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"Sean Bathrick" <Bathrick@imcchemicals.com> wrote:
> Kind of along the same topic. I did an oil change in my M38A1 last
> year and decided to use 5W-50 oil instead of the NAPA 30
> non-detergent.
[...]
> Never will I run multi-viscosity oil in my jeep or truck again. Just
> my 2 cents.
I don't understand why folks run anything other than what the
manufacturer and/or lube order recommends. Although I don't know if
this is still true, one of my friends who owns an old warbird and buys
his oil in 50-gallon drums told me that years ago the oil vendors said
that multi-grade oils didn't have wearing properties as good as
single-grade oils. He tells me that he once mentioned to an oil vendor
that he was considering trying a more expensive multi-grade oil in his
T-28B to see if it worked better than the plain 60-weight oil his
engine was rated to use... the vendor said: "Are you crazy? Your
engine is rated to use straight 60-weight. Use 60-weight."
If the LO calls for a single-grade oil, it doesn't seem to me to be a
good idea to substitute a multi-grade oil. I realize that it can be a
pain to change oil seasonally in areas with wide temperature swings,
but in areas where it's not necessary (like where I live), I see *no*
reason to use anything other than the recommended oil. The recommended
oil for both my deuce and my HMMWV at the temperatures they encounter
is plain ol' SAE 30, year-round, period. My deuce LO does not
authorize any multi-grade engine oils, and my HMMWV LO only authorizes
15W-30 as an option in areas which drop below 15 deg. F but stay over
5 deg. F. For either truck, if the temperature never drops below 15
deg. F, SAE 30 is the oil to use year-round.
My trucks get Rotella SAE 30 all year round, and in the unlikely event
that I move somewhere that gets under 15 degrees F in the winter, I'll
use the oil(s) recommended by my LOs. I don't design engines for a
living, so I know better than to second-guess the engine manufacturer.
I have a sample of one engine to look at... they have thousands of
them with years of operating history. I look at my oil and say "gee,
that's black"... they measure metal wear products in the oil and make
other quantitative measurements of engine wear and oil performance.
Some manufacturers will even void their warranty if any oils other
than what they recommend are used... why risk wrecking an expensive
engine without the hard facts to back up your decision? Just because
the engine doesn't fall apart as soon as you pour in the oil doesn't
mean everything's OK. An engine will probably run just fine for a long
time with the wrong oil... but might run twice as long with the right
oil [I pulled that number out of the air to make a point; I don't
warrant its accuracy. :-)].
Just my two cents worth. Use whatever oil you want... but don't sell
me your old truck if you don't follow the LO.
-- Mark J. Blair, KE6MYK <mblair1@home.net> PGP 2.6.2 public key available from http://pgp.ai.mit.edu/ Web page: http://www.qsl.net/ke6myk/ DO NOT SEND ANY UNSOLICITED COMMERCIAL EMAIL TO THIS SITE
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