Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Best diesel engine oil

Anson, we have good luck with Rotella but like Dillonbuck mentioned it would be hard to tell any difference between brands.



Main thing for us is the weight of the oil.

I think there are about 12 diesels on the farm and depending on the machine and temps we run 15w-40 all the way through 0w-40.


Regarding weight I would just use whatever your machine calls for.

Thanks Sam. What machine gets 0w40 and is it synthetic? Ever notice an unpleasant odor after an oil change?

Lots of refs online about "Rosmella" . Lots of them from Dodge Cummins applications. Apparently crankcase fumes getting into the cab somehow.

Anson, last winter(when it got down to -40F) we had trouble starting a JD 6430(2008 model). The older JD's(7510 and a 7610) would start but the newer one was a no go.


Bought a brand new high dollar JD labeled battery but it still wouldn't spin over fast enough to take off.

The owners manual said try 0w-40 and that made enough of a difference to get it starting way faster. We had recently bought the tractor and I'm not sure what weight oil was in it before the change.

Full synthetic oil from JD, insane price, can't remember, $35 or 40/gallon?


It's a funny little engine(tractor), made in Germany...




I am a big fan of 5w-40 in the 6.0 and 6.7 Ford diesels(year round) and in the tractors that we use this time of year.


15w-40 for summertime tractors and irrigation pump engines.

Oddly enough, my 2003 Cummins would smell strange in the cab after changing oil when I was using Chevron Delo 400. The smell went away when I switched to Rotella, not for any reason other than availability. My 2014 now has 137k miles and I’ve used Rotella in it since new. No engine issues, not that expect any for a long time. The ‘03 had right at 300k when I sold it with no problems.

Pop is an old school diesel guy. When clients would pay for it, he swore by Royal Purple.

Always used Rotella 15w40 In my previous diesels. Ford now recommends 10w30 for the 6.7 according to my dealer...

Most of the major hd diesel oils are great. I think you woukd be hard pressed to tell the differance between Delo, Rotella, or Delvac.

Agree.

I just discovered that Rotella T T-4 no longer carries the gasoline use API code. Delo, and DelVac still carry the most current SN code for gas engines.

I've been using Rotella T in everything, including my zero turn mower. I wonder what changed?

Maybe too much zinc?

Rotella has a pretty bad odor and their are many claims of it on the www.

Delo 400 is what I prefer in my junk.

I use Rotella 15-40 in one tractor and Mystic 15-50 in my 2 other. We run Rotella 15-40 in everything from a d7 dozer to our Ford 6.7 Diesel’s at my job. Even run it in our gas engines. Every one has a smell for a while after we change the oil with Rotella. The mystic doesn’t have any smell. I finally quit paying attention to it after searching and never finding a leak. I use Rotella t6 in my ford 6.0 and have never smelled anything. Not real sure what is causing the smell but you’ll get used to it.

I’ve been switching all the Diesel engines to Kendall. So far the JD dozer and international with the Cummins are not complaining.
Ronnie

I'm still working through a drum of CITGARD 500 SAE 15W-40, API CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, CF/SL. I use it in everything that doesn't have a DPF. Engines with DPFs get a DPF approved synthetic, usually Mobil 1.

Rotella T. We ran a fleet of Mack, Cummins and Detroit engines on it for a combined mileage of easily in the 10s of millions without an oil related failure. I remember a dealer pulling down a series 60 for a "scheduled" rebuild at 962k miles and telling us it still had crosshatch marks on the cylinder walls. Good enough endorsement for me to be still running it today in my Cummins powered 03 Dodge.

I run delvac for years in my Dodge trucks then went to TRC pro-blend but it would smell like hot oil in the cab after an oil change. Went back to delvac after finishing the drum of TRC smell went away after the second change.I run 15-40 year round in my two Dodges. I've got 450k on my 06 and 200k on my 03 without any problems.

Rotella 1540 all summer than thier t6 stuff all winter...every 3500 miles ,chevy duramax.....never mis a beat !

In our Northern Lights gensets here at the house Delo 400 15-40 year round, my landing craft has 2 4-71's that take Delo 100 40wgt. On my Bristol bay boats straight Delo 400 30 weight for all. I guess you could say that Delo is whats available in my neck of the woods. It's plentyfull and expensive!!!

10w30 is what's in my book for my '11 6.7L diesel.

I can's say t the best, but Jake uses Sinclair 15-40 in warm weather. Before that we used Cenex in the same grade.