engine oil

[Soundguy]

i agree.. many people never read past regular interval info in the manual and don't bother with the severe duty issues..

idleing, dusty conditions, short trips..e tc..e tc.

 

[Johnp33]

The lube guy at work use to put the pails of oil that customers wanted, we used Delo 400 bulk, if they wanted anything else it came in pails anything left in the pail was mine, he would put them into my pick-up. I use to take the top off and drain it into a 6 gallon jug. I used that oil in my personal pick-up at the time, and my tractor it was a mix of every type of oil, all 15-40 and the pick-up was a gas engine. I did change the oil often as I had lots of it and filters are cheap.

 

[3930dave]

The lube guy at work use to put the pails of oil that customers wanted, we used Delo 400 bulk, if they wanted anything else it came in pails anything left in the pail was mine, he would put them into my pick-up. I use to take the top off and drain it into a 6 gallon jug. I used that oil in my personal pick-up at the time, and my tractor it was a mix of every type of oil, all 15-40 and the pick-up was a gas engine. I did change the oil often as I had lots of it and filters are cheap.

Price was right ! Many HD diesel oils are dual rated for gas use. So long as you don't get cold temperatures, 15W40 would probably be OK in an old/loose gas engine. Wouldn't try that on a gasser spec'ing 5W20 though, unless it was close to being scrapped.

Free oil, can't beat that ! :thumbsup:

Rgds, D.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

Price was right ! Many HD diesel oils are dual rated for gas use. So long as you don't get cold temperatures, 15W40 would probably be OK in an old/loose gas engine. Wouldn't try that on a gasser spec'ing 5W20 though, unless it was close to being scrapped.

Free oil, can't beat that ! :thumbsup:

Rgds, D.

3930 what is wrong with running 5W-40 in an engine spec'ed 5W-20?

 

[3930dave]

3930 what is wrong with running 5W-40 in an engine spec'ed 5W-20?

Depends on the engine..... AND, that comment was tossed out largely on the overly simplified assumption that a 5W20 will flow somewhat faster than 5W40. True assumption Y/N ? You'd have to take a really close look at the exact flow properties of the oils being compared - and that is more of a BITOG level discussion, than a TBN one.

Firstly, full disclosure..... I'm somewhat old school, and within reason, tend to prefer a heavier grade oil. For any engine, I always have a look at what the factory viscosity recommendations are, vs. Temperature, preferring a graphical presentation. A decent graph will show a Preferred temperature range for a given Viscosity, fading through to OK, then not recommended. I want to know what the factory engineers were thinking, before getting to creative with a motor I own. I may deviate from the factory oil viscosity ranges, but only once I have a clear picture of the factory recommendations.

Some gas truck engines may have mechanical/hydraulic reasons for needing a thin 5W20 - thinking cylinder deactivation. The other thing that scares me in some of the modern gas heads is there are no camshaft bearings - the cam rides directly on the machined surface of the head. Depending on design, there may also be things like cam phasers (adjustable cam timing mechanisms) that need thin oil fast - of course, cold start is the worst case.

Another aspect of the viscosity game that does get quite a bit of discussion over on BITOG is heat management. The general trend I see commented on is that the thinner oils, even down to the 0W_, tend to transfer heat faster. How big a factor that is this ? Big Ole truck motor..... maybe not so much..... stressed out factory DI gas motor, pushing 100hp+/liter - yeah, perhaps we are getting into Thin-Oil-Really-Matters-To-This-Engine-For-Heat-Transfer-Reasons territory. I haven't fully made my mind up on this area of viscosity engineering..... gives me something to read up on, during our long Winter !

I prefer a heavier oil. But after a bit of reading, and talking to mechanics, I've come around to thinking that there are reasons other than mileage for these newer motors to go to a thinner oil.

I drive old vehicles..... by the time I buy a 5W20 vehicle, I may have this sussed out !

Rgds, D.

 

[Gale Hawkins]

The cold flow rate is the main thing to me. I guess most of our gas engines we have using Rotella 5W-40 call for 10W-30 per their manuals. I can see thinner running cooler especially in the engines with the oil coolers.

We Rotella 5W-40 because it is good for gas and diesel and we using it in 3 HP four strokes and up. In the case of low mileage/hours we often just do a filter change from time to time.

 

[3930dave]

I like the Rot'T 5W40, I'm running it in my 7.3 right now. Good oil, and many guys are doing exactly what you are, using it in most/all engines - great to keep things simple, and avoids having helpers topping up with a wrong oil.

I don't have anything here new enough where I need to chase down the data for the high temperature end of things, re. this Visc. issue. If I had a new p/u that spec'd 5W20, and I was planning to tow at or above Max Rating next summer, high on my research list would be figuring out the thermodynamics of throwing in 5W40 instead.

The factory has to spec oil for worst case usage - most people don't actively drive their vehicles that hard (oil neglect, another story), but some people will push a truck well beyond rated loads. That worst case thermal limit is where this xW20 vs. xW40 issue might become important.

"10W30" motors should be less finicky about oil; I can't see getting into too much trouble with that era of motor by running a decent 5W40 like Rot'T. I sure like having it in my diesel, come Winter !

Rgds, D.

 

[don45640]

I'm old school also and when I see 5W-20 on any engine that's broken in already, I cringe. My 2005 Mustang V6 specifies that(so does my Lincoln LS),but guess what?.... they both GET 5W-30 full synthetic Castrol SYNTEC !LOL!
I want the extra body in there. Never have had a problem,and I have peace of mind. don-ohio ^)

 

[3930dave]

I hear ya Don ! I don't mind "colouring outside of the lines" myself, once I know exactly where they are, so to speak. (See extended ramble above :laughing.

I've seen Ford RVs at about 60k miles, running 5W20 - it does seem to work. What would concern me, is running a low-end 5W20 - when you start out at 20, there is not much headroom for the oil to Shear Down.

For a 5W20 engine that I owned, I can see myself taking a serious look at doing what you have done. I don't know the top end of your V6, it might be less finicky ("modern") than some of the new stuff. Again, my concern would be using a low end oil.... start out at 30, in a 20 engine, you don't want it thickening too much. Syntec is on my Like list.

All my rambling is part of the "Oil Specs are getting more Complex, and Critical to Many Engines Now" story. I know the VW diesels had a big issue with some cars eating camshafts the last few years - don't know enough about what went on there to say, but I have to wonder if lack of proper Euro spec oil (quick change shops, or DIY'ers that didn't know) was a factor.

Stuff like this..... makes me want to see what Model Ts are selling for ! :cool2:

Rgds, D.

 

[don45640]

Yeah,Dave....I REALLY get nervous at a lot of `new ideas'they come up with,in the name of better fuel economy.Like I've said before I've seen a lot of gimmicks come and go, and I'll err on the side I take to be `caution',which is a fuller bodied,more protective oil.That's why I only use synthetic unless it's a vehicle with a leaky engine or burning oil.don-ohio ^)

I hear ya Don ! I don't mind "colouring outside of the lines" myself, once I know exactly where they are, so to speak. (See extended ramble above :laughing.

I've seen Ford RVs at about 60k miles, running 5W20 - it does seem to work. What would concern me, is running a low-end 5W20 - when you start out at 20, there is not much headroom for the oil to Shear Down.

For a 5W20 engine that I owned, I can see myself taking a serious look at doing what you have done. I don't know the top end of your V6, it might be less finicky ("modern") than some of the new stuff. Again, my concern would be using a low end oil.... start out at 30, in a 20 engine, you don't want it thickening too much. Syntec is on my Like list.

All my rambling is part of the "Oil Specs are getting more Complex, and Critical to Many Engines Now" story. I know the VW diesels had a big issue with some cars eating camshafts the last few years - don't know enough about what went on there to say, but I have to wonder if lack of proper Euro spec oil (quick change shops, or DIY'ers that didn't know) was a factor.

Stuff like this..... makes me want to see what Model Ts are selling for ! :cool2:

Rgds, D.