screw off oil pressure dummy lights vs a gauge.
Yeah the 6.2 is trash.
It was darkly funny when my nephew said the entire fleet was off the road where he works because their engines all failed – his truck stranded him in the U.S. without a vehicle.
Legit question: was it this stuff? Or something else? I thought (until now, obvs) that the 6.2 was better than the 5.7
If the L86 (and LT1 for that matter) are OK and the L87 is the one with problems, doesn’t that point to the continuously variable displacement on demand system as a likely culprit? Or other changes in the engine to accommodate that system?
My understanding is that is the primary difference between the 2014 L86 and the 2019 L87.
E90 M3 owners reading this <_< *_* <_<
I would recon,from doing absolutely no research and just hearing about this,that the variable pressure oil pump likes to vary a bit much.
Occam’s razor
When these trucks (some might even say America) lose their heartbeat, they’re stuck immobile on the side of the road, like a rock.