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 include promises of continued refinement through over-the-air updates.
That technological shift even applies to its engines, as the sixth generation V-8 in those 2027 model year trucks will be the first to come without traditional dipsticks to monitor 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 cracking the hood, customers can check
engine-oil levels from the vehicle cabin 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 over setting reminders to check oil levels. Traditional or virtual dipsticks lack the real-time oil life monitors that GM offers across vehicle nameplates that notify customers when it’s time to change their oil.
The 5.7 liter and 6.6 liter V-8s in the model year 2027 Silverado and Sierra are the first and only GM engines using a virtual dipstick, he said.
Mark Dickens, executive chief engineer of GM’s full-size trucks and SUVs, noted in a media event on Sept. 16 in Flint that the new lubrication system for the sixth generation V-8’s support the 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 come with oil level dipsticks, as do the other two engines GM unveiled for pickup trucks, the enhanced TurboMax engine and the Duramax 3.0 liter Turbo-Diesel.
Among the Detroit Three, or the broader industry, GM is not the first 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 1500s and the Dodge Charger.
Jackie Charniga covers General Motors for the Free Press. Reach her at jcharniga@freepress.com.
This article originally appeared on Detroit Free Press: Why no dipstick is needed to check oil in GM's next-gen pickup engines
