what kind of oil are you using in your dmax? are you going synthics?


thanks patrick

I use Mobil Delvac 1300 Super because I like Mobil products. The important thing is to use an oil that meets the requirements for our diesel engines. There are several good quality brands on the market that meet the requirements listed in the owners manual. You should give the engine time to "break-in" before going with a syn oil and I think most will agree that around 5000 miles should be sufficient. Consider changing your oil frequently while it is new and "breaking-in" as this will help eliminate some of the silica that is found in our engines as a result of the manufacturing process.

Chevron Delo 400 15W-40 during the summer. Shell Rotella synthetic 5W-40 during the winter.

Mobil one delvac (synthetic). Started using it at 7000 mi.

At 7000, installed Amsoil Series 3000 5W30 synthetic heavy duty diesel oil and their remote dual oil fiter kit. Kit combines 1 ea of very large oil filters, full flow and bypass.


Amsoil tests show this oil has a higher film strength {as indicated by a 4 ball wear test and size of wearscar} than any of the other synthetic or dino oils available, albeit 5W30, 5W40, or 15W40.


A conversation with lubrication tech @ Amsoil concerning which viscosity to use {Amsoil also has a 15W40 syn} arrived at a consensus that since I do quite a bit of cold start, short trip driving around town, with an ocassional highway trip at speeds to 80, and a few trips a year with TT approx 5000#.


He suggested that I start out with 5W30, and watch for oil consumption and hot idle oil pressure. He made this suggestion because he felt that with the superior film strength and quick oil circulation at cold starts and short trips, that I would have the best of both worlds. That is if there was no problem with hot idle pressure or excessive consumption.


Amsoil now has 4000 miles, including 1 3000 mile trip with the TT. Level still right @ full and oil pressure @ hot idle 25-30psi.


All I can say is I'm pleased so far, and with winter almost here, I'll be even better off with the 5W30.

I've been using Mobil Delvac 1 since about 2,200 miles. A bit pricey, but excellent quality.

TC

Delvac 1 and OilGuard bypass

Shell Rotella 15-40wt

I've been using Shell Rotella Synthetic (5w-40) since the first oil change (~4000 miles). It is one of the least expensive of the synthetics (probably since it is from a highly refined petroleum basestock). I get it at Walmart for $12.84/gal. I will probably switch to Mobil Delvac 1 (which I believe is the better synthetic) after a couple of oil changes...and all the manufacturing "leftovers" are out of my engine.

Chevron Delo.....Its been giving diesel engines 100's of thousands of miles for years....Why argue with that ? No need for high priced synthetic oils in these trucks, IMO...BUT...its your money http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Stern Smile.gif

Rotella 5 W 40 Synthetic - will stick with it - heavy hauling and stays clean for the first 3,000 miles - change it at about 5,000 miles


Walmart makes it cheap and worthwhile


have used it since 1000 miles - have 15,000 heavy towing juiced miles.

Mobil Delvac 1300 Super. Only one oil change so far and that was at 750 miles.


I'll stick with that for a few changes then go syn of some kind, probably Mobil 1 Delvac.

Hey, guys why not try Caterpillar oil with SAE rating of 15w-40 and API rating of CI-4. This (CI-4) is the current rating of oil in the industry today.

@ 7200 miles just did the first change this weekend with Chevron Delo 400 15W-40 and installed Amsoil dual filter system. Will probably switch to Amsoil synthetic when I run out current stock of Chevron Delo.

Just switched over to Schaeffer 7000 Supreme 15/40, so far I really like it, will know more after the next O/A.

First Rotella 15w-40. Now Amsoil 15w-40.

Rotella 15w-40 for me.

First change to Delvac 1300 at 2600 miles. May switch to Amsoil 15W40 Synthetic Blend, as it is API approved.

Del0 400 15w-40. Good Oil. Been using it since first oil change...


LAter

I've run mostly Rotella-T 15W40. I've also run Rotella syn 5W40. Been running Mobil Delvac 1300 last two changes, just to keep AVLube on their toes!http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Big Smile.gif Will be changing back to Rotella 5W40 soon on my 75,000 mile service for the Winter months. Will probably be going to Mobil Delvac One year round when I clean out the hodge-podge inventory of oil in the garage (although I've been tempted to try the Schaeffer oil after seeing it in Grand Rapids).

I was gonna try Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme. I spoke with a lab person today at Valvoline, and asked if the basestock for Valvoline Blue Extreme was class III or class IV. They said that was company confidential information...she said all she could tell me was that it's synthetic.


If its that big of a secret, I'll use another product. I'm leaning towards Schaeffers. Does Eric still sell it?

Shell Rotella-T 15w40.

I was running Rotella Syn 5w-40 from 7000 on(first break in and 3000 mile change were freebies from the dealer). At my last change I tried the Schaeffer's 15w-40 syn blend.


The bottom line is, change it when it's due or sooner as most of us do and use a good certified oil and I doubt anyone will ever have oil related issues.

You said it, Victory Red, there's little chance of having a problem with any modern properly rated oil, it's almost entirely a matter of personal preference and semantics. By the way, how's that Schaeffer oil working out? It seemed pretty interesting when I got the "pitch" at Wenzel's and I see that Eric is going to give it a trial, too. Problem is, I currently have at least five changes worth of other oils in the garage that I'd like to get through. I'm not real brand-loyal on lubes, but not willing to discard new unused oil just to change brands, either.

Been using the Shell Rotella T 15w-40 since 1,000 miles. At 24,000 miles, I switched to Shell Synthetic 5w-40. I work till midnight and have no place to plug in at work. With the synthetic it is a little easier start and the oil pressure does not go through the roof on startup. Maybe in the summer months I'll go back to Rotella T. I don't tow the entire winter and drive 25 miles one way to work. I'm thinking of letting the oil change go up to 5,000 miles. Before the synthetic I would change it between 2500-3000 miles depending on when I had the time. What do you guys think? Is it okay to stretch it out to 5000?

rtquig, you should be able to go 7500 to 10,000 with no problem on synthetic. GM says you can go 10K on dino. Modern dino oils such as Delvac 1300, Delo 400, Pennzoil Long Life, all have pretty stout additive packages. Put those additive packages into a synthetic base stock and you have super oil!


Delvac 1, Schaeffers, Amsoil, you just can't go wrong with any of these oils. Which color oil bottle will fit the decor of your garage?

What do you guys think? Is it okay to stretch it out to 5000?


rtquig, I've been using 7,500 miles (manufacturer recommended) and have been getting excellent oil analysis results on Rotella-T 15W40, -5W40, and Mobil Delvac 1300 at that mileage - showing that I have many more miles in the oils. I've been tempted to shift to 10,000, but 7,500 works out good for filter rotations. If I go to synthetic year round, I may just go to the 10,000 interval.

Rotella 5W-40 Synthetic every 5K miles, for me.

MaChInE, if you do oil analysis on your Rotella 5W40 I'm certain that you will see that you are discarding oil that's probably at less than 30% of its useful life. I'm not a big fan of going as far as possible, but I also think it's a waste of time, oil and money to discard 11 qts. of oil twice as often as necessary.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif

MaChInE, if you do oil analysis on your Rotella 5W40 I'm certain that you will see that you are discarding oil that's probably at less than 30% of its useful life. I'm not a big fan of going as far as possible, but I also think it's a waste of time, oil and money to discard 11 qts. of oil twice as often as necessary.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Approve.gif



Good point. That statement is most likely true for most top name motor oils that have a high TBN and a strong additive package.


I had an anlysis done when I changed my oil (Chevron Delo 400 5W-40) @ 7,000 miles. It showed a low soot level and the viscosity, TBN and additive package hardly used up. It appeared I could have doubled the mileage.


Not that I would do that yet. I was a 3000 mile oil change believer until now. I am going to see if it will make 10,000 miles without the "Change Oil Now" light coming on.

JohnnyO, if your "Change Oil" light is anything like mine I don't think you'll get to 10,000 miles. Mine seems to like to come on right in the 7,800 to 8,000 mile window. It is computed on some hocus-pocus of engine rpm, hours and coolant temperature. A lot of people claim that it ticks off exactly 7,500 miles and acts on mileage only, but I know for sure that is wrong. I do a lot of highway driving (my average overall mph so far is 43ish), so your results may vary depending on your driving conditions. I'd be interested to see what you get.http://www.dieselplace.com/forum/smileys/Ermm.gif

Tom,


So far on the Schaeffer's I have only good things to report. I was going to a Rotella analysis, then the Schaeffers, but didn't. The reasoning was, I was going from summer to winter, played with the Predator extensively with the last oil(including dragstrip). I don't think that it would've been fair to either brand. As of right now my mileage is dropping considerably, but mainly due to colder temperatures and blended diesel so I can't even use that as a comparision. Although so far vs what I was getting last winter I'm still around 1.5 mpg better than early this year(my truck is 1 year old to me on Friday).


I can report that the oil pressure is reading higher. Around 1 hash mark both idle and highway vs the Rotella at operating temp Of course this may mainly be because of the 15w vs the 5w. Still makes me nervous though, on the cold mornings watching 100-110 psi of oil pressure for the first few miles seems excessive. Pressure build up is still quick though, and I can get it cheaper than Rotella T by around 2.50 a gallon. I may even convert the wife's trailblazer to their 5w30 vs the Mobil 1 on her next change. I can get this for around 1.50 less per quart.


Not a big savings, but as good as it's touted to be and a cost savings, no sense in the premium price since I change at roughly half of the recommend interval. Although with all the good things I'm hearing from the testing of various brands, I may increase to 7500 a change.

Victory Red...thanks for the update on Schaeffers. I was really thinking I should go with a 5W40, but all the dealers around here (Minneapolis) seem to recommend 15W40 all year. I've read so many good things on Schaeffers that I'm leaning towards their 15W40 oil. The guys on the oil page (I think a lot of them sell Schaeffers) claim its really more like a 10W40 and seems to allow easier winter starting than a typical 15W40. I can't say one way or the other, but diesel owners that use Schaeffer products sure seem to like them.

Thanks for the inputs on Schaeffer. I was planning on cleaning out my stock and going to Mobil Delvac One, but I've been pretty interested in what I've seen and heard about Schaeffers. Anyway, next change in a few hundred miles is Rotella-T 5W40 from Mobil Delvac 1300 with a ferrographic analysis on the drained 7500 mile Delvac 1300.

From reading this thread and personal thought so many of us are sold on brand name. Bilstein isn't exactly a household name, yet thought to be one of the best shocks out there for our applications(I have set not installed as of yet though). I tried the Zaino and have been quite pleased with it for durability and shine. My stampede hood protector has nice lines and cheaper than Lund. Baldwin oil filters are rated extremely high. I could go on, maybe these 'off brand' oils and products are one of the most overlooked items. Time will tell.


Roegs I also recall reading somewhere that the 15w40 syn blend from Schaeffers actually is supposed to flow better at low temps then 5w40 dino. Edited by: Victory Red

hello all

WE us on our fleet as of 1999 Shell Rotella 15-40wt..
it works for us ..on Dmax's and 7.3's powerStroke's

From steve