Help Me Choose, Oil For My "Fleet"

[Kgrant]

I can get the Delo in 5 gallons for 8.85 qt. So I could run the Delo with wet clutches no problem since it has the Allison C4 certification?

The Delo looks like it compares pretty well with the Mobil in cold weather.

 

[Shannow]

Yep,
C4 is wet clutch compatible.

 

[Kgrant]

Originally Posted By: eljefino
Stinks about the synpower 5w30. You'd think it'd do better.

Are you on the Rancher when it's that cold?


I use the rancher to plow, but it lives in the garage so cold starts are not an issue.

 

[Garak]

HTHS of the M1 0w30 AFE will be much the same as that of any other ILSAC 30. They're all pretty much between 3.0 and 3.2, which is not a big deal.

 

[Kgrant]

Originally Posted By: Garak
HTHS of the M1 0w30 AFE will be much the same as that of any other ILSAC 30. They're all pretty much between 3.0 and 3.2, which is not a big deal.


Thank for the reply, I googled the HTHS part, but not sure what the ILSAC 30 means?

 

[Kgrant]

So it's looking like the Mobil 0w30 is in the lead. I need an SM rated oil for the Skidoo. Delo is SJ. I'd have to use different oil in the Rancher.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Kgrant
Thank for the reply, I googled the HTHS part, but not sure what the ILSAC 30 means?

That means a 30 grade that has the Starburst up front, which means it's ILSAC rated, with GF-5 being the current rating. Such 30 grades will have an HTHS nearer to the minimums of the grade, regardless of whether they're 0w-30, 5w30, or 10w30.

Other 30 grades, such as Mobil Delvac Elite 222 0w-20, Castrol A3/B4 0w-30, and Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5w30 are substantially thicker at operating temperatures, and are not ILSAC rated. The first and last are HDEOs, and the middle one is primarily for European applications. Note that the first one I mentioned has some of the best cold cranking performance available anywhere, despite it's higher HTHS.

 

[Kgrant]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Kgrant
Thank for the reply, I googled the HTHS part, but not sure what the ILSAC 30 means?

That means a 30 grade that has the Starburst up front, which means it's ILSAC rated, with GF-5 being the current rating. Such 30 grades will have an HTHS nearer to the minimums of the grade, regardless of whether they're 0w-30, 5w30, or 10w30.

Other 30 grades, such as Mobil Delvac Elite 222 0w-20, Castrol A3/B4 0w-30, and Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5w30 are substantially thicker at operating temperatures, and are not ILSAC rated. The first and last are HDEOs, and the middle one is primarily for European applications. Note that the first one I mentioned has some of the best cold cranking performance available anywhere, despite it's higher HTHS.


Thank you for the lesson, I think I understand a little better.

When I called the bulk plant to check on the Delo 0w30, they looked for the Delvac 0w30 and it's not something they normally carry. It sounds like a great oil.

 

[Garak]

Yep, as far as I know, it's a Canadian only oil. I believe Shell has a 0w30 that's available in the States, too, though. You'd think XOM would bring the Mobil Delvac 0w30 to Alaska, at the very least, and some of the Plains states. On the other hand, it took Imperial Oil forever and a day to get us M1 AFE 0w-30. The second a new Mobil HDEO is available, it's in the warehouse here. A new gasoline oil takes a dog's age for Imperial Oil to work it through their system.

 

[Kgrant]

I'm trying to find the specifications for API ratings. What % of what to meet SM, that sort of information. Is that available? Thanks

 

[Garak]

No, you'd likely have trouble finding that, if you're looking for a "recipe," as it were. You will be able to cobble together some decent information from reading what you can about API and ILSAC standards, along with taking a look at SAE J300 and other relevant tables.

You can certainly determine maximum phosphorus content for certain grades, kinematic viscosity ranges and HTHS ranges for various grades, and a few other goodies, too.

Here is one page, and here is something a little more involved. With respect to the first link, note that SN+RC is the same as SN/GF-5.

 

[Kgrant]

Well I ended up buying the Mobil 0w30 AFE.

I wanted to use the Delo 0w30 but the Skidoo calls for SM oil and the Delo 0w30 is SJ.

I only have 1000 miles on the XG filter on my truck so I'll reuse it.

 

[crazyoildude]

-40 ????
First thing i would do is move!

 

[Kgrant]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
-40 ????
First thing i would do is move!


It's not that bad, we typically get a few weeks of -40 in Fairbanks. This winter has been mild so far, coldest it's been around here -25. The warmer weather has kept the rivers from freezing like normal, keeping a few of my buddies from being able to access their trap lines.

 

[CT8]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
-40 ????
First thing i would do is move!
At 50*f I feel like I am going to die.

 

[Kgrant]

So if a guy was purely looking for cold weather (-40) cold start performance, which 0w30 oil is king on paper?

 

[Kgrant]

Originally Posted By: CT8
Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
-40 ????
First thing i would do is move!
At 50*f I feel like I am going to die.


I keep my shop at 45

 

[Shannow]

Originally Posted By: Kgrant
So if a guy was purely looking for cold weather (-40) cold start performance, which 0w30 oil is king on paper?


the AFE that you bought (note it's Friction modified, so can make wet clutches unhappy) has an MRV of 13,250Cp against a test limit of 60,000Cp.

The parameter is basically how well the oil "flows" to the pick-up, so being less than 1/4 of the limit is a good thing.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Kgrant
I wanted to use the Delo 0w30 but the Skidoo calls for SM oil and the Delo 0w30 is SJ.

That's a surprise. Most of the HDEOs I've come across are CJ-4/SM, with the low phosphorus ones sometimes being CJ-4/SN. What was the diesel spec on this Delo 0w-30?

Originally Posted By: Kgrant
So if a guy was purely looking for cold weather (-40) cold start performance, which 0w30 oil is king on paper?

If I remember correctly, the Delvac Elite 222 0w30 had some pretty phenomenal numbers, but the data sheet formatting has been changed, and I haven't come across an older version that listed those numbers. If CATERHAM stumbles across this thread, he might have the number. But, the AFE does very well, as Shannow indicated.

 

[Kgrant]

The specs for the Delo 0w30 are CG-4‡, CF-4‡, CF‡, SH‡, SJ. I got the specs from the Delo website, the data sheet is dated January 2014. I called the Chevron tech line and they couldn't give me any newer specifications.