Diesel Engine Oil

[Z71]

I worked for 31 years in lube oil industry with Exxon. We knew from our research that the synthetics were the best. So, when Exxon and Mobil merged I could finally switch to Mobil 1 without being a traitor. Cannot find (except at exorbitant prices) Mobil 1 ESP for our Jetta TDI though. Have to buy the Castrol Edge from the dealer. Castrol used to never make a drop of oil. They just marketed it after blending and buying from others. Wonder if Castrol Edge isn't just blended Mobil 1 ESP?

Castrol is owned buy BP. Mobil 1 and Castrol got into a big pyssing match back in 1999 over what constituted a synthetic oil. I doubt EXM is going sell Castrol anything or that Castrol would even entertain that thought.

As reported in Part 1 of this story (October 1999 Lubricants World), the National Advertising Division (NAD) of the Council of Better Business Bureaus ruled in April 1999 that Castrol Syntec motor oil can be marketed as a synthetic. The decision followed a complaint filed by Mobil that as of December 1997, Castrol no longer used polyalphaolefins (PAOs) but hydroprocessed base oils to formulate the product. The decision is final, but the impact it might have on the lubricants industry could open the floodgates on how synthetics are marketed.

 

[3930dave]

Actually, you can find German Castrol at China mart, and Canadian tire also. My local car quest has it, they do sell a lot of it.

I'll snap a pic of a label next time i am through.

From BITOG, I recall the "German Castrol" term..... still working on clarifying their line of products in my mind....

Was in Walmart recently. Castrol Edge SPT 5W40 is CF (as in Foxtrot) rated. S_ too of course.

Will - is this the Castrol version you were talking about, or did you mean something more modern (in terms of API diesel rating) ?

Rgds, D.

 

[buickanddeere]

What does the operator's manual say to use?

 

[3930dave]

What does the operator's manual say to use?

Question is directed to ?

Rgds, D.

 

[3930dave]

I see Valvoline All Fleet Plus 15W40 showing up at Walmart here.

If I read the datasheet correctly, looks like they have a straight 50 ? I wouldn't try that, unless I lived near Death Valley, but I'm sure it has it's heavy equipment applications.

Valvoline.com > Products > Heavy Duty Diesel Engine Oils > > Valvoline All-Fleetｮ Plus Diesel Engine Oil

Rgds, D.

 

[WilliamBos]

From BITOG, I recall the "German Castrol" term..... still working on clarifying their line of products in my mind....

Was in Walmart recently. Castrol Edge SPT 5W40 is CF (as in Foxtrot) rated. S_ too of course.

Will - is this the Castrol version you were talking about, or did you mean something more modern (in terms of API diesel rating) ?

Rgds, D.

That may be the stuff. I will stop tomorrow and grab a pic.

 

[buickanddeere]

What does the operator's manual say to use?

To everybody who doesn't know what oil to use. Why ask Bubba when the engineers that designed the machine can tell you what is required.

 

[3930dave]

To everybody who doesn't know what oil to use. Why ask Bubba when the engineers that designed the machine can tell you what is required.

Agreed, the Owner's Manual is where I start from myself. Assumes that one can at least get a hold of an electronic copy, the paper copy often being long departed.

That said, if the equipment is more than 10 years old, lube oil has changed quite a bit in that time. I have an interest in oil technology myself, so end up hanging around oil discussions; that, and I can't stand turning on a TV......

I'm interested in the Castrol Edge that came up here..... rare today for a "gas" lube oil to be C_ rated. I think it is only CF rated, so only suits older diesels....

Yes..... always worth chasing down the OE manual, as dealers often take the "just throw this in" approach to oil. They aren't always steering you wrong with the latest oil that they stock, but I prefer to understand the whole original story.

Rgds, D.

 

[WilliamBos]

To everybody who doesn't know what oil to use. Why ask Bubba when the engineers that designed the machine can tell you what is required.

Some owners manuals are still SPec'ing CC, which was obsolete in the early 1980's. Grades sould still be the same.

 

[Z71]

Know why people want what they call "German Castrol"? Because in Germany they are not allowed to market Gr. III hydro-processed petroleum oil as Synthetic. So to sell oil in Germany and call it synthetic (like in the USA), it has to be a Gr. IV base oil (PAO).

Group III-base stocks are widely permitted to be marketed as synthetic motor oil with few exceptions, Germany for one.