Oil change XR4140

[zone5]

My 50 hr service is due. Have all the filters now looking for the correct oil. Owners manual says 10-30 for -4 to +86, and 5-30 for -22 to +86. and 15-40 for +5 to 104 Here in upstate NY there are multiple days its below -4 so I figure to use 5-40 Syn to cover every base, and as it seems 5-30 seems to be near impossible to find. Also says CJ-4 which I know CK-4 is the new spec. I asked LS if the CK4 was okay, and they said yes, but when I asked them about oil and if 5-40 was okay, they said, "before you change to 5-40 you should run the recommended oil for one more cycle." I have no idea what that means. They don't recommend mineral or Syn, and 5-40 "should" be in their specs.

So my question is what others have used type (Syn or mineral) and weight wise at their 50 hr change in this engine. Not asking for brand war please, just what others have used with no issues.

 

[Avenger]

When I did my 50hr service last fall, I used synthetic 5w-40. I did some reading and asked the mechanic at the dealership what they use. That's all they use.

They didnt say anything about the spec, or temps, or running the 10w-30 for an additional cycle. They did specify which brand they use, Shell Rotella T6 if I remember correctly.

Shell is a great brand, but I am loyal to Mobil 1. So I went to North40 and started looking. (North 40 is like a Tractor Supply for my area)
This is what I found and used:

Mobil 1 5W-4 Turbo Diesel Synthetic Motor Oil - 1 Gallon - Grease & Lubricants - Parts & Maintenance - Automotive

Specs:

Mobil 1™ Turbo Diesel Truck | Mobil™ Motor Oils

It is very important too, in the winter, to let your engine oil warm up before putting a load on the engine. Where I live, it gets COLD.

I am probably going to get an engine block heater before this coming winter, just to help. But I would go out and start it, let it idle for about 15 mintues, rev up the engine to about 1500rpm and let it continue to warm up for another 15 minutes before doing anything. When I was done for the day, I'd pull it down to an idle and let it rest for about 10-15 minutes before shutting it off. You dont want the turbo to cool too quickly.

There have been some reports of these turbos blowing up due to the wrong mix of incorrect engine oil, cold temps, and improper warm up typically before/after a regen cycle in the negative temps.
https://www.tractorbynet.com/forums/ls-tractor-owning-operating/408326-ls-engine-issue.html

 

[zone5]

Oh yea, I ALWAYS let it warm up in winter, and it always idles for a while before it is shut off. Thanks for the info, and the link.

 

[zone5]

Just got an email back from LS Corp. Direct quote:

"Per my investigation, since you are located in NY I would suggest "a lot" of CK-4 or CJ-4, 5W30 semi synthetic oil, nothing else"

Now kinda nervous to use 5-40.

 

[zone5]

So I just talked to my dealer and he was reading off the oil that LS ships them, and its either 10-30 or 15-40. and he stated that the tractors he gets are filled with 15-40 from LS. He is calling his tech rep @ LS to see what he says. What the heck is LS cust service doing, as their info seems to be totally wrong, Not to mention that 5-30 oil is about impossible to buy.

 

[Avenger]

Oh yeah, that sounds about right:

You get some people who read the same owners manual as you.
You get other people who read the service bulletins to you
You get dealers just making things up to get you off the phone
You get yet more people telling you what they do (which is completely different)

and none of them are of any help, make something simple confusing, and have never been in your shoes: trying to find something off the store shelves that does not exist where you are.

sound familiar?

 

[Avenger]

Take a look at this:
5W4 VS 15W4 Diesel Oil at -25C or 13F - YouTube

Which one would you prefer in your engine at cold temps?

 

[zone5]

Oh yeah, that sounds about right:

You get some people who read the same owners manual as you.
You get other people who read the service bulletins to you
You get dealers just making things up to get you off the phone
You get yet more people telling you what they do (which is completely different)

and none of them are of any help, make something simple confusing, and have never been in your shoes: trying to find something off the store shelves that does not exist where you are.

sound familiar?

Oh yea. welcome to the internet . LOL. My dealer is pretty good and so far has been very helpful with shipping me part sand giving info. Will be interesting to see what he says when he gets back to me with info from his LS tech rep. and you are right. this should be a simple answer. Based on everything I have read it should be 5-40 full syn no if, ands or buts. That covers every base. but nooooo that would be too easy. LOL

 

[zone5]

Take a look at this:
5W4 VS 15W4 Diesel Oil at -25C or 13F - YouTube

Which one would you prefer in your engine at cold temps?

LOL. tought question. NOT

How many hrs do you have on yours with 5-40 in it?

 

[Avenger]

I changed it at 48, currently have ~140. So almost 100hrs.

 

[zone5]

I changed it at 48, currently have ~140. So almost 100hrs.

I'd say that your oil choice was fine. thanks!!

 

[zone5]

So my dealer called his Tech Rep at Corp LS to ask his opinion on which weight oil to use. His answer? He would not commit. Would not say any specific oil for here.

2nd part. LS C/S that you can email had been answering me. Told me 5-30w semi syn. ONLY. I emailed her back and asked how I was supposed to do that when that oil does not exsist. Now she is not answering my emails any more.

This is PATHETIC support from Corp. My dealer is bending over backward making phone calls, yet no one will give him a specific answer. Every company in teh world tries to tell you what oil to use, yet LS won't give you an answer.

 

[Avenger]

Call the New Holland dealer and ask what weight oil they recommend in a Boomer40

 

[thekkfan]

Rotella T6 5w-40

 

[zone5]

Rotella T6 5w-40

Yea, that was my first choice, and also what Avenger is using with no issues, but I got a direct "Do not use" from LS C/S on it.

 

[Supraman0614]

There is a thread on here about blowing up your turbo by using high viscosity oil during the winter. I run the Rotella T6 5w-40 full synthetic in mine and let it warm up a bit before running it, also a minute to cool down when I'm done. No issues here in 250 hours. 5w-30 sounds like a great idea, but as you said, it is not as readily available for diesel engines as 5w-40. I'm not sure why they would tell you to run 5w-30 semi-synthetic. I don't think I've ever seen that for diesel engines. Beyond that, even though it is cold in the winter, the summer months get pretty warm, so I would be leery about running a 30-weight oil.

I don't have a block heater either, but I will most likely add one as it is easier on the engine to preheat it when it is cold out.

 

[zone5]

There is a thread on here about blowing up your turbo by using high viscosity oil during the winter. I run the Rotella T6 5w-40 full synthetic in mine and let it warm up a bit before running it, also a minute to cool down when I'm done. No issues here in 250 hours. 5w-30 sounds like a great idea, but as you said, it is not as readily available for diesel engines as 5w-40. I'm not sure why they would tell you to run 5w-30 semi-synthetic. I don't think I've ever seen that for diesel engines. Beyond that, even though it is cold in the winter, the summer months get pretty warm, so I would be leery about running a 30-weight oil.

I don't have a block heater either, but I will most likely add one as it is easier on the engine to preheat it when it is cold out.

Thanks. Thats how I do mine. (warm up and shut down). I read that thread, and don't want that turbo issue with mine. It gets most of it hrs in winter so the ability of the oil to flow in the cold is my main concern. My dealer is now talking to his DM who is talking to his people at LS to see if he can get some better info, The DM thought that LS had revised what they call for oil wise, so hopefully he can find something out. and yea, I'm amazed that they told me 5-30 semi syn. No idea where that came from. Seems that all of the oils that have 5 in them are 5-40. However C/S has stopped replying to my emails when I asked that question.

Glad to hear that you have no issues with 5-40 in 250 hrs. Cause in Western NY you are probably getting worse winter weather than we get in Lake george.

 

[Avenger]

There is a thread on here about blowing up your turbo by using high viscosity oil during the winter. I run the Rotella T6 5w-40 full synthetic in mine and let it warm up a bit before running it, also a minute to cool down when I'm done. No issues here in 250 hours. 5w-30 sounds like a great idea, but as you said, it is not as readily available for diesel engines as 5w-40. I'm not sure why they would tell you to run 5w-30 semi-synthetic. I don't think I've ever seen that for diesel engines. Beyond that, even though it is cold in the winter, the summer months get pretty warm, so I would be leery about running a 30-weight oil.

I don't have a block heater either, but I will most likely add one as it is easier on the engine to preheat it when it is cold out.

I am guessing that they were told this by the engineering staff (who probably has never changed oil in anything in their lives) and if you ask them about anything other than what they were told, it is a no from them.
I believe that engineers who design vehicles of any kind, enjoy making the lives of mechanics horrible. Either that or they simply never actually work on or build the vehicles they design.

I am sure that 5w-30 semi-synthetic engine oil will work perfectly fine in these tractors. But the differences between 5w-30 and 5w-40 are minor. And between the two, I'd lean toward the 5w-40. Check out this video explaining why:

 

[zone5]

I am guessing that they were told this by the engineering staff (who probably has never changed oil in anything in their lives) and if you ask them about anything other than what they were told, it is a no from them.
I believe that engineers who design vehicles of any kind, enjoy making the lives of mechanics horrible. Either that or they simply never actually work on or build the vehicles they design.

I am sure that 5w-30 semi-synthetic engine oil will work perfectly fine in these tractors. But the differences between 5w-30 and 5w-40 are minor. And between the two, I'd lean toward the 5w-40. Check out this video explaining why:

No doubt in my mind that that is how it goes. Probably why I stopped getting answer's from them, because I questioned their "wisdom". and/or they don't know what to say as they are confused over what to say outside their confort zone.

Its amazing. over the years I have had boats, PWC's, snowmobiles and high performance cars. Every one of those companies gave a specific oil to use. LS can't/won't even give a Syn or mineral, let alone a weight that you can buy.

 

[RustyA]

New Holland now recommends 0w40 full synthetic if operated in northern climates for ls made boomers. Also reburn pcm so throttle won't go above idle until oil warms up.