About 2 or 3 years ago I lucked across a bunch of CI-4+ Rotella 5w40 synthetic at chinamart and bought it. Well I have ONE more oil change left and im out. They don't make the CI-4+ anymore.....so im planning to switch to John Deere 15w40 myself...this coming spring. Sounds like good stuff, reasonably priced and readily available in gallon jugs.

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I'm also seriously considering the JD50. I have a JD dealer quite close to me.....just need to check pricing. I highly doubt it will be anywhere near as cheap as what you guys are paying. I currently run Valvoline PB CI-4+ after switching from Rotella CI-4+ when they stopped making it...and am forced to pay way too much for the PB too.

 

If your lazy about letting your EGT's cooldown... yes it is. It's less likely to carbon up from excessive heat sink... after shutdown.
But I've never really seen or heard of a turbo dying from cooldown neglect, so.....

The 13.5 TBN would, I think, had a tendency to cause soot deposits in our engines. Back in the 90's, many oil companies played with TBN's higher than 12. Turned out more was not better. Might work ok (stay in solution) in a steady rpm tractor or OTR truck, but not sure about our CTD's, unless they have a new technology and a different TBN additive I've not heard of. JMO

If I was not using a synthetic oil.... I would choose Delo 400 from Chevron.
Best national brand oil I've tested in the last few years.... and very reasonable priced around here.
Very well thought of in your link above (post 16), also!
Not sure it's available, north of the border?

RJ

 

Interesting points....the Delo 400 and PB are actually VERY similar in composition. I think it would be reasonable to expect very similar performance. The only things that jump out at me is that the PB contains more ZDDP but the Delo contains quite a bit more Moly. All other levels appear very similar. I'm not sure how to take that since realistically, both contain very high ZDDP numbers but the Moly is quite different. I'm not certain what the positive attributes of that much Moly are?

As for availability of Delo up here, I have no clue. I don't ever recall seeing it but I haven't tried looking for it, either. Even the CI-4 PB isn't so easy to come by. This seems to be Rotella T country - it is everywhere in just about every flavour for reasonable prices.

 

A friend of mine by the name of Ken works at Bevins John Deere in Richmond, KY as a mechanic. He's been running the 0W40 in his 2006 RAM 2500 MegaCab with 21k drain intervals with great results. He performs oil analysis (free from the JD Dealer) and his wear numbers and TBN's always come back great at the above mentioned intervals.

Some stuff fell off my truck, so I think I'll do OK with 10k intervals. Bevins also carries Fleetguard products, so I get my oil & fuel filters from them, too. I guess I'd rather support my oil purchases from JD instead of ChinaMart.

Greg

 

Texas is that way also, in many areas. I'm convinced it will take another generation before Rotella T stops living off it's well deserved (in the 80's) reputation. Don't know why they didn't leave the formula alone and just charge more?
Same goes for Mobile One, but after one season, racers figured out it is not what it use to be.
Racers are also the only ones, so far, that have learned... the hard way... about SM and CJ-4 oil. Wearing down cam lobes in a weekend!
I've stopped arguing with Rotella users. Just too much... "My daddy swore by Rotella, and I will use it till I die!"

I don't think there are any. To start with it's liquid Moly... not the solid 'graphite type' stuff.
I know "MOLY" is a magical selling point, but I'm convinced it does no permanent good at all in it's liquid form.
Maybe some good while it's in there but none I've ever been able to document.
But I'm not a chemist so....JMO.

RJ

 

So what about using CJ-4 oil and add some ZDDP.... like

Wouldn't that solve the wear problem?

 

Im sure that would be fine if you want to go to the trouble and expense to buy and add it, it every time you change your oil.

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sounds cheaper than switching to AMsoil or other synth.... but I haven't done the math yet....

I sent them an email asking if they recommend their stuff in an dodge diesel....

 

You do not need to buy expensive oil to get considerably higher ZDDP numbers. $$ and ZDDP are not mutually exclusive. You will have to stick with a CI-4+ oil, however.

 

My problem is that I cannot find CI-4+ oil in SoCal San Diego.... so I am looking for alternatives...

 

Banana, can't you get it at a JD dealer?

 

I have to find one first... i think they are all up north in "the valley"...

But looking at this TDR report, it might be better to use ROtella Syn.... right?

 

Check out bobistheoilguy.com website. UOA's on CJ4 oils look good - just as good as CI4 oils for the most part. There has also been much discussion about the CJ4 specs. As regards the TDR oil analysis article, I wouldn't base my oil purchase decisions solely on that particular author's conclusions.

 

^What would you base your purchase on? What is wrong about the author?