Shell Rotella oill
 

I have twin Lehman SP225s. The previous owner had used Rotella T 15W40 oil for the last 15 years, so I have been using it also. I now see a Rotella T4 as a new version of the oil. Has anyone used the T4 and is this a direct replacement for the old T version? The T4 says it is a heavy duty diesel oil.

I think T4 is just a relabel of the normal 15-40. T5 is syn blend, T6 is syn, T1 mono grade.

Shell Rotella and Chevron Delo is found in the majority of both diesel pleasureboats and workboats. If you want to buy a good brand name product here's your chance. And if I wanted to stray I'd go Valvoline.

Rotella is all I use. I also noticed that it had been revised to T4. When I looked up the new specs it still seems to cover the same older classifications as before. So I'll keep using it.

Ken

Thanks for the info Ken, that is what I was looking for.

Can't get Rotella in Australia and I am about to drop my oil and was about to get 60 litres of Valvoline.
Cummins guy who works on mine advised against it.
Said for mine, delo (caltex here) or castrol rx.

Observations from 20 years working on my model is that they guzzle and leak shell and valvoline product even though the specs are essentially the same.

Castrol rx is easy to get and pretty cheap so that's what it'll get.

Here's a radical approach to engine oil selection...

If it's in the correct weight range called for my the engine manufacturer, AND

If it meets or exceeds the API or other standard specs (CJ-4, for example) called for my the engine manufacturer, AND

It is a reputable oil manufacturer, THEN

Use it.

I doubt anyone, anywhere, can show that an engine failed because they used Delo instead of Rotella, or instead of Castrol, or instead of Valvoline.

That is interesting, in the USA Cummins specifically recommends Valvoline Premium Blue 15-w40 oil. All of their preferred oils are Valvoline...
Bruce

But that is specific to extended drain intervals, if you want to go that route. The engine manual (at least my QSC manual) just lists engine oil weight and specification (the Cf, CJ etc. designation) as the requirement.

I have used the Valvoline Blue, it is alittle harder to find. Now using Rotella.
Delo 400 also widely available.

If your engine guzzles and leaks oil, the problem is not with the oil or the brand of oil, it is with your engine. That's assuming of course that the oil you are using meets the engine maker's specifications.

Simi60 wrote;
"Cummins guy who works on mine advised against it.
Said for mine, delo (caltex here) or castrol rx."

What a Cummin's guy or a Yanmar guy or a mechanic recommends is not worth much. These are specs that only a manufacturer has the knowledge to dictate. Engineers only have the knowledge to specify what to use.

Manufacturers almost never recommend by brand name. For the record though Castrol and Chevron are excellent products.

In my area, Rotella is about $14 per gallon at Walmart. $24 per gallon at West Marine and I've seen it as high as $39 per gallon at marinas.

When I leave on a cruise I carry enough with me for all the oil changes I anticipate.

About $17 per gallon at Advance Auto. Suprising how many are accesible near the AICW from Jersey to Florida.

But I still try to stock up at Walmart.

When I had my Cummins 6BTA I used Valvoline Premium Blue as it was what was recommended in the owner's manual.
It was no different in cost than Rotella and it was in stock at every local NAPA store.
Now I use Rotella in my Lehman. Best price I have found is at Tractor Supply.

"When I leave on a cruise I carry enough with me for all the oil changes I anticipate."

Carry MORE! an accidental flooding may require 2-3 flushes .

Oil filters and fuel filters are cheaper by the case.

Most oils are back compatible so the "newest" will be fine , but most changes are to assist exhaust products , and cleaning/treating the exhaust.

If your antique requires CD oil going to a newer oil probably just means a higher percentage of additives that your engine doesn't require and reduces the volume of lubricating oil in the blend.

My last purchase of Delo 400 15-40 was in newly designed containers labeled T-4, it made me wonder what (if anything) had changed from the previous formulation. It was all they had in Delo 400 15-40 and all of the 5 quart as well as the 2 1/2 gallons size containers they had were marked the same. The 2 1/2 gallons size gets me about two quarts free over the 5 quarts size containers.

Has anyone used Miles oil. Meets all spec's but much cheaper.

My engine doesn't seem to use oil and doesn't leak any currently.
He said if I wanted to speak to some owners who had these shell/valvoline issues specific to my model he'd be happy to put me in contact.
As Castrol RX is pretty much the same price and easily available I couldn't be bothered checking, I'll just trust his observations in the industry.

And yes, castrol rx meet spec as does valvoline super diesel.

I mentioned that to him.
He said my engine even though newish build, is old tech and likes an older style oil if that makes any sense.
Said the newer cummins run the valvoline product fine.

Up until a few years ago I had an 1975 vintage car that I put in for a service not at my usual mechanic and they put semi synthetic oil in it.
That engine developed oil leaks, used some and sounded rattly.
When we changed back to a cheaper product advertised as "for older engines" the leaks eventually stopped and it sounded happier.
Don't know why, just the way it was.
I assume my new/old cummins is the same.

Maybe in America, not elsewhere.

Had always been my way of thinking before as well.

Failure no, little niggly issues, maybe.
See my comment above re: my older car.

Pretty much, if it meets the specifications, it should do the job.

That said, considering the cost of a replacement engine, I would tend to shy away from Walmart's own brand and stick with the major name brands. And also stick with the same brand each time if possible.

I have used Delo 400 in my engine as it is easy to find and often find on sale.

With my new engine, I will do the same but I am going to start doing oil analysis with this engine.

Rotella is sold at Walmart.

The manual for my Hinos recommends 10 different brands including Delo, Castrol and Rotella. I'm using Delo because it seems easier to find than Rotella. In fact, I saw the Delo in cases of three one-gallon containers at Costco this afternoon. Same price as Walmart give or take a few cents per gallon.

I'll have to check that out. I refuse to go to Walmart, but am happy to go to Costco.

I, on the other hand, have a problem with a store that requires me to pay to shop there. Walmart works for me. Walmart stores are far more common than Costco anyhow and that matters when you are cruising and staying in small towns.

With the dividend ck, Costco is paying me to shop there. Not the greatest place to buy oil though, never know what they will be stocking. Walmart always has had Rotella.

In post #18 I asked if anyone had any experience with Miles Oil Company, Nobody's commented, Surely someone has an opinion.

Never heard of it and I am in the engine business,

Is Miles an additive or distributer of oil rather than a manufacturer of peimary oil?

Google suggests it is a local or regional distributer.

We used Miles petroleum extensively for years but have had no reason to stay current these past 3-4 years. We typically bought Rotella 15-40 in 32 gallon barrels or in cases of gallons but also bought other fluids as well over time - hydraulic and ATF's.
Whenever we did use them we never had a problem with product or delivery and the prices were always low especially in the volume barrels.
We are on Long Island so delivery was easy and quick to us.

The handbook for your Hino engines is now over 30 years old and oil has changed dramatically since it was written - improved that is. Watching the recommended weight oil vs the use temps are likely your best choices as any major brand will then suite your needs.
P

If you use Costco to buy in volumes the savings can be significant and easily dwarf the 'fee'.
If you do not shop in volumes then any store that does not require extra gas to reach might be the best bet.

For my old venerable I use sae 30w from Canadian Tire, it is store branded Shell Rotella.
In my old manual the engine builder mention sae 30w as a primary choice and 15w40 as a secondary if not available. One thing that surprised me is that the PO used 15w40 and when I got the boat oil pressure was on the high mark and was not varying a lot with rpm. When I switched back to sae 30w oil pressure reading was back to nominal values mentioned in the old manual.

L

What's your theory on that?
What were those "nominal values" mentioned in the book or just what were the differences?

Right again. In fact, in all the fishing ports in Europe, everyone used the generic diesel oil that was available.

Well my theory is really inexistant! Nominal values are supposed to be between 30 and 60 psi at normal engine speed, minimum 12 psi at 550rpm. Was the difference due to a clogged oil filter? maybe, maybe not. Was it due to senders, no, I changed both and there were the same before and after, same for gauges. I have really no theory or whatsoever it is just what I observed.

L

Yup! Angsting over which oil is better when all meet specs is not worth your time. Anecdotal observations such as "I've used this or that oil for years and have not had a problem" is useless information.

What is unusual here is, the brand name oils like Shell Rotella are not overly expensive so there's no real need to agonize over the price between them and store brands.

Here is a strange one: I once had an Auto Zone store refuse to take my used oil for recycling because it had been used in a diesel engine. I've never figured that one out.

Hello Eric - likely the manual is very old and was developed at the time when oils were less robust in their design. The manufacturer selects oils they fell will best support their product and then run tests to set nominal values based upon that combination.
As oils improve the resultant oil parameters will also vary as these newer oils are introduced to older engines -not unexpected at all. In many cases when the same engines are available you will see the nominal values altered in newer manuals but that will not exists when engine lines do not continue when newer oils are introduced.

That is odd. I normally buy my oil from my local Auto Zone because they take my used oil. I refuse to buy new oil from anywhere that won't take used oil.

The odd part is they refused because it had been used in a diesel engine. What is the difference?

I usually (always) buy my oil from Walmart but for some reason some Walmarts are funny about taking it back. One told me the limit was five quarts.

One time I took my antifreeze to Walmart and the guy dumped it in with the oil. I think it's the employees, not the business.

Most of the states that I've been in require that any place that sells oil also has to accept used oil.

Used diesel lube oil is undesirable for refining as it's heavily laden w carbon. Notice that your diesel lube oil turns black very quickly. That's carbon. Comparatively speaking gasoline engine lube oils only receive a small amount of carbon. Carbon is an abrasive and is cause for high levels of engine wear. That's why we're told to change our diesel engine oil regularly and often.

The above is what I hear and read.

She wouldn't have known if I hadn't told her (plus the fact that it was In Rotella jugs).

Nobody before or since has asked about coming from a diesel.

The dilemma I find myself in.

My oil in the nta855 is still quite clear yet according to the manual its oil change O'clock.

Indeed like the engine, the manual is very old, I was not even born when it was written.

L