
Originally Posted by
Bitulo
Djerms – you are now very confused aren't you? To simplify things for the layman, you may look at the outline below:
1) Use your vehicle manual as the basic reference. It tells you the Viscosity rating and the API rating of the oil that you should use for your engine. In the Philippines, SAE 40 and SAE 50 are common. Btw, the higher SAE rating means that the oil is thicker at the operating temperature which is about 99 deg centigrade. SAE 50 is thicker than SAE 40, SAE 40 thicker than SAE 30.
2) The API rating tells you what quality level oil is suited for your engine. API rating of oils for gasoline engines start with an "S" to mean that these are intended for "spark ignition engines". If the manual says use API SF, then using lower grades like SE, SD, SC may damage the engine. But you may use SF grades or higher grades like SG, SH, SJ, SL, SM. (The higher the letter after the "S" means higher grades). The higher grades may be more expensive but they are formulated for more stringent operating conditions to protect your engine.
3) For diesel engines the oils formulated for them have API grades with a "C" before the letters indicating the quality level. For example, your manual may say API CF. The "C" stands for "Compression" ignition engines, meaning diesel engines. The higher the letter after the C, the higher the API grade. So, if your manual recommends API CF for your diesel engine, you may use API CF or higher grades like API CG, CJ, CL, etc. Again these higher letters are more expensive but they have more additives to protect your engine.
4) So the rule of thumb is to consult your vehicle manual and see what is recommended SAE and API ratings. Go exactly for what is recommended for SAE. In the Philippines, it is either SAE 40 or SAE 50. But for API, go for what is recommended or the higher API ratings (higher alphabet designation).
5) One thing you may notice is that some oils have API ratings with both the "C" and "S." For example an oil with an API SL/CF. This oil is formulated primarily for a gasoline (the SL comes first), but it can also be used for diesel (the CF comes after the SL). If used in a gasoline engine, this oil has an API grade of SL, and when used in a diesel engine, it meets the API rating of CF. On the other hand, you may see oils with API CF/SL. This oil is intended for a diesel engine with API CF, but it can also be used in a gasoline engine with a grade of API SL.
6) An oil such as SAE 10W-50 is a multigrade oil while an oil SAE 50 is a monograde oil. During cold temperatures monograde oils tend to be more viscous than the multigrade oils and therefore engines using monogrades are more difficult to start. To be sure, use multigrade oil with the proper SAE rating and API rating.
I hope this helps a little.