Anyone using Valvoline ?
 

I'm just curious if anyone is using the Valvoline Blue oils ? Extreme or regular ? Are there any other good oils out there other than Amsoil ? Are there any brands that can cover the entire truck (engine, auto tran, diff oil, etc). I see the Valvoiline was developed with Cummins and that is what Cummins Alberta is selling to their customers.

Valvoline is OK, average, yes approved. If you want to use an approved oil (amsoil is not approved), you can use mobil delvac 1 5w40 - which is also relabeled and sold as mobil 1 truck and suv (yellow cap, sold at most walmarts). I like mobil's synthetic diff fluid as well. Trans fluid I used dodge atf+4 just in case of any warranty concerns. The dodge fluid was $14/gal from the dealer- not crazy expensive as people seem to rant about.

If there was any ONE line that I'd want to use if I had to be cute and say I used only products from one company - it would be Redline. They have a great 15w40 diesel specific oil, 75w90 gear lube, and a synthetic trans fluid. None are API certified - same deal as amsoil though - just RATED. I like redline's products better overall though. They are also $$$.

Premium Blue or Delo 400 work just fine. Save the money for mods...not overpriced oil. Both are the least smelly oils I have used in this truck.

I'm using Valvoline now. Will be changing to Redline after more miles. I keep it in stock and have had great results with it in my turbo cars. Valvoline makes good oil, always has. The fact that they are Cummins fill doesn't hurt either.

Redline makes fluids that fulfill the needs of all the parts of the truck. Not that I think it's a big deal necessarily. But one stop shopping is easier. :D

Before I spend the money on Redline motor oils, I'd check the many websites available on the net with actual used oil analysis results. I think you will find that the results are well below expectation. Im sure many Redline fans will flame me, but don't take my word for it check it out yourself.

The ISB is so easy on oil, I don't see any real benefit of a synthetic oil except in very cold conditions.

I currently have a 93 Ford with the 7.3L NA diesel in it that has 303,000 miles on it, and the only underhood work done on it has been a new radiator and water pump. It has ran on Royal Purple 15w-40 at 6000 mile changes since 50,000 mile mark. No make up oil between changes is required. Believe it has a healthy dose of moly in it. Just a suggestion. I am running Delvac 1 in my truck now as it is locally available, cheaper, and probably as good as the RP. I do wish it had moly though.

I put Mobil Delvac in this time and am really impressed with it so far . Winter temps are moving in here and the gauge doesn't spike when ya start her cold . Mileage seems up a bit too but too early to tell .

Premium Blue has the Cummins seal of approval right on the jug. Good enough for me :D

If the original poster didn't live so far north I would have possibly suggested dino oil as an alternative, but with the cold starts up there in Canada, I'd say a 5w40 synthetic is a must.

You could theoretically use Premium Blue Extreme, Rotella 5w40, delvac 1/mobil 1 truck suv 5w40, etc, etc. I just suggest Delvac 1 because it's easy to find at walmarts and the best of the bunch by far.

Walmart is importing from China to Canada now too :confused:

You know Walmart is basically headquartered in China now don't you?

I have run Premium Blue since new. The dino 15W-40 variety is what your engine had in it from the factory. I am currently running 5W-40 Extreme. There are no doubt better oils out there, but IMHO you won't be realizing any benefit unless to go to bypass filtration and extended drains.

I am satisfied, always good oil analysis but I change every 5,000 miles or so.

Valvoline and Cummins worked together for this oil.... I use it exclusively...

Not sure what this has to do at all with the oil topic at hand - but no I didn't know or care to know that. I actually buy my m1 truck/suv at autozone, however it's widely available, most easily found at walmart. Most of us just want to find the oil and buy it, not analyze the profit trail after our purchase and work backwards to find a place to shop..

You really won't see much difference in any oil if you never have a problem in terms of an analysis. I've had documented trouble with Mobil1 (and more than once), yet a lot of folks use it and are happy.

I've seen first-hand what happens with turbocharged vehicles and some oils (even some synthetics) and it's not good. Case in point, I had a Datsun 280ZX turbo. Oil cooled turbo and factory oil pressure and temp gauges. @ 300 degree oil temps, the idle oil pressure with 15/50 Mobil 1 was less than half of what it was with 10/30 Redline. That showed me the Mobil 1 was shearing down, which isn't exactly good. Frankly I didn't care that it came back with good wear results. The additive pacakage was abou shot and being that turbo's spin upward of 80k rpm and ride on oil film, I can't live with it. What are the chances of actually having a problem? Not likely. But it's cheap insurance, and god forbid something happens that costs me oil pressure or something I want the oil in there that I believe will give me the best chance of not hurting anything.

FWIW, in that old Datsun, even regular Valvoline performed better in both analysis and oil pressure than the Mobil 1. The Redline just did better yet.

I completely agree the engine is easy on oil. Helps it doesn't turn a lot of RPM and has 3 gallons of oil too. It's more insurance for the turbocharger for me, and Redline is made from the same basestocks (polyol esters) that are used for jet engines. As far as I'm aware that's the only oil made from those materials.

To each his own. God knows there are plenty of opinions out there. Just passing along some of my experiences. I would be interested in a seeing a link to those tests you speak of, because I can't seem to find them on my own.

I have used V-Premium Blue a couple of timers in the past, I tend to switch back and forth between that and RotellaT. I have even tried MotorCraft 15W40 PowerSmoke oil twice and they all seem about the same. Odor, discoloration at change. Always run fleetguard filters as well.

Sam - good info. I can't speak with experience about mobil 1's general oils. I can speak from experience regarding Mobil Delvac 1, which is the only mobil 1 that's really being discussed here. It was always a separate, diesel-specific oil formulation, primarily marketed to OTR trucks. In any case, they have relabeled it as m1 truck and suv. I still see it as separate, and I don't think ANYONE can put together a solid argument that Delvac 1 is anything but a fantastic oil.

Valvoline
 

I am considering the synthetic route just for the shear cold temps here in Northern Alberta, -33C the other day. I like the fact the Valvoline is easy to get right from the Cummins store and they also make a 75W-90 syn gear oil. I don't think they are very cheap compared to some of the other brands but i like the convenience and the fact it was the only brand that was willing to work with Cummins to make a engine brand specific oil. Does anyone know if one of these brands will be making a Dexron or ATF +4 soon ?

Being from Ohio I'd have figured manufacturing job losses to have effected you at least somewhat. I'm not sure how a strictly consuming nation can survive ......... but it may, we'll just have to see how that one plays out!

Check this link, it affected me directly! I own a machine shop and supplied RCA with $400,000 a year worth of maintenance parts. Losing an account that size hurt me bad, not to mention the 800 plus people who lost their jobs! Circleville is a small town, everybody felt this ……….. From the instant water hike to the local McDonalds.

Sam Walton was “buy American” ……… that has been lost with his kids and I personally will not and have not shopped there for several years!

here is the link to the Chinese owned Walmart

They just made the oil to meet cummins' oil specs. The other oils discussed all do too, and the valvoline doesn't have any special differences in the additive package compared to the others. Premium blue extreme is a group 3 based oil - which means it's part petroleum. The group 4 PAO/Ester based oils should give you a tad better longevity and cold weather performance yet.


-30 ? Brrr, hope you have a warm coat, because I know the factory seat heaters aren't cutting it if you have them! :)

My bad - didn't mean to be insensitive and I'm definitely about buying American when I can. I run biodiesel all the time.. I was just trying to point out where the oil was available since oil was the topic at hand. Interesting article about Wal-mart. At least they still allow CCW in their stores.

no biggy lightman, I'm just overly sensative to importers in general.

what the article failed to mention was the other 2,000 jobs lost in the last five years from closings or cutbacks from GE, DuPont and PPG.

the old iron horse mentality that brought these plants to rural Ohio 20 years ago can't compete with $.50 and hour in China!

that being said, I still use the stuff in the blue jug and buy it from the local Central Auto & Farm ........... better known as NAPA. I've always liked Valvoline and if it's good enough for Cummins, it's good enough for me :D

Companies follow their "plan". I highly doubt that Delvac 1 is a completely different base than the other Mobil1 products. I'm not talking additives and detergents and all that to make a oil a "diesel" oil, I'm talking about the basic oil itself. That's where you have problems with thinner oil films, and that's my one concern. I seriously doubt that considering the cost of the Delvac 1 vs. Mobil 1 or Mobil 1 SUV is the same that the base is very different at all. I'm sure the additives and detergents are, but not the base.

Comparing numbers shows that Delvac 1 and 5/30 Mobil 1 have very similar numbers. Actually the Viscosity Index of the 5/30 is *higher* than the Delvac 5/40. Pour point is the same at -45C, Flash point is different by 2 degrees C beween them. This is odd, the density of the oils @ 15C is higher with the gas 5/30, .861 vs. .854.

Honestly, unless someone blows up an engine you aren't going to hear "this oil is sucks ***, that one is great". The fact is if the oil meets spec, you likely will never have a problem with any of it in terms of the engine itself. I know that. But, the turbo is my main concern. I have confidence the engine will have no trouble being what it is and that it turns a relatively low RPM, and we really don't work it hard at all compared to what it's built to do. The turbo is where you see tremendous heat. It's where you get tremendous poundings on the oil film with the RPM's the turbine is spinning. It's where the oil will gunk up when you shut down. We've replaced lots of customer's turbo's on various things, the engines are just fine. I don't want to replace my turbo, and given what I've seen first hand, however unscientific..... I'll pass on the Mobil 1. MHO, and certainly not trying to argue. We all have our opinions. :)

Delvac 1 has been typically 22-24 dollars a gallon, but is a lot cheaper I guess because they're trying to sell in bulk as truck &suv. I'm not basing my opinion on whether or not someone's engine blew up, I'm basing it on tons of oil analyses with different brands of oils, with delvac 1 consistently performing better.

Premium Blue is Cummins' recipe. It used to be brewed by Castrol but is now contracted with Valvoline. The Cummins B with it's sliding cam followers and other unique attributes make Premium Blue the most logical choice. But oil choice is up there with religion and politics.:D

indeed! we use premium blue exclusively in our fleet of 60 cummins N14 powered semi tractors, some of which have logged over a million miles using this oil from the day they were new. good enough for me.

that and i get it for free.

Lucky enough to have a cummins shop nearby for Fleetguard filters and Valvoline Premium Blue 15w40. Just today took my 5 gal pail back for a refill
Oil, enviro charge, taxes= $59.86 Cad which is $48.77 US. Have used nothing but since new.

I had Delvac 1300 in mine during the break-in period and then switched over to Valvoline Premium Blue Extreme. I have been running that for about 4000 miles now. I can say that it must be lubricating better than the Delvac 1300 since it now takes about a 3rd longer for my engine to warm up that it did with the Delvac 1300.

I would have run RP 15W-40, but I like the 5W-40 better for the frigid Iowa winters. I think anyone is good to go with any oil they choose with the exception of Sludgoil(AKA Pennzoil) or Quakerdeposits(AKA Quaker State). [laugh]

-Muzzy

Muzzy, might that have something to do with WINTER? [laugh]

Yeah, winter doesn't help much :D , but I last changed it in August and I noticed it then too. I only live 8 miles from my work and it's all country road, so there isn't much warm up time unless I plug in the heater.

-Muzzy