Engine oil

[jyoutz]

Last week I was in O'Reillys - here in Cheney, WA - buying windshield washer fluid. They had T4 and T6. I don't know about the local NAPA store. I don't use synthetic in my M6040 - a waste of money. Now my new Ram 2500 Power Wagon uses 5W40 full synthetic. I purchased the lifetime oil change option with the PW. So....oil changes are done at the dealership.

I wonder - can O'Reillys still get Rotella or do they just have a large stock pile of it.

Your owners manual will suggest oils by specs not brands. Go with that........

I have a friend who manages an Autozone store. He said they have been unable to order T6 since last fall. He recommended the Valvoline synthetic to me and pointed out that Cummins endorses it.

 

[RalphVa]

Yeah, the 15w concerns me a bit, although, as I said, it lives in a barn and always starts without any drama after 5-6 seconds of glow plugs, no matter how cold, and the 40 weight is the same once warmed up. The manuals call for 10w 40 for winter temps, so that's why I am unsure. I'd hope I never have to take it out when it's only 0 degrees- which has become extremely rate around here anyway. 25-30 degrees is more typical for cold weather.

15w40 is absolute goo in the cold. Should never be used. Use 0w30 or 40 or 5w30 or 40 or 10w30 or 40 year round.

 

[HighTwelve]

I struck out on Rotella T6 at AutoZone #1. I tried AutoZone #2 just last week and the salesman said that a shipment had just come in and I scored a gallon (already have a gallon on hand so that’s all I needed). Giving some thought to the future I walked back into the store to buy a couple of gallons more when the manager was at the counter and she flagged me and the salesman. She said that the entire shipment had been reserved for “major customers” and although she didn’t say so the salesman was obviously in the doghouse for selling me a gallon.

I do not know what is going on with the supply of diesel grade oil but the shelves are nearly bare. There is NO synthetic available around here.

 

[tradosaurus]

Is Kubota oil still available at the dealer?

 

[coondle]

I would be very careful about oil choices. Not all diesel engine oil suits all diesel engines even if matching grades. I learnt by hard experience, or should I say I gained experience the hard way. American diesel engines use oil that is different in nature but not grade to that for Japanese diesel engines. I used the correct grade oil in a Cat 3208 for only a couple of changes and it wrecked the rings. It was oil suited to a Japanese or European truck diesel. Eg Fuso, Hino, Volvo, Mrtcedes etc etc not Cat, Cummins, Mack (when they still made engines) or Detroit.

Fixed the rings at a cost and ever after matched the country of manufacture to the engine oil concerned. I ran big Volvos for a while and made sure that the oil was for a European manufactured engine and no issues.

I was told but do not know for sure that there are differences in ash and sulphur content and that my Cat 3208 may have also suffered some damage to the big end and crank bearings because the sulphur content was wrong and could attack the white metal used in those bearings.

My current Isuzu needs a low ash oil so only go with the clear specs of the manufacturer.

Not after argument just relating my real world example that cost me plenty at the time.

 

[number two]

Is Kubota oil still available at the dealer?

At the local dealer last week.
Plenty of Kubota fluids in stock.
10W30 oil was $18.61/gallon.
Super UDT2 was $98.01/5 gallon pail.
Found out they have been running 20% off fluids and filters since the outset of the pandemic.
Didn't see any synthetic oil though.

 

[J Simpson]

I was told by an employee at nearby Tractor Supply that the best bet for Rotella T6 is to by online, Ship to Store. He said they're getting limited amounts but selling as soon as it arrives, hence the empty shelves. Bought 3 gallons of T6 5w40 at Home Depot a couple months ago - was all they had or I would have bought more since I use it in truck, 2 tractors, 2 generators, 2 mowers and a tiller. Wal-Mart near me has zero diesel oil in stock for months.

 

[tradosaurus]

I'm wondering if the short supply is due to the US not selling it's oil but buying it abroad?

 

[jyoutz]

I have a friend who manages an Autozone. He said that he cannot order T6 because there is none available. But he said he heard most is going to the truck stops and I should go check there.

 

[pmgeiss]

Wow this post is an eye opener, I didn't realize there was a shortage of diesel oil too! I suppose I better get to the stores and see what I can find before spring tractor maintenance hits. A couple of comments to this thread: 1) Traveler is made in Warren, PA just down the road from us at a smaller refinery, I've been using it for years in my tractors without any problems. 2) Rotella is owned by Shell and not sure where exactly it is made. As you may or may not know Shell is Dutch owned, but like a lot of foreign companies they are always vague about where their product is actually made. I did come across an interesting article comparing T4-T5-T6 and would recommend taking a look: https://comparemotoroils.com/shell-rotella-t4-vs-t5-vs-t6/ . Again, I know where Traveler is made and I'd much rather buy American! I did switch a couple of years ago to T6 in my Chevy Silverado HD2500 Duramax and I did pick up a couple miles of gallon extra. I went to T6 in my JD2720 that goes everyday around our hobby farm. I just like the fact that the full synthetic lubes the engine so well especially on cold morning start ups even though I keep all of our tractors inside, its just been a dang cold winter here in NW PA this year.

 

[Jaeger]

I used Rotella dino 15w40 for ever with no issues. Unable to find any of it on shelves and recently moved to the Castrol GTX Diesel 15w40. Reasonable price, CK4 rated, and seems more than adequate for my 50 hour oil and filter changes.

No issues with cold being in Pa winters either.

 

[droy]

Saying that Product X is made in the same place (town, state?) or by the same company as Product A or Product B is a common bit of disingenuousness often employed when someone selling Product X wants to imply it as good as A or B. The same company may produce A, B, and X in the same plant but to different specifications according to what the brand wants to pay. In the case of oil, that may include the basic feed stock as well as different additives. As big bubba pointed out, go with the API service and viscosity ratings in your owner's manual or what your dealer recommends, at least for the warranty period.
I am also in favor of an oil analysis at each oil change, or as recommended by the laboratory if you are extending the change interval.

Adding a little to what Big Bubba & Captain Dirty previously stated; Make sure the oil meets the engine manufacturer’s specs. The “API” (American Petroleum Institute) specs are posted on every container of motor oil for that reason. As an owner / operator hauling base & lube oils to different blending plants throughout our nation, I have had the opportunity to speak to & learn from very knowledgeable people in this part of the oil business.
There are not that many refineries in the USA that produce base / lube oils & even fewer do their own blending. We haul base or lube oils from refineries to blending plants where certain additives are added then jugged & labeled. Simply put, at these blending plants each “oil manufacturer” has their own tank of “secret sauce” aka additive that is injected into the base oil then dumped into the container “de jour” which can be anything from quarts going to an auto parts store or into a rail car or tank truck going to a auto manufacturer.
If you walk through the blending area of a plant filling gallon jugs you could very well see a very looonnng conveyor line with jugs of a certain color then 5-10 neutral jugs then more jugs of another color, indicating a switch from one brand to another. The neutral jugs were there to clear the additive injection lines insuring quality. Long time ago the “slop” in the neutral jugs was given to employees for personal use. Many used this slop for oil changes in new vehicles newly purchased. At one particular plant during a break, I had asked if there were ever any problems encountered from them using this off spec oil, no one had a bad story.
Another interesting thing I found out years ago is that at that time, only one oil manufacturer produced a TRUE synthetic oil, & even they were considering also going dino based. Oil companies had successfully lobbied our government to allow dino based oils to be labeled full synthetic which I’m sure was way cheaper then manufacturing a synthetic base.
Sorry for the long post, just wanted to share.