Yesterday's lubrication beliefs

[79sunrunner]

My dad is a firm believer of anything he has known since his younger days, including oil knowledge. Winter will be here soon, and trying to get him to try a 5w/30 is impossible. He managed a snow plow industry, and is regularly called out when the temperatures are lowest just after midnight. His belief in 10w/30 oil seems to him is the god of oil, specifically Castrol. Castrol, castrol castrol. Everything castrol. Gtx specifically, synthetic to him is lighter than water and is too thin to hold up to hot temperatures, and too thin to lubricate properly for winter starts. He thinks it's formula has been the same since the 60s, and sm/SN are just printed to get attention. Why does he like 10/30? Apparently to him, 10 weight is thicker, yet the oil pump throws the oil farther around the engine when frozen, lubricating it better!!!

Can we teach this old dog new tricks?

 

[chevrofreak]

Nope. He sounds like a total lost cause.

 

[NMBurb02]

Maybe print out Motor Oil University and give it to him as some light reading.

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/

 

[79sunrunner]

I know this man well, that print out will just be land fill. Lucky for him, modern 10/30 has a much better cold viscosity than ever before, and since his 2004 GMC has about 240,000 miles, I guess he isn't as abusive on machinery than I though

I would like to write a book on his mechanical tips, thoughts, and theories.
But that's better off in the Humor section

 

[Chris142]

I have a friend in CT that runs 20w50 in everything year round. Even in his Semi trucks and Diesel pickups.

 

[79sunrunner]

Maybe they know something we don't.

Who wants to buy 2 brand new Kias and fill one up with 0w/20 and the other with a 400w/6000. And a test driver to go to the dark side of Venus, Detroit, the North Pole, and a uphill parking test just outside the Milky Way (just curious how the hand brake works outside the Back 40.)

I want a UOA every 15,000. Too

 

[bvance554]

No need to. Castrol 10w-30 is perfectly fine so what is the point? Its worked for him forever and will continue to.

 

[heynow]

Originally Posted By: bvance554
No need to. Castrol 10w-30 is perfectly fine so what is the point? Its worked for him forever and will continue to.


+1

At least he's not one of those Castrol 20w50 guys.

 

[skellyman]

I'm old enough to remember people that put SAE 40 in everything and added Kerosene to thin it for winter time use.

 

[Rick in PA]

Sounds like he maintains his equipment.
He must not be experiencing breakdowns, sounds like years of successful operation, regularly called out in the coldest weather...
Probably kept a roof over everyones head and food in the refrigerator.

We can't all see eye-to-eye.
Give the "old dog" a pat on the back and thank him.

If he has newer equipment that specifies the lighter weight oils, you could show him the manual, maybe discuss the tighter tolerances of newer engines, and let him make his own decision.

If it's older equipment that's fine with the 10W-30, I'd "let sleeping dogs lie".

 

[RF Overlord]

Don't confuse him with the facts, his mind's made up.

 

[GreeCguy]

Sounds like my father in law. He's a straight 30 weight man from way back. The "proof" for him was to pour 10W30 in one jar and straight 30 weight in another. Then he dropped a marble in each jar and timed how long it took the marble to hit the bottom. The marble in the straight 30 weight took longer which convinced him it's a better oil. How do you argue with that?

 

[SuzukiGoat]

Facts...

Out of curiousity which is more convincing...oil university facts...or 240k miles without oil related breakdowns?

Has anyone actually seen an oil related failure due only to weight?

And before I'm hung out to dry...I use 5w30.. and I'm not opposed to 0w40.

Admittedly the 0w20 stuff isn't for me...but I might run it in a new Toyota.

 

[SwampSurvivor]

My father wasn't too keen on 5w-20 when he got his 2001 F350. Water weight oil. He seems to have opened up to it some ... except on their 3.8 Jeep which drank oil.

The good news is their new Escape Eco-Boast uses 5w-30. He feels better about that.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: SuzukiGoat
Has anyone actually seen an oil related failure due only to weight?

Oh, it has happened in up here, with varying degrees of "failure," from simply not starting at all unless it spends a night in a heated shop, all the way to licorice sticking a distributor shaft on select Fords.

10w-30 in the winter in most states isn't too big of a deal. It's not that big of a deal even up here. It may not be optimal, but as was mentioned, it's not SAE 40 or 20w-50, either.

 

[79sunrunner]

Well during the 240,000, there has been quite a few expensive repairs. He also owns some other large machinery, and the truck, he never believed in changing the transmission fluid, brake fluid, 4wd oil... So there has been a few breakdowns. For the machinery, he has huge hydraulic leaks, so he adds 5 gallons of hydraulic oil every day

And he checks for new leaks by (feeling around for them) to anyone who understands a hydraulic oil high compression puncture would... I can't even talk him out of checking for leaks properly. Google hydraulic oil injection wound.

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: 79sunrunner
Winter will be here soon, and trying to get him to try a 5w/30 is impossible.

Can we teach this old dog new tricks?


Originally Posted By: 79sunrunner
and since his 2004 GMC has about 240,000 miles, I guess he isn't as abusive on machinery than I though


Maybe you should keep your nose out of his business. After all, it's worked for him for quite some time and a lot of hard use, and there's no reason to believe that going to a different oil weight will provide any benefit whatsoever. Unless it's a company owned by him, and unless you're planning to take over the company soon, let him use whatever he wants to use. When you are in charge you can make the decisions. Until then, it's his decision, not yours.

And by the way-I still use 15W-40 in my snow plow tractor which happens to be 6 volt, and which has and will start without an issue in sub-zero temperatures. According to some on here it should never start in sub-zero temperatures, and if it does the engine should destroy itself in short order.

I've been using 15W-40 since I rebuilt it in 1996. That was the first rebuild since it was new in 1947.

 

[rfeir]

But I remember on winter when I was running Mobil 1 5W-20, and it got so cold my car was the only one on the block that started.

 

[79sunrunner]

In fact he does own his machinary (a 4 yard bucket wheel loader, a 3 way top soil screen plant)but everything does go to me when he is through with it. It's just that he is a little too hard on things, while not increasing the maintenance. It would be nice to get a little bit more when we go to sell everything. (trust me, I'm not taking over the family business) anyway this is a stupid thread anyway. why did i make it

 

[artificialist]

My dad stuck with Castrol 10w30 in many vehicles. 1992 Nissan Sentra, 1995 Honda Accord, 1997 Lexus ES300, 1999 Honda CRV, and maybe a few vehicles earlier. If it took 10w40, he used Castrol 10w40.

He did use 20w50 in his 1987 Hyundai Excel, and getting 110,000 miles from such a car is an accomplishment. When he traded it in for the 1992 Nissan Sentra, the dealership mechanics had to look at the car for themselves to believe an 87 Excel actually went 110,000 miles.