General Motors’ next-generation pickup trucks mark the next evolution in the automaker’s software-driven vehicle strategy, featuring all-new software systems in the 2027 Chevrolet Silverado and 2027 GMC Sierra that promise continued refinement through over-the-air updates.
That technological shift even applies to their engines: The sixth-generation V-8s in those 2027 model-year trucks will be the first GM engines to come without traditional dipsticks for monitoring oil levels.
GM spokesman Trevor Thompkins confirmed to the Detroit Free Press that a simplified ownership experience drove the decision to switch to electronic oil-level monitoring for the new light-duty 5.7-liter and 6.6-liter V-8 engines.
Without opening the hood, customers can check engine-oil levels from inside the vehicle through an on-screen readout.
“The virtual display continuously monitors oil level, reduces the potential for human error, and can alert drivers when oil levels are too low and how much to add or too high — something a traditional dipstick cannot do,” Thompkins said.
There are other benefits to using software instead of relying on reminders to check oil levels. GM’s real-time oil-life monitors, offered across its vehicle lineup, notify customers when it’s time to change the oil.
The 5.7-liter and 6.6-liter V-8s in the 2027 Silverado and Sierra are the first and only GM engines using a virtual dipstick, Thompkins said.
Mark Dickens, executive chief engineer of GM’s full-size trucks and SUVs, noted at a Sept. 16 media event in Flint that the new lubrication system for the sixth-generation V-8 supports durability and performance efficiency across the ownership cycle.
Meanwhile, the LS6 6.7-liter V-8 inside the 2027 Corvette Stingray, Grand Sport and Grand Sport X still comes with an oil-level dipstick, as do the other two engines GM unveiled for its pickup trucks: the enhanced TurboMax engine and the Duramax 3.0-liter turbo-diesel.
Among the Detroit Three and the broader industry, GM is not the first automaker to remove the dipstick.
Vehicles equipped with the twin-turbo Hurricane six-cylinder engine, which launched in 2023 without a dipstick, include the Jeep Grand Wagoneer, Ram 1500 and Dodge Charger.
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at [email protected].
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: GM Drops Dipstick on New V-8s, Switching to Electric Engine Oil System.
Reporting by Jackie Charniga, Detroit Free Press / Detroit Free Press. USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect.
Add a Comment