Diesel Engine Oil

[3930dave]

Based on your manual, a CH, CI, CJ (and so on) rated oil, in the correct weight from the chart will work fine.

As time goes on the API reqirements are updated, and a new C_ rating is issued. Designed as backwards compatible, so the older C ratings tend to fall out of production. (The whole story is a little longer than that, but that is essentially what you need to keep in mind).

Stick to the big name brands (ex. Rotella, Mobil, Chevron) in a CH+ rated oil, until you become a little more comfortable selecting diesel oils. Some guys like JD oil, you should be fine with JD CH+ if you are going by the dealer anyway.

(Can't recall you location as I type.... if you use your tractor in the winter (northern locations) , starting is easier with a good synthetic.)

Good that you caught it now, but for a short run like that you should be fine.

Rgds, D.

 

[LouieJunior]

Thank again -- I'm going with the rotella since so many here have recommended it. Just drained the non-diesel oil out of the engine and I'm surprised how black it is after such a short period of time. Putting a new filter in too.

 

[ProScape]

I agree with all of the above...good advice! I personally am a fan of Rotella T6 5w40 full synthetic diesel oil. The nice thing about the T6 is no change is needed for extreme hot or cold temperatures and the T6 meets every diesel spec out there pretty much for all manufacturers (except my wife's VW Toureg diesel)

 

[JimRB]

C is compression meaning diesel. E3 is diesel also. ACEA - Engine Oil Additives - The Lubrizol Corporation
5W-40 Diesel Engine Oil | Mobil 1™ Turbo Diesel Truck

 

[buickanddeere]

I agree with all of the above...good advice! I personally am a fan of Rotella T6 5w40 full synthetic diesel oil. The nice thing about the T6 is no change is needed for extreme hot or cold temperatures and the T6 meets every diesel spec out there pretty much for all manufacturers (except my wife's VW Toureg diesel)

beat me to it, I was going to say T6 as well.

 

[Arc weld]

Yes, oils with a C classification are for compression ignition and oils with S classification are for spark ignition. A lot of C rated oils are also listed as S oils. The second letter is just the latest specification. i.e/ SH/CD

 

[buickanddeere]

As the engine probably doesn't have rolller cam followers. Use a HD diesel oil that is not supposed to be used on post 2007 diesel engines. The later emission diesel oil is a low ash product with fewer anti wear additives.

 

[3930dave]

As the engine probably doesn't have rolller cam followers. Use a HD diesel oil that is not supposed to be used on post 2007 diesel engines. The later emission diesel oil is a low ash product with fewer anti wear additives.

That was the other part of the story that I was alluding to.

Even 10 years ago, chances are the OP wouldn't have had a problem, as many of the gasoline marketed motor oils were also C_ rated at that time.

FYI OP - many of the modern "Fleet" diesel oils of today (T6 being one example) are commonly rated for diesel and gasoline use (C_ and S_ ratings). That is one of the reasons they are popular.

BUT, few (if any) motor oils that are marketed for Gasoline motors today are diesel rated. You probably got that from the earlier posts, but it is critical enough that I wanted to re-state it.

I understand some of the science behind this agglomeration of oil specs that have been issued in the last decade. Still, I have to think, there must be a few reports lying around the Marketing departments of engine companies that detail the increased business these specs have created due to improper maintenance.

Rgds, D.

 

[daugen]

beat me to it, I was going to say T6 as well.

guys, is there any reason a 15/40 would be preferable over 5/40?
Almost everyone associates 15/40 with diesel.
Let's assume no extreme cold, but plenty of hot.
I know in high temps it's the 40 one worries about, but
are there compromises in the oil to accomplish this?

Or is one oil simply formulated more "completely" to accomplish a wider variety of tasks?

 

[3930dave]

guys, is there any reason a 15/40 would be preferable over 5/40?
Almost everyone associates 15/40 with diesel.
Let's assume no extreme cold, but plenty of hot.
I know in high temps it's the 40 one worries about, but
are there compromises in the oil to accomplish this?

Or is one oil simply formulated more "completely" to accomplish a wider variety of tasks?

Realistically, and decent type of either grade should give you good service. I suspect you understand the cold benefits.

In terms of nuances, hot, I checked Amsoil to compare two synthetic versions of those weights. (What I'm trying to do is compare to equivalent base oils, as many 15W40's tend to be conventional). Long story short, the equivalent 15W40 has about a 12degC higher Flashpoint.

That higher Flashpoint should give you a slightly lower oil consumption under extended high temperature runs, esp. at high loads. My guess - if you were pulling a loaded cattle trailer all over Texas in the summertime, AND the motor was oil tight (no leaks) you might see the difference. Most people don't pay that much attention though.

Conventional oil, in a given weight grade, tends to have a lower Flashpoint than synthetic. If you know your road vehicle well, you can see this tendency (slightly higher oil consumption with conventional) esp. during the summer months.

Way back, the standard wisdom was that you didn't want too much of a spread between the top/bottom viscosity #'s. The historical reason was that the techniques used to get a wide spread weren't as good as what is the practice today..... long way of saying that modern oils (Conv. and Synth.) are better than they used to be.

That said, engine use and maintenance practice can be a factor. Assuming I didn't have to deal with cold temperatures, for somebody that changes their tractor oil every 5 years whether it needs it or not, I'd probably want to see 15W40 in there - but that is an extreme situation - most TBNers don't let things go that long.

Rgds, D.