taking a trip to death valley this fall, what oil

[mopar_monkey]

going to death valley this fall for a week. last time i went the temp varied greatly, during the day it was in the 100's and at night it was very cold, so cold that one of the plastic windows on my tent shattered! what oil would be best for these conditions? the temp fluctuations to the extreme both ways, lots of steep grades, while off road i may be using low range so the revs will be up with out moving fast enough for good air flow. also when in death valley you are really in the middle of nowhere and there may be no help in case of an emergency. i will more then likely be using a k&n oil filter due to the thick case, puncturing an oil filter would be very bad. the truck is a 04 dakota quad cab with a 3.7l and auto trans.

 

[GMBoy]

A good synthetic oil would be my advice - along with an extra oil filter. Redline would probably be on the top of my list with Mobil 1 and Pennzoil Platinum / Pennzoil Ultra closely following. I'd use the 10w30 grades.

 

[yaris0128]

Pennzoil ultra!!! perhaps castrol edge?

 

[Herz]

always carry a extra oil filter when wheeling. I have a extra filter for my jeep with me at all times.

 

[tig1]

Use the same oil that you would use going to the grocery store.

 

[Steve S]

What oil is in your car now?

 

[StevieC]

Do a once over on the car too... Check that your charging system is good to go, check that the battery survives a strong load test.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Use the same oil that you would use going to the grocery store.

 

[Silber Igel]

Originally Posted By: deven
Originally Posted By: tig1
Use the same oil that you would use going to the grocery store.

Yes! I'd be more concerned about your cooling system.... check it thoroughly! Maybe keep your speeds in check to reduce all temperatures.

 

[mopar_monkey]

i guess what i'm after is should i be using a 0w30 instead of 5w30? everything else on the truck as far as cooling system and charging/batt. are perfect. mostly i'm worried about the temp swing and how it mat affect the engine oil. i can't really think of a harsher environment to be subjecting a vehicle to.

 

[mechtech2]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Use the same oil that you would use going to the grocery store.


Excellent!

 

[Silber Igel]

Originally Posted By: mopar_monkey
i guess what i'm after is should i be using a 0w30 instead of 5w30? everything else on the truck as far as cooling system and charging/batt. are perfect. mostly i'm worried about the temp swing and how it mat affect the engine oil. i can't really think of a harsher environment to be subjecting a vehicle to.


The oil will be a 30 at operating temperature. The higher ambient may drive it up a bit but it will remain well within its capabilities to protect the engine.

 

[XS650]

Originally Posted By: mopar_monkey
i guess what i'm after is should i be using a 0w30 instead of 5w30? everything else on the truck as far as cooling system and charging/batt. are perfect. mostly i'm worried about the temp swing and how it mat affect the engine oil. i can't really think of a harsher environment to be subjecting a vehicle to.


Unless you will be camping overnight at the higher elevations, 10w30 will easily handle any cold you will find there you won't be seeing temperatures a whole bunch over 100F then so 30 is fine for your xW-30.

 

[dparm]

Dude honestly the motor oil you're running now is probably fine. I would not change your oil specifically for this.

Instead, make sure the cooling systems are up to snuff. Maybe add some Water Wetter or something like that.

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Dude honestly the motor oil you're running now is probably fine. I would not change your oil specifically for this.

Instead, make sure the cooling systems are up to snuff. Maybe add some Water Wetter or something like that.


+1

On very very Hot days, the Coolant gauge may go slightly over the Halfway mark, diue to extreme Heat. But if nothing is wrong, it will handle it.

It will just be Hotter.

Even those that run 5W-20 can go to Death Valley, if their analogies about Crown Victorias in Miami are correct.

Seems Engine Temps are the concern, not Ambient temps, to a large extent.

 

[znode]

I wouldn't recommend adding any gunky additives to your coolant. Like oil design, a lot of effort goes into coolant design (see thousands of pages of ASTM coolant testing), and additives into the cooling system is just as useful as additives into, well, oil.

Instead,

Make sure the coolant is fresh (if old, change it), free of corrosion, and has the proper antifreeze ratio.

If you used tap water instead of distilled, also change the coolant.

Check for leaks and aging gaskets around the car, those don't take too kindly to temperature extremes, and you don't want anything leaking in the middle of nowhere.

Make sure your air filter is sound, and that your AC refrigerant is topped up at the right low-side pressure; you'll rely on that a lot.

Clear intakes of any debris and if there's a lot of fin warpage to the radiator use a fin comb to straighten them out and clear it of any major debris.

Make sure your battery is not on the verge of death, or will spew acid on the rest of the compartment. Remember batteries are far less able to pump out current to crank the car when it's cold.

Make sure it's not low on electrolyte, and either top it off or replace the battery.

All of those are far more important than the type of motor oil to use.

 

[Gary Allan]

I have some leftover Bruceblend® 0w-10 I can slide your way. That inspire feelings of confidence and security.

 

[desertrandy]

I have been off-roading in Death Valley for years and have driven almost every trail out there in all types of weather including July and August where I experienced 129 degree temps in Furnace Creek back in 2005. My personal experience is that the number 1 failure is tires. You need good LT rated tires and a matching full size spare. Take a good air compressor and tire plug kit. The second most common problem is overheating. Make sure your cooling system is in good shape, The a/c condensor and radiator are clear of debris, your fans are working properly, and your system holds good pressure. Third is transmission overheating. Make sure you drive in the proper gear, use 1st and 2nd gear where needed and use 4lo for rock climbing instead of 4hi. Engine oil has never really been an issue. I always ran the recommended weight in conventional oil, usually Mobil Clean 5000 or Pennzoil Conventional 10w30 for My Jeep 4.0 engine and 5w30 in my Dodge Ram pick-up. Hopefully you are not heading out alone. If you are, rent a satellite phone, they are cheap to rent by the week and keep a list of emergency numbers on hand. Good luck. And since this is my fist post on this website, let me say Hi to everyone here.

 

[Gary Allan]

 

[Bill in Utah]

Originally Posted By: desertrandy
I have been off-roading in Death Valley for years and have driven almost every trail out there in all types of weather including July and August where I experienced 129 degree temps in Furnace Creek back in 2005. My personal experience is that the number 1 failure is tires. You need good LT rated tires and a matching full size spare. Take a good air compressor and tire plug kit. The second most common problem is overheating. Make sure your cooling system is in good shape, The a/c condensor and radiator are clear of debris, your fans are working properly, and your system holds good pressure. Third is transmission overheating. Make sure you drive in the proper gear, use 1st and 2nd gear where needed and use 4lo for rock climbing instead of 4hi. Engine oil has never really been an issue. I always ran the recommended weight in conventional oil, usually Mobil Clean 5000 or Pennzoil Conventional 10w30 for My Jeep 4.0 engine and 5w30 in my Dodge Ram pick-up. Hopefully you are not heading out alone. If you are, rent a satellite phone, they are cheap to rent by the week and keep a list of emergency numbers on hand. Good luck. And since this is my fist post on this website, let me say Hi to everyone here.


This guy has it covered! Excellent advise and IMPRESSIVE FIRST POST!