tsmay51

I know this thread is like beating a dead horse. I have not ever seen any input on this question about oil though. I have about 45k miles on my ctd now. I have tried rotella, delo, mobil delvac, and valvoline blue dino oil in my truck. I change oil/filter every 5k to 6k miles on the truck. I cannot tell by performance or anything that one has performed any better than the other. I have noticed that rotella and delo do not seem to turn near as dark as the valvoline or mobil delvac between changes. At first, I thought maybe these are better oils than the other two. Then I started thinking maybe the oil changing color more dramatically is a good sign that the oil is doing its job removing deposits and so forth from the motor. This is really the only difference I have seen between the four oils I have used. In this order, cleanest to darkest is how they have seemed to perform. Rotella has stayed the most clear. Then delo and mobil kinda in the middle. Valvoline really seems to get dark or almost black. I will say that the valvoline seemed to be darker when new than the others though. Any input appreciated. Sorry if I put this thread in the wrong place but since I drive a 3rd gen. truck I would like input from other 3rd gen. owners. TIA.....

MikeyB

All the oils you mentioned are very good. I wouldn't gauge the color on the performance of the oil. Example is with my Magnum. I was running Mobil 1 5w-20 and then switched over to Royal Purple 5w-20. I noticed the RP is turning darker with age compared to Mobil 1.
Personally I wouldn't run MMO in the crankcase, modern oils have plenty of additives in helping keep the inside of the engine clean from varnish and sludge.

MikeyB

russ300h

How dark an oil runs means absolutely nothing. The ONLY way to tell what is going on in your engine is by doing a UOA (Used Oil Analysis). Any other conjecture is just a waste of time. Spend some time at: BOBISTHEOILGUY and get a startup kit from BLACKSTONE LABS. Just do a Google for the web addresses. You will learn more than you ever wanted to know about oil, filters and related products.

Chip

tsmay51,
Have you considered using synthetic ? I've been using Amsoil for 14 years now and have had nothing but great results.I have 8k miles on my current oil and can still see the increments on the dipstick. I'm on my third (3rd) Dodge diesel, first was a 1991 W250. I have sent in numerous oil analysis and everything has come back with hardly any noticable wear. I run Amsoil in everything from the axle gears to the tranny and transfer case. Just a thought to consider !! If you want any additional info on Amsoil, pm me !
Chip