20w-20 diesel oil

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A small truck company in the Imperial Valley (think El Centro, CA) just finished a study on engine oil. They hall produce out of the fields to processing centers. They use older trucks and just keep rebuilding them as needed. These trucks do not live a charmed life but work hard for a living. They use older diesel common engines and have a few off brands as well. Since their shop coordinates the rebuilding process with the mechanics and machine shop they decided to look into what might be the best oil for their situation. They decided that outsiders might not be of much help, no knowing their operation, that their expertise might better suit newer state of the art engine and not their antiques. These engines idle at a stop or creep along behind a tractor while being loaded and then make tracks back to the plant to unload and this is repeated over and over during the picking season, all day into the night and 7 days a week. And the winner is a diesel oil from ConocoPhillips, a HD Fleet Engine Oil, 20w-20. The claims have been less fuel used, lower over all temperatures by a 10-15 degrees and less wear on valve train components and less wear on engines with mechanical high pressure pumps. So, it appears that these old guys and these old trucks can learn new tricks and pick an oil based on performance instead of old habits.
 
Bear in mind that on BITOG, a 20W20 would be labelled "really a 30" due to it's HTHS.

If you search GMan's posts on using 20W20 in his Chrysler (gas, hemi), it's really got some uses.

I'm looking for 20W20 to add to my stash.
 
Thanks for posting.
I love 20w20! What are the chances that you'd post this evening since I was googling current SAE20/20w20 options just last evening!
 
Originally Posted By: jrustles
Thanks for posting.
I love 20w20! What are the chances that you'd post this evening since I was googling current SAE20/20w20 options just last evening!


LOL, I only just saved a whole heap of PDS to my hard drive on Wed...
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Originally Posted By: jrustles
Thanks for posting.
I love 20w20! What are the chances that you'd post this evening since I was googling current SAE20/20w20 options just last evening!


LOL, I only just saved a whole heap of PDS to my hard drive on Wed...


Hivemind guys
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Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Interesting that CP doesn't even RECOMMEND using 20W20 in diesel engines, only transmissions.


Try this...
Yes, I must have seen a different one that said only in hydraulic apps (probably 76 oil). I feel a lot better about using straight 30 & whatever CF rated oil I have laying around in the IDI diesels now.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Bear in mind that on BITOG, a 20W20 would be labelled "really a 30" due to it's HTHS.

I'd avoid it based upon what is likely a ridiculously low VI, alone, even with a higher HTHS.
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I bet that would be a difficult concoction to find up here. If you want a grade up here and Castrol doesn't market it, that's a good signal to give up.

Interestingly, speaking of low VI stuff, Canadian Tire is removing more 10w-30 synthetics from the shelf right now, including their own house brand 10w-30 synthetic.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
I'd avoid it based upon what is likely a ridiculously low VI, alone, even with a higher HTHS.
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I know where you are coming from...I'd be more worried about the 20W in your area than the low VI.

Seriously, chuck the Citgo specs in the Widman Calculator, and KV wise, it sits between the 5W30 and 10W30 KV wise for most of the chart (in my temperatures. Coupled with the HTHS of 2.9, achieved without VII, it's a serious contender against 5W/10W30s in my world (just can't get it)...

http://www.widman.biz/English/Calculators/Graph.html
 
This 20w-20 is working well right now today in ambient temps of over 110F with some daily temps in the 120 region. The engines are actually showing oil temps 10-15F cooler than with previous 15-40 synthetic blend used last year. What is working may be different form someone's speculation but this oil is doing an excellent job.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: Shannow
Bear in mind that on BITOG, a 20W20 would be labelled "really a 30" due to it's HTHS.

I'd avoid it based upon what is likely a ridiculously low VI, alone, even with a higher HTHS.
wink.gif



haha well I am GOING to find some commercial 20w20 and WILL run it next spring!

Last 20w20 I used was XD-3, performed excellently but the product was discontinued when Esso converted to "Mobil Canada". I also suspect that Delvac 222 0w30 was downgraded to GrIII. Boooo

SO the plan is to attempt to procure some Delo/Ursa ideally, I think there's a dealer in missisauga, but failing that, I'll probably resort to PetroCanada Duron.
 
Originally Posted By: Shannow
I know where you are coming from...I'd be more worried about the 20W in your area than the low VI.

Seriously, chuck the Citgo specs in the Widman Calculator, and KV wise, it sits between the 5W30 and 10W30 KV wise for most of the chart (in my temperatures. Coupled with the HTHS of 2.9, achieved without VII, it's a serious contender against 5W/10W30s in my world (just can't get it)...

It was listed in my Audi's manual, too, but getting it would have been a real feat. I can't say I've ever seen it in the wild once, over all the years. My dad was a very early adopter of 10w-30, so all we had around for multigrades way back then was 10w-30 and 15w-40, for the diesels.

jrustles: I don't think Delvac Elite 222 is a downgrade at all, given the the specs seem to be the same. Caterham would know for sure, but I don't think there have been any changes. As for 20w-20, I don't think you'll find any at Petro-Canada, and I know that Imperial Oil got rid all the oddball grades when CJ-4 was rolled out.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
As for 20w-20, I don't think you'll find any at Petro-Canada, and I know that Imperial Oil got rid all the oddball grades when CJ-4 was rolled out.


When trying to obtain 20W20 HDEO, one needs to think like a farm fleet manager- go directly to the PetroCan distribution centers and/or farm and fleet outfits. I am nervous about how many blenders have nixed these awesome grades- particularly the BIG NAMES, but some others show no indication of abandoning the good old SAE20 commercial sector. Shoot, PC still sells a 10W fully formulated engine oil
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Originally Posted By: jrustles
When trying to obtain 20W20 HDEO, one needs to think like a farm fleet manager- go directly to the PetroCan distribution centers and/or farm and fleet outfits.

I couldn't find a 20w-20 on any of Petro-Canada's lists, so you may be out of luck, unless you find some very dated stock. I can't see a 20w-20 meeting any modern API diesel specifications, given that the HTHS will not be 3.5 or higher as is required.

As I mentioned, I know that Imperial Oil will not have any of it, since they got rid of all the legacy lubes (except the two-stroke type diesel lube), and if I asked my distributor for a 20w-20, he may have me committed.
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Duron Monogrades


PC just calls it Duron SAE 20. It's listed in their 2013 lubrication Handbook, meets CF/CF-2, TBN 7.9. Being a 20 grade the HTHS is 2.7, no problem for the intended application, which has typically run 0w20.
Also appears to be a GrpII product with a VI 118. Presumably their HT purity base oil.
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It certainly won't be too thin for a 0w-20 application. I'm surprised they've kept that, the 10w, and the 50 around. The demand for them can't be that great, aside from the two stroke applications, and people with legacy agricultural equipment who follow the contemporary oil recommendations to the letter. Imperial Oil has only 30 and 40 monogrades for their dual rated HDEOs.
 
I tried Duron 40 and now Duron 30 in my 2011 Duramax.

The Duron SAE20 looks like it will pass 10W and I would bet HTHS around 2.9-3.1
and not the minimum.

Delo SAE 20 is back to the pre 2003 spec. low ash.
Delo 30 and 40 is high ash.

The Pet-Can products look more cold weather friendly.

For some strange reason SAE 20, if you can find it, has been reduced to niche market status.

Now who could those people be?

I will run 5Wxx or 0Wxx over the winter.

I know 0W30 works in these engines.

Would I get voted off of the island if I tried 5W20 or 0W20 this winter
and SAE 20 next spring if the UOA looked OK on the winter choice?

If I blow up the engine it will be an opportunity to stick one of those
Mercury Marine crate engines in the truck.

They are on a post season sale $$$$$$$.

(Thank URS4 for getting my gear head turning.)
 
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