General Motors Updates Recommended Oil Spec for L87 Engines—But Only in These Models

Though General Motors has prescribed an updated oil specification for recalled vehicles containing 6.2L V8 L87 gasoline engines, the change will not apply to all L87 engines, according to GM Authority.

The recent recall covers 2021 and 2024 model year vehicles equipped with the 6.2L L87 engine, due to two potential supplier-level defects: rod bearing damage from contaminants, and out-of-spec crankshafts.

To remedy the issue, GM has instructed for 0W-40 oil to be used instead of 0W-20 Dexos Gen 3. But this is not universal, and will only apply to 2021 and 2024 model year vehicles. For any other model year, the factory-recommended engine oil remains 0W-20.

First introduced in 2019, the L87 can be found in several popular models, including the Chevy Silverado 1500, Tahoe, Suburban, Cadillac Escalade and ESV, GMC Sierra 1500, and GMC Yukon/Yukon XL.