Switch back to dino oil from synthetic?

[Copperhead]

Here is a snap of the the additive package on a Schaeffer 5w40 synthetic I have been trying for a while in my Series 60 Detroit. One stout add pack in it.

 

[sixdogs]

Here is a snap of the the additive package on a Schaeffer 5w40 synthetic I have been trying for a while in my Series 60 Detroit. One stout add pack in it.

View attachment 490195

I recognize the high phosphorus number but need help with understanding the other numbers. I'm a newbie but it looks pretty good.

 

[Copperhead]

Calcium is basically Tums for your motor and part of what controls acids. It is all part of the detergency of a oil to keep things clean. Magnesium and sodium compliment that. This oil has a boat load of calcium, one of the highest levels I have seen in an oil.

Zinc, in conjunction with the phosphorus is a extreme pressure modifier. A very good load of both in this oil. Zinc and phosphorus combined are the ZDDP you read about in oils.

Moly and boron are friction modifiers. Molybdenum has a platelet style structure. Kinda like spreading a bunch of new playing cards across a surface and sliding a box on them. Moly does not build up, the plates spread along. Boron is actually boric acid, that is very inexpensive to make but is a great friction modifier as well. Titanium, in some oils like Kendall, performs a similar service as moly.

 

[Z71]

fyi Info from AMSOIL O

AMSOIL Quickshots: New Diesel Specs - YouTube

 

[Garandman]

We ran two Honda Accord V6's to over 200,000 miles, one on dino and one on Mobil One. We changed at the recommended 7,500 miles and had oil analysis done here and there. We did not find any meaningful difference.

I still use Synthetic in my motorcycles and WRX but everything else we use dino and change at the recommended intervl.

 

[Copperhead]

Yeah, the differences between synthetic and conventional are getting more gray. Synthetic has its place, but many conventional oils will do just fine. I like the blends. Virtually the same price as good conventional oils, but the best of both worlds.

 

[sixdogs]

I've got a little synthetic to use up but am going back to dino or semi synthetic when it's gone.

 

[3930dave]

Copperhead---Many thanks for your very informative reply.

So when the new labelled CK-4 oils start showing up, they are OK to use in 20 year old Kubota diesels?

Second, if I found a dino oil labelled as CJ-4 and I would switch to that over the synthetic I have been using, would you expect any material operational difference since I use equipment in warm weather and have short oil change intervals? I use synthetic partly because I feel I get better start-up protection, especially if the equipment has been sitting for a month or so. Does synthetic protect this way? Do you use dino or synthetic ?

Any info appreciated.

One application I like synthetics for is extreme temperatures - I have run 15W40 in my diesels during Summer here, but prefer a 5W40 or 0W40 for Winter starting.

As has been well stated by Cu and others, for short change intervals, you'd be hard pressed to go wrong with any name brand oil, and most house brands (conventional or synth) that meets the viscosity requirements of your motor.

Where synthetics have an edge is in the high temperature extended durations that many light road-going vehicles are now pushed to. Specs like Dexos can't really meet sludge formation and NOAK volatility (how fast the oil burns off) w/o going to at least a semi-synthetic. Those things will matter in a modern road vehicle going 10,000 miles + on an oil-change, but not in what you describe for your tractor application.

Rgds, D.

 

[Copperhead]

That makes sense. I also will use a 5w40 during the cold months and 15w40 in warm months. The 15w40 is a little cheaper and there is not the need for the very low cold flow properties of a 5w40 then. I use the same brand for both. The 5w40 is a full syn and the 15w40 is a syn blend.

 

[stoyan79]

I have noticed Synthetic oil would keep air cooled engine much cooler. I guess this is from less friction. I have measures air cooled engine blocks staying as much as 20 degrees cooler, running them hard in hot summer days. I use Amsoil, but I am sure results might be similar with other synthetic oils.