Best Cool Weather Oil for 8N

8N_John · Nov 30, 2004

I will be using my 8N some this winter. When in use, outside temps will range from around 20 to 55. Is 10W30 the best oil to use in this temp range?

RalphVa · Dec 1, 2004

I'm leaning towards use of 5w30 in everything because it's easy to find at Sams and Walmart and auto supply stores and is okayed for my VW Cabrio and Toyota Tacoma engines. For my Benz that wants 10w40, I mix 50/50 5w30 and 15w50. My JD 4010 manual says 5w30 is fine for its diesel engine.

Ralph

Soundguy · Dec 1, 2004

I'd go with 10w30 before I went with 5w30. Heck.. the specs for that engine were 40w oil if over 90' or 30w oil if under.

10w30 is basically a 10w oil with lots of addative and viscosity mods.

The engine in that 8n is 50+ years old.. Lots of open clearances. Some people have to run 20w50 40w or 50w oil just to keep oil pressure positive... 10w30 is on the thin end an I would only use that in cold cold weather.. I wouldn't use 5w30 in that engine at all.

Soundguy

8N_John · Dec 1, 2004

Would a 50-50 mix of 10w30 and 30w be appropriate for the temperature ranges I mentioned?

geneP · Dec 1, 2004

I'm not an oil engineer or an expert on 8N tractors, but I'd suggest looking at your oil pressure now. If you're running 30 wt now and the tractor idles warm with oil prerssure at or near high speed running, you might try a multi viscosity oil. If the oil pressure starts out high when cold and then drops considerably as it warms up you will probably have little oil pressure with a 10w-30 oil. You might have to gamble an oil change on your best judgement and change it again if it doesn't hold oil pressure.

Soundguy · Dec 3, 2004

I agree with Gene. If you have good oil pressure that holds at hot idle.. or at least stays in the 20's at hot idle.. then I would buy some 'test' cheap 10w30 oil.. wallmart 84 cent a quart supertech would be fine. Check out your hot idle oil pressure then. If you can keep it double digit at hot idle, with some rise at hot throttle.. i wouldn't worry too much. If you get hot idle pressure at 6 or below.. I'd go back to a 30w oil.

I wonder if you can get a 20w oil anywhere?

I'm not a chem-engineer.. but havn't heard many references to mixing oils.. even of same manufacturer.

One thought does come to mind. Try the 30w oil, thinned with marvel mystery oil. MMO is a solvent.. It is common to MMO an engine that is about to get a flush.. and even to replace a quart of oil with it. It's one of the few 'addative/snake oil' products that more or less performs as advertised. ( it's basically souped up stoddards solvent anyway).

Over on the N forum, we reccomend this for stuck valves and rings ( that is.. physically dousing the valves via the covers, and filling the cyls and hand turning ). As it is a solvent.. it will thin the oil.. and lower your oil pressure a tad if there is wear.. however it should be an ideal compromise between your 10w30 vs 30w debate. On the plus side.. if you do this constantly.. you should have a fairly clean engine in a couple years.. whether you like it or not!

As with anny solvents and volatiles.. check your oil often to verify level, as I'm guessing you may need to top off some MMO /oil depending on how often you change your oil. If you do it quarterly.. should be fine.. if bi-annual or yearly.. I'd expect there to be some volume loss.

Soundguy

8N_John · Dec 4, 2004

Thanks. I may try the marvel mystery oil. Where can I find it?

I'm thinking about adding some to my oil now and running it for a couple hours before draining - then replacing with 10W30 (5qts) and 1 qt MMO to use over the winter.

Soundguy · Dec 6, 2004

I wouldn't use the 10w30 AND mmo for the winter. that base10wt oil is thin enough as it is.

Unless you are getting like negative 40.. 10w30 should be ok.

If you run straight 30.. I'd deffinately thin with 1 quart MMO.

Just about anywhere that caries oil.. carries MMO... napa, carquest.. kmart, autozone, tsc.. etc, etc..

Soundguy