Changing mind on oil changes

[Kubota Newbie]

My M4500 doesn't get that many hours of use in a year, maybe 100-125. I've always done the change it once a year right before making first cutting hay in the spring thing.
Last year the factory sending unit for the oil pressure idiot light went bad and I was in a hurry to get things going so I just put on an oil pressure gauge I had laying on the shelf. Works fine and I can see the actual oil pressure.
Fast forward to winter.
Of course at 100 hours it's not due for a oil change on the 15-40 that I put in this spring but...
On that old oil the pressure REALLY spikes when cold, 20's or below. I mean as in 100 psi type of stuff anything much above 1/3 throttle until really, really warmed up.
You couldn't tell that with the idiot light because you just had to assume everything was good when the light went off at start up. So I've decided for a few extra bucks it gets a winter change with 5-40 diesel from now on.
This morning at 0 +/- it was 75 max after just a few minutes of warm up. I like that a lot better!!!
Does it hurt it to run that 100 hour oil through the winter and see those high pressures on a cool motor? Probably not, I mean this tractor is 40 years old and the motor has never been apart, but.....

 

[mcmxi]

Cool tractor!

I run 5W-40 in all five of my diesel engines, in part for the reason you mention. I prefer a fully synthetic oil and buy Schaeffer. It was -33F at my house a few days ago so cold weather start ups can be a struggle.

SynShield® OTR Plus Full Synthetic 5W-40 | Schaeffer Oil

Supreme 9000™ Full Synthetic Oil 5W-40 is a premium quality, heavy-duty engine oil formulated to extend engine life, while providing for extended drain capability and improved fuel economy benefits.

www.schaefferoil.com

 

[RCW]

I went to 5w-40 several years ago and use it year-round.

It really does make cold starts much easier.

 

[mcmxi]

I went to 5w-40 several years ago and use it year-round.

It really does make cold starts much easier.

I run 5W-40 all year round too.

 

[wp6529]

I run 5W-40 all year round too.

5W-40 in everything diesel, and now started using it in the small gas engine stuff as well. Much simpler just using the same on everything.

 

[GreensvilleJay]

so... have YOU owned this tractor for the past 40 years ??? if so then you KNOW the tractor's 'history'.
If not, well who knows how long oil sat in it and gee, it still starts and runs fine for you !!!

 

[jimh406]

I don't run 5-40 synthetic yet, but plan to switch as well. However, mine started in negative temperatures, so I think I can wait until it warms up to make the switch!

 

[fried1765]

so... have YOU owned this tractor for the past 40 years ??? if so then you KNOW the tractor's 'history'.
If not, well who knows how long oil sat in it and gee, it still starts and runs fine for you !!!

This site seems to be riddled with oil maniacs.
Change it when it is hot out, change it on Friday, change it after no use, change it when a tire goes flat?
Logic is missing EVERYWHERE in today's society !!!

 

[TheOldHokie]

My M4500 doesn't get that many hours of use in a year, maybe 100-125. I've always done the change it once a year right before making first cutting hay in the spring thing.
Last year the factory sending unit for the oil pressure idiot light went bad and I was in a hurry to get things going so I just put on an oil pressure gauge I had laying on the shelf. Works fine and I can see the actual oil pressure.
Fast forward to winter.
Of course at 100 hours it's not due for a oil change on the 15-40 that I put in this spring but...
On that old oil the pressure REALLY spikes when cold, 20's or below. I mean as in 100 psi type of stuff anything much above 1/3 throttle until really, really warmed up.
You couldn't tell that with the idiot light because you just had to assume everything was good when the light went off at start up. So I've decided for a few extra bucks it gets a winter change with 5-40 diesel from now on.
This morning at 0 +/- it was 75 max after just a few minutes of warm up. I like that a lot better!!!
Does it hurt it to run that 100 hour oil through the winter and see those high pressures on a cool motor? Probably not, I mean this tractor is 40 years old and the motor has never been apart, but.....

I think I would check the specigocation on the oil pressure relief valve. That 100 PSI sounds awfully high for a low reving diesel.

Dan

 

[Kubota Newbie]

so... have YOU owned this tractor for the past 40 years ??? if so then you KNOW the tractor's 'history'.
If not, well who knows how long oil sat in it and gee, it still starts and runs fine for you !!!

I am the second owner, I've had it for quite a few years now and I did see the service records for it when I bought it at which time it had a total of about 900 hours on it. So yeah, as a matter of fact, I do know the history on it!
If you'd bothered to read the op instead of getting smart you'd have realized that I change the the oil annually at approximately 100-150 hour service intervals.

 

[Kubota Newbie]

I went to 5w-40 several years ago and use it year-round.

It really does make cold starts much easier.

The M4500 has always started really well, coldest I've started it is -20F and that was without being plugged in.
I've got a New Idea Cutditioner that I use to mow hay with and it will work the balls off of this tractor in heavy first cutting hay. Always figure the 15-40 was a slight measure of protection more for the punishment I inflict on it with that implement.

 

[GeoHorn]

The oil press relief is likely popping-open at that 100 psi….. (and this thread prompts me to also install a gauge instead of relying only upon the idiot-light)….

…what REALLY triggers my thoughts on this is that if the relief-valve is popped due to “thick” oil….. the oil-filter by-pass may also….(hopefully Does …rather than collapse the media). I don’t like that very much.

Down here in Central TX doesn’t make me worry too much about the 15W40 oil because it just doesn’t get that cold for that long down here. (It’s only 17-F this morning just west of Austin….downright ”balmy” for ya’ll yankees…)

I just this last month finished repairs/restoration of three rooms which flooded last summer when a PVC glue-joint let-loose in an overhead water line. Those three rooms have been re-plumbed using PEX… which unfortunately are frozen solid. Even the shut-off valves we installed for safety…are Frozen in the Open positions.

I hope State Farm doesn’t cancel on me if it warms up and those rooms are flooded again.

 

[Kubota Newbie]

The oil press relief is likely popping-open at that 100 psi….. (and this thread prompts me to also install a gauge instead of relying only upon the idiot-light)….

…what REALLY triggers my thoughts on this is that if the relief-valve is popped due to “thick” oil….. the oil-filter by-pass may also….(hopefully Does …rather than collapse the media). I don’t like that very much.

Down here in Central TX doesn’t make me worry too much about the 15W40 oil because it just doesn’t get that cold for that long down here. (It’s only 17-F this morning just west of Austin….downright ”balmy” for ya’ll yankees…)

I just this last month finished repairs/restoration of three rooms which flooded last summer when a PVC glue-joint let-loose in an overhead water line. Those three rooms have been re-plumbed using PEX… which unfortunately are frozen solid. Even the shut-off valves we installed for safety…are Frozen in the Open positions.

I hope State Farm doesn’t cancel on me if it warms up and those rooms are flooded again.

Didn't you folks in Texas have a bad freeze around this time last year that froze water in a whole bunch of houses?
I'm always amazed at how nasty diesel crank case oil looks after a relatively short service period. And this motor has no signs of any excessive blow by. I mean at 100 hours (probably about 4000 miles) my 183k mile hemi oil doesn't look nearly so used up (synthetic). Diesels are just plain hard on oil.

 

[Russell King]

Didn't you folks in Texas have a bad freeze around this time last year that froze water in a whole bunch of houses?

In 2021 Texas had a huge cold snap and the Electrcal grid was shut down due to near collapse. There was significant water damage to many homes

In 2022 Texas had cold weather but no electrical power problems.

In 2023 Texas again had a cold snap and the Austin area had severe electrical outages due to negligence of trimming trees that were collapsing and causing power lines to fail. Some water lines freezing again.

Now in 2024 we are having a minor cold snap but everyone is still pretty gun shy about any cold weather situation and the grid control system (ERCOT) seems to like to issue alerts to keep everyone on edge.

 

[The Evil Twin]

Cooling and lubrication is dependent on flow and not pressure. 15w is suitable down to 15°f for the vast majority of K engines.

 

[DustyRusty]

The oil press relief is likely popping-open at that 100 psi….. (and this thread prompts me to also install a gauge instead of relying only upon the idiot-light)….

…what REALLY triggers my thoughts on this is that if the relief-valve is popped due to “thick” oil….. the oil-filter by-pass may also….(hopefully Does …rather than collapse the media). I don’t like that very much.

Down here in Central TX doesn’t make me worry too much about the 15W40 oil because it just doesn’t get that cold for that long down here. (It’s only 17-F this morning just west of Austin….downright ”balmy” for ya’ll yankees…)

I just this last month finished repairs/restoration of three rooms which flooded last summer when a PVC glue-joint let-loose in an overhead water line. Those three rooms have been re-plumbed using PEX… which unfortunately are frozen solid. Even the shut-off valves we installed for safety…are Frozen in the Open positions.

I hope State Farm doesn’t cancel on me if it warms up and those rooms are flooded again.

Has the thought of putting insulation over the pipes to protect them from the cold ever crossed your mind?

 

[D2Cat]

I think PEX will expand considerably before bursting.

 

[GeoHorn]

Has the thought of putting insulation over the pipes to protect them from the cold ever crossed your mind?

The water pipe flooding/failure mentioned above occurred in the heat of Summer. It was diagnosed having two failure modes… a 90-degree joint was installed immediately OUTside of the house… connecting the horizontal pvc from the attic meeting a vertical pvc external to the house….but due to the assembly-sequence the horizontal portion was glued and pressed-together without the requisite “twisting” recommended for glued joints. (Could not be twisted because it was first glued to the stationary vertical.) That joint served well throughout the winter and well-into summer before it “let loose”… and water pressure propelled the horizontal pvc backwards into the attic…delivering 5-gpm of water for two days into the attic. (We were away on vacation.)

The PEX replacement water lines (installed just this last fall) over a rebuilt utility room, were laid in the attic….then covered with blown-in cellulose. Two shut-off valves were installed at the junction of a pair (hot/cold) lateral lines leading to a utility sink. In order to access those valves, an access panel was installed, which incorporates a “riser” (square access panel needs short riser-walls to prevent cellulose from falling into the room when valves are accessed.)
Unfortunately…. this raises the pex at those valves…above the cellulose-layer, exposing the valves to cold attic air. (The cellulose is intended to prevent the loss of room heat into the attic…or stated another way….basically insulates the attic from the rising warmth of the room.) The pex/valves assy is therefore in free-air.…exposed to the cold attic conditons….and frozen.

Yep… I’ll have to slide foam insulation over them. Meanwhile, I’ve opened the access panel (as if to access the valves) and allowed the heat in the room to rise to the valves….which has thawed them and now they are closed.

 

[MountainMeadows]

When it comes to oil pressure anything over 80 psi can be harmful to the crankshaft + rod bearings.

 

[GeoHorn]

When it comes to oil pressure anything over 80 psi can be harmful to the crankshaft + rod bearings.

How so?