15 w 40 in gas motors??

[RustyJC]

I wouldn't put 15w40 in something that called for 5w30.

Or 5W-20 like late Fords, Hondas, Toyotas, etc.

Rusty

 

[JR]

The GM dexos and Ford specd WSS oils, both 5w20, should be adhered to pretty closely.

 

[duspan]

i use the rotella oil in my race car,all the time

 

[JMcCoy]

Shell Rotella is JASO MA certified, which makes it compatible with Japanese wet clutches found in motorcycles and ATVs. I use Rotella 5w-40 synthetic in my '70 CB750, '86 Honda Fat Cat, '01 Troybilt tractor, Makita generator, and Honda pressure washer. I have had no issues.

 

[TFucili]

As stated, back when we were in the lumber business, I bought 15W40 Drydene "Dieselall" Fleet Oil by the drum and ran it in everything. Today's gas engines are pretty lube-specific, so I don't think I'd do it now.

 

[Wayne M.]

I will amend my previous post. Since then I've received training on the latest GM gas truck V8 as well as buying a new hemi Durango. Both with MDS and VVT technology. The both engines are very sensitive to oil (and drain intervals!) and calls for 0/20 syn. Anything else will throw a MIL. Othwise diesel oil is still boss for older engines.

 

[AnOldBiker]

This has always been a hot topic for as long as I’ve been driving, and on as many website as there are in on the web. In fact, I’ve seen where people have gone ballistic in their discussions. But there is a constant thought that in the long run has been stable. What does the manufacture recommends for the vehicle ? If the machine is designed for say a 10w-40, it is recommended you stay within the realm of the 10w-40 and it’s rated level of protection. The chemicals are added to work with what you own. Over time the rating can slightly change due to the engineering changes and replacement parts materials used. But in the long run, it can be best to stay near the original recommendations.

I moved where I’m living at now when I retired, almost 10 years now. The prior area was fine with the recommendation of oil for the different vehicles. But it get quite colder here in winter. So when the first oil changes were due, I had talked to the locals and found out what the coldest temperatures were in the prior 20 years. I had to change to a different rated oil. In my Cummins, for staying with one specific blend, instead of the range I had with the 15w-40 oil, I went to the 5w-40 oil, further north it would have been 0w-40. Haven’t had any issues with it and all the oil analysis reports were very good. The truck requires a base of 40w. This is a very basic description of what happens. The lighter rating (the 5w) helps with the flow of oil at start up to lube and protect the metals from wear. Either way, when the oil gets up to proper temp, it’s still a 40w rating the entire time. I only maintain oils for my Dodge, my tractor and my lawnmower with the same 5w-40 oil, there all diesel engines. But the wife pickup is a gasser and requires a 5w-30 oil. (the 40w is to heavy for it) The oil is good for the temperature range we see here under the coldest and hottest conditions, so I have a couple jugs only for her. That leaves me with only 2 different oils on the shelf, but they cover all possible temp ranges we’ll see, and all other equipment we own will be covered with the 2 blends.

I can understand why people would want to run a different rated oil for summer / winter, but don’t see a reason since there are options for a year round blend instead. That saves storage, money if buying in bulk and work changing it out the beginning of each season.

So to your original question, "does anyone see an issue with running a 15w40 diesel oil in a gas motor?”
If the engine can handle a ‘40w’ rated oil, and the ‘15w' rating will be good for the initial startup temperature range it will be running in, AND the API rating is acceptable for the engines, why not ?

 

[JMcCoy]

I should clarify that I put the recommended 5w-30 in my wife's Ford Explorer.

 

[Grahn]

I'm running 15w-40 Cenpeco in both my '07 5.9 CTD and '02 Sierra 6.0 gasser (210k miles) up here in Wisconsin. No issues yet, and I've noticed that the rocker ticking that is typical of the Vortec engines went away with the Cenpeco.


Back in the '70's my grandpa used 15w-40 Cenpeco in his IH 766 diesel and his Chevy 307... the 307 was in great shape when I broke it down to restore .

 

[The patriot]

I wouldn't hesitate in an older engine.
Newer engines are built more specific to lube.....closer tolerances etc.

 

[Joseph Donnelly]

I used 15-40 in my older cars, but my new Jeep and Dart want 0-20 or 5-20 so they get oil in that viscosity range. Tighter bearing clearances vs. about .005" in the Cummins.

 

[LFalconer]

I concur with Wayne M. I run 5W40 Rotella in my 76 Ford F250 with a built 360 to help with flat tappet lube. Higher Zinc content

is key.





-- Luke