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motor oil

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Anonymous-0

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I need an education on motor oil. When pop was living he used Kendall sae30 super D in all our diesels. Since then you cant find it anymore so I switched to another brand and use 15w40. Did I do right? And what is the difference between the two? I know 15w40 must be a heavier oil but these tractors ran fine with the old Kendall. Also been thinkin of switching to Brad Penn oil as they bought the old Kendall refinery and are producing the traditional green oil we used for years.
 
It isn't all about weight. There are gasoline and diesel specs on wear protection, corrosion protection and ash content.
 
The 15-40 Rotella, or Delo, or other major brand will be far better than older specification oil.
Multi viscosity. oil is thinner when cold than a strait wt., and a little thicker when hot than the strait wt.. thus the best of both worlds. Jim
 
I'd suggest doing a search for American Petroleum Institute and doing a little research; there are other things that are at least (maybe more) as important as 'weight' of oil. We bought our 1st diesel tractor in the '50s; my (uneducated) dad went to the local C0-0P and got case of 'diesel' oil and carried it to the dock; their oil 'expert' saw it and asked what he was buying it for; when told it was for a farm tractor, the guy said, "That's for bulldozers" and swapped it for some 'heavy duty' oil; the crankcase only held 6 quarts and used a quart of oil every half-day it was ever used. The oil.....in retrospect........was obviously made for gasoline engines.
 
Hi Guy,

Oil choice is a purley "human" thing and as humans, we always seem to get all worked up over this "huge" decision.

That old tractor is iron and just doesn't give a hoot one way 'er another. It'll run on melted bacon fat and not miss a beat. :>)

Allan
 
A little bit different situation, but my non-mechanical uncle serviced his 5.9 Cummins powered Tucker Snocat last fall, and just put in gasoline rated motor oil. I noticed that after I would run it pushing snow for half an hour, at idle the oil pressure would drop WAAAY down (this is when I figured out what kind of oil it had in it) next time I went up, I changed it to delo 15-40, problem solved. Run it hard, idle it down, still plenty of pressure.
I know the old engines aren't as picky as the newer ones, but it certainly makes a difference.

I run Delo in everything that I own.

Ben
 
AGREED ...big difference between oils for diesel , personally I feel a gasser is more forgiving than a Diesel.DO NOT RUN OIL SPECIFIC FOR GASSERS IN DIESELS. ...I Use Texaco URSA 15w40 in All ..meets and exceeds all requirements ,,, used ROTELLA BEFORE THAT, not sure but i felt my engineswere getting filthy inside ???? .. so I switched , because the salesman said Texaco Ursa qwould be cleaner ???.. so far no ill effects ..
 
Allen i dont agree with that diesel engines get lamp black in the oil it is a by prodout of burning diesel fuel , used as a polishing agent. you better run a diesel rated oil in your diesel or you will find out the hard way
 
If you were running a 30 weight then you should run a 10W30 The lower number is what the higher number is when the engine is hot. 10W30 is the same as 30 10W40 is the same as 40.
Walt
As far as brands go just look at the additives other than Oil is Oil except for the so called synthetics but even they are made from the same stuff only newer. (Not setting in the ground for millions of years)
 
Some years when I was farming I had a 1973 Fird F-250 with a 390 in it. I run it hard all summer long, changing oil at the recommended times. Each fall I had to put new lifters in it as one or more was stuck.
My bil used diesel oil in everything, told me it would clean things up and I would not have that problem.
I went to the same weight of diesel oil in my oil changes - run that pickup 10 more years and NEVER had to change lifters again - Made me a believer.

Ken 46
 
Many tractor and diesel engine companies did not want multi-viscosity oils being used in diesels - like 15W-40. The main reason was the polymers used in petro-based multi-oils tend to gum up piston rings. Straight-grade oils don't have those polymers. This was more of problem in diesel pistons with square-rings, and not the triangular Keystone rings.

Newer multi oils seem to be less of a problem. And, synthetic non-petro mulit-oils NEVER had the problem since they don't use polymers like organic multi-oils do.

Many diesel engine companies still give a preference for straight-grade oils. Especially for Detroit two-stroke-cycle diesels.
 
3 main hd oils are ... shell rotella , chevron delo, and mobile delvac.

all three are about equal in additive packages and specs for hd diesels and hd gas. these oils are great for everything except cars with catalytic converters becuause they have hd pressure and wear additives that will cling to hot metals and coat them to cut the friction and heat down. It is this excellent property that makes the cling to catylitic converters and render them usless.

so.. for tractors.. most of all that dont have catalytic converters, the hd diesel oils are perfect.

for extreame cold weather use in artic and snow, the 5w-40 hd oils are reccomended.

hd oils have anti moisture aditives, anti acid aditives, high pressure wear additives, cold start cling aditives, vicosity shearing additives,
so this oil performs about a good as any oil you can buy. As said earlier, the oil is so good that it will attack a catilytic converter and coat it, so its a bit too good for some emissions type engines....
 

I think you had a typo Walt. The lower number is the viscostiy when cold. Remember the W means winter so in cold temps the 10W-30 is like 10 weight.

Since your tractor spec'ed 30 weight I would agree that a 10W-30 Diesel oil is a good choice.
 
Thanks to all. I was using rotella 15w40 and was not impressed, tractors started burning oil. So I switched to amalie,now they have been sold, so i am sort of in limbo. Also I run a 4600, and 8000 Fords.
 
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