emoryemt-i

i am currently running rotella t 15w-40 in my cummins and have been since i purchased it w/ 100k on it it now has 133k and i was thinking of switching to amsoil. any thoughts on this.

scottsjeeprolet

the Rotella is cheaper and has worked this long why change?
if it aint broke don't change it.
i use rotella also.

HOHN

Because Amsoil is better. Still, it might not make much sense.


If you have used dino oil for 100K, I can't see how a synthetic would really offer anything to you.

IMO, you'd be better off running a treatment of AUTO-RX, and sticking with the petro oil. www.auto-rx.com


I prefer Delo400, but there's nothing wrong with Rotella.

coalburner400

Just stick with the conventional. The only argument left is the idea of super extended service intervals. Something I cannot justify personally, but people do it.

If I can get 300k on this beast, I'll be ready for a new truck right about then anyway. IMHO its hard to justify the steep cost for amsoil, when a good conventional works just fine.

Take the extra $20+ and purchase some oil analysis. I think it will do you more good in the long run than the amsoil will.

If you do go with synthetic, expect some oil leaks.

Don't get me wrong though, I do think that synthetic is superior in terms of lubricity. Especially on turbo charged vehicles that use engine oil to lubricate the bearings. It flows better in the cold and does not coak as much if it cooks in the turbo. I use synthetic on my wife's car but that's because I don't trust my wife to let the turbo cool before she shuts down. I'm also concerned about the amount of power being produced from only 2.0 liters of displacement.

Ph4tty

I'm thinking two gallons of delo and a gallon of delvac might offer the best of both worlds, but I might be alone in left feild on this one

big jimmy

There is a real benefit if you drive enough, say 18k a year or more, in how much waste oil generated over dino.
I know this is not much of a concern to most on this site, who think doing anything like this for the environment is some sort of cave-in to tree huggers, but why would'nt anyone want better protection at the high and low ends temp wise, much longer service intervals and produce less waste oil too?

Its a no brainer for me. I don't have to spend as much time doing oil changes, get fantastic wear protection for the turbo and only go to the oil recycling drop off once a year.
(And I don't really even need to do that by running even longer intervals)

Plus the cost pencils out to about the same as dino- and thats driving 18k/yr. Drive more? You'll be saving money.

Big Jimmy

Spooler

I was a Rotella user. Great Dino oil but.... I switched to Amsoil at 30,000 miles. Engine is much quieter and will have minimal wear. I was doing 4,000 mile oil changes and will now be able to go 7,000 miles very comfortably. I have swapped cars over to synthetic at 100,000 miles. Not a very good idea. You will soon strike oil. And I mean oil leaks everywhere you have a rubber seal.

Jfaulkner

if Rotella can run in a semi for a million miles with no overhaul it will do just fine in a dodge. Some trucking companies are running 25,000 miles between oil changes using dino so I can't see why you couldn't go 7000 in a pickup.

MikeyB

I agree. I'm using Delo 400 and changing the oil at 7k miles.

MikeyB

big jimmy

Its a myth that just won't die.

I switched two diesels that had run only on dino oil for 135,000 miles each to full synthetic and never had any such problem. Never had a new leak develope in 80,000 miles.

If synthetic makes your engine weep the seal was already bad. Synthetic does not eat seals.

And as pointed out before its usually the dirt in the oil that makes it useless. Without secondary filtration you are hardly taking advantage of syn benefits. A synthetic oil in an engine with a stock filter is just as wearing on a motor as dino. The dirt is there in the oil. Costs a lot more though.

RowJ

Sorry but both these comments are hard dying misconceptions. Oil leaks should only occur in poorly maintained engines and synthetics only provide better lubricity at oil temp in excess of 250 degrees (which is almost impossible to reach on a CTD).
But I agree about synthetics offering better protection for heat soak in the turbo... and they do give easier starts in very cold weather.

The only real benefit to synthetics is Thermal Stability. They can get hotter, longer, and still return to original state without oxidizing or breaking down. Given enough additives, this caracteristic allows for longer oil change intervals.

I tested Amsoil and had excellent oil analysis at twice my normal change interval... without changing filters. This makes them a more reasonable option, cost wise, and beneficial for users driving lots of miles @ month.

But a regular 5,000 mile oil & filter change with a good dino oil is simple, easy, and plenty good enough for most of us.

JMIO - RJ

coalburner400

Thanks RJ for the qualification, I agree with you but let me explain my perception.

I have not noticed any leaks on my wife's car but I have a early model firebird that I did. I rebuilt the motor and ran dino during breakin - no leaks. I changed to synthetic and noticed a drip leak on the rear main and some weapage around the front of the oil pan after only using it for a few hundred miles. The differential has synthetic as well and I see weapage there too. I have not changed back to dino on the rear but I no longer use M1 in the motor. My engine oil leaking seems to have subsided to a non existent leak on the oil pan and a weap on the wick seal which is acceptable (maybe this is in my head but I've talked about this with others and read about the same on this forum - it seemed to be common knowledge to anyone I brought it up with. Perhaps its the older motor? Maybe synthetic has changed in the last 4 years?) No matter, the conventional oil does not leave a spot on the floor. Maybe next change I'll try the synthetic again (M1).

I really was not aware that the CTD could not realize the lubricity benefits of a synthetic because of the oil temp. I assume most wear seems to occur at startup and while the engine is below operating temp, This is where I presumed the synthetic would offer better lubricity, but I was not aware it was equal to conventional during normal operating temps.

One thing seems to be consistent though... oil analysis is the verdict no matter what interval or oil you use.

On the environmental note, I wonder what really happens to your oil when you bring it to the recycler. I've heard they clean it and re-use it in walmart brand oil Is that so bad for the environment?

RowJ

I don't know about Wal Mart.... but I know one company in Oklahoma City that picks up waste oil (for free), chemically cleans it with solvents, adds some additives, I assume, and sells it overseas, in third world countries....where Grade A oils (and API classifications) have never been seen.

RJ

HOHN

This MIGHT be a valid comparison if your Dodge also held 15-20 GALLONS of oil.

Heck, if my CTD held that much oil, I could go 50K on a change-- no bypass filter needed.

jh

HOHN

The leak question has a valid history, but NOT a valid present. Early synthetics (ca early 70s) were only PAO and didn't have the seal swell that the petro oils caused. Results was that the seals didn't get the swell that they were "used to", and would often leak.

But oil and seal technology has drastically improved. Seals are now designed to seal on their own, without the swelling effect of dino oil. Rubber technology is better now, and OEMs don't use the crappy rope and cork seals of the past.

If a synthetic "causes" a leak in a newer vehicle, you had a bad seal all along, and it was just hidden (or "sealed") by the sludge that the dino let build up....

jh