Winter Oil?
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Junior User
Joined: Aug 2005
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Winter Oil?
Quick Question....
I use Rotella 15-40
in the Summer months. But thats to heavy i think for winter i would like to use 10-40 but cant find a good brand... I havnt found any made by Rotella. 
Thanks!
Doug
I use Rotella 15-40
in the Summer months. But thats to heavy i think for winter i would like to use 10-40 but cant find a good brand... I havnt found any made by Rotella. Thanks!
Doug
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 26,007
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From: Brentwood,CA
well how cold is it in the winter? 10w40 is almost always only for gas engines. there is one company that makes diesel oil in that grade but most are 10w40. have you thought of 10w30 diesel oil or 5w40?
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Junior User
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Originally Posted by ford390gashog
well how cold is it in the winter? 10w40 is almost always only for gas engines. there is one company that makes diesel oil in that grade but most are 10w40. have you thought of 10w30 diesel oil or 5w40?
Well It gets cold... we might hit a week or 2 or 3 where its 10 below... that might be the coldest... i have seen wind chills down to 20 to 30 below 0
The factory recommended is 10W40 i thought???
or is it 15w40... I cant remember cause thats what i use. 
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 18,423
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From: iowa
I run 15w-40 year round in mine, and we will have a few days or maybe a couple of weeks down below zero and I don't have any problems with it. the rest of the winter we will have a month or so in the teens, and single digits. Personally I would just stick with 15w-40
Logistics Pro
Joined: Jul 2002
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From: South Dakota
I use 5w40 Rotella syn during the winter months ($13 per gallon).
Otherwise it's 15w40 Delo.
15w40 isn't very good for pumpability below 40F, thus the reason for the split weight chart in your owners manual. IIRC 10w30 is to be used for low temps according to the manual.
At least with the 5w40 I know that it will startup even in the coldest temps with out haveing it plugged in.
A thin oil is much better than a cold thick sludge when it comes to startups in the winter.
Otherwise it's 15w40 Delo.
15w40 isn't very good for pumpability below 40F, thus the reason for the split weight chart in your owners manual. IIRC 10w30 is to be used for low temps according to the manual.
At least with the 5w40 I know that it will startup even in the coldest temps with out haveing it plugged in.
A thin oil is much better than a cold thick sludge when it comes to startups in the winter.
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2003
Posts: 18,423
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From: iowa
you do realize don't you that you shouldn't switch back and forth from synthetic to dyno oil, it's really bad on seals, and can, and will cause a buildup of crude in the engine.
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Fleet Owner
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From: Brentwood,CA
Originally Posted by monsterbaby
you do realize don't you that you shouldn't switch back and forth from synthetic to dyno oil, it's really bad on seals, and can, and will cause a buildup of crude in the engine.
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Fleet Owner
Joined: Jan 2004
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From: Brentwood,CA
the mess may have been from the GP I base oils being used in most oils then. they now use GP II and GP III . some even use IV. the GP I base oil made a mess in everything it touched. also they used ot use a lot of viscosity improvers which would break down fast and form nasty deposits.
Hotshot
Joined: Dec 2003
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From: iowa
you could very possibly be right actually you probably are as it was 15 yrs ago when I worked for a dealership, but it convinced me that it was not a good idea, and will never be done in one of my vehicles. and I still don't think it's the best idea. I have heard that even with modern oils switching from synthetic back to dino oil will harden the seals (got this from a friend of mine that bought a vehicle that had been running synthetic but he didn't want to pay the price so switched to dino oil the seals lasted about 3 months after that)
Fleet Owner
Joined: Jan 2004
Posts: 26,007
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From: Brentwood,CA
well the seals were probably just bad. the 5w40 synthetic mentioned here is not really a true synthetic it is GP III which is super refined dino oil. all oils have seal conditioners to help prevent seals from drying out. fuel in the oil is a major cause of seals shrinking.
