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Engine Oil for Alaska

MPCOA

By MPCOA
in Duramax Diesel & 8.1L Big Block

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MPCOA Enthusiast

MPCOA

Posted
Posted

What do the experienced far Northerners suggest

 

10 w 30 or 5 w 40?

 

On a 05 duramax BTW

idahojoe Enthusiast

idahojoe

Posted
Posted

Being new to diesel engines; is it normal for new oil, immediately after oil and filter change, to be black right away?

  • 1 month later...
Cowpie Senior Enthusiast

Cowpie

Posted
Posted

It is a little rarer to find in the lower 48, but Mobil also has a diesel rated 0w40 that would be the cat's meow for Alaska year round.

 

I lived in Alaska from '82 to '92. First in Fairbanks, then in Delta Junction. Loved it! Wish I could have stayed. Had to come back down and help folks with the farm and eventually got caught up with that to where going back to AK is not an option, except to visit.

MPCOA Enthusiast

MPCOA

Posted
  • Author
Posted

It is a little rarer to find in the lower 48, but Mobil also has a diesel rated 0w40 that would be the cat's meow for Alaska year round.

 

I lived in Alaska from '82 to '92. First in Fairbanks, then in Delta Junction. Loved it! Wish I could have stayed. Had to come back down and help folks with the farm and eventually got caught up with that to where going back to AK is not an option, except to visit.

 

For some reason it was not that simple to get 5w40 and they still have 15w40 all over the place. Not sure if its just old stock or dudes run the 15 and rely on pan heaters

Cowpie Senior Enthusiast

Cowpie

Posted
Posted

I always relied on pan heaters no matter the oil in the pan. Along with having the block heater and battery blanket plugged in also. Even a 5w40 or a 0w40 has it pour point limits. Usually in the -40F - -50F range. And I know it hits those temps and lower sometimes. Of course, if one likes having the top of the engine run dry for a while until things get moving, that would be another issue. I wasn't one of those folks.

 

There is always online ordering and delivery. But, I'll bet you knew that already.

Prokopchuk_9 Senior Enthusiast

Prokopchuk_9

Posted
Posted

I live in Northern Alberta where temps have already hit -45. I run 0w40 shell rotella t6, it's all over the place. It's not hard to find 0-40 around here and shouldn't be in Alaska either lol.

 

It makes a big difference too, starts much much easier than 5-40

  • 3 months later...
Wintersun Enthusiast

Wintersun

Posted
Posted

15W40 is fine unless you are going to be in Fairbanks for the winter. You will not run into those temperatures in Anchorage where the average low is in the teens. 5W40 is for below 0 degree temperatures. Above 0 degrees the 15W40 is recommended and it provides better protection for the engine in warmer temperatures. Either way you want to put in a block heater.

 

You do not want a 5W when you start your engine in 50 degree weather and have it take time to get to the weight needed for protecting the engine. Multigrade are already less effective due to polymer shearing so too low a weight is compounding the problem.

 

Also if you need to run a winter 5W40 and a 15W40 the rest of the year there is no reason to pay the huge premium for synthetic motor oil for the 15W40 portion when mineral base stocks are just as effective. It is the 25% of the oil that is the additives blend that protects the engine. There is no difference in base stocks performance so long as they have the API designation as meeting the SAE standards.

  • 1 year later...
Cowpie Senior Enthusiast

Cowpie

Posted
Posted

Another thought to all of this... fuel. Many good supplements are on the market to prevent fuel issues, but if you want the best fool proof solution for diesel in the winter, it is installing a Arctic Fox fuel line heater. About $450, give or take. Electric 12V operated. Just flip a switch in the cab and have on for a couple of minutes before starting and keep it going if ever in cold temps. Only uses a few amps of battery and runs at about 150-300 watts. Only requires a minimum 75-85 amp alternator.

 

http://www.arctic-fox.com/products/hotline174-electric-in-line-fuel-heater

 

I have pretty much given up on the 40w oils for all my diesels. I primarily use a 10w30 syn blend I get from my commercial oil supplier, year round. Everything from 1.8L to 12.7L diesels that I have. I get this blend for almost the same cost of conventional oils on the shelf at Wally World. There is some credence to the Viscosity Improver shearing idea that Wintersun posted. But not as extreme as it is made out. And there are several 10w30 synthetics that use no VI in the mix whatsoever. A 15w40 conventional will need more VI than a 5w40 full synthetic, because of the properties of the base oil themselves. But there is ample of evidence thru thousands of used oil samples, that VI shearing is rarely an issue except in the most extreme of situations. I have seen used oil samples ranging from 10,000 mile / 200 hr oil change intervals on up thru 45-50,000 mile / 900 hr OCI's on both conventional and synthetic oils, and unless there is some bizarre issue going on, they are primarily staying in grade. Fuel dilution is cold temps shows to be more of an issue than oil shearing.

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