1989 Dodge Ram truck

[flames9]

Hello all from Winnipeg Canada. Enjoying this - 20 temps!! Have a 1989 Dodge Ram 50 4x4 in mint shape, and was wondering whatis the best type of oil to put in? Normally for the winter months i would put in a 5 w30, but from reading various posts, some say a 1ow30 is better for older trucks. Truck has 160,000 km and about 15000km of those on a rebuilt engine. Last oil change i put in Quaker states 10w30 for high mileage engine. Should I stick with that, or go down to a 5w30 for the winter months? Thanks in advance.
Scott

 

[Patman]

That 10w30 Quaker State High Mileage oil isn't really meant for the extreme cold temps that I know you will see in Winterpeg! If I were you I would definitely be looking at a synthetic oil, and for the winter I would probably step down to a 5w30, maybe even a 0w30. It will consume a bit more oil with a higher mileage truck, but will flow much better on those extremely cold mornings. I don't think I'd even consider a conventional oil for the extreme cold you will see.

In Toronto we don't often get below 0F, so we can get away with 10w30 all year round here in some engines (such as my pushrod LT1 350).

 

[flames9]

I hadnt even considered a synthetic oil, guess Im just not too knowledgeable on that subject, and maybe others have given me bad advice on the synthetics, such as they shouldnt be used in higher mileage vehicles!! So if synthetic is a good choice, 5 w 30 should cover it well?? open to all suggestions. Thanks

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by flames9:
I hadnt even considered a synthetic oil, guess Im just not too knowledgeable on that subject, and maybe others have given me bad advice on the synthetics, such as they shouldnt be used in higher mileage vehicles!! So if synthetic is a good choice, 5 w 30 should cover it well?? open to all suggestions. Thanks

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If you go with a synthetic, Mobil 1 10w30 would be okay even in those cold temps. If you're going to stick with a conventional oil, I'd definitely go with a 5w30.

FWIW, my Olds mini van has almost 150,000 miles on it and I still use synthetic in it with no problems. If the engine is in good shape, switching to a synthetic at high mileage is a non issue in my opinion.