Engine oil grades

[441rider 0]

Hello fellows,I've been using my 1954 Simplicity "V"5hp garden tractor after a full restoration and it's ready for an oil change. I had #30 grade oil in since the engine rebuild and I'm wondering if a multi- grade would be beneficial or not. Any ideas ?

Craig

[dentwizz 6]

Usual rule of thumb is 30 above 40 degF, 10-30 below.

[441rider 0]

Thanks very for the timely reply

[427435 0]

Use a synthetic 5w-30 or 5w-40. Then you don't have to worry about changing oil due to ambient temps

[441rider 0]

Yes I figure there would be advantages to using synthetic oils. I wonder how the old girl would act at her age (61). I'll break her in gently.

[Kenh 37]

I use 15W40 diesel engine oil in all my mowers, skidsteer etc. Even in my motorcycle. I still use a 5W30 for winter operation though.

Ken

[441rider 0]

Thanks for the reply Ken. I'm a biker myself. Both me and my bikes are all "vintage" style. Cheers Craig

[427435 0]

quote:Originally posted by Kenh

I use 15W40 diesel engine oil in all my mowers, skidsteer etc. Even in my motorcycle. I still use a 5W30 for winter operation though.Ken

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id="quote">

id="quote">Why not use 5w-40 Mobil 1 Diesel oil year around?

[Simplicity7013H 95]

Just to fire this debate up more... Detergent or Non-Detergent?

[oldsarge 72]

Non-detergent for engine break-in or in applications not involving combustion only^

[Simplicity7013H 95]

So... Our Briggs Cast Irons should use?? Detergent?

[Kenh 37]

For engine break in use the best NON SYNTHETIC oil you can find. IMO breakin is the most critical time in an engines life. The use of a non detergent oil has no effect on the process. Besides I think it's important to keep the crud in suspension so you can drain it out. Breakin oil should only be run for about an hour anyway as that is about how long it takes in real life if done correctly.

Ken

See my post about break in here http://simpletractors.com/Club2/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=156038

[Kenh 37]

Originally posted by 427435

quote:

id="quote">In my opinion...... Using an oil with that much spread while not dangerous is not the best choice in my opinion. To achieve a multi viscosity oil, polymer chains are added that swell with heat. So, a 5W40 oil starts life as a 5 weight oil and these polymer chains are added along with everything else to make a useable product. As the engine runs the oil gets hot the polymers swell and thicken the oil. ALSO as the engine runs these polymer chains are sheared and resheared until they no longer work as intended. That is why oil left too long in an engine runs out thinner than water when drained hot. OK so why is 5W40 not a good product? Well it's not "bad", but the amount of polymers added is so great the shearing process degrades the oil rather quickly. The 40 weight doesn't last all that long. There are just SO MANY polymer chains to make the oil thick they break down quickly.So how do I know all this..... In a different lifetime I was selling Chevron products. At one of the conferences/sales meetings I was able to eat lunch with of the chemists that formulate oil products. It was an eye opening experience.Like i said in the beginning, this is all my opinion. If you are having good luck with what you are doing, by all means continue on as usual.Ken

[427435 0]

Originally posted by Kenh

quote:

id="quote">In my opinion...... Using an oil with that much spread while not dangerous is not the best choice in my opinion. To achieve a multi viscosity oil, polymer chains are added that swell with heat. So, a 5W40 oil starts life as a 5 weight oil and these polymer chains are added along with everything else to make a useable product. As the engine runs the oil gets hot the polymers swell and thicken the oil. ALSO as the engine runs these polymer chains are sheared and resheared until they no longer work as intended. That is why oil left too long in an engine runs out thinner than water when drained hot. OK so why is 5W40 not a good product? Well it's not "bad", but the amount of polymers added is so great the shearing process degrades the oil rather quickly. The 40 weight doesn't last all that long. There are just SO MANY polymer chains to make the oil thick they break down quickly.So how do I know all this..... In a different lifetime I was selling Chevron products. At one of the conferences/sales meetings I was able to eat lunch with of the chemists that formulate oil products. It was an eye opening experience.Like i said in the beginning, this is all my opinion. If you are having good luck with what you are doing, by all means continue on as usual.Ken

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id="quote">id="quote">That's true for conventional oils. It is not true for synthetic oil.I use Mobil 1 5w-30 oil in a car that I've been doing oil changes at 7500 miles. I've also been taking oil samples when draining and sending it to Blackstone labs for analysis. At 7500 miles, it still meets the viscosity standards for 30 weight oil. So would a 5w-40 oil if I was running that.Air cooled engines operate with typically looser clearances than new car engines. They can also get hot if the cooling fins aren't well cleaned. A heavier oil can be a life saver in one while being a 5w when cold makes for good starting.