oil for 1966 350

[kratester]

Howdy, I am a new owner of a 350 crawler loader, my first diesel, a 1966. I'm fixing to change the oil before I do anything else and my question (the first of many no doubt) is what weight oil do you folks recommend for this tractor? My owners manual says straight 30 weight and talking with other diesel owners 15W-40 is the norm. Just curious to hear what you all use in yours. Thanks

[Howard Yoder]

I believe that they recomend the strait 30 in the 440 diesel also and from what I here on these engines you want to stick to the 30 weight. But I'm just going by what others are telling me.

[Lavoy]

It used to be that straight weight oils were recommended in most engines. In later years they discovered that the majority of engine wear occurs in the first few seconds of operation. The faster you can get oil to the vital parts, the better it is for the engine. A lighter weight oil pumps easier and faster on cold startup.
Keep in mind that you are referring to a manual that was written long before the multi-weights came into widespread use. I would use 15W-40, with that you really can't go wrong.
The Detroit's are a different story. Whether or not they recommend a multi-weight oil, there are some specific recomendations as to what "grade" of oil to run in a Detroit. Most straight weight oils that are out there are probably not recommended for use in a two-stroke, neither are most of the multi-weight oils out there.
Lavoy

[Howard Yoder]

Lavoy what oil do you use in yours

[Howard Yoder]

Lavoy what oil do you use in yours

[Lavoy]

If you mean 350, the B model diesel is running 15W-40 Mobil, unless my brother changed it to Mobil One synthetic. The old gasser has 15W-40 in it as well.
On any engine that I have that has been rebuilt, after a break-in period, they run exclusively Mobil 1 or Delvac synthetic oil year round.
Lavoy

[lastchancegarage]

Lavoy,
What oil would you use in the two stroke diesels. I have a 440 with the Detroit and was planning on 15-40W. Is there something that would work better than what was originally called for in the operator's manual considering, as you said, it was written before a lot of the multiweights hit the market? Then again, I did use 15-40W in the oil bath when I recently cleaned it out...

[derbycrawler]

15w40 is all I have ever ran in my diesel 350's. Been running it in one for two years now and seem to be doing great so far. Just keep her changed on a good schedule.

Shannon

[Lavoy]

Ask your local oil jobber about a 2 stroke oil. If memory serves, the 2 stroke Detroits do not like a real high detergine oil.
If you have a Detroit dealer near you, you could ask them as well.
Lavoy