Another oil thread

[ahiskydiver8]

I am trying to find the correct oil for the 3b non turbo. Soon to possibly add a turbo.
Main question
Is this engine a "Flat tappet" cam which means the engine likes higher zinc?
Would that mean it likes dyno oil or blend instead of full synthetic?
would a great option be rotella t5?
I'm in Alaska so -20 to 95 degree temps.

 

[ahiskydiver8]

My tdi Jetta I run t6 5w40 but it's full synthetic and lotta threads I've found said full synthetic isn't the best for this motor

 

[Freewheel]

Shell Rotella T4 15W-40
Your engine is a flat tappet and wants zinc in it's oil. As far as I know, despite some reformulations in past years, Rotella still is a good source of zinc in your diesel's diet....

 

[ahiskydiver8]

rotella t4 also comes in 10w30. with the colder temps described above any chance I should get that formulation instead?

 

[Dougal]

I'd normally say 10W40 and you're set. But the -20C can change things a bit. Are you plugged into heaters or garaged at those temps?

Oils that run low zinc (so they don't poison catalytic converters and DPF filters) have other additives which do the same anti-wear jobs. It's really not a problem. With a 3B you'll be changing oil early because it's sooted up anyway. Other diesels are doing 30,000km oil changes.

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

I'd normally say 10W40 and you're set. But the -20C can change things a bit. Are you plugged into heaters or garaged at those temps?

Oils that run low zinc (so they don't poison catalytic converters and DPF filters) have other additives which do the same anti-wear jobs. It's really not a problem. With a 3B you'll be changing oil early because it's sooted up anyway. Other diesels are doing 30,000km oil changes.

I got caught unexpectedly in cold weather with 15w40 Shell Rotella. I started my 2LTE at -25C without any sort of block heater or anything. It was not happy to say the least. In fact afterwards I had lots of bearing material in the oil. Turned out to be from the camshaft bearings (overhead cam like 1KZ/1HZ/1HD etc.) being starved of oil until the engine warmed up a bit.

I've had excellent experience with the 15w40 Shell Rotella in mild/hot temperatures though. I'm very diligent about running lighter oils in winter now however. I've been running 10w30 Shell Rotella in our mild winter weather now. However if I were to expect really cold temperatures again, I'd consider something even lighter.

These old IDI's are quite sooty indeed. I change my oil every 5,000km....

 

[ahiskydiver8]

Err -25 fahrenheit so -31 celscius. And heated garage but 12 hour work day sitting at work. So cold starts. I use t6 I'm the Jetta tdi. But it's full synthetic. Should I find a 5w40 dino oil?

 

[ahiskydiver8]

I'd normally say 10W40 and you're set. But the -20C can change things a bit. Are you plugged into heaters or garaged at those temps?

Oils that run low zinc (so they don't poison catalytic converters and DPF filters) have other additives which do the same anti-wear jobs. It's really not a problem. With a 3B you'll be changing oil early because it's sooted up anyway. Other diesels are doing 30,000km oil changes.

Which Diesel's can do the 30000k oil changes? Honest question. Is it the newer diesels with all of the fancy gadgetry?

 

[Dougal]

Which Diesel's can do the 30000k oil changes? Honest question. Is it the newer diesels with all of the fancy gadgetry?

A lot of Euro's. Landrover have been running 27,000km oil changes for about a decade. My 11 year old tdi has an oil quality sensor with no fixed intervals but does around 24,000km intervals.

Burning clean to meet emissions has really helped oil life.

 

[Dougal]

I got caught unexpectedly in cold weather with 15w40 Shell Rotella. I started my 2LTE at -25C without any sort of block heater or anything. It was not happy to say the least. In fact afterwards I had lots of bearing material in the oil. Turned out to be from the camshaft bearings (overhead cam like 1KZ/1HZ/1HD etc.) being starved of oil until the engine warmed up a bit.

I've had excellent experience with the 15w40 Shell Rotella in mild/hot temperatures though. I'm very diligent about running lighter oils in winter now however. I've been running 10w30 Shell Rotella in our mild winter weather now. However if I were to expect really cold temperatures again, I'd consider something even lighter.

These old IDI's are quite sooty indeed. I change my oil every 5,000km....

So here's how the W section of SAE oil weights work. SAE J300 is the standard
Each winter oil grade has two maximum viscosities (in CentiStokes or CentiPoise, water = 1 for reference) at specific test temperatures.

There is a cold cranking limit which is between 6000 and 3000 cSt depending on the oil grade.
There is a cold pumping limit which is 30,000 cSt (30,000 times thicker than water is at 20C).

15W oils have a cold pumping limit of -20C and cold cranking limit of -15C.
10W oils have a cold pumping limit of -25C and cold cranking limit of -20C.
5W oils have a cold pumping limit of -30C and cold cranking limit of -25C.
0W oils have a cold pumping limit of -35C and cold cranking limit of -30C.

So at -25C you were below the limit for 15W oil and that's why it couldn't be pumped around the engine and you had bearing damage.
-25C is on the limit for a 10W oil but you'd be safer with a 5W.

OP at -31C needs a 0W oil to be safe. But he's may also have the option of running a 5W or 10W and avoiding cold starting at those super-low temperature.
If it's -30C but your oil pan heater or coolant heater keeps the engine closer to 0C then it's not a problem.

These oil limits are only about cold starting and cranking. Once an engine is running and oil circulating the W rating doesn't matter, you're then looking at the end two letters for the operating temperature rating. Which for us is 30 to 40.

 

[MarkBC]

I want to change the oil before firing up the 60 again (3B). Rotella T4 10w30 is everywhere but I think I want 5w30 being winter. Should I make the effort to get it or is 10w30 good enough? Nothing too cold, usually above freezing here but it can get down to 10 below sometimes.

 

[roscoFJ73]

The FSM has an temp oil chart that gives you a graph showing which oil to use

 

[Indestructible 47]

For a 1hd-fte but any older Toyota diesels will be the same.

 

[roscoFJ73]

but it can get down to 10 below

C or F ?

 

[MarkBC]

C. We are in the modern world in Canada and Australia. Looks like 10w30 should be good. Even 15w40

 

[GTSSportCoupe]

I want to change the oil before firing up the 60 again (3B). Rotella T4 10w30 is everywhere but I think I want 5w30 being winter. Should I make the effort to get it or is 10w30 good enough? Nothing too cold, usually above freezing here but it can get down to 10 below sometimes.

I've had the best luck with Shell Rotella. I use 15W40 in the warm months, and 10W30 in the cold months. I'm talking West Coast BC temps here (I live in Victoria). If I was going to travel to the interior of BC in winter, I'd change to 5W30 if the forecast was for -18C or lower.

 

[mudandrock]

No modern Diesel engine specific oil contains enough zinc. Add it to your oil, even if you bought the most expensive grade on the shelf.

 

[Profibus]

Took this photo directly from the 3B engine manual today, same as the 1HD manual.