Oil Change Viscosity Mistake

[Dollo]

I just spaced at the parts store. In the stack of 5w-30 oil there was one box of SAE 30, and without noticing, I bought it. I did not realize it until after I had already poured the required 6 quarts back into the engine.

2005 Itasca with a workhorse chassis, 8.1 engine. In Southern Cal and will be traveling through AZ, NV and Utah.

Should I just drain it and replace it or will I be OK?

Thank you for the help.

[stubblejumper]

Oops sorry..:S
Lets see how can we communicate ?
Phone.. no they listen:h
Mail.. no they read it:h
In person.. no they bug us:h
Email... no they read it:h

Oh the hell with it when we are all in jail together we will work out something :B

[Passin_Thru]

NO!NO!NO! Don't Google! The Govt is tracking you! LOL

[stubblejumper]

With multi viscosity oils they are at the lower viscosity when starting (or cold) but once your engine has reached operating temperature they run at the higher viscosity. The 30 oil will not cause any damage in the California climate.
If you don't believe it... google "multi viscosity oil"

[Passin_Thru]

As per an Aviation Mechanic (me) leave it in. It will be fine as frogs hair. You won't notice any change and like jhilley says multi is for col-hot temps and won't make a bit of difference in the summer.

[Empty_Nest__Soo]

GMT830 wrote:
. . . Is the 30 weight non-detergent? If so, get it out ASAP.

I agree. In this day, however, I think the odds are it was high detergent, just like the multi-vis oils.

If it is HD SAE 30, I believe you're fine for warm weather.

I've always been more concerned about mixing brands of oil, each with maybe different additive packages, than with mixing viscosity.

Wayne

[GMT830]

I wouldn't consider running anything other than full synthetic in that engine.

Is the 30 weight non-detergent? If so, get it out ASAP.

[mc_cc]

I mix the viscosities all the time in my 1996 suburban. I have over 200,000 miles on it. In fact, I just recently put a quart of 20w50 synthetic in with 4 quarts of 10w30 non-synthetic. Never had any engine problems. It runs like a sewing machine. I am pretty sure you should have peace of mind knowing your engine is sufficiently lubricated.

[sailor_lou]

mike brez wrote:

lanerd wrote:
I think his concern is not if 30w is bad for his motor, but that he "mixed" the 1 quart of 30w with 5qts of multi-viscosity oil.

I'm not sure if it will do any harm, but I've always been told to not mix different weights.

If it were me, I'd just drain and refill. $25 and your piece of mind is at ease.

Ron

The way I read it he purchased a case of sae30 instead of a case of 10w-30. Poured in six quarts of sae30 then realized the mistake.

I read it the same way as Mike, but either way I don't see it as a problem.

Lou
05 Travel Supreme Envoy

[lanerd]

You know, I think you're right. Darn, I completely misread it. Sorry.

Ron

[mike_brez]

lanerd wrote:
I think his concern is not if 30w is bad for his motor, but that he "mixed" the 1 quart of 30w with 5qts of multi-viscosity oil.

I'm not sure if it will do any harm, but I've always been told to not mix different weights.

If it were me, I'd just drain and refill. $25 and your piece of mind is at ease.

Ron

The way I read it he purchased a case of sae30 instead of a case of 10w-30. Poured in six quarts of sae30 then realized the mistake.

[lanerd]

I think his concern is not if 30w is bad for his motor, but that he "mixed" the 1 quart of 30w with 5qts of multi-viscosity oil.

I'm not sure if it will do any harm, but I've always been told to not mix different weights.

If it were me, I'd just drain and refill. $25 and your piece of mind is at ease.

Ron

[Born_To_Travel]

5W30 oil is actually 5 weight oil with an additive package. these additives are long strands of polymers that are like spaghetti.. As the oil warms, these long strands expand and make the oil thicker.. When your oil reaches operating temp you have 30 weight.. However as the miles add up and the oil circulates over and over, The long strands get sheared by the oil pump, making them shorter and shorter and lowering the oil viscosity.. Straight weight oil does not have this problem as it does not have the Multi-vis additive package.. 30 weight is the weight of the base oil, not 5 weight.. Therefore it does not have the shear problem and does not lose viscosity.. Years ago when I worked for a motor coach company we used straight 40 in all of our over the road diesel buses. We ran 15,000 miles between oil changes and had no problems.. It will break down eventually but you can run a lot farther between oil changes on straight viscosity oil..

[Dollo]

Excellent input and guidance, thank you all. I change the oil often and will likely change twice before the weather turns cold so I will be sure to use 5-30 then. More than anything the understanding of oil viscosity I have gained is worth the concern of the mistake. Thank you everyone, happy trails.

[Tom_N]

Quoting Workhorse's 2006 Gas Chassis Maintenance Guide below (note: the straight SAE 30 comment). Your good as long as it was HD 30W.

"VISCOSITY"

"Engine oil viscosity (thickness) has an effect on fuel economy. Lower viscosity oils can provide better economy; however higher temperature weather conditions require higher viscosity engine oils for satisfactory lubrication. Using any oil viscosity other than those recommended could cause engine damage.

Gasoline Engines – For all temperature ranges the preferred oil for your engine is SAE 5W-30. However, you can use SAE 10W-30 if temperatures stay above 0 degrees F (18 degrees C). For heavy-duty driving in summer temperatures, above 40 degrees F (4 Degrees C), there can be an advantage to a single-viscosity straight SAE 30. Refer to adjacent chart.

Note: SAE 10W-40 has been removed from all Workhorse recommendations."