Rotella is no where to be found

[PopcornSutton]

Costco dropped Delo 400 about a year ago and only offers their house brand at half the cost. It's exactly the same spec but no secret, hinted at, ingredient so that's what I'm running now. Cummins takes 3 Gallons.

I have 3 gallons of Costco oil for my Dodge Cummins, haven't changed the oil yet.

[Mal Paso]

I have 3 gallons of Costco oil for my Dodge Cummins, haven't changed the oil yet.

It's been hammered into me for years that oil is oil and to go by the Specification not the name on the label but it took me 6 months to run Kirkland oil. Looking at what was on the shelves of Professional Auto Parts Stores, mechanics made that change years ago. All Generic except for premium synthetics like Royal Purple.

Synthetic Oil is not perfect either. Had a customer change to Synthetic Oil before his generator piston rings had broken in. I get a call it won't start. There was so much blow by the air filter was soaked with oil and was choking off the air. Oil change to plain oil and 4 hours at full power on a load bank helped but it was never quite right.

[rockrat]

The lubricity of the synthetic kept the rings from seating in well. Good Idea to change to plain oil and run it. Might have glazed the cylinder a bit with the synthetic and that kept it from seating as it should. Would have to go in and de-glaze the cylinder to get things back to normal. Might have to replace the rings too.

[rbuck351]

I use what ever oil costs less for my gas cars or I even use diesel oil if it's all I have on hand. I use diesel oil in my Cummins but brand doesn't matter to me, just cost. All four of my autos have over 200,000 miles and still run great.

For break in, do not baby the engine. It may not put enough ring load on them to seat them. Rings will seat sooner or later but once the cyls have lost their cross hatch, it could take a while.

If there was one brand of oil that is better than any other, there would only be one brand of oil or all oils would be the same. Any oil company can analyze other companys oil and put the same additives in theirs if it would make a better oil.

[Mal Paso]

The last generator manual said "no break in period" but further in it said to run it at full power for half an hour as part of the installation. Backup generators seldom see full power loads and I consider Burning In a generator for 4 Hours at nearly full load (after warm up) SOP.

These are stationary generators, the last one water cooled with a Mitsubishi engine.

[Gator 45/70]

Brother found me a gallon of rotella 15/40wt. of all places a lumber yard,The shelf was full.Said it was 20bucks a gallon

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

I use what ever oil costs less for my gas cars or I even use diesel oil if it's all I have on hand. I use diesel oil in my Cummins but brand doesn't matter to me, just cost. All four of my autos have over 200,000 miles and still run great.

For break in, do not baby the engine. It may not put enough ring load on them to seat them. Rings will seat sooner or later but once the cyls have lost their cross hatch, it could take a while.

If there was one brand of oil that is better than any other, there would only be one brand of oil or all oils would be the same. Any oil company can analyze other companys oil and put the same additives in theirs if it would make a better oil.

You may want to rethink using Diesel engine oil in a modern car, if you have done that?

One thing Oil designed for Diesel engines has, is a zinc additive. I believe most automotive gas engine oil 50+ years ago, had zinc in it also. I understand the zinc was removed from car oil, when cars came with catalytic converters, because the zinc will foul/clog a cat.
So, that is the reason I will suggest to not use Diesel engine oil in a modern car.
That's my 2¢

[gwpercle]

I keep seeing this thread titled ... Rotella ...

Not familiar with this product ,

but my strange mind's first thought was ... it's a combination of Rotel and Nutella ...

I wonder if mom ever had me tested ?

It's a slow day around here .
Gary

[Mal Paso]

You may want to rethink using Diesel engine oil in a modern car, if you have done that?

One thing Oil designed for Diesel engines has, is a zinc additive. I believe most automotive gas engine oil 50+ years ago, had zinc in it also. I understand the zinc was removed from car oil, when cars came with catalytic converters, because the zinc will foul/clog a cat.
So, that is the reason I will suggest to not use Diesel engine oil in a modern car.
That's my 2¢

Hmmm, My 04.5 Cummins Diesel has a catalytic converter and I've been using Diesel rated oil for almost 18 years and it has smogged fine so far.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Hmmm, My 04.5 Cummins Diesel has a catalytic converter and I've been using Diesel rated oil for almost 18 years and it has smogged fine so far.

I sure could be wrong???
That was something I was told many years ago and is the reason I use Rotella diesel rated oil in my small 4 stroke engines.

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

This is the type of info I got many years ago. It may or maynot apply to modern Diesel engines with a cat.

https://rislone.com/blog/engine-oil/...older-engines/

Potential Downsides to Zinc Additives

If zinc additives help older cars run properly, you might be wondering why the industry wouldn’t just stick with the formula and keep the zinc levels more or less the same. However, people found that zinc can actually harm the engine. When researchers looked into the effects of zinc, they found that a small amount of motor oil would find its way into the engine’s combustion chamber. In this chamber, the zinc in the oil would become ash before being transferred through the exhaust pipe.

After it had moved through the exhaust pipe, the zinc ash would sometimes come to rest on a catalytic converter. Over time, this ash caused harm to the converter, reducing its effectiveness gradually. This zinc ash can harm the engine’s lifespan, forcing you to pay extra money to repair or replace the engine if you don’t keep a close watch on it. Along with harming the catalytic converter, the phosphorous in a zinc additive can produce carbon buildup in an engine’s valvetrains or bores.

Today, most motor oils have reduced the amount of zinc they use dramatically. In place of zinc, they’ve added more boron to their oils as a replacement but have not been able to maintain the same quality. This change to non-zinc oil comes with its own downsides, as a non-zinc oil made for modern engines doesn’t offer the same level of dry start protection as motor oil using zinc for older engines.

Due to the problems associated with zinc, most motor oil companies will not include any zinc in their formula to protect against damage to the catalytic converter in newer engines. If you’re set on using zinc, you’ll want to check to see if it’s in the 1,000 to 1,400 range mentioned previously. However, older vehicles still need to use the heavy-duty, anti-wear protection of zinc to prevent more significant adverse effects.

This may have nothing to do with zinc, but it is interesting.
https://cleantechnica.com/2018/08/06...iesel-engines/

[rbuck351]

It wouldn't be the first time I punched a tire iron through a catalytic converter. Being an auto mechanic for 50+ years, I have learned to ignore a lot of wives tales about cars. One of my favorites is "take it easy on breaking in a new car/motor" another is brand xyz is the only oil to use.
The main difference between gas engine oil and diesel oil is diesel oil has more detergent than most gas oils. I will say don't use non detergent oil in anything other than a 2 cycle and I wouldn't recommend it there.
Oil should come out of and engine dirty. If it doesn't it's leaving dirt inside the engine or you could get longer life from your oil. No it shouldn't be black but if it still looks fairly clean, it has more life.

[fenderman57]

A lot of reading here, https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/ but it might change your mind on the subject of picking the right motor oil.

[Jsm180]

Rotella T6 5w40 and 15w40 are in stock now at the local walmart. Sams has some as well.

[truckerdave397]

I found 5 gallons of Shell T6 5-40 at a Walmart in Colorado today. I was all over that like a fat cop on a plate of donuts.

[truckerdave397]

If you have a Meijer store in your area check them for Shell T6. I bought my share today.

[Brassmonkey]

Remember those two chemical plant fires on different continents on the same day?

[PopcornSutton]

For what it's worth, the Costco near me is sold out of their diesel oil. Plenty of gas and Mobile 1, but noting diesel. I went back and got another 3 gallon box before it was gone.

[Horn Ridge]

Like primers, hit the backroad mom and pop gas stations, you might luck in to some Rotella. As long as you aren't near a dirt pit or quarry

[farmbif]

yeah I need to put some fresh Nutella in my old ford diesel