Rotella T6 15w-40
- Thread starter JG4660
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I would go with the 5-40 especially in colder weather.
I use it year round in my diesel cars and likely will put it in my M at the next oil change.
I use it year round in my diesel cars and likely will put it in my M at the next oil change.
Yeah i'm definitely in a cold weather area...i was thinking the same thing but it seems most people are using the dino 15w-40 all year around and the synthetic should help in the cold even at 15w. Probably hold off until the next oil change and use the 5w-40 for now.
I use 15W 40 diesel spec oil in all of my tractors, gasoline and diesel.
It's a bit thick in the coldest weather but only two diesels and one gasser ever get started in such weather and I've never had any difficulty.
SDT
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Rotella is like John Deere, you're buying the name not the quality.
Most people that were Rotella users in diesel truck have now gone away from it. Their quality is not the same as it once was. Or at least that's what I read almost daily on truck forum page.
Most people that were Rotella users in diesel truck have now gone away from it. Their quality is not the same as it once was. Or at least that's what I read almost daily on truck forum page.
I just got some 15W-40 T6 Rotella to put in my Kubota ZD326. I think it will be great since the mower isn’t used in cold weather but does in very hot weather. The heavier top number should be better
I use the lighter T6 in my Kubota tractor and RTV since they are used year round.
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I use the lighter T6 in my Kubota tractor and RTV since they are used year round.
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Here’s s link for it if anyone is interested.
https://rotella.shell.com/en_us/products/full-synthetic-and-blend-oil/shell-rotella-t6-15w-40-full-synthetic-motor-oil.html
https://rotella.shell.com/en_us/products/full-synthetic-and-blend-oil/shell-rotella-t6-15w-40-full-synthetic-motor-oil.html
I'm following too many forums as it is to dive into yet another, but the above surprises me. From what I've read, including articles written by Blackstone Labs who does oil testing, I've gathered that there really aren't significant differences among oils that meet the current SAE specs and align with the engine manufacturer's specs. Which is why everyone can stand by their favorite brand and honestly claim, "I've never had an oil-related failure."
Is there really any pattern of oil-related problems among those who use a quality brand in a formulation appropriate for their equipment?
I personally do use Rotella T6 since a synthetic with its generally better cold pour characteristics seems preferable for my climate. But I'd gladly switch if I were convinced that another brand would make a meaningful difference to the performance or longevity of my engine.
Bingo, Jack.
I use 15W40 oil of current diesel spec in all tractors gasoline or diesel. I'm not particular about manufacturer, and use Kubota, Rotella, Delvac, and Valvoline, whatever is on sale.
I change everything more frequently than manufacturers recommendations and do not pay for synthetic.
SDT
That's not what my SOS reports show using it in everything from my Kubota B2620 to C15 Cat's, DD15 Detroit's and Cummins ISX.
I do baseline samples of different brands new out of bottle and and have experimented with different brands under use.
I'm a believer in Rotella and can plainly see the difference in test results from the others. I've even caught dealers that put cheaper blends in my trucks when they told me they were using, and charged me for Rotella.
I had a C15 Cat in my 2000 Peterbilt that went 1.5 million before a leaking head gasket made me have it torn down. Ran RotellaT 15-40 in it almost exclusively. I had fresh bearings installed every 400K or so, and the crank still checked standard on both mains and rods. Even at 1.5 million miles, it only used 1 or 2 gallons between oil changes at 15-20K miles.
I use it in everything, trucks, pickup, John Deere 430, Kubota BX2230, Honda generator, Yale forklift.
I use it in everything, trucks, pickup, John Deere 430, Kubota BX2230, Honda generator, Yale forklift.
I'll give this from my own experience. My 6.0 powerstroke has a few leaks so I choose not to run Amsoil so it's not just dripping out on the ground. I tried T6 when I first bought the truck and it ran like crap. Ruff idle and stiction issues with the injectors. I switched over to Delo 15w40 and not only did it run better. The stiction problem went away and I actually got better mpg. Makes no sense seeing that T6 is synthetic. My thought is they use garbage base stock which is just enough to allow them to say it's synthetic. Castroil did the same thing years ago which meant they could sell junk at a premium price.
I'm not going to bash T6 or anybody that uses it. If it works for you that's great. I guess my expectations are higher than most because I've used better oil and expect higher performance from a premium oil.
Maybe the Rotella was cleaning out the crap oil that the truck previously had in it and by the time you switched to Delo all was clean. I have had similar issues when switching oils in older engines. Plugged a couple of oil filters within 30 minutes each.
Odd. I run 15-40 Rotella in my '97 F350 7.3 But it turns over easier in the cold with the T6. Stiction wise, I had that until I started running Nano-Borate additive and that took care of that issue entirely. I get almost 19 from my 7.3 unloaded. Has a full Banks kit and built by Ford SVO, E4OD
Had to replace the injector / glow plug harness on the right side last summer so I bought both sides and when I pulled the valve covers, the overhead was as clean as when the engine was new. You could plainly read the labels on the yellow bodies of the injectors and see the paint marks on the valve springs, no sludge, nothing. In fact the underside of the valve covers were free of any buildup at all. Wiped them with a clean rag just to see. Nothing but an oil film.
Ran 15-40 and then T6 in my 3406 Cat as well. Never any issue and the overhead was clean on that too.
I run T6 in everything now, from the lawnmowers to the tractors.
Everytime I do an oil analysis Blackstone tells me everything is hunky-dory. Good enough for me. I'm big on spectro-analysis and always have been.
I learned long ago that just because the oil 'looks' dirty don't mean is shot. It's the additive package that is important and the only way to ascertain if the oil is viable at change time is to have an analysis done. 25 bucks is cheap insurance.
Finally, I have never had an oil related failure in any of my engines, diesel or gas.
You can use whatever you want to, I'll stick with what works for me and what Blackstone says works.
To state Rotella is sub standard in my opinion is pure phooey.
Had to replace the injector / glow plug harness on the right side last summer so I bought both sides and when I pulled the valve covers, the overhead was as clean as when the engine was new. You could plainly read the labels on the yellow bodies of the injectors and see the paint marks on the valve springs, no sludge, nothing. In fact the underside of the valve covers were free of any buildup at all. Wiped them with a clean rag just to see. Nothing but an oil film.
Ran 15-40 and then T6 in my 3406 Cat as well. Never any issue and the overhead was clean on that too.
I run T6 in everything now, from the lawnmowers to the tractors.
Everytime I do an oil analysis Blackstone tells me everything is hunky-dory. Good enough for me. I'm big on spectro-analysis and always have been.
I learned long ago that just because the oil 'looks' dirty don't mean is shot. It's the additive package that is important and the only way to ascertain if the oil is viable at change time is to have an analysis done. 25 bucks is cheap insurance.
Finally, I have never had an oil related failure in any of my engines, diesel or gas.
You can use whatever you want to, I'll stick with what works for me and what Blackstone says works.
To state Rotella is sub standard in my opinion is pure phooey.
Bulldog, I used Rotella in 7.3, 6.0, and 6.7 Powerstrokes also and have not had stiction problems from Rotella. I had two injectors stick on the 6.0 but it was fuel not the engine oil.
A dose of Howes fuel conditioner fixed that.
But as you say....use what makes you comfortable.
I even quit buying the overpriced synthetic oil from Polaris for my atv's. I use Rotella in everything now.
A dose of Howes fuel conditioner fixed that.
But as you say....use what makes you comfortable.
I even quit buying the overpriced synthetic oil from Polaris for my atv's. I use Rotella in everything now.
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I thought of that myself because I've seen that happen before. I ran 2 or 3 changes with T6 and it never improved. It was a almost instant difference in over all performance and mpg when I switched to Delo.
I was surprised by not getting good results from a top brand synthetic.
Bulldog, I don't believe there is a big difference between brands in real world use, as long as they have the SAE & API ratings. However, I do believe you did witness something. Real reason would probably surprise both of us! Have you tried to turn the issue back on; change to T6 again? Jeff