Tech Tips

More on dexos Motor Oil
Are the oil companies ready for dexos? That’s the question on everyone’s minds these days. We all remember when 5W-30 first hit the market. You couldn’t find it anywhere! The same was true of 5W-20. The lube industry does not need a repeat of those situations. Business is hard to find now, and we do not need to turn ANY vehicles away.

Right now, oil companies are in the process of formulating products that will meet GM’s dexos specification. They’re ordering Group III (synthetic) base stock, ordering the appropriate additives packages, etc. Plus, they’re dealing with the license fee structure that GM has in place, a deal that will see GM paid royalties on every gallon of motor oil an oil company sells.

It’s too soon to tell how widely available products that meet the dexos specification will be, but at least initially expect dexos products only in bottles. It will be some time before we see dexos products sold in bulk.

I’ve spoken to the folks at GM, and they expect to roll out dexos as factory fill about halfway through the 2011 model year. It will start out as factory fill in EcoTec 2.0L, 2.2L and 2.4L four-cylinder engines, as well as 3.0L and 3.6L V6 engines. As time passes, GM will eventually make the product factory fill in the rest of its fleet.

What I am hearing from oil companies is that the cost of the synthetic base oil, the additives package, the license fee, etc. will make the cost of dexos products about 40 percent more expensive than the GF-4 motor oil we’re using today.

Scotti Lee is operator of Oil Change Express in New Castle, Delaware. He may be reached at 302-324-1900. Technical Tips is a forum for fast lube operators and suppliers to share practical solutions to problems common throughout the industry. National Oil & Lube News is not responsible for the accuracy or reliability of submitted tips, and NOLN does not assume liability resulting from their use. E-mail tips to: info@noln.net

	Correct Installation
	Incorrect Installation

Cadillac Air Filter Service
While servicing some 2004-2007 Cadillac CTS, 2005-2010 Cadillac STS and 2004-2009 Cadillac SRX models, you may have difficulty reinstalling the air cleaner cover if you remove it to inspect or replace the air filter element. If just removing the filter element for inspection or replacement, the cover does not need to be completely removed from the housing. The cover will pivot sufficiently to allow for removal and installation.

In the event the cover is removed from the housing for proper sealing of the air cleaner assembly, the tabs on the cover must be correctly aligned with the hinge slots in the housing.

It is possible to incorrectly reassemble the cover to the housing without the cover being seated properly at the hinge. In addition, this condition may not be readily apparent when viewing the box from the top.

The illustrations at right depict the proper and improper installation of the tabs: (a) Tabs (b) Hinge Slots

To determine if the cover is properly seated once the cover bolts have been tightened, gently pull up on the cover/MAF sensor adapter. This will give a positive indication that the tabs of the cover are properly seated in the hinge slots.

JONATHAN JOHNSON is a service engineer with General Motors’ North American Service & Parts Engineering.

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