Oil Question 5W-30?

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If you search bobitheoilguy.com forums you might be able to find the actual viscosity ratings of that specific oil. As I recall, there was a specific XW30 Mobil 1 that was so thin that it was nearly a XW20!

I use German Castorl 0W30 that is on the thick side of 30 that it is almost a 40.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/images/visc.jpg

Brian894X4 said:
Forgive me, if this question has been answered before, but I too seem to burn through a lot of Mobil 1 10w-30 and I only have about 90K miles. In other posts, this seems to be common with this brand and this weight with the 1FZ. But the same engine will not consume as much, if any, on a different brand or weight.

Can anyone explain why? I did a search, but there's just SO MANY oil threads, it's hard to wade through it all. I'm assuming the problem with the Mobil 1 in any 30 weight is Mobil apparently uses a lighter 30 than others? I got that from one of Cary's posts.
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Hayes said:
Speaking to the multi-vis stuff, if the cold and hot numbers are totally unrelated, wouldn't we want to use the oil with the widest viscosity range--limited by the optimal high-temp viscosity?

In other words, if 5w-30 and 10w-30 perform identically at 100C, wouldn't the 5w-30--or even 0w-30 (if such an oil exists)--be the way to go, simply because of better performance at lower temperatures?

What is lost in a wider viscosity range oil vs. a narrower range?


Hayes
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Currently there is no problem, the possible exception being sludge prone engines like the 2.2L Toyota 4cyl and 3.0 V6.

In the past there were issues with using wide viscosity range oils. Early VI improvers and pour point depressants would sludge easily. The result was in the late 70's and early 80's many engines suffered what was called the black death, where the early 10w-40 oils would turn into black sludge and plug the oil galleries. This was especially true in Europe where small engines were run hard for long periods. This is also where the reputation of 10w-40 as a bad oil came from.

As time has gone on, three things have occurred leading to this not being an issue.

1) Basestocks have in general improved. In the 70's most oils basestocks were Group I oils. Now to meet SM specs, what are termed "mineral oils" are a blend of Group II and Group III basestocks.

2) The VI improvers are much better and more stable.

3) The rise of widespread use of Synthetics (Group III, Group IV and Group V basestocks for this discussion). Synthetics are naturally multiweight. So in many cases a 10w-40 synthetic oil will require NO pour point depressants or VI improvers. 5w-40 oils can be formulated with little in the way of the depressants and/or VI improvers, and oils like 0w-40 can be made that are reliable. Note that 0w-40 oils and 0w-30 oils only appear to be Group IV and Group V basestocks, probably in part due to those basestocks have superior performance at low temps v. Group III oils.
 
pulse98 said:
If you search bobitheoilguy.com forums you might be able to find the actual viscosity ratings of that specific oil. As I recall, there was a specific XW30 Mobil 1 that was so thin that it was nearly a XW20!

I use German Castorl 0W30 that is on the thick side of 30 that it is almost a 40.
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This is addressed specifically in the FAQ. To find out an oils thickness at operating temp, you go to the manufactures website. Mobil has traditionally formulated its M1 30 weights at the low end of the 30 weight scale (generally about 9.7-9.8 cst @ 100c), but as they have come out with more oils that has changed a bit. The 10w-30 Hi Mileage is 11.8cst and meets ACEA A3 spec like German Castrol.


I do not recommend German Castrol to people. It is to hard to find, and it is difficult to differentiate it from the US made 0w-30.
 
Lat oil change I switched from Mobil 1 synthetic to the locally available (Canada) Shell "ROTELLA T SB 100% Synthetic 0W-40" which "has been formulated for API CG-4/SJ applications"

It works ok I guess (engine runs fine if that is the ultimate test?).. and stays very clear (although now using my last "big" Toyota filter) ...

Interesting that the SB apparently stands for synthetic blend and the oil is listed on the Shell site under synthetic blends...but they state "100% Synthetic 0W-40"... some confusion in language
 
If its a 0w-40, it is a full synthetic. The Rotella 0w-40 is a great oil.
 
cary said:
If its a 0w-40, it is a full synthetic. The Rotella 0w-40 is a great oil.
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The Rotella syn that I ran was 5W-40. My brother’s rigs love it, mine didn’t like it, chain rattle.

Bought my junk with 34K miles on July 4, 2004 very hot weather, 110F+. It had the dealer change of 5W-30, I didn’t like it, the gauge hardly moved at idle and big startup chain rattle when the weather was hot. Did some searching and found the AU chart, went to Rotella syn 5W-40, with a big filter, the gauge now moved, but still had some rattle. Looking at the chart 40-50W is recommended for 100F+, my rig is rarely if ever operated below freezing so 15W is plenty for “cold” startup. At the next change switched to Mobil 1, 15W-50 and a small filter, way happy with it, almost never a startup rattle, almost zero consumption, never add between changes, the gauge runs near the second mark at idle and close to the third at cruise.

In the olden days before we let politicians/lawyers pick our oils we used the Toyota gauges as an indicator for oil selection, found one that made the gauge run near the second mark at idle and close to the third at cruise, when fully warm.
 
I can't wait for Cary to get fed up and write a post like...

"I use Sears Craftsman SAE30 in all my engines. With the Craftsman Club card, you can get it for just over $1.00 a quart and I can use it in my 1962 Volkswagen Bug, my John Deere Tractor, my Toro push mower, my Land Cruiser, and my old Indian motorcycle. It's great. If I mix it right, I even run it in my 2-stroke model airplanes and weed whacker. A close second place is Penzoil 30 weight in a can. Hard to find, but very worth the effort. Check garage and estate sales."
 
I use Rotella 5w40 synthetic since it is relatively cheap for a synthetic (especially in the 4 quart jugs from Walmart), is pretty easy to find (Walmart again) and seems to get good reviews from everyone. Im due up for a change soon. At nearly 6000 miles with a NAPA gold filter the oil is still really clean and Ive only added 1/2 quart .
 
i have a 1996 Lexus lx450 (nee TLC in a tuxedo) with 211,000 miles on it. I just bought it in April and it is due for an oil change. The guy i bought it from owns a taxi service with a fleet of toyota taxis...as a gift to him from his local toyota dealer where he gets his fleet serviced, they did appx $11,000 worth of service to it to bring it up to its 200k mile service interval...including replacing all seals,hoses,engine rebuild, transmission rebuild, tires, brakes, calipers, pistons, valves, heater hose reroute and lighting/electrical... everything except the oil pan seal (and rear suspension)...the oil they used was 10w30 and it leaks about a quart per 1000 miles. I am thinking that a heavier oil (like Rotalla T 15-40) would work well here in NC where we get 9 months of mild/cool temps and 3 months of jungle heat. Am i looking at the correct oil to start running in this beast? Or does the forum have any suggestions as to a better option? I have herd the Chevron Delo is a good option...but really just looking to find the correct weight to run in her. recommendations welcome. This machine will mainly be a daily driver until my son turns 16 next summer and some off roading in the OBX of NC and the snow/ice of the NC mountains. thanks in advance.
 
Heavier viscosities tend to leak a bit less, but they probably will not CURE your oil leaks. I would try a Dino 20-50 or Mobile 1 15-50, which is what I run. I get the 5 qt jugs at Walmart for about $23 each.
 
Thanks Inkpot. i suspected that the heavier oil will not cure the problem...after all is is 21 years old. No. it needs a new oil pan gasket, but in addition to that, i think at its age/ware level a heaver dino will be good, especially if it has the seal conditioners in it. I will look at a 20-50 for sure...would a 15-40 give similar results in your opinion?
 
FJTew said:
Thanks Inkpot. i suspected that the heavier oil will not cure the problem...after all is is 21 years old. No. it needs a new oil pan gasket, but in addition to that, i think at its age/ware level a heaver dino will be good, especially if it has the seal conditioners in it. I will look at a 20-50 for sure...would a 15-40 give similar results in your opinion?
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$11.000 of dealership work and it leaks oil??? I run Delo 400 15w40. My engine loves it, it told me so. Lucky for us, if the jug says motor oil on the side of it and you are reading this jug in an auto parts store, you can use it in your engine.
 
I didnt say it was a GOOD dealer that did the work. haha. Honestly, i have no idea if they were good, but i have the repair order to show that the work was done, plus some photos of the valve cover off of her during the overhaul. honestly, when they did the overhaul, i think they forgot something stupid, like replacing a 21-year-old, thread-worn, drain plug. But, yes. it does still leak...weep is probably more accurate of a term. i'd say it weeps oil. Yes, I have heard good things about the Delo 15/40 and the rotella T 15/40 as well. my only question about those had to do with them being primarily for diesel engines, but my local mechanic set me straight on that and confirmed that it was ok to run, especially in this vehicle...which was designed for 3rd world driving conditions and limited resource availability of cheap/low grade fuels, parts and lubricants. I will definitely put the DELO 400 15w40 on the list of "types of oil to try". thanks for posting
 
I may be the outlier here, but 0w20 toyota oil works great in my truck. minimal oil consumption, 80k miles. I change it once a year, or 5-8k miles. Adequate oil pressure, minimal consumption, great price for synthetic oil. Average temperatures are cooler here in Canada though.
 
86 tuning...thanks for the reply. I did bring this up with my mechanic about using lighter weight synthetics (though not specifically 0-w20), he felt that with the age, wear and mileage on my fzj80 that a heavier dino would be best. he told me to check the user forums to find out if there was a consensus that I was comfortable with. his advice was that a heavy dino (possibly even heavy duty diesel engine oils) would help with the leakage/weeping until i got the oil pan gasket replaced. But thank you for your input. I really do appreciate it.
 
Any discussion about oil should be redirected to the site "bobs the oil guy". There is so much info over there you will rip your hair out before reading it all. It is also more scientific than "high school drop out at my part store recommends xyz brand" or "I've been running brand x and it's working great" meaning the engine hasn't blown up which isn't really a good indication of what's working. Also judging by what leaks or not isn't indicative of what it's doing inside the engine.
 
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