Synthetic Oil in Tractors and Trucks

[varmint]

Gemini... the statement about leaving the original oil in the engine for 10K came from the owner's manual... I try to avoid asking serious questions to the dealer's staff, since my experiences with them have mostly been less than confidence building. "Mostly", but of course there are still some good guys working who know what they are talking about.

 

[DieselPower]

Varmint I have asked about break in oil but none of the dealers I have talked to seem to know anything about that. When I was younger you used break in oil then changed it at about 600 miles but I have been told they dont do that anymore.

In years past there actually was such a thing as "break in oil". It was basically a engine oil with a very heavy ZDDP additive package. Due to the large majority of ZDDP being removed from oil these day's I don't even know if anyone makes a true "break in oil" anymore. The majority of engine break in happens within the first couple of hundred miles in engines so there is no reason to wait a extended time for the synthetic change. In fact, leaving in the factory fill will do nothing but keep the wear metals that are in the oil from the break in process circulating through your engine until you do change it.

 

[cp1969]

In fact, leaving in the factory fill will do nothing but keep the wear metals that are in the oil from the break in process circulating through your engine until you do change it.

I'm sure Honda's engineers have figured this out, too. And they tell you to leave it in for 10K.

 

[ArkLaTexSam]

This is an apples or oranges debate. Just drain oil and change oil filter after 2000 miles and then again every 3000. My dads 1978 chev is still going strong with 200,000 plus miles, oil and filter changes every 3000 miles using quaker state. I do use synthetics in my truck and car because of the extended oil changes. Everything that I have owned with dino in it has done well as long as I change oil out every 3000 miles. I use Rotella dino in my tractor cause i'm going to change it once a year anyway.

ArkLaTexSam

 

[DieselPower]

I'm sure Honda's engineers have figured this out, too. And they tell you to leave it in for 10K.

I take it you have never done a UOA on break in oil after only a couple of hundred miles. I have, more than once. If you had you would know what I'm talking about. The wear metal counts are through the roof after only a couple of hundred miles on the break in oil. After changing the oil and filter and then retesting 3,000 miles later the second UOA shows almost no wear metal. That tells me in a scientific way that all of the break in occurs very early in the engines life. In fact, I have even spoken with diesel engine field engineers (Caterpillar and Isuzu to be exact) on more than one occasion that told me the majority of break in wear happens within the first 30 MINUTES! But what do they know, their only engineers with field experience.

 

[MikePA]

I take it you have never done a UOA on break in oil after only a couple of hundred miles. I have, more than once. If you had you would know what I'm talking about.

In other words, the Honda engineers are wrong?

 

[JerryG]

Here is some information about JD's break-in oil.
Frontier Power Products - Deere Break-In Oil

 

[KICK]

Like DP said, the most wear during the breakin period is in the first few hours of operation.

all those microscopic rough edges are wearing off in what may be called a burnishing process.

taint a bad idea to throw em away after a few hundred miles of operation and go to clean oil, of whatever type you prefer.

 

[cp1969]

I take it you have never done a UOA on break in oil after only a couple of hundred miles.

That would be a good assumption, because I've never done UOA on anything--period. With no adverse consequences yet. I consider it to be, for 99% of the population, including me, a BFWOTAM. Maybe if I owned a hand-built, experimental engine of some kind, or a really, really valuable piece of equipment, but for what I own, that has already been figured out for me by the manufacturer.

 

[cp1969]

But what do they know, their only engineers with field experience.

Then how do you classify Honda's engineers?