LUBE GUIDES - Untrustworthy.

[drover]

Every so often I have a look over oil company products to see if they have changes to the range of 5W40/10W40 oils iin the C3/E6/E9 - CJ4/CK4 range to suit our diesels and look at the lube guides to see what they have listed for the 3lt VM motori diesel .... It is clear to see why some engines fall over or DPF's fail, the engine has been around since 2011 and still they list the wrong oil not only for the motor but gearbox as well, they seem to just apply the petrol oil and the 5 speed gearbox oil specs which will certainly play havoc........... ask the mechanic about the oil and of course he will say its the right oil because the company guide is wrong in many cases..

I have never fully trusted them and if in doubt look in the glove box it may be an early spec but that doesn't matter....

Eng min spec 5W40 C3, upgraded to CJ4/CK4 or E6/E9 . its never been specced for any A or B class of oil ............. Tranny oil MUST be compatable with a ZF Lifegard 6/8 ATF nothing else ............

[bjm]

I have on numerous occasions notified oil companies re incorrect oils specified in their catalogues for the VM motors.!Of course the oil misinformation started from day one of the VM motor being used in the Grand Cherokee here in Australia.It was not untill 2016 that FCA issued a world wide TSB to immediately change viscosity from 5w30 to 5w40.Even then there was no correct spec oil available in Australia! Go figure!

[drover]

I have on numerous occasions notified oil companies re incorrect oils specified in their catalogues for the VM motors.!Of course the oil misinformation started from day one of the VM motor being used in the Grand Cherokee here in Australia.It was not untill 2016 that FCA issued a world wide TSB to immediately change viscosity from 5w30 to 5w40.Even then there was no correct spec oil available in Australia! Go figure!

Well mine originally had 5W30 C3 in the book, that was available here but I went for a 5W40 C3 at first as I didn't think a 30 grade matched our temps all that well, then I stumbled onto the TSB about the oil ..... I have seen other books that mentioned a CJ4 oil but until a few years ago not available in a 5W40 at all, even as a 10W40 it was rare. But then many get confused with ACEA and API specs (Euro and American)

[LeCheese]

Off-topic from me, but on the subject of viscosities, it's interesting to see the chat in the 300 Series community at the moment. Toyota recommends 0W20, with the manual stipulating 5W30 is appropriate for 'heavy use' cases (not that anyone reads the manual it seems...). There have been a handful of (high-profile) instances of blown motors - one in particular with a chopped 300 that had an upgraded GVM (fully loaded, if not a bit more than) and towing very heavy, where Toyota have (understandably imo) said they won't warranty it - so the topic of oil weight has been brought up at length.

Obviously all engines are different and have different considerations, but 0W20 seems very low for any engine in the Australian environment - of course there are also considerations of emissions and economy that have likely driven that decision. As a result, many independent workshops (and even dealers, unofficially) are recommending 5-30 or 5-40 be used, which seems much more appropriate.

As an observer with no horse in the race on the Toyota side, it's very interesting seeing the difference in attitude between the Jeep and Toyota forums - Jeepers are very much 'trust the independent 'experts' over the dealer', whereas Toyota owners seem to have much more faith in the recommendations of the 'Toyota engineers' (and even dealers, god forbid!). Obviously there are always exceptions (and both groups of owners are probably split more down the middle than I'm making out), but this no doubt comes purely from the differences in Toyota's and Jeep's brand and reputations (deserved or not) of reliability and lack-there-of.

The Toyota forums are pretty interesting in general - the loyalty, faith in the brand, and willingness to tolerate vehicles (or elements of them) which are even still in many ways 10-15yrs behind the rest of the market is pretty fascinating. For instance - and I'm by no means saying this is needed or even a desired feature for many, but just to give an example - no tyre pressure monitoring system on any of the 300s in Aus, not even in the $180k GR Sport! Outdated cabins, transmissions, engines (leaving the 10y/o, underpowered, noisy 2.8 in the new Prado) - list goes on. They're finally starting to realise they can't rest on their laurels and are bringing some updates comparable to the wider market, but boy do they still have a fair way to go.

As an aside, I've been surrounded by family members loyal to Toyota 4WDs all my life by the way, so have seen first hand what the ownership experience is really like, and what they're willing to tolerate simply because it's a Toyota.

Not really sure what point I'm trying to make with this, just thought it was an interesting observation!

[drover]

Have to agree with your Obs LeCheese , I have always been fascinated by the loyalty shown for some brands, like if its not Mopar its no good attitude ........ Ive always bought something that suits my purpose and is not going to give me grief, thankfully been lucky so far .............. Oil brands can have the same blind following Ive noticed over time trying to work out viscosity though can lead to migraines ..............