Oil weight for Ford 8N Tractor

What is a good weight of oil for my 8N tractor so that it will start in the cold weather.

I heard of people using a 10w-30. I think that would work for cold weather.
Where is the cold weather at?

I'll assume you're asking about engine oil & not the hydraulic oil that goes in your pump, transmission & rear end. If you're asking about that, click on the link below & see tips 3 & 4.

Pick the weight of the engine oil by the condition of the engine (oil pressure) & the outside temperature. Many folks use 30w detergent all year. A straight weight oil is probably ok in a hot climate, but you will get excessive engine wear on startup in cold climates. (That’s one reason multi-vis oil was invented) A worn engine is going to need a heavier weight oil to maintain oil pressure at operating speed & temp. Many use 10w30, 15w40 or even 20w50. Some like the newer diesel rated oil because of the additives for the flat tappets & highly recommend Shell Rotella T 15-40 (I'm not convinced that my 2400 rpm N engine needs the same oil as my 65 Mustang did) Anyway, IMHO, use a multi-vis detergent oil. Increase the weight if the engine has low oil pressure. And, BTW, switching to detergent oil is not going to loosen up the sludge in the engine. While choosing oil brands & weights are sometimes subjective, the use of detergent vs non-detergent shouldn’t be debatable given the oil available today. Plenty of studies disprove the “stir up the sludge” myths; here is one:



http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm#Detergent%20Oil



Change the oil when the engine is hot. If you have the OEM fittings, you will need a 1-1/16” open end wrench for the drain plug & a 7/8” box end wrench for the oil filter canister bolt. If your canister has a drain plug, you will need a 7/16” box end wrench for that. (If it doesn’t, suction it out or wick it out w/ rags) Make sure your waste oil pan holds 6 quarts. Look at the size of that drain plug; the first 5 quarts of oil will come out, along w/ the plug, in about 2 seconds, so get the pan as close as possible to the bottom of the pan. Or, get out the Kitty Litter because you will have oil splashed all over the place. Have a new oil plug gasket on hand or be prepared to make one. Clean the pan squeaky clean of all previous gasket sealer & the old gasket. Do not use Permatex or any other sealer except Never-Sieze on the new gasket. Make sure your drain plug has the screen on it. If not, get a new plug. Clean the screen. I use NAPA 1010 oil filters. Do not forget to use a quarter size gasket under the bolt holding the top of the oil filter canister. Do not forget to use the 7/8” wrench to snugly tighten the bolt on the top of the canister. (Don't ask!). Most oil filters come w/ the large ring gasket; wet it w/ oil first. Add 6 quarts of oil & save a little for the cup in the air filter.
50 Tips

Jennie.......in 1939, yer N-Engine was spec'd for 30wt oil and were told to add a pint of kerosene in winter time, and 40wt for HOT summertime plowing. Todays modern multi-weight oil is so much better.

I use 20w-50 in my eazy starting 6-volt 52-8N. Remember, its the first number that specifies the weight of the oil (20) That is why I don't like 10w-30 as it is TOO THIN for todays hot weather, and it might be too thin even in the winter time.

Ford also recommended changing oil every 100hrs or once a year in fall. Remember, oil not only lubricates but also cools. ......Dell, who knows how to read and understands oil specifications

What would you suggest for a 9N that lives at about 8,000 feet and plows snow for a living. It is usually anywhere from -10F to +20F when working. It doesn't smoke and has about 30 psi warm. Don't use it in the summer except to run it for exercise. Full up with 5W-20 at the moment.

Considering that I'm a southern boy, I'd recommend moving!

I'd say 5w20 or 30 is fine, but there are lots of folks on the board that live in colder places than VA that can give you a better recommendation than I can.
50 Tips

Dave........5w oil it TOO THIN even in -10F weather. While it will be eazier to crank, it thins out too fast. Iff'n you have starting issues in winter time, a magnetic block heater on yer intake manifold is a better starting idea than thin 5wt oil. Remember, 5w-20 is really just 5w oil with heat sensitive additives that make it act like 20w oil when HOT. Me? I'd use 20w-40 year round in yer application. .......Dell, who knows how to read and understands oil specifications

(quoted from post at 12:48:55 07/16/09) Jennie.......in 1939, yer N-Engine was spec'd for 30wt oil and were told to add a pint of kerosene in winter time, and 40wt for HOT summertime plowing. Todays modern multi-weight oil is so much better.

I use 20w-50 in my eazy starting 6-volt 52-8N. Remember, its the first number that specifies the weight of the oil (20) That is why I don't like 10w-30 as it is TOO THIN for todays hot weather, and it might be too thin even in the winter time.

Ford also recommended changing oil every 100hrs or once a year in fall. Remember, oil not only lubricates but also cools. ......Dell, who knows how to read and understands oil specifications

Click to expand...

Not even close. The first number in a multigrade oil is it's cold weather viscosity grade. The second number is it's operating temperature viscosity grade.They are at best only remotely related and are used for two entirely different purposes.

A SAE 0W30, SAE 5W30, SAE 10W30 and a SAE 30 graded oil all have [b:c6c94a9a3f]the same viscosity at both 100C and 150C.[/b:c6c94a9a3f] How do you think an oil gets graded - by throwing darts at the chart? They take a sample of the oil to a laboratory, [u:c6c94a9a3f]heat it [/u:c6c94a9a3f]to the specified temperatures, and [u:c6c94a9a3f]measure it's[/u:c6c94a9a3f] viscosities at those temperatures. Don't matter if its a mono-grade or multi - grade - they are all tested at the same temperatures, using the same test methods, and all must have the same viscosities.

As far as viscosity grades go the SAE and/or API don't give a F what the base stock is, what additive packages are used, or any of that horse crap. The only thing they care about is [u:c6c94a9a3f]measured viscosity[/u:c6c94a9a3f] because that's the only thing that matters to your motor.

Simple ehhh.

TOH

PS> A SAE 5W30 thins out MUCH SLOWER than an SAE 30. An SAE 30 starts out thicker (it FAILS the 5W cold weather test). The SAE 5W30 starts out thinner(it PASSES the 5W cold weather test). But as they heat up the the SAE 30 thins out much faster than the SAE 5W30. At 100C they both have thinned to the same viscosity - SAE 30.

I have been using Mobil 1 synthetic oil in my 8N since about 1993. It leaked a little before then, it leaks about the same now. Leaks at governor (sp?) and rear seal, but not enough to add any oil over a years oil change period (less than 1/4 quart). The past 4 years I have used Mobil 1 5w-40 TDT. I consider this a fleet oil, I only stock one brand and weight, and use in all of my engines from 5hp gasoline to 260hp gasoline from 1950 engines to 2008 engines. Philip.

I'm in Alaska and use 5w-30 in my 8n. Never had a problem with cold starts or low oil presure.

In similar conditions with similar oil pressure as you have I would run 10W30 here in Minnesota. In the summer I run Rotella 15W40. Your 5W20 strikes me as being a little on the light side.

Colin, MN

In addition, oil also seals and cleans. So add up the things that oil does, clean, lubricate, cool and seal, and that looks like some important stuff to me.