Is there anything wrong with putting 10W30 into the turbo diesel engine in an '05 chevy pickup? The manual calls for 15W40 but I was told that for temperature below 32 F, 10W30 can be used. We live in the midwest and it will likely go well into the cold Iowa winter before it is due for changing again.
Use what the manual recommends. Especially if you want to keep your warranty in force.
Dave
============ DO NOT USE AUTOMOBILE MOTOR OIL. YOUR TRUCK CALLS FOR DIESEL RATED MOTOR OIL, CI-4. ALMOST NO AUTOMOTIVE OILS ARE RATED CI-4. THE DIESEL RATING IS NEEDED TO DEAL WITH COMBUSTION BY-PRODUCTS UNIQUE TO DIESEL ENGINES.
Your truck calls for 15w-40 oil, with a CI-4 rating. The alternative is 5w-40 with a CI-4 rating, which appears to be what you are looking for. The 5w-40 can be used year round as most are synthetics, and is better for cold weather starts.
These oils should be available at stores such as WalMart.
Brands to look for , 15w-40, include Shell Rotella, Mobil Delvac 1300, Chevron Delo 400, etc. Just look for the CI-4 rating. Most 15w-40 oils have it, as this viscosity range is for diesels.
In 5w-40, you can look for Shell Rotella Synthetic, and Mobil 1 Truck and SUV. My local WalMart carries both. The Rotella Synthetic comes in gallon jugs, the Truck and SUV in 5 quart jugs.
The 5 quart jugs are especially convenient, as two jugs is the engine capacity.
Greetings,
According to my Duramax owner's manual, 15w-40 and 10w-30 are both rated for the same low temperature range (0F) but 10w-30 tops out at 100F. For temps lower than 0F, the book says to use 5w-40 and if I were in your shoes then that's the oil I'd use.
The '04s call for either CI-4 or CH-4, but the '05s MAY only require CI-4. My personal preference would be to stick with a synthetic, and use the 5w-40 from around November to April.
Cheers - Jonathan
============= I have an 03 Duramax with the LB7 engine. This engine does not have EGR, and the manual calls for CH-4 or CI-4. I am not sure what is in the manual for the 05 either, but the 05 uses the LLY engine that has EGR. The difference between CH-4 and CI-4 is that the CI-4 certification test includes parameters specifically relevant to EGR engines. So I would use CI-4 for an 05 EGR equipped engine, even if the owner's manual still said CH-4 or CI-4.
Actually, at this time, all of the "real" diesel motor oils, such as Rotella, Delvac, Mobil 1 Truck and SUV, Chevron Delo, etc. have the CI-4 rating, and some even have a CI-4+ rating.
What would be the consequences of using a 10W30 oil that didn't meet the specs for that particular engine?
========= The principal thing in the CI-4 rating is the capability to keep soot in suspension, which is important for diesels, particularly the EGR diesels, but not relevant to gasoline engines.
If the soot gets out of suspension, it can coke up/sludge up an engine.
The other thing you see in the specification is the Total Base Number, or "TBN" of the CI-4 oils is much higher than the TBN of automobile oils that may have a CF rating. Total base numbers of the top of the line diesel CI-4 oils is around 12, and for the really, really top oils used for super heavy duty construction equipment, I have seen as high as around 14. On the other hand, for gasoline engine oils that otherwise meet SL, it is usually under 10.
This represents the ability of the oil to handle acid combustion bproducts.
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