diesel oil in a gas truck?

YNM_O~o · Mar 22, 2018

Just bought some Castrol diesel engine oil for my 100 hr servicing on my Yanmar tractor and was surprised about the price compared to gas engine Castrol oil.
Gallon Castrol diesel multi-visc oil= 12.95 @ TSC
Qt. Castrol multi-visc gas oil= 5.99 quart

My questions-
1. Can I run this cheaper diesel Castrol oil in my [b:fcd2b1e633]gas[/b:fcd2b1e633] chevy 350?
2. [b:fcd2b1e633]Why is there such a price difference anyway?[/b:fcd2b1e633]
(yes, I have shopped both products in my area- wally world for gas oil is lowest and TSC wins on the diesel oil]

T.R.K. · Mar 22, 2018

What year Chevy? The later ones may have more problems with a Diesel oil.

I am running Rotella 15w40 in both my 1991 K1500 and my 1995 Tahoe. (Neither of them has to have an exhaust emissions test here in NC.) It is a diesel oil. In fact, only Wal-Mart seems to keep it in quarts any more. I am aware that some additive packages in engine oil tend to defeat or mitigate the operation of some catylitic converters.

bustedknuckle · Mar 22, 2018

i have used diesel engine oil in my 2001 chevy gas truck for over 288k miles now. still has like-new oil pressure. i was told it has something to do with ash content. not a chemist, just got a good running truck i guess.

wisbaker · Mar 22, 2018

All motor oil has ratings, a rating starting with a "C" is for diesel oil, a rating with an "S" is for car oil. Look at your diesel oil and see if it has a S rating and if that rating is consistent with the
requirements of your truck. Last time I looked Shell Rotella still has a S rating but it was a few back from the current rating BUT since all my cars are older the Shell S rating was okay for my cars and the
pick up, but the problem with my van and pick up is the recommended oil is 5W-20, haven't found that in a diesel spec oil yet , but I run diesel oil in the car, mostly because it takes 4 quarts at an oil
change and diesel oil is sold in gallon jugs and is cheaper in gallons than quarts and partially because with 307,000 miles I am not that concerned about longevity, the tranmisson will pack it in and the caar
will get junked long before the wrong oil will kill the engine . I suspect if you can find the multi-visc gas oil in gallons or 5 quart jugs the price will be cheaper. Seems to be a few rebate programs out
there right now and with the rebate you can get a 5 quart jug of Mobil 1 for less than $15.

CCer · Mar 22, 2018

I have used only 15W40 oil in all my vehicles for years with NO problems.

Steve@Advance · Mar 22, 2018

If it's a 350, it has to be a 99 or older.

So diesel oil should work.

If it's pre 90's with flat tappet cam, the diesel oil would actually be an advantage!

Stephen Newell · Mar 22, 2018

You might read this article. http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/28576/comparing-gasoline-diesel-engine-oils-
The first thing it gets to is diesel oil can screw up the catalytic converter in a gas vehicle.

in-too-deep · Mar 22, 2018

Welp, earlier today I filled crankcase on my work 97 K1500's 350 with 15-40. Outta bring the oil pressure up a bit.

ed will · Mar 22, 2018

Hi, I was reading the posts on oil and was thinking
of an oil filter system I had on an old Dodge. It was
called FRANZ. It had a container that held a roll of
toilet paper. Easy to change and kept the oil
remarkably clean. Anybody seen them . Ed Will
Oliver BC

MarkB_MI · Mar 23, 2018

It's always much cheaper to buy oil by the gallon versus by the quart. If you check the Wally World price on Mobil 1 in a five-quart jug you might be tempted to make the switch to full synthetic.

As long as the diesel oil is the right viscosity, it's probably fine for your truck. Most "heavy-duty" oils are also gas-rated; check the spec. I do NOT recommend running 15W-40 in any water-cooled gasoline engine, although you might get away with it in a hot climate. I'm guessing your truck requires 10W-30.

I've switched to synthetic diesel oils for all my small engines. It's cheaper to buy full-synthetic diesel oil by the gallon than non-synthetic by the quart.

An interesting bit to know if you own a motorcycle: If you run a synthetic oil in a wet-clutch motorcycle it needs to be "MA" rated. (Pretty much all motorcycles other than BMW are wet-clutch.) MA-rated Mobil 1 is usually over ten bucks a quart. But there are MA-rated full synthetic DIESEL oils! I haven't made the switch yet, but I'll probably switch my Triumph to a synthetic diesel oil on its next change.

oliver power · Mar 23, 2018

No problem putting diesel motor oil in a gas engine. It's a better oil. Don't ever put gas oil in a diesel engine.

Traditional Farmer · Mar 23, 2018

I have run 15W-40 diesel grade oil in every engine I own gas,propane and diesel for the last 20 years with no apparent problem from the oil.

TomA in CA · Mar 23, 2018

Back about 1980 I made the mistake of using Union Guardol
(diesel) oil in my '73 Chevy pickup. It immediately Started
leaking huge amounts of oil. My Union distributor said he used
it in his new pickup with no problem. All I could figure is oil
seals of the time were not compatible with the detergents used
at the time. I put new seals in that engine and ran it for
hundreds of thousands of miles.

Russ from MN · Mar 23, 2018

I use Castrol full synthetic MA oil in my 09 Bonneville, order it online, pretty reasonable.

YNM_O~o · Mar 23, 2018

Probably an 83 in the 68 jeep. It has no computer.

YNM_O~o · Mar 23, 2018

No converter in-line. It is a 1968 Wagoneer.

Destroked 450 · Mar 23, 2018

I've run 15w40 diesel oil in our 2000 Dodge Dakota after warranty expired in 03.
Local quick change keeps telling me it'll damage the engine, only has 218k miles so far, guess time will tell.
I did replace the catalytic convertor at 175k miles.
Run 5w30 in the wife's 5.3 powered Z71 till it broke a piston at 130k miles, swapped in a used engine of equal miles and switched the 15w40, 183k miles now and still going.

diesel oil in a gas truck?

YNM_O~o

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T.R.K.

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bustedknuckle

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