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engine oil preferences, mainly diesel, but any input?

Started by drobertson, June 08, 2014, 06:52:34 PM

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drobertson

Been running rottela 15-40, no issues, just heard some news on Castrol, that got my attention.
only have a few chain saws I'm not suppose to use, but will at times, one dog Dolly, pretty good dog, just not sure what for yet,  working on getting the gardening back in order, and kinda thinking on maybe a small bbq bizz,  thinking about it,

Chuck White

Since I only run the mill Spring thru Fall, I use 10W40 Rotella!

Haven't had any issues and don't expect any!
~Chuck~  Cooks Cat Claw sharpener and single tooth setter.  2018 Chevy Silverado and 2021 Subaru Ascent.
With basic mechanical skills and the ability to read you can maintain a Woodmizer  LT40!

barbender

5w-40 Rotella in mine, it's expensive but the Lombardini doesn't take much.
Too many irons in the fire

Magicman

With my new engine, it will be the recommended full synthetic.
Knothole Sawmill, LLC     '98 Wood-Mizer LT40SuperHydraulic   WM Million BF Club Member   WM Pro Sawyer Network

It's Weird being the Same Age as Old People

Never allow your "need" to make money to exceed your "desire" to provide quality service.....The Magicman

bandmiller2

The best oil is the cheapest oil in the long haul. Once broken in I like synthetic. Been using Amsoil 15-40 marine and diesel synthetic. Truth be known any of the name brand oils will serve you well if changed regular. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

JB Griffin

In a diesel I run 15w40 Rotella and Delo 10w30 and have had zero problems
I wouldn't pour Castrol on a fire myself.
2000 LT40hyd remote 33hp Kubota with 6gpm hyd unit, 150 Prentice, WM bms250, Suffolk dual tooth setter

Over 3.5million bdft sawn with a Baker Dominator.

mburrow

I run 15w40 Rotella in every thing gas and diesel except a dodge caravan I run Valvoline in it

Herb Brooks

I agree cheap and clean. Most of the adds are hype.  Look for the classification circle on the bottle to match your aplication requirements. That said I only run Honda MA class oil in my Goldwing.  Cost twice as much but @ 8000 mile change interval I only need 5 gallons a year.

StimW

Quote from: drobertson on June 08, 2014, 06:52:34 PM
Been running rottela 15-40, no issues, just heard some news on Castrol, that got my attention.

Look in the trash cans at any truckstop and you will find many empty jugs from Rotella! Those truckers know something.
I run it in my diesel farm tractor Too.
I run Castrol in my PU and any gas vehicle that I have owned. Going way back it was one of the few oils that was "Turbo Rated", probably one of the highest lubrication demands in an engine!
Turbo's can run 150,000. or higher RPMs and then you add the exhaust temperature to the mix! Oil coking (from the heat) kills many Turbos. If you have ever seen a Turbo on a semi that just came off of the road the exhaust side housing  is cherry red.
New HF Band Mill
Branson 35 hp 4 WD Diesel Tractor W/Attachments- Backhoe, FEL W/ Bucket or Forks, 4' Tiller
4000# Clark Forklift W/24" Tires
Promark 6" Brush chipper W/18 hp Kohler

pineywoods

I have run rotella 15W40 in everything for years, cars, trucks, sawmill, mower, tractor, everything except the 2 stroke stuff. I may have to change that, just bought a new honda suv. It specifies 0 W 20, stuff is like water. So I'll stick with that till the warranty runs out, then probably back to rotella..
1995 Wood Mizer LT 40, Liquid cooled kawasaki,homebuilt hydraulics. Homebuilt solar dry kiln.  Woodmaster 718 planner, Kubota M4700 with homemade forks and winch, stihl  028, 029, Ms390
100k bd ft club.Charter member of The Grumpy old Men

red oaks lumber

the experts think i do things wrong
over 18 million b.f. processed and 7341 happy customers i disagree

WmFritz

Quote from: red oaks lumber on June 09, 2014, 01:03:29 PM
full synthetic on all my engines, gas or diesel

Me too

I've got a drum of Rotella in the shed from my FIL's semi tractor who has passed. I need to get it up to my BIL for his dozer, backhoe and skytrack.
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

landscraper

I used to run Rotella in everything, got a better deal buying Delvac from Caterpillar, and I noticed that the 3126 in the truck I drive stopped using oil between changes when I switched from Rotella to Delvac.   I had used it in lots of other engines and never had a problem with consumption, just this one.  I use Shell oil on most of my small engines and automobiles.  There is a website all about oil called Bob Is The Oil Guy that has some interesting info, spectrometer readings and lab tests on various oils and additives, they call Bunk on a lot of additives.
Firewood is energy independence on a personal scale.

LaserZX

All of the above comments are true and good choices.    I use Pennzoil Synthetic       With synthetic you can run it longer and just change the filter to get longer times and less maintenance if you wish to chose that option.

All the new oils have improved engine performance and longer life.
Just stay on a maintenance schedule. 

36 coupe

I put some 15/40 Rotella in my high milage Ford truck.I got erratic oil pressure and noisy start ups.Ford manual says ok on Rotella but only above 32 degrees.This was in in December.I found that 15/40 Rotella had a cold pour point like 30w oil.Dump the 15/40, replaced it with 10/30.No more erratic pressure and rappy start ups.Nothing is written in stone when it comes to motor oil.I had a jar of 40 oil that I used to stick paper gaskets on.Real cold day.Used a screwdriver to get some out of the jar The screwdriver stood up in the jar and left a hole in the oil when I pulled the driver out.Started driving when Merit gas Stations sold a thick green oil in glass bottles for 15 cents a quart.

manoverboard

I run Rotella T6 in all my diesels, have used Rotella for years!
TimberKing 2000, 35hp Diesel, Kubota L3800 w/loader

bandmiller2

Rotella is good oil with a long favorable track record. When I managed the fleet of fire trucks I used Delvac 15/40. A couple of the older Detroits I used #30 as at idle the oil pressure would drop with the multi-vis. I had a good local distributor that handled Mobil products otherwise would have gone to Rotella. Newer cars and light trucks specify very light oil that's to help them pass fed. mileage guidelines. When a vehicle is newer I do as they say later with higher mileage I go to a little heavier oil. Any name brand with the proper certification for your use will work. Synthetics are better for high heat and cold start applications. Frank C.
A man armed with common sense is packing a big piece

woodmills1

Rotella t deisel
castorol gtx in gas cars
car quest sae 30 in small engines
James Mills,Lovely wife,collect old tools,vacuuming fool,36 bdft/hr,oak paper cutter,ebonic yooper rapper nauga seller, Blue Ox? its not fast, 2 cat family, LT70,edger, 375 bd ft/hr, we like Bob,free heat,no oil 12 years,big splitter, baked stuffed lobster, still cuttin the logs dere IAM

DDobbs

EZ Boardwalk 40
Ez Boradwalk Jr.sold 11/7/2015
Stihl 650 Stihl 290

richhiway

Any Brand name oil with the correct rating is fine. Personally I have used Amsoil synthetic products for years in all my engines. Car,boat diesel truck,tractor,small engines. You can order online,if you use enough you can join their discount program and the price is fair. They have all the independent lab tests to prove they make a quality product. I rebuilt engine for many years and I will recommend the best oil you can afford,always go thinner in viscosity. Oil lubricates,cleans and cools and better flowing oils circulate faster and do those jobs better. Thicker oil is just pumped out the oil pump bypass and costs you fuel mileage thru engine drag (loss) The only time you would want to go to a heavier oil is in a worn engine that has trouble making oil pressure or is burning a lot. Amsoil products also offer longer drain intervals,I usually change 1 or 2 times a year regardless of mileage. So it saves you in the long run. Modern fuel injected engine do not dilute the oil with fuel one reason longer drain intervals are OK. I manage a fleet of over 50 heavy duty diesels and we change 1 time yearly regardless of mileage and have had 0 engine issues in 13 years. we use synthetic 5W-40 and buy name brand by best price each year. We use it in everything (1960's to 2014's) except 1 old 4-53 detroit that gets straight 40W summer use only. I more item of interest on extended drain,I owned a BMW 330 turbocharged car,it had Castrol 5-30 and the dealer changed the oil under warranty only when the oil indicating system said it needed it, I traded it in with 25,000 miles when it was 2 years old and it still didn't need a oil change. I think the engineers at BMW know what they are doing. The more fuel you burn (towing) the more often you should change your oil,the byproduct of combustion dirty the oil. The more fuel,the harder the engine works. Mileage is really not the best indicator,3000 mile oil changes are a waste of your money.
Woodmizer LT 40
New Holland 35 hp tractor
Stihl Chainsaws
Ford 340 Backhoe

WmFritz

Richhiway, good point on the oil indicator system.

A couple years ago I had a discussion with a couple automotive powertrain engineers and I asked them if the oil life percentage was reliable. They told me absolutely! I was told to pay no attention to the odo and to run the oil life as close to zero as I can.
~Bill

2012 Homebuilt Bandmill
1959 Detroit built Ferguson TO35

LorenB

drobertson,

Oil is a commodity.  If it meets the specifications of the engine manufacturer it's the right oil.  If your engine requires CF-4, then buy any oil that meets the CF-4 specification.  It doesn't matter whose name is on the bottle. 

Do check for the API circle that states which specifications the oil meets.  If it doesn't have the API certification but claims to meet your specification you are taking the manufacturer's word for it. 

That said, I use Rotella 15W-40 in almost everything, Dodge Cummins diesel engine, Toyota gas engine, Ford diesel farm tractor, lawn mower Kubota diesel, sawmill John Deere diesel engine, edger Perkins diesel engine, walk-behind rototiller gas engine, generators, and more.  It's an excellent all-around oil and it's reasonably priced at Sam's Club. 

I used to use Amsoil and extend the change interval for my previous Dodge diesel, but the newer engine, a Cummins 6.7-liter diesel, requires oil changes on schedule whether you use synthetic or not.  For what it's worth, you will notice that the Amsoil bottles do not have the API circular symbol that certifies that the oil meets their standards.  Amsoil stands behind their oil, but doesn't pay API the fee to test and certify their oils.  I still think it's excellent oil, but if I have to change oil based on mileage or hours, I can't justify the cost of synthetic. 
Good luck with your choice.

– Loren
Loren
Baker 3667D portable sawmill, Cook's edger, Logrite arches & peaveys.  Husky 272XP chainsaw & two Echos.

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