New User from Puerto Rico, Caribbean

[rauljimenez]

Hello I am a new user here, been lurking the board for a bit but decided to join.

I got an isuzu rodeo 1993 85k miles here in Puerto Rico, I am using dino oil m1 10w40 , is this oil good enough for the climate I live in??

thanks again Raul

 

[JHZR2]

Hello,

My GF is originally from St Thomas, USVI (she now goes to Med School in the states). Just a quick seaplane ride away.

Ive never been to anywhere except the airport in Puerto Rico, but if its as hilly and driving as severe as St. Thomas, I think that a 40 weight - preferably a 15w40 diesel spec oil would be best. Look for chevron delo 400, mobil delvac 1300 super, shell rotella or texaco ursa.

Usually I dont think a 15w40 oil is necessary, but down there, where the oil never goes below 80F (well, once in a while it gets to 65F), driving right after startup includes either a lot of engine braking or hill climbing, and some of the terrain is really steep and hard on an engine, I think that a 15w40 is the best dino oil to deal with the thrashings the cars take.

How many miles do you usually get out of a car down there? In St. Thomas, it tends to be pretty low by US standards.

JMH

P.S. If it has an automatic transmission, change the fluid OFTEN. My GF's 4 runner, which is the car she has for when she goes back home, has some problems with the fluid overheating, boiling, and doing weird stuff, due to the steep hills.

 

[JHZR2]

and by the way,

 

[rauljimenez]

In Puerto Rico the problem is not much hill driving,and the other thing is that temps dont drop down.the fact that there are a lot of traffic going on from the moment you hit the road, a lot of stop and go city driving is what I do which I know is harsh on the engine, should I keep my 10w-40 Mobil1 dino oil or switch to something better or harsh??

thanks for the welcome guys!!

 

[JHZR2]

If there isnt much hill driving, then all in all, the loading on your engine will be lighter, typically. The fact that temps never really go down isnt a bad thing - its actually good! Lack of very high/stressful load (i.e. hills, towing trailers, lots of cargo), and relatively warm temperatures should help reduce startup wear, and all in all, max oil temperature will stay constant and in a fine range.

I might actually suggest a thicker 10w30, rather than a 10w-40. The problem is that a 10w-40 uses more additives to achieve the wiscosity spread, and these additives can break down in time, causing sludge and oil that is no longer int he correct grade.

A 'high mileage' formulation 10w30 will be made a little bit thicker than a regular 10w30 and may be good, otherwise mobil clean 5000 or mobil clean 7500 would be good choices. Chevron, havoline or pennzoil would all also be good 10w30 oils. a 30 weight will be a little less resistant to flow, and so should keep overall friction and oil temoperature a little lower.

Id say either go with a good 10w30, or a 15w40 diesel spec oil as stated before, if you feel that you want to keep the 40 weight oil in your engine. Of course if you try a 10w30 and your engine seems to use more of it than before, than Id switch back to a 15w40 oil. Hard to say if an engine will use some oil, until you actually try it.

JMH

 

[Ugly3]

quote:

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Originally posted by rauljimenez:
In Puerto Rico the problem is not much hill driving,and the other thing is that temps dont drop down.the fact that there are a lot of traffic going on from the moment you hit the road, a lot of stop and go city driving is what I do which I know is harsh on the engine, should I keep my 10w-40 Mobil1 dino oil or switch to something better or harsh??

thanks for the welcome guys!!

---

Are you currently using Mobil 1 10w30 synthetic? If so, switch to Mobil 1 5w30 synthetic and forget about the oil.

 

[rauljimenez]

Thanks JHZ , my last oil change was a Mobil 1 dino oil 10w40 mobil clean 5000 so I think I will keep using that one, im afraid of switching to synthethic since i might be prone to oil leaks. So far engine oil consumption is very little and by the time i need to add a bit is already oil change so that is not bothering me.

 

[rauljimenez]

ugly, right now Im using mobil1 clean 5000 dino oil bro, let me know what u think too.

 

[SSDude]

 

[Whimsey]

I thought those Izusu Rodeo engines were noted for oil consumption. Your's seems to be ok which is great. You MIGHT be hurting your gas mileage slightly by using a 40 weight oil but then again in your climate and driving conditions the 40 weight seems to be servicing you well since you are not using large quantities of oil. If you want you can try using the Mobil 5000 10w30 and see if you gain any miles per gallon or use any more oil between oil changes. Also at what mileage and or time period do you change the oil? Mobil has the Mobil 7500 oil which might work well for you if you drive 7500 miles or less in a one year period as long as you use a quality oil filter. You might want to do an used oil analysis to see how the Mobil 5000 10W-40 is holding up with your driving conditions. Contact Terry Dyson, a site supporter and all around great and knowlegeable guy about oil and how it's affecting your engine. You can find the info on the home page of this site.

20 years ago I worked for Warner Lambert and they had plants in Vega Baja, Farjardo and Carolina. I was there 1 to 2 weeks month. I enjoyed working with my counterparts a lot

. I spent a lot of time driving around PR. I miss it a lot

.

Whimsey

 

[rauljimenez]

quote:

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Mobil has the Mobil 7500 oil which might work well for you if you drive 7500 miles or less in a one year period as long as you use a quality oil filter. You might want to do an used oil analysis to see how the Mobil 5000 10W-40 is holding up with your driving conditions. Contact Terry Dyson, a site supporter and all around great and knowlegeable guy about oil and how it's affecting your engine. You can find the info on the home page of this site.

---

I dont do a lot of driving , thats the other problem since I am an university student I only go from university to my home and to a gym near my home, then to my girlfriends house on friday so if I get 14 miles a day thats a lot. That's why I always change my oil every 3 months or 3,000 miles whichever comes first but is always the 3000 miles that come first.

I want to do an oil analysis but I don't know of anyplace in Puerto Rico that does oil analysis for you unless you know of them?? guide me here please

Glad you liked Puerto Rico

 

[Ugly3]

Given that you are changing the oil and filter every 3,000 miles any API certified 5w30 dino will serve you well. Havoline, Penzoil, Citgo, Castrol, Mobil, or whatever is the least expensive when you go to the store.

 

[yannis]

You are fine with mobil 10W40 , don't change anything.

 

[Alan]

Hi,

I'd continue to use a 10W40 too.

Are you rooting for Tito tonight?

 

[rauljimenez]

Thanks guys, of course Im rooting for tito tonight!!!

TITO TITO TITO!!!

 

[vvk]

Monograde oils should be great in carribean climate. SAE 30 or SAE 40 oil will keep your engine very happy, clean and healthy.

 

[widman]

funny it's only been 9 years since I moved from PR and I can't remember what I ranin my Explorer and Cutlass.
Delo 400 15w40 is readily available in PR, and although the temps don't drop below 70, it will geve you better mileage than a straight wait, faster circulation, and maintain visc. at the looooooong trafic delays.
My morning comute was 12 minutes to Old San Juan if I left the house by 6:45 or 2 hours if I left after 7 (I could wait til 8:30 and do it in 30 min). At the high ambient temps and low engine rev's for long traffic delays at idle speed I'd go for thicker oils than the xW-30's.
I was there in January and thought I'd never get from my hotel in Isla Verde to Toa Baja. (And that is against the traffic).

 

[rauljimenez]

Don't you think a 15w40 might be a bit too harsh on the viscocity side bro?? i drive like you just said, long time idle in stoplights and few miles per day

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

quote:

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Originally posted by rauljimenez:
Don't you think a 15w40 might be a bit too harsh on the viscocity side bro?? i drive like you just said, long time idle in stoplights and few miles per day

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No. Pardon my butting in here....

There was a thread here from a fella in Indonesia (?) where it was HOT every day and we were batting the "best oil" back and forth. In my opinion, Delo 400 15w40 is truly a great oil at any temp above 32F. It will serve you well and go far beyond 3000 miles per oil change if you so desire...

 

[rauljimenez]

quote:

---

No. Pardon my butting in here....

There was a thread here from a fella in Indonesia (?) where it was HOT every day and we were batting the "best oil" back and forth. In my opinion, Delo 400 15w40 is truly a great oil at any temp above 32F. It will serve you well and go far beyond 3000 miles per oil change if you so desire...

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I will look into DELO 400 15w40 then in Puerto Rico, thanks!!! the lowest the temp drops in Puerto Rico is basically Temp: 75ºF


thanks!