Amsoil

[_RaT_]

The Dodge trucks could have applied some of that "throw up oil" from the Suburban to help cut down on all the squeaks and rattles that eminate from them. Of course I refer to the old style Dodge truck Mr Chalkey, something I too am quite certain you would have no part of. Rat...

 

[jdkid]

Mark-you said the price to dealers for amsoil, what price is valvoline oil over there? i pay about US$11.00 A Gal in New Zealand for it .now heres where the oil story takes a turn you are right in saying tractors work in dust (even lawn tractors how offen have people cut to low on a high spot and sent clouds of dust around them?) this brings another thing in to oil story ,poor air filters letting small bits of dust in to the motor and ending up in the oil .I have read (T/F you may know) a motor has the life of 150-250grams(about 8 oz)of dust to kill it,cummins have showen this by adding a small hand full of dirt gradually and killed the motor in less than 8 hours .you are right in saying about better oil filters and/or bypass filters if ya can't stop the dust moving around it will not make any diffrence what kind of oil you are running .In cars ,pick-ups,on road trucks synthetic will be the way to go in years to come as more and more motors become high-tech but for off-road trucks ,earth movers ,tractors untill the filters are updated in to the 21st cent synthetic oil may be to costly for short oil changes BUT in saying that if ya haveing a great run out of the oil you are useing i'd stick with it
JD Kid

 

[PaulB]

Paddock - here is how it works for me. My tractor has a recommended oil change interval of 100 hours, filter change every 200 hours. I can not stomach the thought of changing oil without changing the filter, and for me 50 hours is almost 6 months of use, so with petroleum I change oil and filter every 50 hours. The figures therefore are as follows:
Petroleum oil : I used to change it at 50 hours, along with filter. Cost $4 for 4 quarts of oil, $6 for filter . In 200 hours I would spend , therefore, $40. Cheap, and well worth the peace of mind knowing that I am doubling the manufacturers recommended oil change frequency.
Amsoil : Costs $20 for 4 quarts, same filter as above, so 1 oil and filter change costs $26. I can do it one of 2 ways from here. I can follow the manufacturers recommendation, and change everything at every 100 hours. Cost for 200 hours will therefore be $52. Or, I can change the filter at the manufacturers recommended 200 hours and change the oil then too. I can get away with this because synthetics do not evaporate at the same rate as petroleum, so I feel I can stick to hours run rather than calender time. Cost for 200 hours will therefore be $26. Either way I feel I am providing equal or superior protection for a trivial difference in cost. As you can see, if I decide to stick to 200 hours for oil and filter changes (remember this is the Kubota recommended interval for filter changes) it actually makes synthetic CHEAPER to use.

 

[JBM]

Mark, do you sell that "meaningless drivel"? - by the quart or gallon? And what viscosity is it? A lot of valid points have been brought up since I started this thread with an innocent question. I've learned a lot and changed my mind on viscosity several times. I was checking the manual for my Honda motorcycle and though it recommends 10W-30, it also has a chart of air temperature/viscosity that shows for the temperature range here in Florida any viscosity up to 20W-50 is all right to use. My original intent was to reduce the number of different lubricants I need to have on hand for my 14 gas and diesel engines (cars, trucks, motorcycle, tractors, boat, small mower, irrigation pump and generator). I placed an order for 4 cases of the Amsoil 15W-40 diesel oil and a half dozen oil filters - I've decided to use this in all the engines when each is due for a change. Will let you all know if I have an engine failure due to the type of oil.
JB

 

[_RaT_]

Paul, certainly cannot argue with that. Common sense prevails. I have always considered using synthetic in my tractor, at least my new when it gets to that point. its the expense of using it in my truck I was considering. Perhaps it is worthwhile. Whats the sayin. Cars use 30% of their horsepower, trucks use 60% and tractors use 90%. When/if I get a new 4610, I'll certainly consider it.

 

[jdkid]

hi Paul-you make a good point, my oil changes are at 250 Hrs (ment to be 500 but i feel better doing it early)to put 250 Hr on my tractor it takes about 6 weeks filter and oil are droped at that time .on the point of changeing filters you CAN change them too offen (I know people will be saying BULL$#IT)a new filter might stop 20Mu dirt and other things when new BUT as it blocks the screening is finer (i know you guys will be ringing filter guys to find out)I have been told by a guy who tests injectors and his wording is(a filter only realy works in it's last 10%of it's life)just think dose a blocked filter let anything though it??with alot of you guys i have noticed you are doing low hours per year with your oil sitting around for long amounts of time maybe a synthetic would handle starting and stoping so offen and repel condensation (spelling was not a strong point)as a footnote i don't think i can buy amsoil in New Zealand
catch ya
JD Kid

 

[MChalkley]

I think Valvoline costs a little under $2 a quart here, but it's been a while since I bought any. Someone who knows will jump in a say for sure.

You're right about the filters' not working nearly as well when they're new as they do later in their livespan. That's another reason the bypass filters are so effective. They catch down to 1 micron or so, even when they're new because they don't have to pass all the oil for the engine.

Mark

 

[MChalkley]

No, I don't sell it. Can't. Shoot, most of the time I can't even give it away. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

I'm not expecting to hear of any problems from your using the 15w40 in everything. It's good stuff and will have a viscosity far closer to the right range than petroleum does 3/4 of the time anyway. I would like to hear your results, though. If you notice any other differences in performance, efficiency, temperatures, etc, let us know.

Mark

 

[_RaT_]

I sell it in bulk, minimum is 55 gals. My biggest customer share is in Florida. Rat

 

[_RaT_]

Sorry Mark, but I believe JBM was talking to me. But your right, I just give it away for free to everyone, except those folks from Florida. They are more then willing to pay for it. From here on out Mr Chalkey, I will attempt to differentiate myself from you, you may call me Sir King Rat, hehehe, one Mark is more then enough. Rat...

 

[MChalkley]

Sorry Sir King Rat, I just assumed that since I was the one that used the "meaningless drivel" line a couple times in one of my posts, he was talking to me. Under that circumstance, I'd still have thought so, even if he'd directed his comments to Bird. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Mark

 

[richh]

Can you bring me up to speed on these filters, by-pass???? I repeat car quest auto parts store sells a 15/40 that is,IM told made by valvolin, exceads all ratings for CAT, JD Cummings ect. cost $1.00 a qt. You can aford to change your oil alot and then burn it and heat your house!!
RICH

 

[MChalkley]

Richh, bypass filters are separate add-on filters that pass a very small quantity of oil but filter it much cleaner than the standard full-flow filters. They're called bypass filters because, unlike full-flow filters, they don't have to filter all the oil being pumped through the engine at once - they just extract a small portion of it. Full-flow filters are limited in their filtering capability by the amount of oil they have to pass - if they slow the oil down too much the engine doesn't get lubricated.

I'm still not sure of the relevance of the price of Valvoline where you live. Better or lower quality and higher or lower price are, to me, quite unrelated. They're both factors needing consideration, but not at all related. If something's better, it's better, whether it's more expensive or not. The question then becomes "Is it enough better to just the difference in cost?" For me, the answer is a no-brainer "Yes". For you, the answer may be quite different.

Mark

 

[MChalkley]

Actually, I happen to own a very sensitive '93 Dodge W250 4x4 that has on several occasions exhibited the tendency to trample folks who make fun of it because it squeaks and rattles. If I'd have wanted a ride like a Lincoln, I'd have bought a Lincoln, now wouldn't I? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

I don't need no stinkin' pansy truck. I've got a VW diesel to play that part. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Mark

 

[gordon]

Mark tough as nails yes but sensitive? The trailer haulers mainly use dodge diesels and run them until 300,000 to 400,000 miles then trade them in the only problems they complained of was the transmissions. Not to bad I'd say.
Oh yea thats with dino oil sorry.

 

[MChalkley]

Yeah, you know, like the guys in the shaving commercials - manly, yet sensitive.

And isn't it a credit to the Cummins that they'll last that long, even on dino fat? /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

As you say, the transmissions were a weak spot in the early Dodge Cummins trucks. My '93 has the new NV-5600 6-speed in it (and it wasn't pretty getting it shoe-horned in there, either). After I trashed the Getrag at 110k, I decided to put a real transmission in it. In a couple weeks, it's going to get a carbon fiber clutch disk with a custom 3600 lb pressure plate rated for 1000 ft-lbs of torque. That ought to get all the torque to the ground. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

Mark

 

[_RaT_]

Dear Mr Chalkley, you to Gordon, please accept my sincerest apology with regards to your Dodge truck. I'm sure your trucks are lovely. You certainly don't have to contiunuely remind me, Dodge trucks squeak for themselves. So in my most sincere typing voice, I'm so sorry about the squeak and rattle comment, it was uncalled for, please accept my apology.

P.S. You know how one often associates a face to a voice, like when you make a call and a woman answers and you try to asscociate a face to the voice you hear. I kinda do that here. At first I thought Mr Chalkley to be sophisticated, smart, full of common sense, suave even. After the Dodge truck posts I've read from him, that vision has changed to one of a guy with missing teeth and empty Bud cans in the pickup bed. The smart and common sense attributes still apply. Uh oh, gotta go, the off topic police are coming, or is it the meaningless drivel marshall, they both look alike, Sincerely, Rat...

 

[JimBinMI]

Mark "Chalkey" Chalkley,

If you only had a dime for every time someone typed or said your name wrong...huh! /w3tcompact/icons/laugh.gif

JimBinMI

 

[MChalkley]

It's not a very common name. So uncommon, in fact, that I have many opportunities to say "Call me anything you like, as long as you call me in time for dinner."

Mark

 

[MChalkley]

Dear No-longer-titled Peasant Rat: No apology necessary - no offense taken. /w3tcompact/icons/smile.gif

My Dodge does squeak. But it also roars. When I hook it up to something and try to pull it, it moves. And I wouldn't consider trading it for any 2000 Chevy pickup they make. Shucks, I wouldn't even consider trading it for any 2000 Ford pickup they make. However, if you could buy a Ford with the Cummins in it, I'd be jealous. That's what I really wanted when I bought the Dodge. But to get the Cummins, I had to buy a Dodge. I'm not sorry - it's been a good truck. But I still prefer Fords otherwise. It's just that a Ford with no engine in it isn't much of a truck, and I don't consider the Powerstroke in anywhere near a similar class. I don't look down on folks who own and love Powerstrokes, I don't badmouth them, I don't have any derogatory bumper stickers on my truck, I don't goose it a little extra as I blow past them on the mountains with double the load they're carrying (yes, mine's been tweaked a little...), I just wouldn't have one myself. I'm glad there are lots of people who like them fine - the competition keeps the price down - but I'm not one of them.

Oh, by the way, the only time I'm missing teeth, is when I put on the black-out to get in character when I'm driving my truck. The rest of the time I have all of them - my original ones, even. /w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif

Mark