Help me choose oil please

[JasonJ]

First time poster long time lurker with a question

2006 Dodge Ram 5.9 Cummins

I have been using Rotella T6 5w-40 in the winter and swapping out to 15w40 dino come spring for the past couple years in my truck since I bought it used. I don't put a lot of miles on in a year maybe 6500mi, but do quite a bit of idling in our cold winters and tow my 8500lb travel trailer during the summer. So I try to change the oil about every 6mths to keep it fresh, I also run a Smarty Jr programmer and am not light on the foot.

Now I have the chance to get free PC Duron-E 0w-40 oil and have free oil changes for the next few yrs. Temps get down to -45c here and up to +35c, I found the T6 to keep my truck running exceptionally well,.. am I to assume that I can still, and get even better results from the Duron?

Thanks

 

[sciphi]

Do it! By definition a 0w-40 should outperform a 5w-40 in cold flow. Petro-Canada has a great reputation also.

 

[Lead Shoes]

I would jump all over that, AFAIK through voa's and uoa's petro-canada lubes are top notch.

 

[chubbs1]

I think the Duron is an outstanding oil BUT, I would take a look at your manual because I don't believe you are supposed to use 0w40 in severe service ie. towing/hauling, 5w40 is the limit. So if it has worked well in the past I would stick with the 5w40. I will try to find the documentation to back this up. I know I've seen it so hold off for a bit while I dig through some posts.

 

[mrsilv04]

 

[JasonJ]

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
I think the Duron is an outstanding oil BUT, I would take a look at your manual because I don't believe you are supposed to use 0w40 in severe service ie. towing/hauling, 5w40 is the limit. So if it has worked well in the past I would stick with the 5w40. I will try to find the documentation to back this up. I know I've seen it so hold off for a bit while I dig through some posts.


Thanks for the replies,

Manual states 15-40, or in colder climates 5-40 synthetic as long as it meets manufacturers requirements

Quote:
Use only oils conforming to API Service
CI-4. A sulfated ash limit is specified
for lubrication oil used in Cummins
engines. Oils with a high ash
content may produce deposits on
valves that can progress to guttering
and valve burning. A maximum sulfated
ash content of 1.85 mass % is recommended for all
oil used in the engine.

 

[hounddog]

Move! Use 15w40 like the lower 48 dose.

 

[chubbs1]

So what do you think you'll do? Just run the 5w40 or the free 0w40.
I'm, waiting for a response from Nancy at PC. Her # is 1-888-284-4752.

I'll keep a look out for her return call, welcome and hope you stick around. I would go with the 5w40. I know it is more in this case but it is worth it. I would not hesitate to run the Duron 0w if I wasn't towing and hauling.

 

[JasonJ]

Originally Posted By: chubbs1
So what do you think you'll do? Just run the 5w40 or the free 0w40.
I'm, waiting for a response from Nancy at PC. Her # is 1-888-284-4752.

I'll keep a look out for her return call, welcome and hope you stick around. I would go with the 5w40. I know it is more in this case but it is worth it. I would not hesitate to run the Duron 0w if I wasn't towing and hauling.


I thank you for your help

Well I don't tow all that much, and when I do it's only about a hundred miles or so a month, from June to Sept. I'm in no hurry at the moment as I have a 1250mile trip tomorrow, but planned on changing my oil before the end of Sept. My buddy just dropped off a couple pails

Next spring I was going to do a UOA with the 0w to see exactly how much diesel contamination there would be over the winter. I know up here it's ran year round in rental equipment with no ill effects.

Why would the 0w not work well under load during the summer, it's still a 40 oil and I was under the impression that the Duron-E has a great HTSA.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: JasonJ
Why would the 0w not work well under load during the summer, it's still a 40 oil and I was under the impression that the Duron-E has a great HTSA.


It probably would. Sometimes when these manuals are written, they don't consider everything that's available. I believe that 0w-40 HDEOs are a lot less common south of the border than they are up here.

 

[JasonJ]

Here is the .pdf I found of the 0w40

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca/resour...amp;language=en

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: JasonJ
Here is the .pdf I found of the 0w40

http://lubricants.petro-canada.ca/resour...amp;language=en


Something bugs me about this PDS. I've looked at other ones for PC products, and they all seemed fine to me. This one, unlike the various other ones I've checked, doesn't explicitly state any approvals, other than stating that it "meets the physical property requirements of SAE J300 for this viscosity grade and is formulated using CJ4 technology." It also alludes to being suitable where SM or earlier is required.

I expect better from Petro-Canada. The PDS for Supreme Synthetic, for example, lists various manufacturer specifications that it meets (Ford, Chrysler, GM, Honda), and GF-5, SN, dexos1, and so forth.

Yet, the PDS for the 0w-40 doesn't explicitly state that it's SM/CJ-4. It certainly doesn't list any manufacturer's approvals. The DURON-E sheet for 10w-40 synthetic, 5w-40 synthetic, the two versions of 15w40, and 10w30, however, all list various specification, including all the Cummins specifications.

I'm not sure if this is an oversight or what. Before deciding, it might be wise to contact PC for clarification on this.

 

[bullwinkle]

I wouldn't hesitate to run it in my '06 Cummins powered Ram if it were available here in the USA, and remember that you don't have a DPF, so CI-4+ is actually your original oil spec (although CJ-4 is OK too, just not required). The CP injection pump seems to slow down cold winter starts on mine a little, I run 5W40 TDT to compensate.

 

[A_Harman]

Call Cummins tech line at 1-800-DIESELS and ask them if you can run the PC 0w40. Normally I would say that the RT6 5w40 would be good for winter use, but since you have cold starts down to -45C, that even exceeds the low temp pumpability rating temperature of a 0W-oil.

Below -25C, I think I would just stay home! But I'm just a thin-blooded Michiganian.

I think it would be safe to use the PC 0w40, and it may work better than a 5w40, given the extreme cold. One thing is sure: Petro Canada knows how to formulate oils for arctic conditions.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: A_Harman
I think it would be safe to use the PC 0w40, and it may work better than a 5w40, given the extreme cold. One thing is sure: Petro Canada knows how to formulate oils for arctic conditions.


I agree. I wish they'd created a better PDS for this one, though. I can't see it really being a problem, but it is odd that no specs are listed.

 

[JasonJ]

Well I am back from my trip and will try getting some info from the Cummins dealer in town. But I think I will run the 0w40 for the winter and if they say otherwise, I will switch to the 5w40 for the summer.

But I don't foresee a problem