I brought my freshly bought 1st diesel for an inspection and an oil change and the guy (as I discovered later) put oil not suitable for temps under 30f (this is New England). My questions are: how will my vehicle function and should I just put the right oil in asap?
Thanks,
Alex

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1984 190d 5 speed manual

What grade of oil has he put in it?
What is recommended for your climate?
jackD

Jack:

I would use Mobil Delvac 1 5W40 in Canada. Dino oil of too high a viscosity (summer oil) is very likely to give you starting problems if you must leave the car outside overnight. If you have a garage, heated or not, you may not have much trouble. However, sitting in a parking lot all day.....

I lived in Sault Ste. Marie, ONT for three winters, I know!

Peter

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1972 220D ?? miles
1988 300E 200,012
1987 300D Turbo killed 9/25/07, 275,000 miles
1985 Volvo 740 GLE Turobodiesel 218,000
1972 280 SE 4.5 165, 000 - It runs!

Worse than being harder to start, is the fact that thicker oil takes longer to reach all engine parts at startup in very cold weather. This means that for quite a few precious seconds, whole areas of your engine are running with no lubrication. NO GOOD!

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Jean

97 C280, 36k miles
96 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, 146k miles

...he put 15W-40, I believe. I found some information on it being appropriiate for large diesel engines ie Mack trucks.

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1984 190d 5 speed manual

That oil is correct for your engine, but *may* cause starting issues if temps get well below freezing. If your car is parked outside and must be started under cold temps like that, I strongly second the recommendation for Mobil-1 5W-40 full synthetic (also known as Delvac-1).

The oil you use MUST be diesel rated (CF/CG/CH/CI) and meet the viscosity range in the owner's manual. You cannot use anything thinner than xW-40 in ambient temps above what it says in the chart. The Mobil-1 5W-40 is perfect year-round, I use it in all my cars.

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Thanks...will a block heater help and if so, how long does it take to heat up?

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1984 190d 5 speed manual

A block heater is definitely a good idea. How long? Obviously it all depends on how cold it is.

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Jean

97 C280, 36k miles
96 Subaru Impreza Outback Sport, 146k miles

ok, thanks Jean.
Alex

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1984 190d 5 speed manual