delo 400 15w-40 question.

[Rafael55]

I have a 2002 V8 Toyota Tundra 160,000mi, 4x4.
Manual says to use 10-30 oil.

I want to use delo 400 15w40 gasoline/diesel oil. I drive in So.California, and sometimes in the desert.

Is it ok to use this oil.

How often should I change oil.(I use the same oil in my diesel pickup and change every 6000mi).

Thanks.

 

[jsnyder49090]

It would be fine but why? People think the heavier oils will protect more but that is not always the case.And if you hadnt noticed the manufacters are all going to lighter oil first 5w30 now 0w20 its for a reason.

 

[Rafael55]

Reason.

My brother drives a 2000 chevy silverado and uses this oil and now has 300,000 miles on it, and no motor problems.

I want to have this kind of longevity on my truck.

 

[Lead Shoes]

You could see that kind of longevity on conventional 10w30 with a reasonable and appropriate OCI, do what you gotta do though.

Lubrication failure is rarely the cause of death for a car.

 

[DemoFly]

Originally Posted By: jsnyder49090
It would be fine but why? People think the heavier oils will protect more but that is not always the case.And if you hadnt noticed the manufacters are all going to lighter oil first 5w30 now 0w20 its for a reason.

And that reason is fuel economy. Tolerances in new engines are tighter and truer to warrant a thinner oil.

OP, you want your truck to last 300k miles? Well then good news you bought a toyota. 300k is nothing if regularly maintained for any engine. If you regularly change the oil with something good, you're fine. Your efforts are better spent on coolant, valve lash, timing chains, fuel and spark.

Run whatever viscosity is recommended for your engine. I will never recommend 15w on any vehicle that doesn't have a block heater. If you really want a 40 weight try Rotella T6 5w40.

 

[Rand]

15w40 in mexico? thats fine unless you see below 40F frequently.

theoretically 15w40 is ok to about 0F (not that its ideal at that temp obviously)

note sure why you want to use that oil but I dont think you will see any issues if used properly.

 

[oggb]

Originally Posted By: DemoFly
Tolerances in new engines are tighter and truer to warrant a thinner oil.


This myth has been dispelled many times.

Rafael 55, 5w30 or 10w30 should be adequate unless you're towing very heavy loads or driving extremely fast in 100F+ temps. Even towing/hard driving probably don't necessitate the use of 15w40, but it's not going to hurt anything.

I've been running 15w40 in my Subaru as its "summer" fill for the past four years. Works fine down to about freezing temperature, at which point I change it out.

The bonus of using the Delo 15w40 is that you can use it both vehicles - it's less oil to stock.

 

[DemoFly]

Originally Posted By: JRed
Originally Posted By: DemoFly
Tolerances in new engines are tighter and truer to warrant a thinner oil.


This myth has been dispelled many times.

How is it a rumor? And how has it been dispelled?

So modern engines aren't being built to spec 0w20/5w20? Thinner oils don't provide better fuel economy? Teach me up, I'm willing.

 

[Rafael55]

Normal temp for me is 50 to 110F

In my diesel I change oil at 6000, should I do the same with my tundra?

 

[friendly_jacek]

Originally Posted By: Rafael55
I drive in So.California, and sometimes in the desert.


Not sure how you drive in the desert, but that would be the only thing to nudge me into the 15W40 direction.

There was a thread a couple years ago about someone with seized toyota pickup engine when driving in death valley. The general BITOG consensus was that 5W30 oil was not to be blamed. Even though I thought 15W40 would be more appropriate there, the real cause was probably ordinary engine overheating. There were apparently cylinder/piston scuffs on tear-down.

 

[KCJeep]

If you want heavy duty try some 10w30 Rotella, an HDEO that would be a much better match for your truck than 15w40.

 

[TFB1]

Originally Posted By: JRed
Originally Posted By: DemoFly
Tolerances in new engines are tighter and truer to warrant a thinner oil.


This myth has been dispelled many times.


Tolerance doesn't have anything to do with what engine oil is used, just internet parrots repeating what they've heard but don't completely understand... I'm yet to find someone say tighter clearances which could be a reason for thinner oil...

In the end it all comes down to the fact that if the clearances were reduced enough that only thin oil could be used, engines would suffer from oil starvation when cold and oils are 15-20x thicker than when hot...

 

[beanoil]

Just run 10w30 Delo. Although, in California, and with 160k on the clock, I wouldn't hesitate to use the 15w40 either.

 

[Zaedock]

Originally Posted By: TFB1
Originally Posted By: JRed
Originally Posted By: DemoFly
Tolerances in new engines are tighter and truer to warrant a thinner oil.


This myth has been dispelled many times.


Tolerance doesn't have anything to do with what engine oil is used, just internet parrots repeating what they've heard but don't completely understand... I'm yet to find someone say tighter clearances which could be a reason for thinner oil...

In the end it all comes down to the fact that if the clearances were reduced enough that only thin oil could be used, engines would suffer from oil starvation when cold and oils are 15-20x thicker than when hot...


A perfect explanation. I've listed several engine specs to try and help dispell this. Demofly, you are correct that in many cases, engine tolerances (the acceptable range of the bearing clearance) have decreased. This is due to modern materials and machining processes. The clearances however (the actual bearing space), have remained much the same. There are exceptions in special applications (racing, etc) and you would need to work with your engine builder to determine the optimal viscosity. To the average mass produced daily driver, the former is true.

To the OP, running a 15W40 in your engine in SoCal will not harm the engine, but I don't think it is needed and could possibly add a fuel economy penalty, especially with short trips.

 

[Norm Olt]

Originally Posted By: DemoFly
Originally Posted By: jsnyder49090
It would be fine but why? People think the heavier oils will protect more but that is not always the case.And if you hadnt noticed the manufacters are all going to lighter oil first 5w30 now 0w20 its for a reason.

And that reason is fuel economy. Tolerances in new engines are tighter and truer to warrant a thinner oil.

OP, you want your truck to last 300k miles? Well then good news you bought a toyota. 300k is nothing if regularly maintained for any engine. If you regularly change the oil with something good, you're fine. Your efforts are better spent on coolant, valve lash, timing chains, fuel and spark.

Run whatever viscosity is recommended for your engine. I will never recommend 15w on any vehicle that doesn't have a block heater. If you really want a 40 weight try Rotella T6 5w40.


A block heater in MEXICO? Gas is what? A couple $'s?

 

[mechtech2]

Engines are built tighter now, esp with physically smaller engines.
No doubt.
And variable valve timing devices that are oil controlled have extremely close clearances.

Simply go back a bit farther than your present range of comparisons to see this as fact.

Anyways, a 15-40 could work very well in those warm Mexican conditions. And you simply could mix in some with your 10-30 if you like.

 

[Rafael55]

Whats a block heater? Yes, gas is lower priced. If I drive east of the coast the temp is well over 100F.

 

[Rafael55]

Sounds like a good idea!!

 

[Rafael55]

How often should I change the oil in my tundra? In my diesel pickup id do it at 6000mi.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Rafael55
Whats a block heater?
This is a block heater. It's used to heat your engine on very cold mornings. Considering the climate down there, it doesn't surprise me in the least that you haven't heard of them. I can't see them being needed there!