se or sf 30 wt oil ??

anything special about this rating, or is it just regular 30 wt engine oil. working on my older skidloader (circa 1982) and the chain cases for the final drives call for se or sf 30wt motor oil. i have 30wt that meets sn or sm specs. thx...

Here is what I was told by an oil specialist.

If the letters are higher than what your specs call for it is as good or better than what you need.

Another words SM is higher than SE so it more than meets the specs yoou need.

As they continue to improve oil the code gets raised.

You most likely can longer find SE oil it will be SM or better.

Just what I was told.

Gary

What you have will work fine. The ratings exceed the previous (F is better than E, G is better than F, etc.). Probably can't even find se or sf rated oil anymore.

only problem that arises is the newer oils are lacking the phosphorus that many of the older engines need for lubrication. here is an article I found on the net.I find it interesting that each new rating letter makes the previous rating obsolete.Bill

The latest API service standard designation is SN for gasoline automobile and light-truck engines. The SN standard refers to a group of laboratory and engine tests, including the latest series for control of high-temperature deposits. Current API service categories include SN, SM, SL and SJ for gasoline engines. All previous service designations are obsolete, although motorcycle oils commonly still use the SF/SG standard.

All the current gasoline categories (including the obsolete SH), have placed limitations on the phosphorus content for certain SAE viscosity grades (the xW-20, xW-30) due to the chemical poisoning that phosphorus has on catalytic converters. Phosphorus is a key anti-wear component in motor oil and is usually found in motor oil in the form of zinc dithiophosphate. Each new API category has placed successively lower phosphorus and zinc limits, and thus has created a controversial issue of obsolescent oils needed for older engines, especially engines with sliding (flat/cleave) tappets. API, and ILSAC, which represents most of the worlds major automobile/engine manufactures, states API SM/ILSAC GF-4 is fully backwards compatible, and it is noted that one of the engine tests required for API SM, the Sequence IVA, is a sliding tappet design to test specifically for cam wear protection. Not everyone is in agreement with backwards compatibility, and in addition, there are special situations, such as "performance" engines or fully race built engines, where the engine protection requirements are above and beyond API/ILSAC requirements. Because of this, there are specialty oils out in the market place with higher than API allowed phosphorus levels. Most engines built before 1985 have the flat/cleave bearing style systems of construction, which is sensitive to reducing zinc and phosphorus. Example; in API SG rated oils, this was at the 1200-1300 ppm level for zinc and phosphorus, where the current SM is under 600 ppm. This reduction in anti-wear chemicals in oil has caused premature failures of camshafts and other high pressure bearings in many older automobiles and has been blamed for pre-mature failure of the oil pump drive/cam position sensor gear that is meshed with camshaft gear in some modern engines.

Maybe that's why my 2011 4.8L pushrod Chev truck engine has roller lifters like performance engines only used to have, to help it turn the 5G rpm that it's predecessors couldn't and save the camshaft in the process. I do recall that in the '70-'80ish GM engines beating down cam lobes was a problem. BTDT

Mark

I remember pulling cams that one or more of the lobes were totally worn down as well as holes being worn through the bottom of the lifters. Mainly GM but some American Motors too. Bill.

"All previous service designations are obsolete, although motorcycle oils commonly still use the SF/SG standard".

When SH motor oils were introduced, those new oils could break down the clutch linings in motorcycles with wet clutches. I don't know if SH and newer motor oils can damage wet PTO and wet traction clutches in older tractors or not.

Same reason why two stroke Detroits used roller cam followers. The low ash SF-2 oil they use doesn't have the high pressure additive package.

(quoted from post at 07:06:54 01/02/13) Maybe that's why my 2011 4.8L pushrod Chev truck engine has roller lifters like performance engines only used to have, to help it turn the 5G rpm that it's predecessors couldn't and save the camshaft in the process. I do recall that in the '70-'80ish GM engines beating down cam lobes was a problem. BTDT

Mark

Click to expand...

Cam wear on those GM engines had less to do with the oil used and more to do with the shortcuts GM took in the manufactureing process.Even Caddy had soft cams.At one point GM cams were on national back order

In a chaincase it won't matter a whole lot. My skid steer calls for 10-30. I think in cold weather 10-30 would be a little better.