Synthetic Diesel Oil...

[ColorMeGreen]

After reading the press from Deere, I've gone to synthetic and the stuff JD recommends (JD of course) is 0w40. If it is like other synthetics then you might enjoy some of the graphs.
http://www.deere.com/en_US/parts/pa...0000000000000000000000001&sidenavstate=010000

 

[JohnMiller3]

Hi...
Yeah... I seen it in a JD parts advertisement...

How much are you paying a quart?

John Deere has been extremely reasonable on their replacement filters... I think I pay about $3.50 or $3.75 for an oil filter... (but had to get some closeouts from Quality Farm & Family for $1-2. each.../w3tcompact/icons/wink.gif)

 

[ColorMeGreen]

Well... I paid 5.69/qt... too much from what I'm reading now...

 

[heehaw]

same price per gallon at the walmart here, but they have a real bargain..buy the case of 6 one gallon jugs for $113...yep, you read it right, and i looked it over several times, a gallon for 12.83 or 6 for 113. wonder who does their stickers for them?? maybe the gallon is the misprint???
i've been using amzoil for years, but with shipping cost i think i'll have to switch...i can't remember what i am paying for their 2 ea. 2.5 gal jugs of oil, but when the shipping is thrown in, i bet its a lot more than the 12.83 per gallon.
heehaw

 

[toystuff]

I have recently switched to AMSOIL racing oil for my CASE in April and it seems to run better.

 

[khestee]

The point of synthetic oil is protection. Not just when it's cold, but all year long. If you replace your equipment every two years don't worry about it. Sit down and put it to paper, synthetics save money, better protection, longer drain intervals, less mechanical problems, better running equipment, prevent rust better during storage....etc. Same goes for hydraulic fluids. The better tractor makers already use synthetic fluids. They run cooler, flow better at low temps, handle moisture better...etc.

 

[cowboydoc]

If that's true about synthetics then why are all these tractors that are 30, 40, 50 years old still going strong? I think regular oil works just fine or all these old tractors would have been gone a long time ago. In some cases I think you are worse off because people let the oil go for longer periods of time before they change it. I do believe that synthetic may be a little better but if you keep up with your oil and filter changes I don't think you'd be any better off with synthetics.

 

[heehaw]

the only thing i noticed when i first switched to synthetic oil, was how much longer it took the engine to warm up..i did the switch in the middle of winter, several years ago, on a little toyota truck i drove at the time..till i switched, i had warm air from the heater and the temp guage was up within a couple miles..when i switched, i had no warm air and the temp guage didn't hardly move in 4 miles. i knew i was going to switch that wk-end, so i had paid close attention to the temp guage for the week before, so i think it was a pretty good comparison..that was in a 93 toyota, i didn't see the big difference when i switched in the 2000 toyota i drive now.
heehaw

 

[WALT]

John:

I'm late to reply, but the Walmart price, when the 5-40 was introduced in late 2001, was $18.88 a gallon. I decided to use it in my 1999 F-250 powerstroke diesel. (4 gal.) I can't really say it's impact on cold weather operation, as winter forgot to stop in CT. last year. I still use Rotella 15-40, spring, summer & fall.

I was to do the 300 hr sevice on my Kubota, and needed oil. I had been using Mobil 1 10-30, but Walmart was out of stock. As my BX uses less than a gallon, I thought the Rottella Syn. 5-40 was a good substitute.
The jug was still marked $18.88, so imagine my pleasant surprise when it rang up as $12.83.

One observation with the synthetics, if you have any loose seals, gaskets, washers etc., the oil will find it's way out.
For the amount I use in the tractor, it seems like cheap insurance. For the 4 gallon oil change in the F-250, it has just become more affordable, and therefore justifyable. (As a cheapskate yankee)

WALT

 

[jbs]

Lot of oil post scattered around the board. This is one subject with a lot of opinion ,myths and controversy. Seems like everybody has a brother-in-law that works for NASA or NASCAR or some where and swears this brand is the best or this brand will destroy your engine.

Some years ago Consumer Reports compared motor oils. The test were conducted in a laboratory and in a fleet of NYC taxi cabs.From what I remember they reached the following conclusions.
1) Oil is oil regardless of price or brand

2) Synthetics showed no real superior lubricity to justify the price but did last longer before breaking down. A mute point is you change your oil at the scheduled time.

3) Changing oil every 3000mi. was overkill, very wasteful and not to friendly to mother earth.

4) All of the info-commercial "slick" additives were useless.

5) Mixing brands showed no ill effects.


6) Pick a brand and follow your manufactures suggested maintenance schedule.

I dont think diesel engines were addressed but as other members have suggested pick an oil with a diesel rating, follow the recomended schedule, dont abuse your equipment and engine failure due to oil should be the least of your worries.