Did I put the wrong engine oil in? Please help a newbie

[Bird]

Many years ago, I used Exxon Uniflo oil in my cars. But in 1981, we bought an Isuzu diesel sedan and, of course, it called for CC or CD oil without specifying a particular brand. But a friend had a Mercedes diesel sedan and his owners manual specified particular brands; one acceptable brand being Quaker State and it did have the CC/CD rating, so I changed to the 10W-30 Quaker State for everything. In 1995 I bought a new Kubota B7100 and only on the second oil change did I notice that Quaker State no longer had any "C" ratings on the can. So I called Quaker State and talked to one of the "experts". He went into some technical talk about the differences in the API ratings and the oils, but in the final analysis, he said it would be just fine in a diesel engine EXCEPTyou should change it twice as often; i.e., run it only half as long as you'd run an oil rated for diesel engines. So I changed to Chevron's Delo 400 15W-40 from then on in the tractors.

 

[JoeL4330]

Correct oil for your diesel will have a C-something classification on the container (perhaps in addition to an S-something designation)...CI-4 or the newer CJ-4 designation would be what to look for ...synthetics (of the proper classification) are fine, but generally more expensive so if you are gonna be changin' out the oil more frequently than the mfr's recommendation, then you are incurring needless expense (IMHO). As for weight, you can't go wrong with the mfr's recommendation, although 5W-40 CJ-4 is generally easiest to find because it's used in (almost) all US, "high-speed" diesel engines, today, and that should meet your needs ...if, in winter, your cold-soaked engine turns over verrrrry slowly with 5W-40, consider a block heater or some other supplementary heat source. If you are a belt-and-suspenders kinda guy and worry about clearing the snow, then you might use both a block heater and a battery-tender/trickle-charger permanently mounted, with both plugged into a "cube tap" onto which you attached your extension cord when the spirit moves.

 

[dodge man]

I think the Amsoil will be fine. My Kubota also calls for a 10w-30, and I think Amsoil sells that weight oil in a diesel oil, so I'd run what you have in it and just find some Amsoil 10w-30 for next time.

 

[mainegoatman]

Not to beat this subject to death, but it would be in your best interest to learn what these symbols mean. That way there will never be a question as to what is the right oil for any engine.


This is the correct symbol for diesel engines. Any knowledgeable parts counterman should be able to explain them to you.

 

[jonyyuma]

Ken P, Glad you have it all worked out on your oil change. I use the genuine Kubota filter and Delvac diesel oil in my Kubota, even though it has 750 hours on it. It will take me a long time to get the 50 hours run time on it and maintenace is a lot better that repairs.

 

[schoolsout]

Anyone running Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck in their tractors? 5w40 is reco'd for 15w40 applications

I run it in my VW Jetta TDI and the guys that get UOAs performed says it has the best performance in those engines.