Thread: What oil?
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Old 12-09-2009, 08:17 PM
v8volvo v8volvo is offline
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15W40 non-synthetic is the worst thing you could possibly run in the wintertime, especially in NY where the weather gets cold. It guarantees rapid engine wear.

In a D24T the oil should ALWAYS be synthetic, and in the wintertime it had better be 5W30 or 5W40. I am running AMSoil Series 3000 5W30 this winter and used it last summer as well, though I'll probably switch to their 5W40 or 15W40 next summer.

It brings the price up at oil change time, but since you only need to change it about 1/3 as often the overall price ends up about the same. How often are you changing it now? Every 7500-10,000 miles is fine if you are running a high-quality synthetic. Rotella Syn is good stuff but it's toward the bottom of the chain. Mobil 1 Delvac is good, Lubro-Moly makes some good stuff, and AMSoil is the best but it does get expensive. Anything that is synthetic, rated for diesel use (capable of handling soot and high temps), and the right viscosity range will be better than what you are running now. Use a good filter as well -- Mann, Mahle, or WIX. Do not use a Fram or other low-budget filter. Cheap crappy filters are false economy -- the few bucks extra you spend getting a quality filter will save you thousands in the long run.

Synthetic will NOT make the engine leak more. That is a myth that arose in the 1980s with very early primitive synthetic oils. It has not been an issue for decades, but somehow the myth hangs on. It is false. Synthetic will do nothing but good for your engine, in every way.
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86 745 D24T/ZF 345k lifted 2.5"
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