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  #1  
Old 07-13-2002, 11:22 AM
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10,000 mile oil change

I just received my oil analysis for a 10,000 mile use of Petro Canada 5W40 oil in my 240D. The good news is that the it appears to be perfectly OK to run 10 thousand miles on synthetic oil even though the soot was 4.5%. The oil looked very black but the wear metals indicate that everything was wearing at a very low rate. It only had 33 parts per million iron and 1 PPM of chrome. This car has a spinner bypass filter so maybe it doesn’t apply to everyone’s car.
This is the first car that I have ever owned that would go 10,000 miles with no oil added.
At 230,000 miles I think it is amazing.

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  #2  
Old 07-13-2002, 03:05 PM
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We installed a Harvard bypass filter on the Houston 240D. I will be doing an analysis on that car when it hits 10,000 on the oil.
I run the OEM filter 20,000 miles without a problem. The spinner provides me with a good visual indication of how well everything is working. As long as there isn't more than a 1/8 inch of soot in the filter at 5000 miles then I know that the standard filter is doing it's job.

BTW the TBN of the oil at 10,000 miles was still 12.2 making it almost like new in the additive department. If it were not for the high level of soot I would dare to run the oil 30,000 miles with no worries.

When I first got my car it used a little oil. About a quart in 3000 miles. I switched to Delvac 1 oil and it started to use less and less oil. I am now running Petro Canada Duron XL oil and it only used about a half quart in 10,000 miles. The oil is about $15 a gallon but it is well worth the extra money in my opinion.
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  #3  
Old 07-13-2002, 11:55 PM
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Theres a company here in Evansville, WI called Harvard Corp, they do filtration stuff. I wonder if that's the same filter company you're referring to.
As I understand it, this was one of the few companies that received an emergency gov't contract during Operation Desert Storm, they had to crank out these dust filters for the engines of Hummers and tanks and stuff to handle the conditions over there. I heard the only other company to receive such a contract was the company that made the Patriot missiles.
Gilly
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Old 07-14-2002, 03:55 AM
turbodiesel
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Having never owned a 240D, this my be an unfair assumption on my part. But, just about everyone I talk to with a 240D says the thing uses oil, especially at highway speeds.

My 83 300D used about a quart in 3000 miles.

I don't know what I did in my 52,000 miles of ownership with my 300SDL, but when I first got it, it used about a quart in 2000 miles, now it uses absolutely zero oil, I mean the oil is at the same exact spot on the dipstick as when I added it 3000 and somtimes 4000 miles before. Must be alot of wide open throttle
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Old 07-14-2002, 08:48 AM
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The Harvard filter is indeed from Evansville. It is a very high quality filter and is supposed to remove particles down to 1 micron.

I suspect that a lot of the older diesels use oil because the previous owners might not have been using a CH4 rated oil. When you switch to the proper oil the rings get cleaned and everything starts working as designed.
I don’t drive my 240D over 60 most of the time because I don’t like the sound of an engine spinning faster than a blender.
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  #6  
Old 07-15-2002, 01:55 AM
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I'm am also proponent of the 10,000 mile oil and filter change. I have 2 300SDs with 200,000+ miles and both go 10,000 miles without adding oil. I use Mobil1 15W50 in summer car and Castrol Syntec 5W50 in the car used in summer and winter. The oil mileage improved from 3000 to 10,000 mles after I started using Castrol synthetic oil when I got the car at 160,000 miles. I don't know what was used before that.

Also, the oil leaks that were present, went away after I started using Castrol synthetic oil. So much for saying synthetic oil will cause an engine to leak oil.

I say Sheizen to the 3000 or 5000 mile oil change.

P E H
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  #7  
Old 07-15-2002, 02:50 AM
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Is this Harvard filter an aftermarket filter similar to the Amsoil unit? As Tasma referred to Petro Canada oil, he must also be from Canada, so could you please let me know if you bought the Harvard filter from someplace in Canada, or did you order it up from The States?
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  #8  
Old 07-15-2002, 06:48 AM
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I live in Michigan. There is a Petro Canada distributer here.

I bought the filter from
http://www.harvardcorp.com
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  #9  
Old 07-15-2002, 08:25 AM
LarryBible
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What the oil analysis DOES NOT show you is how much of the additive package remains. It also does not show non metallic particulate.

There are a number of important additives in oil that get "used up." The one that is used up quickest is the one that allows moisture to be absorbed into the oil. Additionally there is the viscosity index improver that basically consists of staff shaped elements that curl up and extend depending upon temperature. In hot weather operation, these wear out quickly.

Additionally there is various grit that does not show up in the analysis because it is not metallic. It also is too small to be trapped by a filter.

If you are happy with 60% or 70%, maybe 80% if you're lucky, of maximum engine life, then your filter addition and 10,000 mile oil changes will work well. If you are shooting for MAXIMUM engine life, change it hot and change it often IMHO.

Also, any 616 or 617 engine that goes 10,000 miles without adding oil belongs in a museum.

Have a great day,
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Old 07-15-2002, 02:53 PM
turbodiesel
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Quote:
If you are happy with 60% or 70%, maybe 80% if you're lucky, of maximum engine life, then your filter addition and 10,000 mile oil changes will work well. If you are shooting for MAXIMUM engine life, change it hot and change it often IMHO.
Well said, hot and often. I try to change mine hot at 3,000 miles, but sometimes will go until 4,000 miles. Never any more.
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  #11  
Old 07-15-2002, 09:21 PM
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10 K

Mobil 1 is advertising their 5-40 Synthetic for Truck application to go 80k between changes. However, they have 85qt cranks, massive filters, spinners and huge air filters and fuel water seperators. I concur with Larry on the other additive issues especially the detergents and viscosity enhancers which are so important in these applications. Unless your oil analysis includes assessment of additive comsumption I would be cautious. As to particulates; metal or non-ferrous should be caught by the filter, if indeed 1.0 micron is the spec. on Harvard filters. Redline sells inline heater that in theory removes excess water also. Hey, how anal can one get and what is the return on investment? I am with Larry's mantra, change hot and often.



Stephen
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  #12  
Old 07-16-2002, 10:16 AM
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Today's mineral oils are WORSE for diesel engines than they used to be! Sometime ago in the early-mid 90's the CF (diesel) rating was removed from oils such as Castrol GTX 20W50. Today, the Mobil 1 and other synthetics continue to carry the light-duty diesel rating (CF) or the Euro B3/B4 ratings. So, IMHO anyone running mineral oil should be changing oil every 2500 miles.

By comparison, the synthetics that Tasma and others are using are CH-4 rated. These oils are designed for heavy-duty diesels. They can tolerate a lot of abuse, have very high additive, dispersants, and detergents, and high TBN to neutralize acids for a long, long time. The oil analysis tells how much water is in the oil, and the amount of oil additives remaining in the oil. It reports on the oil's ability to neutralize acids (TBN). When the oil turns bad, it thickens (mineral oil) or thins out (synthetic oil). Too much soot will cause either oil to thicken. We aren't talking about mineral oil which I'd change every 2500 miles. This is synthetic. The newer cars are all specing synthetics and thinner synthetics at that. There are 300D's (603.960) engine that the owner changed oil every 9000 miles (3000 miles/fltr) using Delvac 1300S 15W40 (non-syn, CH-4) and the engine has 831,000 miles. (I have photo of odo).

That said, do whatever makes you happy.

Lube in peace,
Brian

'87 300D 244Kmi

Last edited by md21722; 07-16-2002 at 10:54 AM.
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  #13  
Old 07-16-2002, 11:51 AM
LarryBible
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Yes, as far as I'm concerned a Universal Grade oil such as Delvac, Delo or Rotella are mandatory for a diesel engine. My choice has been Delo. A regular oil with simply a CH4 rating is NOT the best choice IMHO.

Have a great day,
Change oil hot and change oil often
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  #14  
Old 07-16-2002, 08:02 PM
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LarryB,

Then I have 2 museum pieces. However, I am going to continue to drive them.

P E H
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  #15  
Old 07-17-2002, 07:00 AM
LarryBible
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P.E.,

I'm amazed! I have always felt that one that could go a 3,000 mile oil change interval without adding oil was a really good one. Of course, I have never driven one 10,000 miles without changing it, so for all I know, maybe I had one that could do it.

Have a great day,

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