get that truck out and run it hard, those short trips are killing your engine.....

 

Yep, the heat transfer characteristics of the two fluids (oil or water) will be different and also based on velocity, viscosity, densisty, thermal conductivity, specific heat, pipe diameter, etc. So one will reach temperature faster, and I suspect the oil lags the water. Some crusty old Mercedes service managers have told me you need to drive their vehicles 18 miles to get the oil up to temperature before an oil change. Running engines for short periods is rough service, example would be a fork lift that must suffer the stress of cranking and is used to unload one pallet, then parked outside again for days or weeks. Oil never gets warm enough to do the best job, cook off condensation, etc. But other forklifts that run all day long (like at the port near me) can have 18,000 hours on the engine.

Point I'm getting at is that lots of short trips, and guys that go a month on a tank of fuel, that is arduous service and should be treated as such (no 7500 mile oil changes, etc.). Battery has a hard time charging back up as well on short trips.

 

Yea, I know it isn't good on it. My wife has the same issue since we both live so close to work. She has a 2006 BMW 325i which has lifter problems due to a bad design of oiling channels in the head. The only fix is to replace the head with a new design one. So, occasionally she will have lifter tick, so I will drive her car for about 20 minutes, and when once warmed up fully (oil and all) I will get on it a little. The tick goes away and stays away for awhile. I'm still surprised BMW made an inline 6 with this problem after the many great sixes they have made. However, it isn't something that will damge longevity, just annoying. Many owners have way over 200k with the same problem. Back to the rover, yea I will get it out and run it for awhile at least once a week. Hard to justify sometimes with the mpg, but I know it needs it. I am taking it off road tomorrow, so it should get run pretty well then too.

 

you are going to have to do more oil changes based on your short trips, go to bobs the oil guy website and see if you can find a more suitable oil to run based on your driving habits....I do know that the 4.6 likes rotella, I run that in all my vehicles...

 

Get that couch potato Rover outta da garage and high tail it to some place SWMBO likes to visit or shop at about fifty miles away or better on a frequent basis. If there is mud, a boneyard, or Harbor Freight on the way so much the better.

 

I just got it out for a 30 mile run. It will definitely get used tomorrow. I saw that rotella makes a triple T 10w-30. Do you think that would be better for my driving?

 

Use the T-6 and start driving it more cause the brand of oil is not causing your problems.
Have you ever pulled the valve train and inspected it for the actual tick cause?

 

If you're referring to the noise I posted about months ago, then no I haven't. That noise comes and goes and I'm guessing it's the flex plate based on that it only happens while in gear. The lifters were replaced about 5k miles ago along with the HGs, a bad liner, and some bearings. I say some bearings because I'm assuming at least the main bearings were replaced when the liner was fixed. I have a receipt from the PO for $6k worth of engine rebuild for a slipped liner done by a respected indy shop right before I bought it. Since I drive only short distances, I should probably use a oil that is thinner at cold starts. Bob the oil guy used 5w20 in a Ford Expedition for this very reason (short trips and oil not reaching proper temps) and he had good results. I need to research it more, but I'm anxious to hear of any experiences with changing oil type in situations like mine.

 

I think you'd be better off driving more rather than using thinner oil. I wouldn't go thinner than a Xw40 Rotella or you will be rapidly wearing out all your new bearings and your camshaft.

 

Rover says xW30 is good for up to 95F ambient. And the 5w20 is rated for use from -35C to -10C (-31 to +14F). That's not enough in the summer. 5W40 Rotella would work on a wider temp range. One or two miles is just not enough time for the oil to come up to full temp. People in Birmingham know a thing or two about hot metal, they have a big statute of Vulcan on a hillside.