Is it even possible to get CI-4 in Calif? All I see is the CJ-4 stuff. Maybe I am just not going to the right places to buy oil.

 

Since all oil companies are up against the same issue of having to replace the ZDDP, this argument is really moot. Most all additives come from the same company, so I would say chances are the oils would still stack up the same due to everyone using the same additive to replace ZDDP. Well blended oil is still well blended oil.

Amsoil is loaded with ZDDP(too much in fact). That is why it never could get API certification. (and consequently does well in the infamous 4 ball wear test they are so proud of, even though it is a great gear oil test, and really irrelavent to engine oil). The Amsoil purists say API testing is too expensive, but I guess it is when you know your oil will never pass.

Must have really chaffed the Amsoil followers to see their beloved oil only ranked "good".

I use PBE, but would easily switch to any name brand oil. My only rule is anything but Amsoil.

 

Don M. sells ZDDP additive when folks buy his cams and also recommends they us it to break in the cam. You will wipe the lobes on the cam. So YES, it is important when running aftermarket cams... Just food for thought. Amsoil was only 18.95 /gal when I first started buying it as a preferred customer. It is a pain in the butt to order online and such. I did like the PB when I ran it. It was way better than Rotella.

 

Find a John Deere dealer. The PLUS 50 oil is still CI-4 rated...15-40...

 

YEAH!!!! That's the one I was talking about. I upgraded from a Windows based computer to a Mac, and I lost that article in the transformation. Thanks for posting it!

I grabbed all the DELO 400 I could find after I first read that article, it's oil #14 in the test.... Then I accidently used DELO 400 LE and the results from Blackstone showed it.... Now I have DelVac and I don't know how that compares in the CI grade..... We need a new test!

 

How about Amsoil Synthetic that came in at Ho-Hum????

 

After reviewing the document I observed that the author performing the study left out the popular Amsoil AME 15W-40 and chose AFL 5W-40 euro oil (not a HDEO) and DEO 5W-40 CJ-4. I find this intresting because the AME 15-40 is highly regarded by those who use it.

 

Most people don't see past Amsoil's "First in Synthetics" logo and thier mis-leading propaganda such as the four ball wear test. Amsoil may have pioneered synthetic lubricants, but much has changed since the early seventies.

That's what bugs me most about Amsoil. There ads are just smoke and mirrors to suck in anyone who doesn't do thier homework.

It shouldn't really matter which Amsoil oil got tested, if it truly is as good as they claim, thier oils should still be at the top of the list.

Those who know oil don't generally have anything good to say about Amsoil.

 

It would not surprise me to see the aftermarket NOT at the quality level as the OEM in the case of the Cummins engine. An engine rated to work and still run 750k miles cannot be using the cheapest parts available like your typical grocery getter car.

Which is it, just needed for break in or running the cam for the rest of its life?

Big difference between needing it for break in or life time.


Since it goes right down this line about oil and additives, has anybody ever SEEN a cummins cam and lifters that were wiped out due the lack of ZDDP in the oil?

 

I agree. Those who bash it tend to be the people who are too stubborn to realize the benefits of synthetics in the first place, and also aren't able get over the whole "3k mile oil change" myth.

 

That's why I said racing, and not Autozone. Stock replacement flat tappets are of notoriously poor quality.



Large doses are required for initial break in. If not, lobes can be wiped out in just a few minutes of running. But, I'v also seen them wiped out after a few hundred miles and two oil changes. The consensus seems to be that you need the extra ZDDP all the time.

For a while, everyone was buying CI-4 diesel oil, because it had not yet changed. And that worked well. I used it in my '66 Mustang for years. Once the diesel oil formula was changed, people started using additive, like from Comp Cams. That seems to have stopped the problem.

I don't want to be the first.

 

Not anymore. I just checked John Deere's website and they have switched to CJ-4 oil called Plus 50 II. No where on the site do they list the good ole Plus 50 in CI-4+. I will be running down to my local JD dealer to clear his shelves of the old stuff. Its really just a matter of time when CI-4+ in no longer available from anyone other then Amsoil. I hope they continue making it as it is looking more an more that they will be the only ones making it.

 

Great. I figured we would be safe for some time. I guess John Deere cracked to the EPA also...

 

Not sure if this comment was pointed at me, but just to claify my stand. I am a firm believer in sythetic lubricants and extended drain intervals.

My bash is against Amsoil specifically. There are many good synthetic oils on the market. Valvoline PBE is probably one of the best, which is what I use.

 

Don't know about that.. UOA'S are proof...