Hi everyone I'm new member to this forum (Been reading it for months but only just registered) And I was just wondering what weight of oil everybody runs in their diesel. My friend and I put amsoil 0w30 in his 84 300d. No leaks and noticible performance increase in colder climate (Calgary, AB) Anyways does anybody have any reason why this is a poor idea and what oil do you use?

Thanks

Caduceus

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1982 300D Silver/Blue 612000kms (Sold 2010) Now at 660000kms, original engine, original tranny.

0W30 is far too thin.

Other than that, do a search. The are dozens of pages about oil for the 300D.

I use Mobil Delvac1 5W40.

how cold is it up there in calgary? 30 weight is reserved for REALLY cold weather. they make a 0W40 that might be better, but I agree 0W anything should be too thin for all but the COLDEST climates. like maybe -40° or so...
John

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Tell your friend to either add some viscsity increaser or dump his oil. 0-30 synthetic is probably like water compared to 15-40 in these older diesels. Any good diesel specific 15-40 should meet service requirements.
I too live in canada and our weather is well above thinner oil requirements spring,summer and fall. On the newer diesels if the manufacturer recommends thinner oil that is probably okay but not on our old buggies.

Thinner oil will reduce parasitic loss, but at what price?

Ok thanks guys. I guess we'll swap it out with some 15w-40 synthetic this weekend. Thanks for the input. As for how cold it is up here it's not bad other than the fact that we just had 2" of snow on wednesday. (Wasn't cold but still..)
Also wouldn't a 0w40 and a 15w40 be comparable to use in the engine considering at operating temp they both perform the same? Don't you want your oil to flow the best it can when it's not up to temp? Just wondering


Caduceus

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1982 300D Silver/Blue 612000kms (Sold 2010) Now at 660000kms, original engine, original tranny.

fwIk, the 0 w 40 does not have the dispersants, that the older diesels need, it's best to use 5W40 for cold, and 15W50 for warm climates.
it gets in the 90°F temps here and down to 15°F or so winter, and I use 5W40 all season...
John

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John HAUL AWAY, OR CRUSHED CARS!!! HELP ME keep the cars out of the crusher! A/C Thread
"as I ride with my a/c on... I have fond memories of sweaty oily saturdays and spewing R12 into the air. THANKS for all you do!

My drivers:
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5Turbo
1987 190D 2.5-5SPEED!!!

1987 300TD
1987 300TD
1994GMC 2500 6.5Turbo truck... I had to put the ladder somewhere!

Do you have an oil pressure gauge? It ought to tell you whether the oil is too thick or thin.

At idle it still reads half on the oil pressure guage and full up on anything above idle.

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1982 300D Silver/Blue 612000kms (Sold 2010) Now at 660000kms, original engine, original tranny.

I live in Toronto and the weather here is fairly cold in the winter and quite hot in the summer, I end up switching from 20W50 in the summer to 10W30 in the winter.

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OBJECTS IN MIRROR ARE CLOSER THAN THEY APPEAR, ONLY IN A BENZ

89 560SEC
90 350SDL (Rudolph)
91 350SDL (300SDL drivetrain)
87 BMW 635CSi (Swanhild)
89 BMW M6 (euro)
99 Suzuki Hayabusa (Only the fastest thing ever)

I run mostly soy oil, and when it gets cold I add some #2 diesel.

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'83 240D with 617.952 and 2.88
'01 VW Beetle TDI
'05 Jeep Liberty CRD
'89 Toyota 4x4, needs 2L-T
'78 280Z with L28ET - 12.86@110
Oil Burner Kartel #35

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...oD/bioclip.jpg

It's not the 0W that is too thin, it's the -30 that makes it too thin at operating temperature. You would be better off with a 0W-40 or a 5W-40 oil. Make sure it is diesel rated to handle the soot. You can get a higher diesel rating in a 5W-40 oil than you can get with a 0W-40 oil but as long as the oil is rated at least CD, it will be better than any oil available back in the early '80s.

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Ron Schroeder
'85 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
'83 300 Turbo Diesel 2 tank WVO
Some former WVO vehicles since ~1980:
'83 Mercedes 240D
'80 Audi 4000D
'83 ISUZU Pup
'70 SAAB 99 with Kubota diesel
'76 Honda Civic with Kubota diesel
'86 Golf
Several diesel generators
All with 2 tank WVO conversion
LI NY

I've been running Esso XD-3 Extra 0w40 this winter. You should be able to find it at Walmart in Calgary. I've been pretty happy with it but will be going back to Rotella T for summer.

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1985 300SD

x2, for happy diesels. Mine runs much better since I switched.

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-justin

1987 300TD, 1987 300TD
2008 R32, 2000 Passat Wagon

That I would expect. The concern as I see it is the ability to form and maintain a cushion under load between parts. Thin oil is just less able to preform this fuction as reliably as a heavier oil. Remember engine parts are not to have any actual contact while running. If they do you get a much faster wearing situation.