Running 5w40 T6 in multiple vehicles

[Thebeckoner]

So I'm relatively new to this site (been lurkin for bit). I figured I'd post here since it concerns diesel oil in particular.

Basically we have several vehicles we are thinking about running T6 in, in order to slim down on the types of oils we use. They are:

1999 Toyota Tacoma 5vz-fe 183,xxx miles - This truck was turbocharged around 10k ago as a project. It currently has valvoline HM 10w40 as I had planned to take it and do some 1/4 mile runs. (ended up not happening) calls for 5w30 year round and 10w30 in summer
2005 Toyota Tacoma 1gr-fe 165,xxx miles - Currently using amsoil 5w30 OEM - calls for 5w30 year round (gonna sell it soon but I'm probably gonna buy another just like it)
2006 Chevy Silverado 2500HD 6.0 240,xxx miles - Valvoline HM 10w30 - calls for 5w30 year round or 10w30 in summer
2015 Silverado 3500HD 120,xxx - Currently using T6 5w40
1999 Ford F350 7.3 374,xxx - Currently using T5 10w30 (going to do a UOA on this one and see how it's doing, probably gonna switch to 5w40) Noticeably faster cold starts (30f and below) since switching to 10w30

So obviously the diesels can run the 5w40 no problem, my main question is what are your opinion on running the 5w40 in the gas engines? I think it would be beneficial to the turbo 5vz. I also plan to install bypass system on the 3500 silverado, 99 Tacoma and my next 2nd gen tacoma (1gr) and maybe the 7.3

I understand that ultimately UOA's will determine how everything is doing and if the 5w40 performs as it should. I'm just trying to get opinions on running the 5w40 in everything in order to streamline the shop a bit and clear some shelf space of various oils.


Thanks.

 

[Johnny2Bad]

I use 0W-40 in everything, and that includes an air-cooled motorcycle. Look at the Model Years in my Sig, these are motors that last. I pulled the original working Miata motor at 300K Km [187,000 Miles] because I was tired of looking at the new-ish [40,000 Km] larger displacement motor / trans sitting on a pallet in my yard. Inspection revealed it could have gone much longer.

Works for me. Your list is basically all Heavy Duty trucks (we can include the Turbo Tacoma as a Severe Service application) so it's even easier to recommend just one oil, Synthetic, xW-40.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Should be fine using T6 in those older gasoline engines.
Bothers me a little that it doesn't carry a gasoline spec like SL, SM, or SN like many diesel oils do.
Rotella T6 is popular with Subaru enthusiasts who use it with no problems. And it perfoms well on wear in Subaru gasoline engines ( https://www.blackstone-labs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Aug-17-ENG.pdf )

 

[dblshock]

I'd keep the brand open and look for promos..you can get Delvac 1 5/40 mighty cheap in 5gal. buckets A/R....Shell. Mobile, Penz, Chevron, Warren (ST, Rural King ect) and Citgo all in that space.

 

[benjy]

higher viscosity oils can be better in hotter climates but wider spreads shear more + quicker, no need for anything thinner than a 10W for cold starts in texas + the cheaper 15-40's will prolly do in texas heat, especially the summer + of course higher mileage engines are generally better with higher running viscosity oils IMO

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Originally Posted by benjy
higher viscosity oils can be better in hotter climates but wider spreads shear more + quicker, no need for anything thinner than a 10W for cold starts in texas + the cheaper 15-40's will prolly do in texas heat, especially the summer + of course higher mileage engines are generally better with higher running viscosity oils IMO


Synthetics can handle wide spreads just fine, but you are absolutely right that wide spreads in conventional oils require more Viscosity Improvers and VI's degrade by the mile. As they do, the oil's viscosity slowly reverts towards the base stock viscosity, which is typically SAE 20.

You can have either synthetic or conventional (or a blend) in a 5W-XX oil, but all 0W-XX oils are synthetics.

 

[Snagglefoot]

Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Should be fine using T6 in those older gasoline engines.
Bothers me a little that it doesn't carry a gasoline spec like SL, SM, or SN like many diesel oils do.
Rotella T6 is popular with Subaru enthusiasts who use it with no problems. And it perfoms well on wear in Subaru gasoline engines ( https://www.blackstone-labs.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Aug-17-ENG.pdf )


Like Oil Film Movies mentioned, T6 5w40 is not SN rated but T6 0w40 is, if that works for you.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
Bothers me a little that it doesn't carry a gasoline spec like SL, SM, or SN like many diesel oils do.

If it was E7, E9 before and still is now, it hasn't changed enough for me to worry it's unsuitable for a gasoline engine where it would have been before. If that bothers you, just wait. I have little doubt that the comparative scarcity of 30 grade A3/B4 lubricants in North America has something to do with that such lubes have to follow ILSAC phosphorus limits to show an SM or SN. Castrol 0w-30 A3/B4 shows an older specification, and always has, and that causes enough consternation here. When and if the phosphorus waiver disappears for all grades wanting to show API gasoline licensing, then you'll see hand wringing. Shell just chose to dodge that bullet before the shot is even fired.

 

[4WD]

In things not sensitive to viscosity (some VVT or other motor oil activation kit) or NOACK value …
T6 not stellar on that … Delo & Delvac dino are even better and near half the cost …
And of course some selected to ignore what Shell says about killing cats …

So sorry … T6 is not Pennzoil Platinum Euro on the cheap …

 

[oil_film_movies]

The best thing to do with a mixed gasoline & diesel fleet is to just use Shell Rotella T6 Mult-Vehicle 5w30 with a thick HTHS of 3.5 (minimum for CK-4). ILSAC 5w30 oils have an HTHS of about 3.0, so this oil is thick enough to be used in about anything. "Multi-Vehicle" is Shell's deliberate attempt to sell this oil to mixed fleets, one oil.

 

[Garak]

The Rotella 5w-30 also has the Cummins spec. I know Ford is all bent out of shape right now, but there was at least one low phosphorus E6 lube on their previous list of approved HDEOs. Ironically, that one, being Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5w-30, is still somehow okay for Ford because it's CJ-4.

 

[4WD]

Originally Posted by oil_film_movies
The best thing to do with a mixed gasoline & diesel fleet is to just use Shell Rotella T6 Mult-Vehicle 5w30 with a thick HTHS of 3.5 (minimum for CK-4). ILSAC 5w30 oils have an HTHS of about 3.0, so this oil is thick enough to be used in about anything. "Multi-Vehicle" is Shell's deliberate attempt to sell this oil to mixed fleets, one oil.


If you are hung up on mixed fleet … OK, not me … run from Hybrid Ford, tiny 1.4T GM, fairly expensive 5.3L vehicles, outboards , OPE, mid range to massive fixed position diesel generator engines and run T6 in exactly none …
Wrong concept to me …

 

[Garak]

You're fortunate enough that your fleet is a little more homogeneous with respect to oil specification than the OP. I don't know right off the top of my head whether the Cruze calls for a 5w-30 or a 5w-20 (GM just uses 0w-20 instead now), or which engines you've got in the trucks, but I bet one dexos1 choice across the board would work quite well for all four. The OP looks to have one or two diesels. Meeting the exact OEM specifications for every vehicle in his fleet with one oil is a bit of a challenge, maybe even technically impossible given the letter of the law, as it were. His 2006 truck would certainly be "properly" served with a dexos1 5w-30, considering that's what GM would backspec to the obsolete GM numbered spec.

 

[userfriendly]

I bought a 5 gallon pail of T6 5W40 last week. Eleven liters went into my 2011 Duramax LML, the rest will go in my son's 2013 SLT 5.3L.
I'll have to buy another 5 gallons while it's still on sale. Ten liters of that pail will go in my daughter's 2018 Duramax, and 6 liters into a company truck, 6.0L 2016 2500 GMC.
I buy my share of 0W40 too, when winter temperatures require it.

But come spring.... no more expensive synthetics. Why would anyone think they need a 5W or 0W anything above freezing?

If you're shopping HTHS, then shop HTHS and not the W.

Shannow's XW-HTHS works for me. Pick an ambient and a HTHS.

 

[Thebeckoner]

Ok so the required specs are as such:
99 Tacoma 5vz - SJ
05 Tacoma 1gr - SL
99 F350 7.3 - CJ-4
15 Chevy 6.6 - CJ-4
06 Chevy 6.0 - GM6094M (from what im searching this is a spec for conventional oil to meet?)

Mobil one 5w40 diesel oil seems to meet all of these (being that it meets SN for gas).

I wouldn't mind using two different weights like 5w30 and 5w40. 5w40 in the diesels and in the turbo tacoma and 5w30 in the other gas trucks.
My concern with using the recommended 5w30 in the 5vz is now that it has a turbo is that it would thin too much since the turbo isn't watercooled.

 

[Thebeckoner]

I may also add that im trying to run something locally available. Mobil 1 and Rotella 5w40 are everywhere, but stuff like T6 multi and 0w40 aren't anywhere near me short of the internet. I will do some shopping around to see if anyone stocks anything different since I looked around though, just to make sure.

As of this moment Im thinking of running T6 5w40 in the diesels and 5w30 in the gas' ones and adding water cooling to the turbo if the 5w30 thins down too much in the turbo truck.

Another slight concern is that the turbo truck is tuned and runs decently rich compared to a normal gas truck at WOT (around 11:1-ish at full boost) so fuel dilution may also be something to keep in mind. After installing the bypass system my idea was to check them all at around 5k miles to see how everything is doing. (this would be after switching everything to hopefully 1-2 oil weights)

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by userfriendly
But come spring.... no more expensive synthetics. Why would anyone think they need a 5W or 0W anything above freezing?

Because what's in my sump was there when it was +35 C and may not be changed out before it hits -35 C.

Thebeckoner: There are 5w-30 options that are thicker at operating temperature than ordinary ILSAC type 30 grades. The 5w-30 in my G37 right now is an example, that is also CK-4, so, it can be done. There are other 5w-30 A3/B4 options that are similar. As userfriendly indicates above, the SAE grade doesn't tell much on its own and not all 5w-30 options are interchangeable. The 5w-30 in my G37 is suitable for diesels. An ordinary 5w-30 SN/GF-5, not so much.

A 5w-40 HDEO would technically work fine in all those vehicles. I used a 5w-40 HDEO in my G37 for a very long time, Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40. As to your question about the GM gasser and the specified oil, yes, that would have been met by an ordinary conventional 5w-30.

 

[userfriendly]

Sorry Garak, I miss your point. The OP lives in Texas, you live in Saskatchewan with a population of about one million and perhaps in the southern half, has 90 frost-free days a year.
From what I gather, you don't drive your 10 year old G37 or 34 year old F150 enough to justify seasonal oil changes, and/or you live in a climate that requires 5W cold start more than 80% of the year.

 

[Garak]

That was my point. You mentioned, "Why would anyone think they need a 5W or 0W anything above freezing?" I'm not doing the summer fill/winter fill thing. Of course, if the OP is stuck on synthetic for any reason, a 5w-XX or 0w-XX is probably going to be the solution. If not, no, it doesn't matter in the least. Some, of course, use a synthetic E7, E9 for extended drains, so that's another matter, but not likely the case here.

 

[53' Stude]

Originally Posted by Garak
The Rotella 5w-30 also has the Cummins spec. I know Ford is all bent out of shape right now, but there was at least one low phosphorus E6 lube on their previous list of approved HDEOs. Ironically, that one, being Mobil Delvac 1 LE 5w-30, is still somehow okay for Ford because it's CJ-4.

Yeah, FORD has some oil issues to say the least. I bet they would spank me for putting ST Syn dexos1 gen2 in friends Ford Focus wagon like i did today