Is 15w40 right for Cat

[inconnu]

i have read many threads by a member named bbob and i think he knows what is he talkiing about many a times he has suggested using rotella, delvac 15w40 oils in other cadillac motors i was thinking of using the same grade on my Catera so if anyone of you can shed some light on this i will be thankful because my car has lots of miles (110K miles) and i was thinking on the lines that heavy duty oil be better for it
Thanks

[omermurat]

According to the manual 10w30 is recommended & 5w30 is acceptable if the ambient temp is below 0 degree F.

Should you have some oil pressure problem, using higher grade oil is the simplest and quickest fix, but I do not think that's the safest as every oil has its own ideal working temperature window. The higher the grade the higher the temp it needs to reach to do the necessary lubrication. At every cold start it takes longer to reach its ideal working temp and the ideal lubrication will be delayed. Also, higher grade oil takes much more effort to move around and that hurts the gas milage.

Using an external oil cooler with correct grade oil is a better solution (maybe not the best) as the oil gets cooled when it's necessary thanks to the cooler's thermostat. That's how I did it on my car, and I am pretty happy for more than a year. But, that's just me

[BLUCAT98]

Hey Omer..!

I didnt put two and two and realize you are a regular contributor on this site as well!! Man, is great to have you arround! I still haven't been able to get any pics on my water pump work! It's cold and rainy here in the Bronx, NY!

I really want to fix the car 'cause it's the best riding car I've ever had and I want to work all its kinks out! Now on this issue, what do you think about these pricey oil prechargers from amsoil : http://www.amsoil.com/StoreFront/amk.aspx
I'm looking for something that's not as expensive, but havent found anything else yet.

[gifutiger]

Greetings,

From the research that I have done, I would recommend that you stay away from multi-weight oils unless you absolutely need the varying viscosity. If you use a 15w40 oil, when you start the automobile in the morning and the temp. is in the low 30's the oil weight will have a viscosity of 15, however when your engine reaches 180 degrees operating temp. the viscosity will be 40. Unless your engine is pretty much worn out you shouldn't need a viscosity of 40! I'm sure that you want to know why! Well the highest viscosity that a multi-weight oil has is the lowest number of the oil. The higher number is achieved through polymers and polymers do break down under use. Therefore I use single weight oil, because it is more reliable. I'm sure that I will be rebuked for this opinion, but I stand by my conviction and if I need a lower weight oil because the weather has turned cold, I change the oil. I change my own oil and a filter (always use the best oil and filter) I use the Purolator PureONE PL10111 filter and my total cost is only about $12.00. If you will go to http://people.msoe.edu/~yoderw/oilfi...lterstudy.html you can review a very comprehensive study of oil filters.


Best regards,

[omermurat]

Originally Posted by BLUCAT98

Hey Omer..!

I didnt put two and two and realize you are a regular contributor on this site as well!! Man, is great to have you arround! I still haven't been able to get any pics on my water pump work! It's cold and rainy here in the Bronx, NY!

I really want to fix the car 'cause it's the best riding car I've ever had and I want to work all its kinks out! Now on this issue, what do you think about these pricey oil prechargers from amsoil : http://www.amsoil.com/StoreFront/amk.aspx
I'm looking for something that's not as expensive, but havent found anything else yet.

Hey Jorge,

It's nice to be able to help

Aftermarket stuff are quick to promise miracles but I am sceptical. If these things are that good why in the world manufacturers don't use them?

Using a good oil filter is much better and cheaper as they come with real check valve that keeps engine oil draining back in the crank case thus eliminates dry starts. Check the above message and the attached link.

[BLUCAT98]

Cool..!

So.., the better "cold start" oil filters would have a very good check valve! I'm assuming that the Purolator PureONE PL10111 filter falls perfectly in that category?

I didnt even know that the "W" in 10w30 meant "winter" lol..! But I researched a bit on oils and for the newbie like me here are some links!

In this link I learned about oil viscosity ( = oil weights ) and Higher millage oils :

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/framed...2/8/motor_oil/

In this link I learned about the same and some pointers on the use of sythetic oils on older engines. Synthetic oils have "detergents" in them that clean up the insides of worn engines and strip old oil coating on old oil seals and oil leaks may develop.

http://minimopar.knizefamily.net/oil.html


This link explain Single-Grade oil Vs. Multi-Grade oil. and the fact that Single-Grade oil sticks to parts for a longer period of time and therefore offering some help on cold starts, but also cautions that this is not good for winter use.

http://www.avweb.com/news/maint/182909-1.html


I now wonder if anyone has any experience with Higer millage motor oils and any recomendations. My Catera has 98k+ miles! Here are some links:

http://www.quakerstate.com/pages/pro...hermileage.asp

http://www.valvoline.com/carcare/art...=ccr20030901v2

thanks,
-Jorge.

[BLUCAT98]

Looks like "Mobil Drive Clean Plus HM High Mileage" Vehicle Formulas 10W-30 & 10W-40 is what's needed for winter & summer respectively?

http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...Clean_Plus.asp

[alvarofue]

I've seen in Autodata (a car information software) that the catera needs:
5W-30 for cold weather, 15W-40 for moderated weather and 20w-40 for hot weather. And you can also use 10W-40 for moderated weather. All must agree norm API SJ and be at least semi-synth.

I hope this info is useful

[omermurat]

Originally Posted by alvarofue

I've seen in Autodata (a car information software) that the catera needs:
5W-30 for cold weather, 15W-40 for moderated weather and 20w-40 for hot weather. And you can also use 10W-40 for moderated weather. All must agree norm API SJ and be at least semi-synth.

I hope this info is useful

The 97 Catera Service Manual that I have doesn't agree with that statement.

That must be something new.

[alvarofue]

I've seen it for the Opel Omega 3.0, because the Software has no info about cadillacs (is a british software). Maybe there is a difference between the two cars, but I don't think this is the case. Maybe in Europe "cold weather" meens something different as in the US. I'm from Chile, and I use 10W-40 semi-synth. The weather where I live is moderated, with temperatures between 0ºC an 30ºC during the year.

[gifutiger]

Originally Posted by alvarofue

I've seen in Autodata (a car information software) that the catera needs:
5W-30 for cold weather, 15W-40 for moderated weather and 20w-40 for hot weather. And you can also use 10W-40 for moderated weather. All must agree norm API SJ and be at least semi-synth.

I hope this info is useful

Quoted from; http://www.repairfaq.org/filipg/AUTO/F_oil_facts.html

Multi viscosity oils are one of the great improvements in oils, but they should be chosen wisely. Always use a multi grade with the narrowest span of viscosity that is appropriate for the temperatures you are going to encounter. In the winter base your decision on the lowest temperature you will encounter, in the summer, the highest temperature you expect. The polymers can shear and burn forming deposits that can cause ring sticking and other problems. 10W-40 and 5W-30 require a lot of polymers (synthetics excluded) to achieve that range. This has caused problems in diesel engines, but fewer polymers are better for all engines. The wide viscosity range oils, in general, are more prone to viscosity and thermal breakdown due to the high polymer content. It is the oil that lubricates, not the additives. Oils that can do their job with the fewest additives are the best.

[gunther1000]

Anyone here ever consider 20w-50? I run that in my very high tolerance GSX-R 1000 and would think it should run in the catera? But what are the cons? Thanks

P.S. I live in Nashville and its hot as can be in the Summer...

[submariner409]

15W-40 and 20W-50 are far too high in viscosity ratings for a modern gasoline engine in daily driver use, regardless of the average daily temperatures. (Maybe, just maybe, in August in Saudi Arabia.) Nearly every engine built for the past 20+ years has been spec'd for either 10W-30 or 5W-30, with Ford now going to 5W-20. Trucks included.

I run Pennzoil 15W-40 Long Life truck oil in my '69-'73 Olds 455 boat engines, both racing and work applications, but those engines run constantly at 3,500+ cruise and 5,450 WOT with oil temps to 245F. Different beasts, entirely.

If you're into the ZDDP additives (zinc, phosphorus) look at 10W-30 Pennzoil Long Life, Chevron Delo, Shell Rotella diesel/gas truck/commercial oils.

"Stickier" oil does not lube your engine any better; as a matter of fact, it's more detrimental to extended life, removes less heat from rotating parts, and actually costs you gas mileage.

In response to the thread title, YES, 15W-40 is perfect for a Caterpillar 3208 TA 375 commercial diesel.

[lakesidepark]

not so much an oil tip but an observation on the benefits of an oil cooler....

Before I installed an oil cooler I noted that on the really hot days (and in Nashville those days were 100+ last year) the oil pressure dropped drastically after the car got up to temperature. Although the oil pressure on my car is still very reasonable at low RPM (above 25 at idle), the accelleration pressure (above 2500RPM) would fall from a peak of 80 to around 50PSI.

After I removed the INFERNAL oil cooler and added an external cooler with 180 degree bypass t-stat, the at-temp pressure on hot days above 2500RPM always rises consistently to 65-70PSI. Keep in mind that with the internal cooler the oil will be cooled only to the temp of the coolant and this temp is in the range of 200-215 degrees, with the external cooler it is running around 180 and this keeps the viscosity up.

This alone is a good reason to run an external cooler if you run your car hard and / or in hot weather...but make sure you have that bypass t-stat or that Cat will never warm up in cool weather.

FYI I use 10W30 full synthetic.

My $0.02

[submariner409]

Don't forget that running lube oil at the design temperature of 210-220 raises the vapor point of volatiles and acids in the oil, allowing the vapor to be carried off by the PCV system and burned during combustion. The normal hot lube ol pressure for a GM engine is quoted as 45 psi above 2500 rpm. The very fact that you see 50-70 psi indicates that the oil is too cold and the engines' internal oil bypass system is fully open trying to control pressure. The bypass is set for around 45 psi. That's why racers can add springs or stack washers under the bypass spring/ball/plunger to raise oil pressur for extended high (above 5,500) rpm operation. Excessively high oil pressure in a normally operating automobile engine tends to leak out of odd places, blow oil filters, and push gaskets out of place. ......and, believe it or not, it takes 2-4 hp to turn that hp oil pump.