I need some thoughts. I don't know much about oil. I use 10w30 weight. My motor has a lot of miles and I was thinking about moving up to a heavier weight oil. My motor doesn't leak or burn any oil between changes, but is this a good reason not to change oil weight?
Is 10w40 the next step up? If so, is it enough to matter?
I don't want to strain my oil pump or anything like that but I would like to help prolong my engine life if possible.
Any information is good information. I've asked about this before but never really came to any conclusions. I'm ready to change oil weight now though.
10W-40 is an obsolete grade from the 1970's. Due to poor base stocks and lots of Viscosity Index Improver polymers needed to make that grade, "black death" oxidation sludge was often the result. That was also the fate of those that tried the first 5W-30's as well. Of course, that is not the case today, but with modern oil chemistry 10W-30 does not shear or thin out in a couple of thousand miles like back then. That was the reason for 10W-40 in the first place.
If you feel a need to go up to an xW-40, use 15W-40 instead. It is a modern formulation for diesel and gas engines. Chevron Delo 400 is my favorite. Shell Rotella T is the most popular.
My motor doesn't leak or burn any oil between changes, but is this a good reason not to change oil weight?
Thanks guys
-Bill
An excellent reason. If you've gotten to 214,000 miles using 10W-30 and it's not burning or leaking why change? It's obviously kept your engine in good shape and it likes it. I don't know about "today" but in the recent past 10W-30 oils had better base oils and less viscosity improvers due to the narrower spread in viscosity, which is preferable. If you were burning oil then going to a 10W-40 might give you some relief. But you said you're not burning oil.
If I recall correctly the Motorcraft 10W-30 is now listed as a synthetic blend but the Motorcraft 10W-40 is not.
Hey, thanks to everyone for your thoughts and opinions. I'll continue using 10w30 with no additives until leaks / burning developes. Thanks again guys!!!!
I think 10W-30 HDEO (like Rotella or Delo) would be a good choice for your '94 too. If you have trouble finding them on store shelves, you can always buy them from a distributor.
My neighbor, tried to sell me on the old shell Rotella T oil, "If it works in semi's, it will be more then I will ever need..." Well he just switched becaus of the guy at twilightzone telling him that... what they didnt tell him was, Shell Rotella was designed for diesels, when they didnt have egr valves, Needless to say, 6 months later, he was lookin for help R & R ing his engine, he trashed.
My opinion, is, it is imperrative the engines oil reccomendations from the mfg are followed, not your opinions, however,,, that being said, it is my understanding that, You could consider running any 5 w oil, not just 2w20 or 5w30, but also 5w40 to. It is my understanding that the first number is the most important. So to say 10w30 is OK but 10w40 is not, is inacurate. because 10w30 or 10w40 is that second number oil with the flow of the first, that is why I understand, that any 5w oil is acceptable, and any 10w oil is not... and surely not 15w whatever.
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My neighbor, tried to sell me on the old shell Rotella T oil, "If it works in semi's, it will be more then I will ever need..." Well he just switched becaus of the guy at twilightzone telling him that... what they didnt tell him was, Shell Rotella was designed for diesels, when they didnt have egr valves, Needless to say, 6 months later, he was lookin for help R & R ing his engine, he trashed.
My opinion, is, it is imperrative the engines oil reccomendations from the mfg are followed, not your opinions, however,,, that being said, it is my understanding that, You could consider running any 5 w oil, not just 2w20 or 5w30, but also 5w40 to. It is my understanding that the first number is the most important. So to say 10w30 is OK but 10w40 is not, is inacurate. because 10w30 or 10w40 is that second number oil with the flow of the first, that is why I understand, that any 5w oil is acceptable, and any 10w oil is not... and surely not 15w whatever.
What?
1. Delo 400, Rotella T, etc, are gasoline engine oils as well, not diesel only, per the API ratings.
2. They have more dispersants/detergents, so how is that damaging to EGR's? Modern diesels DO have EGR valves.
3. How exactly was the engine "trashed"? EGR failure alone does not damage an engine, only increases NOx emissions.
I dont understand you last paragraph. SAE J-300 defines how motor oil viscosity is measured and rated. The numbering system for multi-viscosity oils is a little confusing. The first "W" number stands for Winter, but the number is only an index that points to minimum recommended starting temperature, based on a Cold Cranking Simulator test.
Note that 15W is good down to -20C (+4F). Thats still colder than it ever gets here.
The second number is the viscosity measured at 100C (212F). A higher number will help lower oil consumption, but at the expense of a slight decrease in gas mileage, a trade-off.
My neighbor, tried to sell me on the old shell Rotella T oil, "If it works in semi's, it will be more then I will ever need..." Well he just switched becaus of the guy at twilightzone telling him that... what they didnt tell him was, Shell Rotella was designed for diesels, when they didnt have egr valves, Needless to say, 6 months later, he was lookin for help R & R ing his engine, he trashed.
My opinion, is, it is imperrative the engines oil reccomendations from the mfg are followed, not your opinions, however,,, that being said, it is my understanding that, You could consider running any 5 w oil, not just 2w20 or 5w30, but also 5w40 to. It is my understanding that the first number is the most important. So to say 10w30 is OK but 10w40 is not, is inacurate. because 10w30 or 10w40 is that second number oil with the flow of the first, that is why I understand, that any 5w oil is acceptable, and any 10w oil is not... and surely not 15w whatever.
Yes, you're right, it is important to follow the recommendations of the manufacturer. However, you are incorrect about engine oil viscosities.
If your neighbour required a 5W-20 in his engine and he used a 15W-40 instead, then perhaps this may have contributed to his engine failure but I think there is more to the story than the use of the wrong viscosity. If he required a 10W-30, then he should have absolutely no problems at all with using Shell Rotella T 10W-30. FWIW, a Ford Engineer recommends using 5W-30 rather than 5W-20 in mod motors (see Corner Carver posting)
A multigrade engine oil has 2 parts to the viscosity specification. If you require 5W-30, the 5W specification means that the oil has cold flow properities of an SAE 5W-weight oil. The 30 specification means that it has the hot flow properties of an SAE 30-weight oil (9.3 - <12.5 cSt @ 100°C).
Therefore, if the OEM specified a 10W-30, you should be able to also use 5W-30 and 0W-30 as these grades are still in the same hot viscosity range as the 10W-30 but make the engine easier to start in cold weather. Because synthetics (by their nature) flow extremely well at cold temperatures, 0W-30 oils are generally synthetics. The main differences between a Starburst Oil and an HDEO is that HDEO generally have higher levels of antiwear additives (ZDDP) and no friction modifiers (for potentially slight lower fuel economy).
As for lowering oil consumption, there is a BITOG theory that higher hot viscosity oils reduce consumption isn't necessarily true.
As for lowering oil consumption, there is a BITOG theory that higher hot viscosity oils reduce consumption isn't necessarily true.
That BITOG post only mentioned it as a rare case, not at all typical. I have found that in modern engines, especially OHC, that intake valve seals and/or stem and guide wear is more significant than the ring area in oil burning. That is why "high mileage" oils can be so effective, due to swelling of the intake seals.
It is true that "normal" oil consumption varies between engines and it is unreasonable for the public to expect not to add any oil between changes, but thats the way many think today. I had a GM 4.3 V-6 that must have had low tension rings or some such thing because from new, it used about a quart every 2500 miles or so. After a shot of seal conditioner, the 200,000 mile Camry is down to a pint of 10W-30 every 3000 miles. In a more extreme case, the Supra was visibly smoking at 150,000 and straight SAE 40 stopped the smoke. Cold starting was not an issue as we were living in Hawaii at the time.
Grandpa never bought another Ford product is whole life after his 1932 flathead V-8. Those first year models did have a flaw that resulted in a quart every 300 miles in many cases. But the reputation damage had been done. It was Chevy, Studebaker and Plymouth after that.
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