motor oil

[tommyh]

ok,my old Cat c15 ascert has almost 1 1/2 million on it
never been inframed
when I got it in 09,it was running Mobil Delvac
so,I just continued on
over the years,it would smoke blue smoke some.Then burned a couple gallons of oil every 1000 miles
so I switched over to Rotella and it isn`t burning oil nor smoking

so,maybe someone can explain this,I`m sure there are at least 100 explanations for it

 

[Hammer166]

Much like gasolines, the difference in oils isn't in the oil, it's in the additive package. Some engines seem to prefer one brand over the other. My 06 S60 used less on Delvac than Rotella. My DD13 doesn't use any on Delvac semi-synthetic, so I've stuck with it.

 

[Uncle Birchy]

Well there is a difference on oils and who makes them. It’s not just different packaging and the same brand of oil does not vary by region.

Gasoline all comes from same Tank Farms.

Only difference in Brand Name is afew blends additives.

Since the late 90s early 2000's Top Their became the Standard because GM and Honda wondered why their stuff was fried.

All that Raw Gas or even Diesel comes from same Tank Farm

"Additives" are what makes the Brand

 

[Johndeere4020]

Gasoline all comes from same Tank Farms.

Only difference in Brand Name is afew blends additives.

Since the late 90s early 2000's Top Their became the Standard because GM and Honda wondered why their stuff was fried.

All that Raw Gas or even Diesel comes from same Tank Farm

"Additives" are what makes the Brand

Gasoline isn’t oil

 

[Hammer166]

Gasoline isn’t oil

This. Specs for the base oil are much more specific compared to fuels, which have a comparatively broad spec.

 

[Hammer166]

On Road Dog he said test every change test your samples

That'll tell you more than a brand name on a jug .

Which has nothing to do with you premise that oils vary based on where it's packaged. That is true of fuels, where the base fuel can vary significantly based on the originating refiner. The spec for base oil is such that it's basically identical for that brand no matter where it's bottled.

 

[Hammer166]

They subcontractor that out.

Rights to "Name Brand" and basically they want nothing 2 do with it until a wrong batch hurts the Brand Name

They subcontract the packaging. The base stock contracts are handled by the brand, not the packager. I promise you the brand gets a certificate of analysis (COA) on every shipment of base stock.

 

[Oxbow]

I don't know oil from oleanders, but I do have a story to tell. I've probably told it before, but anyway:

This was in the early 90s, and I know oil and additives have changed a lot since then, but it gets back to the differences in oil.

I had a 1989 T600 with a B model in it. I had taken it to Cat in Boise for a recall of sorts. They wanted to cut an additional water passage in the block to provide better cooling for the #6 cylinder.

I was watching and chatting with the mechanic as he removed the valve covers, and he asked me what kind of oil I ran. At the time it seemed that most guys running Cats preferred Rotella because of reduced oil consumption, as did I, and I told the mechanic that. He said "Wow, this engine is really clean for a Rotella engine". I questioned him about what he meant and he said that Rotella engines usually leave a lot of deposits, and he showed me what he was referring to on my valve covers. I asked him which oil was the cleanest to use, and he said Delo. He also went to great effort to explain that he had no knowledge that Delo was any better than Rotella, and he wasn't putting Rotella down, but just that he could see a difference looking inside depending on the brand of oil that was used.

I have run Delo ever since, but I don't believe it is necessarily better, I just liked the idea that the inside ended up cleaner.

So, the point to all of this is, at one time many years ago there indeed was a difference between brands. Whether it was the base oil or just the additive package I don't know, but in my experience there was a difference. Plus, the engine had a unique smell to it right after a Delo oil change.

 

[mndriver]

ok,my old Cat c15 ascert has almost 1 1/2 million on it
never been inframed
when I got it in 09,it was running Mobil Delvac
so,I just continued on
over the years,it would smoke blue smoke some.Then burned a couple gallons of oil every 1000 miles
so I switched over to Rotella and it isn`t burning oil nor smoking

so,maybe someone can explain this,I`m sure there are at least 100 explanations for it

I’ve always understood that cat motors use cat or rotella oil.

Detroit, use Delvac and Cummins delo

No clue why, just for the reason you saw too.

Use rotella in a Detroit you’ll have a similar problem what you saw.

That’s been my experience too.

 

[Canadian Eh]

I ran Esso oil in my Cats for over 15 years, when I switched to Cummins and Volvo/Mack i kept on using it despite some people telling me not to.
Never had any oil related issues, so will continue to use it.