Engine/Transmission (1998.5 - 2002) 5w30 amsoil oil

[Kurt Henzler]

i am a new member, just found out about tdr, wish it was sooner. please let me know if i need to change anything with my posts.

just installed series 3000 5w30 amsoil and remote duel filter at about 45k. used rotella 15w40 prior to this. mounted filters under passenger seat on frame. it required and extra 1 foot of hose but seemed to go pretty well and did not have to use the $30. 00 90 degree fittings.

my question is about the turbo . the first time i ran the truck with this new oil and filters, there is a noticable different noise from the turbo. is this because of the lighter oil?

 

[lschultz]

I ran the Amsoil 5W30 in the trucks I had before this one and I did not noticed much difference in sound. If anything it was a little quieter. Never noticed anything different/sound from the turbo. But I did not have any bypass filters. I'm sure others will come on here and tell you about there experiences with bypass filters. If anything you might noticed a slight decrease in your oil pressure at idle with the bypass. Nothing to be concerned with.



I almost forget welcome aboard

 

[PLaFrombois]

Welcome aboard!

You didn't say what type of noise you have now with the switch to 5w-30. Two things come to mind, and others can correct me. Going to a lighter oil might give a different type of noise compared to the 15w-40. The location you placed your by-pass may also cause a different noise that you're not used to hearing. As long as you don't have any leaks it should be fine.

Paul

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

I ran 5W30 Amsoil for awhile but found it didn't seem to perform quite as well as the 15W40 when I compared oil sample numbers (wear metal counts). I decided the occasional 110+ degree summer temps here were too hot to run this thinner oil. IMO it is not a good choice in hotter climates.



I am ready to do an oil change on the Delvac 1 I am running. I'll sample and see what kind of numbers I get after running it for 20,000 miles on one change and no bypass filtration (used 3 Stratapore filters during this interval).



Vaughn

 

[Riflesmith]

Kurt,

I have extensive experience with this oil. My experience is the exact opposite of Vaughn's. In my engine, 15,000 miles on Amsoil 5W-30HDD resulted in 26 ppm iron. A recent sample using Amsoil 15W-40 after 9,300 miles yielded 39 ppm iron.

Thinking back to when I installed Amsoil 5W-30HDD, it did produce a different overall sound from the engine. The turbo took longer to wind down to a standstill at engine shut down than with any oil I have tried. I also had consistently higher MPG numbers with this oil. Use it year-round without worry, but if you are considering extended drains, consider having your oil analyzed at reasonable intervals to verify you are getting all the protection you are paying for.

 

[HC]

Originally posted by Kurt Henzler

my question is about the turbo . the first time i ran the truck with this new oil and filters, there is a noticable different noise from the turbo. is this because of the lighter oil?

I'd bet money ($1. 00) that what you are hearing is not the turbo, but the dual bypass filter unit. Some users (including me) have noticed new noises with the dual bypass units. It bugged the heck out of me at first, but now I'm used to it. On the Ford or Chevy page (sorry, I forget which one), the noise is loud enough that some users were mounting the unit on rubber bushings and trying all sorts of things to make it quiet. Care to guess where these guys were mounting their filters? On the frame rail, under the passenger compartment (similar to what you described).



I've heard two different theories on what the noise is:

1) It's gear pump noise, which you hear because the filters are acting like "speakers" and resonating the noise from a different location

2) It's caused by flow noise as the oil goes past a small valve that is internal to the dual bypass unit.



I think theory #2 is more likely to be correct. But the bottom line is no, I don't think it's the 5W-30 oil. To confirm it is the filter unit, try listening close to the filter, or put your ear to a dowel pressed up against the filter with everything running.



P. S. - I've used both the 5W-30 and the 15W-40, and I can't detect a significant difference in wear rates or ability to hold up for extended changes. The 15W-40 is what I'm using now; its cheaper, matches the recommended weight exactly, seems to satisfy even more manufacturer's requirements than the 5W-30 (based on web page info), and the pour point is more than low enough for my geographic location and climate. I've very curious to see what Vaughn reports on Delvac 5W-40. I think all three are excellent choices for those who go synthetic.

 

[EMDDIESEL]

I have the Dual Bypass and i run Amsoil 5W30. My samples come back beautiful and i have a definite increase in MPG. I have not noticed any difference in noise, but then again, i was'nt listening very hard.

 

[jerryrigg]

Originally posted by Kurt Henzler

the first time i ran the truck with this new oil and filters, there is a noticable different noise from the turbo.

Do you still have the noise??? or was it just after you installed the dual filters and started it up... .





One important note about extra filters:

The more filter you add the more important it is to fill the filters with oil before installing them, if you install them empty it now takes twice as long to build up oil pressure due to having to fill a second filter...



-Matt

 

[Vaughn MacKenzie]

Originally posted by Riflesmith

Kurt,

I have extensive experience with this oil. My experience is the exact opposite of Vaughn's.

I have seen a lot of posts where others had better numbers with the 5W30 compared to the 15W40 as well. I didn't feel comfortable running it in very hot weather, and didn't feel it was worth the extra bucks.



Vaughn

 

[Riflesmith]

Originally posted by Vaughn MacKenzie

I have seen a lot of posts where others had better numbers with the 5W30 compared to the 15W40 as well. I didn't feel comfortable running it in very hot weather, and didn't feel it was worth the extra bucks.



Vaughn

I understand how you feel. That is why I am currently running the 15W-40. However, my first analysis of this oil has not done much to make me believe the 15W-40 Amsoil is a superior choice. My fuel economy has suffered, if only slightly. This is an added cost that should be considered. Given the added fuel expense, the Amsoil 5W-30 may actually be cheaper in the long run.

 

[athompson]

I'm pretty much with Vaughn on this. 5w30 is way too thin when it gets well into triple digit temps. If you live in a cold enough climate, it is appropriate.



Before multi-viscosity oils, I used to run 30 in the winter and 40 in the summer. When I switched to the multi-viscosity oils I would run 20w50 year round. This 15w40 diesel grade oil is the thinest I've run in decades. But then again, it rarely gets down to the low 30s here.

 

[Kurt Henzler]

it is just a different sounding engine. when the engine is cold (and the oil) it sounds as if it had 15w40 in it . then when the engine and oil warm up, it takes on a new sound. it sounds like Riflesmith hit the nail on the head with the longer wind down.

i was just concerned about engine damage. when should i send in the first oil test?

 

[Riflesmith]

Some people use a 7,500 mile sample interval, others wait until 10,000. I sample at 10,000 mile intervals at the present time.

 

[TBOB]

5W30 AMSOIL

I'VE BEEN RUNNING THE 5W30 AMSOIL SINCE MY FIRST OIL CHANGE ON A '99 WITH THE DUAL BY PASS MOUNTED ON THE RIGHT FRONT FENDER BRACE. NO NOISE. I'M PULLING A 15K 5ER OVER THE MOUNTAINS FROM COAST TO COAST, NO PROBLEMS. I DID A DUAL REMOTE FILTER MOUNT ON A FORD UNDER THE CAB AND WE HAD TO MOVE IT BECAUSE OF THE CHECK VALVE NOISE. TBOB

 

[Sixspeed]

I've had the amsoil 5w30 in my truck for the last 12,000 mi. I tested the oil twice both results came back a little better then the delo 15w40 with just 3000 mi. The only down side is at idle I lost about 3 to 4 lbs of oil presure.



Les

 

[kevincook]

Originally posted by Sixspeed

I've had the amsoil 5w30 in my truck for the last 12,000 mi. I tested the oil twice both results came back a little better then the delo 15w40 with just 3000 mi. The only down side is at idle I lost about 3 to 4 lbs of oil presure.



Les

Les have you tried Amsoil regular 15w40?



KC

 

[Sixspeed]

KC, I have not tried the 15w40. My plan is to run the 5w30 for 20,000 miles drain it then run the 15w40 for 20,000 then compare.



Les

 

[kevincook]

Originally posted by Sixspeed

KC, I have not tried the 15w40. My plan is to run the 5w30 for 20,000 miles drain it then run the 15w40 for 20,000 then compare.



Les

Please let me know what you find out, I am just getting ready to change to amsoil 15w40!



KC

 

[Sixspeed]

KC, my final results are going to take awhile. I only put about 12,000 to 15,000 miles a year on my truck.



Les

 

[HC]

One thing to keep in mind - a truck with 40k miles typically shows less wear metals per 10k of driving than a truck with only 20k miles. Even though it is technically "broken in" at 20k, wear rates are still decreasing with age. Getting data that "proves" which oil is best is very hard for this reason; for the first 50k miles, no matter which oil I used my oil results always came back "better" with whatever I had switched to.



Don't get me wrong - I'd like to see your results too when you get them! (but I'm also suggesting that we will all need to take them with a grain of salt)