Opinions on Rotella T 15-40

bhysjulien · **Posted:** Sat Mar 03, 2007 11:27 pm

Has anyone tried the new Rotella T 15-40 in their CRD's? I'd like to know your opinion.

Drewd · **Joined:** Mon Feb 06, 2006 12:24 pm **Posts:** 902

Sorry, I use the correct, factory specified, viscosity oil for my vehicle. I have had great experience with Rotella T 5w-40 and wouldn't use 15w-40.

Pablo · **Joined:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:06 pm **Posts:** 1201

Not only is the viscosity incorrect, but isn't the 15w-40 non synthetic? The engine manufacturer and the car manufacturer specify full synthetics and 0w-40 or 5w-40. I think they do this because the engine has really tight clearances and the top half is aluminum. I would hate to think of the wear that occurs in this thing if you start it in the winter with a non-synthetic 15w-X oil.

naturist · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 9:55 am

I agree with previous posters. The 15w-40 Rotella is totally inappropriate for this application. I would no more use in my CRD than I'd use swamp water to brush my teeth. Majorly Bad Idea.

The ONLY two things it has going for it are that it is cheap and readily available, and that it is a diesel rated oil. Against that, it is non-synthetic (really bad for turbo-chargers) and way too heavy for service in an engine designed for 0w-40, or at worst 5w-40 oil.

In addition, I'll point out that use of improper oil voids your engine warranty.

RFCRD · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:38 am

I hate to break the news to you all, but 15W40 Rotella is the standard of the industry in heavy-duty diesel applications. This would include turbo-charged, tight tollerances, mixed steel & aluminum parts, and EGR/high soot applications (which is more than can be said for the 0W40 CF they recommend). Other than it's not the warranty spec (synthetic) stated in the owner's manual, I wouldn't have any reservations about running 15W40 CI-4+/CJ-4 Rotella (or other major brand) in this engine.

Coming from a customer that has been less than satisified with DCX and both their knowledge and/or advice about diesel maintenance, why would I believe them on an oil spec? They have basically lied to me on every other matter concerning this product since the day I took delivery.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 11:40 am

RFCRD wrote:

I hate to break the news to you all, but 15W40 Rotella is the standard of the industry in heavy-duty diesel applications. This would include turbo-charged, tight tollerances, mixed steel & aluminum parts, and EGR/high soot applications (which is more than can be said for the 0W40 CF they recommend). Other than it's not the warranty spec (synthetic) stated in the owner's manual, I wouldn't have any reservations about running 15W40 CI-4+/CJ-4 Rotella (or other major brand) in this engine.

Coming from a customer that has been less than satisified with DCX and both their knowledge and/or advice about diesel maintenance, why would I believe them on an oil spec? They have basically lied to me on every other matter concerning this product since the day I took delivery.

I would only think about it if nightime temps stayed above 50* though.

oldnavy · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 12:36 pm

BVCRD wrote:

I would only think about it if nightime temps stayed above 50* though.

I would want it to stay above 75* myself. :roll:

However I would never use a non synthetic oil anyway, as I haven't ued a non synthetic oil in any vehicle in 30 years.

But the real reason VM/DC spec the 0W-40 is for cold starting and fuel ecconomy.

Cowpie1 · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 5:38 pm

The new heavy duty diesels in class 5-8 trucks are close tolerance engines as well with egr and the other emissions crap. Cummins, Detroit, and Cat all use a 15-40 CJ-4 recommendation. The true synthetics even in 15-40 have pour temps to around -35 or lower.

The only reason I could see to staying with 5-40 is a fuel economy issue. The 5-40 will be a more fuel effecient oil than 15-40. Synthetics have a base stock that is 40w as opposed to mineral oils that have base stocks of 5w or 15w and use modifiers to get it to 40w.

I myself stay with a 5w40 CJ-4 sythetic. I use it in all my ag tractors and semi with good results. There is no real cost advantage to using 15w40 synthetic over 5w40 and they will give substantial lubrication in both formulas. Before the CJ-4 rating I used the CI-4+ 5w40 sythetics in everything. There is no need to go to CJ-4 with the Libby, but the added soot and acid control of the new oils is beneficial.

Bovie · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 6:16 pm

I'm staying with the Rotella T Synthetic 5-40 until they release the synthetic that meets CJ4 which is due out sometime in 2007.

Pablo · **Joined:** Thu Feb 02, 2006 10:06 pm **Posts:** 1201

The engine manufacturer-- VM-- states they do not recommend anything above 5w as this engine is so tight it has negative clearances at startup. VM knows that most are never going to do a turbo cool-down before shutting off the engine, as well. This is another reason for the synthetic only requirement. You could hardly blame DC for voiding your warranty if you use a 15w non-synthetic instead of the 0w or 5w synthetic (especially in cold climates).

The reason most big operators use the non-synthetic 15w-40 instead of a synthetic is not because its the best protection, but rather because it is the best value. Its cheaper than full-synthetic's and good enough when used by people who know the procedures for operating their vehicle and who get the fluids changed on time. No operator wants to spend the money to buy synthetic when you needs gallons of it to do a single change, its just too cost prohibitive. At only 6.4 quarts-- it is not so bad for us. Also consider that you don't drive like a big rig-- which starts and then spends forever and a day in its operating temperature range. You may have lots of stop and go driving where the engine spends much longer getting into temperature range and goes through many more thermal cycles (shut downs). All of this would argue for synthetics.

RFCRD · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:37 pm

Pablo wrote:

The engine manufacturer-- VM-- states they do not recommend anything above 5w as this engine is so tight it has negative clearances at startup. VM knows that most are never going to do a turbo cool-down before shutting off the engine, as well. This is another reason for the synthetic only requirement. You could hardly blame DC for voiding your warranty if you use a 15w non-synthetic instead of the 0w or 5w synthetic (especially in cold climates).

The reason most big operators use the non-synthetic 15w-40 instead of a synthetic is not because its the best protection, but rather because it is the best value. Its cheaper than full-synthetic's and good enough when used by people who know the procedures for operating their vehicle and who get the fluids changed on time. No operator wants to spend the money to buy synthetic when you needs gallons of it to do a single change, its just too cost prohibitive. At only 6.4 quarts-- it is not so bad for us. Also consider that you don't drive like a big rig-- which starts and then spends forever and a day in its operating temperature range. You may have lots of stop and go driving where the engine spends much longer getting into temperature range and goes through many more thermal cycles (shut downs). All of this would argue for synthetics.

Probably closer to the truth that DCX expects this engine to ingest & pass unreasonable amounts of oil thus a more stable synthetic is less likely to coke the VGT and EGR hardware.

I can understand using a synthetic but CF-rated oil (0W40) just doesn't make sense in this application. Detroit Diesel has been anal about requiring a CI-4 rated oil with an EGR engine and will void a bus engine warranty if not used (mixing oil grades is a known problem in bus fleets so DDC will ask for an oil sample if a warranty claim is filed). BTW, in Europe the standard turbo-diesel oil formula for this engine is a 10W40.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 7:46 pm

Bet it's not 10W for very long, since this engine heats up very rapidly.

alljeep · **Posted:** Sun Mar 04, 2007 10:59 pm

We use Shell Rotella 15W-40 in my father-in-law's 2000 Ford Excursion 7.3L Powerstroke. Seems like that sucker takes several gallons of it!!! He always plugs it in when the outside temperature is below freezing - as recommended by the user manual. That thing really rattles down the road but when you floor it - it's like a rocket ship!

It's an entirely different application than our little CRDs - I'd keep the 15W-40 non-synthetic out of the CRD for now...

Reg#43897 · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:45 am

I see absolutely NO issues with using a standard 15w-40 HDEO in this engine in warmer start-ups. Obviously there would be warranty concerns, but leaving aside that issue, once the oil was at operating temperature it is a forty-weight oil. Oils such as Delo, Delvac, Penzoil LL, Rotella T, etc., are ALL of the highest quality & being run daily in very heavy-duty equipment. They routinely run in turbo-charged EGR diesels at high power settings. The advantage of synthetic oils is their natural viscosity spread that is achieved without the degree of usage of viscosity-index improvers (VII's) that some mineral oils require. HDEO's rely far less upon VII's then do regular PCMO's and so avoid the viscosity-shear that these long-chain polymers used as VII's undergo. The less VII that an oil uses, the more resistant to shear that it is. It will have higher kinematic viscosity at start-up then a synthetic equivalent but that would be about the extent of it, on average. Once off-warranty, I would have no problem in using a good, robust oil such as Delo or Rotella T for a summer-time oil at, say, a six or seven thousand kilometer OCI. Naturally, I would determine that interval through a few used oil analyses. I run Rotella T synthetic currently as I pick it up when I am in an American Wall-mart a few times a year (cheaper). Locally, Esso makes a heck of a strong HDEO called XD-3 that is full-PAO (not Grp. lll) in 0w-30 & 0w-40 that are on the thick side of their SAE weight classifications. They also make a standard XD-3 15w-40. I can see me some day using the mineral version in the summer and switching to the 0w-30 for our frigid winters...

My two cents'.

John.

KJbob · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:50 am

My thought is that the 15w-40 is too thick as other have said. If your leaning towards Rotella, I'd run their group III synthetic 5w-40. It's very reasonably priced

BVCRD · **Posted:** Thu Mar 15, 2007 10:51 am

What is the cost difference between the two? I have seen them on the shelves side by side at Walley's, but never paid attention to the price of the 15-40.

Sir Sam · **Posted:** Mon Oct 29, 2018 11:59 am

What a hilarious old thread to see bumped up. Also someone ban this spammer.

DarbyWalters · **Posted:** Tue Nov 06, 2018 7:42 am

I have been using Rotella 15-40W forever. Over 220K miles...when I did the head gasket, all my rockers were still in one piece. I do have EGR Delete which I believe saves the rockers somewhat. I also use the WIX Gold Oil Filter with great results.

flash7210 · **Posted:** Tue Nov 06, 2018 10:42 am

I switched to Rotella T5 15w-40 at my last oil change.
My oil consumption/loss appears to have been reduced.
I've had a small rear main leak for several years and I haven't noticed any fresh oil stains on the driveway. The drip is still there hanging from the bellhousing though.

Opinions on Rotella T 15-40

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