Lets discuss oil weight
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More Turbo
Joined: Mar 2004
Posts: 534
Likes: 1
From: manson
Lets discuss oil weight
Lets talk about oil. In another thread someone was discussing winter/summer/gas/diesel oil.
Consider this scenario:
I once owned a 1993 Chevy S10 with a 4.3L v6. I ran Castrol 20/50 in it in the summer from day one…and 10/40 in the winter ( Central Iowa….-20 is common ) I bought the truck with 30K miles on it…and ran the guts out of that truck right up to 186,000 miles, changing the oil every 3000 miles…then sold it to a buddy…he ran it up to 225,000 miles and sold it …heck it might still be running.
I drove this truck 70-80 mph daily on the highway…I towed a boat with it...hauled wood….It still had the original battery and clutch when I sold it.
A friend with a 1996 S10 insisted on using 0-20 or 0-30 in the winter and 5-20 or 5-30 in the summer. He spun a main bearing at 86K miles….several connecting rod bearings were thrashed as well……roached the engine and had to cough up big $$$ for a rebuild.
I know…not a diesel topic but it is related sortta.
Is there any relation to this kind of engine wear / failure and using light weight oil?
My Mercruiser manual calls for the use of 20-40 or straight 40 in my 496.....I'm working toward gear oil now.
Consider this scenario:
I once owned a 1993 Chevy S10 with a 4.3L v6. I ran Castrol 20/50 in it in the summer from day one…and 10/40 in the winter ( Central Iowa….-20 is common ) I bought the truck with 30K miles on it…and ran the guts out of that truck right up to 186,000 miles, changing the oil every 3000 miles…then sold it to a buddy…he ran it up to 225,000 miles and sold it …heck it might still be running.
I drove this truck 70-80 mph daily on the highway…I towed a boat with it...hauled wood….It still had the original battery and clutch when I sold it.
A friend with a 1996 S10 insisted on using 0-20 or 0-30 in the winter and 5-20 or 5-30 in the summer. He spun a main bearing at 86K miles….several connecting rod bearings were thrashed as well……roached the engine and had to cough up big $$$ for a rebuild.
I know…not a diesel topic but it is related sortta.
Is there any relation to this kind of engine wear / failure and using light weight oil?
My Mercruiser manual calls for the use of 20-40 or straight 40 in my 496.....I'm working toward gear oil now.
Cargo Master
Joined: Oct 2004
Posts: 2,148
Likes: 0
From: Seneca, SC
The big reason that I use the thicker oils (and synthetic oils) is that they stick to parts better. I've had guys tell me to NEVER run 0-X weight oils for the chance of dry startup. If this is not a problem then there may be one in that there are too many additives to make the oil go to "0" weight. Here in SC where the temp changes little, I run straight 30 weight all the time, and could probably get away with straight 50 weight. The less you devote to weight changing additives, the more of other additives you can put in.
Hotshot
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 11,697
Likes: 3
From: Marengo, Iowa
While the newer diesels are designed for thinner oil, the older ones like the 6.9 and early 7.3's were designed for 15-40. I run that all year around, and haven't had any issues that way, my father has done that for the 300,000 on his, as well as our farm tractors. I outright refuse to go any thinner though. I have begun running Lucas oil treatment for the last few changes as well, no dry startups there...
