Choosing an Oil

[neilw]

After more than a few hours gathering and tabulating I still no closer to a decision than when I started. I've gathered and tabulated information on 11 locally avaialble diesel engine oils.

Everything from $6.10/quart Delovac 1 to $1.79/quart Shell Rotella. I'm only a little closer to choosing which oil.

Please help in my quest by rank these oil attributes in their order of importance.

flash, pour, VI and TBN

But first a few bits of information that might help you set a ranking that will be good for my situation.

I'm a 150 hr per year user, never use the tractor below 32f frequently use the tractor at 90f and will change the oil annually just before cold weather sets in and the tractor goes to bed.

 

[n6ckv]

Hi Neil

I have posted some background on oils in the past few weeks. Since you do not have an extreme temp problem there is no need for the synthetics. If you stick to a name brand like Delo or Rotella you will be fine. If you have a preference use that, otherwise go by price. Make sure you get the right Cx rating.


carl

 

[neilw]

Thank you Carl

 

[Youare]

I am asking some of the same questions about oil you have presented. My first oil change was done by the dealer so I got what the dealer uses.

When I asked the dealer what oil they would recomend, expecting to hear Kubota oil, they told me any diesel rated oil would be fine. I think I am leaning towards Rotella.

I was at an exposistion recently where I stopped at a Shell Oil display booth. I asked the rep. about using Rotella in the car, truck, and tractor. The car and truck are gas engines. He advised me not to use Rotella in the gas engines.

He said the viscosity is too heavy for a gas engine, when the engine gets warm the oil will get too thick to provide proper upper engine lube. He said on a gas engine the return oil holes are too small for the thicker oil to flow back to the oil sump.

I have read on the Rotella container that this oil can be used in gas engines also. I wonder who is right? I think this is the oil that I am going to use in the Kubota.

Randy

 

[bgott]

It depends on what kind of car you're running. I ran 20W-50 in a lot of cars over the years without any problems but the newer cars are designed to use thinner oil for fuel economy. Ford had problems with the 4.6 modular when it first came out. They specified 5W-30 in the owners manual but a lot of mechanics figured that was too thin so they bumped the oil up a grade or two. The pressure relief valve wouldn't pass the thicker oil so the oil filter cannister would balloon and I heard of a few exploding. Ford had to recall the engine and install a redesigned relief valve. I've ran into a few cars that would pump up the lifters and hold the valves open with thicker oil. Geo Metros are real good for burning the valves because of this. My advice to you would be to read your owner's manual and follow it's recommendation. The old days of mechanics being able to outguess the factory and brag about how much smarter they are than the engineer that built the car are gone. Well, most of the time. There are still times when it would be flat out dangerous to walk up to me and tell me that you were the one whom designed the POS I'm working on at the time!

 

[Cracker]

I use Rotella in my 95Ford and the same in my JD4400 and as far as I know have no problems.Just the other day I stopped by a local Deere dealership and looked at the fluids and was shocked.Who in the world would pay $6.25 for a quart of 15-45W Plus 50 Deere oil?Couldn't believe the price.You will be allright with Rotella and our tempertures here in the midwest fluctuate between minus below zero to 100 in the summer.

 

[neilw]

Thanks Cracker.

The JD dealer there must have a big mark-up on oil. Locally the JD Plus 50 15w-40 oil goes for $1.89/quart and none of the local dealers stock the new JD Plus 50 0w-40 syn blend.

 

[Slamfire]

My idea of heavan is to be the pusher on a crew of electrical engineers who are washing insulators. Of course it wouldn't be heavan for them.