Why do so many Americans hate European trucks?

I ripped off that specifications info from a 2015 posting on Bob is the oil guy forum.

It could be that Wal Mart Supertech is now updated to CK-4 in fact I would be surprised if they have not.

When I get back home I will check the label and post a pic of it.

 

Partly true. The newer engines can cope with the lower viscosity oils because of the tighter production tolerances.
But in many cases the exact same engines which require low viscosity oils such as 0W20 5W20 or 5W30 do not require this outside of Europe, and can perfectly use 5W40, 10W40 or 10W50.

The reason is that in many european countries the taxation on cars is based on CO2 emissions, basically fuel consumption.
The "light weight" oils show a slightly better fuel economy and lower fuel consumption CO2 emissions over the european test cycle, and the manufacturers will do whatever it takes to get the lowest possible CO2 gram/kilometer value.

For this reason the oil used in the engine during the official emission and fuel consumption tests is registered in the homologation documents, and the car manufacturer can not recommend oil that deviates too much form what was used during the tests.

"All the lubricants shall be those recommended by the manufacturer of the
vehicle and shall be specified in the test report."

Just one example:

 

I have my routine. The oil gets dumped before it hits 12,500 miles, filters are changed both the oil and fuel secondary and the primary fuel screen gets cleaned, and every grease fitting gets greased. I also hit every grease fitting at 6,000 miles. This is my routine and I change the oil about 5 or 6 times a year. I am not interested in extended intervals or synthetic oil.

 

I've seen & experienced It Too..

Same Too for radiator header Tanks. I've got a truck here you could Fill the header tank up every Day. But If you let it get down a bit less that half, It will stay there for ever & a day..

 

I am not disagreeing with you here, but would add this experience that I had with one of my engines:

In the early 90s I took my truck into Cat's truck shop in Boise for an update that required the valve covers to be removed. Granted, this was a long time ago, and on older engines, but the tech asked me what oil I was using, to which I replied Rotella 15W-40. He said " This engine is really clean for a Rotella engine". I asked what he meant, and he showed me deposits left on the valve covers etc. He was emphatic in pointing out that that didn't mean that it wasn't good oil, but that there are differences in the way an engine looks depending on what oil has been used. So I asked what oil provides the cleanest looking engine, to which he replied Delo, and ever since I have used only Delo.

Now, at the time it seemed like Delo engines often had more external leaks than Rotella engines, and perhaps that is because the deposits would tend to help things remain sealed in the Rotella engine? I don't know for sure. Another possibility may be that it is better to have these elements deposit rather than remain suspended within the oil.

Anyway, I am not saying that one is better than the other, just that they can act differently within the engine, based on this one experience that I had. Oil samples, and longevity of your engine are the best indicators, and your experience shows that you are correct!

 

Should say right on the label of the container what specifications and designations the oil meets.

CATERPILLAR DEO 0W-40

 

As for mixing synthetic and conventional, I have been told countless times that you shouldn't do it. No idea what happens if you do. I do know I've switched between conventional oil in summer and synthetic in winter with my own personal vehicles with zero issues. No flushing or anything like that.

 

I often wonder if the majority of ISX cam failures are a result of stretching oil change intervals to the max. I'd rather change oil a little too often than not often enough.


Interesting fact for you folks (some of you may know this already): Oil straight out of a pail or jug will likely fail ISO 4406:1999 particle count.

 

Don't know what MBN stands for, but if you mean the original oil specification for a particular engine, then that doesn't mean a newer better oil doesn't perform better. If I look in the manual of my car, I find oils that are no longer in production. I look on the specification of the oil I want to use, and see if it is approved for my car.

 

OK, that would be nice.