im running amsoil 15w40 synthetic in my 2004.5 ram diesel. i live in cold canada.is this good oil? is it the cji4 or whatever i need?

 

I run 5 weight in the winter and 15 in the summer. Both Amsoil. and yes it is certified for diesel operation. We do get into the -20*f here, rarely the -30*f so I liked the -50* pour point (IIRC) of the 5 weight that Amsoil offers. Some guys run 15w year round and some run 5w year round. I would just read the specs on the Amsoil web site and decide which is best for your driving habits, climate and vehicle service (tow allot, tow a little). You can actually put your truck year and engine, etc and it will give you fluid capacities, oil types, etc. I am fairly sure you will be fine either way unless you are in a really extreme environment (-50, -60 f).

JMHO, HTH

 

I have the Amsoil 15w-40 HD Diesel & Marine oil in an 01' 7.3 and it perform's excellent in the coldest temperature's we have had, which is about the single digit's. As cold as Canada can get though, it wouldn't hurt to run 5w-40 up there. BTW, one reason why I switched to the Amsoil 15w-40 was because it is still CI-4+, and I believe one of 5w-40's still is too.

 

The series 3000 oil is still CI-4, it is a 5w30 IIRC

 

The 'W' number is just a cold temperature pump rate (cold viscosity). Lower number, lower temp, same rate of flow. After the oil is warm, the '40' number is relevant. Run the 5W all year.

It's 5W in my owner's manual for our temp zone.

Cya

 

so for 2004.5 do we need cj-4 or ci-4 or either or?

my climate is between -40 celcius and +35 celcius. amsoil synthetic 15w40 should be ok then?

 

The 5.9's take a CI-4+ which the 5w-40 is not. Amsoil has several oils that meet CI-4+ - 5w-30, 10w-40, 15w-40 & 20w-50 - but the 5w-30 & 15w-40 were meant for bigger diesel apps instead of Jettas, Rabbits, etc., IMHO.

 

5w30 should be the best for you in the winter months. I run the 15w40 all year around but I am in a whole lot warmer climate.

 

Look in your manual if you still have it. There is a weather threshold for 5w40 and 15w40. Cummins doesn't recommend 5w30 in my 04. CJ-4 is backward compatible for CI-4 so either is fine.

 

so is the 15w40 amsoil synthetic good for 2004.5 5.9 ram?

 

sallyman,

I have been running dyno for break in, in my '07. On my next change, I'll be switching to 15w40 Diesel and Marine - the soot and wear control properties are the best of all of them. I ran the 15w40 D&M in my '98 year round. Not sure, where you are from, but I never had a lick of issues even farther North from Edmonton.

The 5w40 Premium is more expensive and designed for emissions (EGR) and cat converters for warranty and such. Since I find warranty isn't worth the paper it's written on, and I have no emissions control stuff on my '07, I will be going with the superior Diesel and Marine oil and I will be running it year round.

 

Yep, if it's working for you now then "If it ain't broke, don't fix it".

 

15W40 is good to -42C
5W40 is good to -44C

So if you are staying above -40C you should be able to keep with your 15W40.
Having said that, AMSOIL only recommends the 15W-40 in your truck down to -18C (0F).

If you are going to drop below -40C by any significant amount, then you could look at the 5W30 which is good to -50C (-58F). It wouldn't bother me because I wouldn't be leaving the house at those temps!

 

You'll be fine with the AME...I've left it out in the cold (-30, without wind) and it still pours fine. Much better than Dino.


Agreed with Festus.

 

If you look at 4 ball wear tests, the Amsoil S3000 5W-30 and the diesel & Marine 15W-40, show wear performance that is pretty much identical. Both these oils are service rated for the Cummins 5.9 diesel. Amsoil lists the 5W-30 above the 15W-40 in their recommendations for the Cummins. Although I don't deal with the low temps that you face, I still use the S3000 5W-30 figuring that I get greater oil circulation with less resistance in the oil pump. The benefits should be better cooling (especially the pistons which are oil spray cooled) along with a slight increase in fuel efficiency since less power is used by the oil pump.