Synthetic oil for diesels?
 

Just wondering what some of your feelings are about using full synthetic oil in a turbo diesel engine. I have been using Castrol Syntech for over 15 years in all the Toyotas I have driven, well over 600,00 miles. I have been hearing some good things about Amsoil, don't have any personal friends who have used it yet, so I don't have any direct feedback ontheir product. Any and all comments are welcome and appreciated greatly!

The subject ENGINE OIL is likely to result in a few objections from people that are against talk on this board.
I suggest you use the search button, enter "Synthetic" and see what you find. There is lots of info and talk on the subject (including things like Oh No! Not another Oil Thread...." )

That said, I use synthetic in my engines with tight rings, especially my '87 300D turbo (OM603 engine) which has hydraulic lifters that tend to plug if Dino oil is used, and in my '85 300TD which has a newly rebuilt engine. I use Amsoil exclusively now that they sell it in 2.5 gallon jugs.
I did not see what vehicle(s) you drive so can't comment directly on your cars.
If you have lots of blow by or are losing oil in a car then using synthetic is probably a waste, unless its cold weather then synthetic is what you need for those deep winter starts.
Dieseldiehard

Thanks!
 

Thanks for the response, sorry to irritate those who have been on here for a while.

If you will read the ' sticky ' at the top about ' using the search' it will help... you will find better info because people are not going to type the same answer a 100 times on a site which has a good search feature.... so if you don't use the search and it is something most people know has already been answered then you just don't get good info....or only the people with ' far out' ideas who want converts will be the ones who do reply... because they were laughed out of the real oil threads..... LOL

We haven't had a good oil war in a long time, and the forum has been really boring lately. So if you don't mind your email inbox filling up with reply notices, we could start one up here.

I don't understand the comment, who did you irritate? Not dieseldiehard or myself. I do suggest you use the search mode for finding general info, then asking specific questions. :D

"irritate" isn't quite the right word here.;)
More like "entertain" :D
The oil debates here have become rather endless, and eventually pointless. So us "old timers" have an unwritten agreement to just agree to disagree on the subject. But yes, do a search, and read away on the subject to your hearst content.:)

I know one thing 603's love Mobil 1 15w-50.:D Not that dino crap.

Switched my 240D over to Mobil Delvac 1 at 143,000 miles and it just purred like a kitten. :D Changed again at 147,000 and used Mobil 1 15W-50 for the long hot summer, I'm changing early to get more of of the PO non sysnthetic oil out of the engine. I'll change it again in late September then switch back to Delvac 1 or it's twin Mobil 1 Truck & SUV oil. :D

Excellent work guys - we are well on our way to another oil thread.

Re: Synthetic oil for diesels?
 

I use Amsoil in all my cars and it has done wonders for all of them. Their products are excellent. I use their synthetic fluids bumper to bumper in most of my cars. The 300SD is the only exception, but I'll get to it soon enough - right now I just use Amsoil for its engine. Other than the cars starting much faster and sounding much quieter, I have been enjoying much improved fuel economy since switching over to Amsoil, as well as extended drain intervals, fully supported by oil analysis. Now my Mazda gets 4 mpg more in combined driving, the Corolla 3 mpg, the Avalon 1.5 mpg, and unfortunately no improvement on the BMW. I just started using the Amsoil 15W-40 Heavy Duty Diesel oil 300 miles ago, so it is too early to check for any improvement in gas mileage.

I definitely recommend it fully!!

Delo 400!!! :p :rolleyes: :p :rolleyes:

Amsoil!!! :eek: :p :eek: :p :rolleyes:

Mobil 1 forever. :D

My Bora got only and will only get Mobil delvac 1 synthetique (110K Km so far )
Just switched the 300 sd to synthetique and the car runs smoother (414K Km and counting)
so far no oil consomption or oil loss....

I'm kinder cornfused ... :confused: by this thread.

I couldn't use Mobil 1 in my Powerstroke Diesel because it didn't meet Navistar's anti-scuffing spec. This protects the piston rings and cylinder walls for such long-stroke engines. I had to use Delvac, Delo, or Amsoil.

Don't our Benz diesels require a similar anti-scuffing specification? If I remember right it's called CH-4.

Synthetic Delvac 1, Mobil 1 for truck & SUV's (both the same oil, just different package), and I believe Mobil 1 15W-50 are all CH-4 or better.

Dont wish to start a war but in my experience, synthetics like Delvac-1 offers the best protection along with synthetics from other players like Amsoil and Chevron but if money is a consideration, you cant beat the value of Delvac Super/MX and Delo 400.

Well, it's better than the endless poitical debates over at the open discussion forum :D

It was three years ago when I last checked, but CH-4 was not on the Mobil 1 bottle, and not claimed on their web site tech specs. They have pages that go pretty deep into tech specs.

Perhaps the popularity of pickup diesel engines drove them to reformulate Mobil 1.

CH4 has been on Delvac 1 since it's introduction and same with Mobil 1 Truck & SUV oil. I just looked at Mobil1 15w-50 oil it's CH4. However the 5w, 10w Mobil 1 do not carry that rating, and I've never looked at the 0w oil. :D

Hey i don't want trow any oil into the fire but i found this web page

http://www.synlube.com/synthetic.htm

the information seems okay but then when you have look at their products "oil for life" (and that's not cheap oil 32$/L for engine oil..)

synlube synlube synlube
 

Hellavu web page. Written by someone with a lot of time to research things, then place the info in the right order and wrap it together with psychological bent towards selling product!
My vote that link is the best reason for a dedicated OIL THREAD subject button.
I say take all the oil stuff to a separate forum:)
DDH

Mobil Delvac Super/MX is now rated CI-4 for anyone interested.

Oldnavy, I think you are mistaken. I just looked up the PDS and it is rated CF which is an old off road diesel spec. Whatever that means. Anyway, this oil is the elixir for the turbocharged road racers. It's not really designed for a diesel. Don't get me wrong it does very well in our MB's but it's not nearly as good as CI-4.

Wait, wait, wait! Can I be irritated? Its another danged oil thread! Let me tell you about the engine compartment elves.... RT

I'll call your Mobil 1 and raise you three quarts of Dello 400..........

William Rogers......

Has anybody ever used ANY oil in their car/truck that did not perform its expected function perfectly?

I don't want to whine but these oil threads leave me totally baffled - if you use a quality oil recommended by the engine manfacturer and change it according to the requirements in the owners manual your car run for decades without any need internal engine work. Unless you live in the southwest or California the body will literally fall apart before you have any internal engine issues.

This will be true if you use $5 dollar/quart diesel rated synthetic or .99 quart no-name generic oil, as long as the oil contains the required ratings it will work fine.

Can anybody explain to me why hardly 2 minutes goes by without a "new" oil thread discussion about a topic that has a clear, well proven and seemingly straightforward answer?

Please do! :D

You jest, but such things do exist. I ordered a pamphlet from some animal group last summer to help me drive weasels out of my attic. It quoted newspaper articles about weasels attacking cars (wires, hoses) in some Swiss village. Nobody knows why they suddenly started chewing, or why they stopped ... :p

Yes. I first used dino oil my my 300TD, because I change it so often that synth gets expensive. But then a lifter started clacking. After I changed to Mobil semi-synth, the clacking went away, except for a few minutes after startup.

Darn you went and looked...jeash!!! :rolleyes:

Mobil has never had the oil CH-4 certified, but under oil analysisn it almost identical to D1. The main difference in lay terms is it is not quite as good handling soot, but film strength is better then D1.

Amsoil has oil that is probably as good as Mobil, but in the past they have not had the testing done to get certified. Probably didn't want to spend the hundred's of thousands of dollars to have it certified.

There could be only two valid options:

A-They are part of the some secret/evil swiss army experiments

B-They are trying to take over the world
Soon in a theater near you
"Planet of the weasels"
Bush will play himself, the presidents of the weasels ;)

In the Planet of the Weasel's here's hoping the President sends self admitted war criminal Kerry to jail. :D

Timfreeh, I could not agree with you more, I grew up with non detergent non additive oils and they produced sludge and broke down when slightly overheated.But now with modern dino oil unless I were buying a new car and it called for synthetics I can see no reason to use anything but the properly rated dinos.My SD's uses 8 quarts per change, can't see nearly fifty dollars every 3000 miles.Those first million mile MB diesels did it on dino............

William Rogers........

No worries, I'll bet that the LSD flashbacks will kick in some day soon and we'll all see the true drug-addled 60s weasel hiding behind Kerry's "values" campaign. :rolleyes:

Yes, that would be expensive, if you changed every 3000 miles. But with new synthetic oil you can easy go 10,000 miles on a turbo diesel engine and with oil testing done I know people going 15 & 20 miles on an oil change and onlychanging the oil filters at the half way point. My VW TDI (direct injection turo diesel) is a factory synthetic oil requirement with 10,000 mile oil & filter changes. After car is out of warranty I will move it to 15,000 miles for oil & filter changes. A 10,000 mile oil change is cheaper then dino oil every 3000 miles and a 15,000 mile oil change means I only have to change oil once a year.

I have seen one VW TDI, with 230,000 miles of Delvac 1 every 10,000 miles, with the valve cover off and the valve train and head were clean as if it only had 23,000 miles instead of 230,000 miles.

Well, and oil thread with a new twist. Oil, politics, and animal rights all mixed up in one. I think we need to have this transferred over to Open discussion forum:D

Let's not lose sight of the fact that your TDI soots up the oil a lot less than our older OM603s etc. The TDI is a high-pressure direct injection motor, with computer control of the injection map (OTOH, we won't be stranded by an ECU failure).

TDI or CDI means a lot less soot in the combustion champer, less soot in the blowby, less soot in the oil, and less soot in the exhaust, hence less pollution and better mileage. So you will be able to run your oil longer than us old-fashioned diesel guys.

Hey; oil, politics, animal rights, soot, and pollution all mixed up in one. :D

I just feel better about putting brand new, clean and pure dino oil and a brand new filter in every 3-4K miles.

I don't think I could take it going for 10K on the same oil and filter. I'd go crazy!

Hey don't say that, because you might not have far to go. Like my wife say's to me, "it would be a short trip" dear. :D :p :D

If the vehicle is used for frequent short trips, even synthetic oil wont resist the breakdown caused by condensation and by products. In this case, it is better to use a quality diesel oil like Delvac, Delo etc and change at 6K intervals which works out fine with MB diesel engines and is easy on your pocket as well. For long haul fleet owners, synthetic like Delvac-1 and Delo Synthetic is the most cost effective as their vehicles are used to extended highway running and they can stretch the change interval to more than 25000 miles with oil analysis.

It's hard to beat good old fashioned 3-5K mile drains with inexpensive CI-4 dino oil.

A healthy dose of detergents (Ca, Mg, etc) is what keeps the internals clean, which are available in the dino 15W-40's.

Oil threads aren't that bad. It's the use synthetic or be sorry propaganda that gets on my nerves. Synthetic oil was a great product 20 years ago. Todays dino oils have improved to the point where there is little difference between the two for the typical user.

Go ahead and spend the extra cash if it makes you feel better.

I just bought some Advance Truckela. It was only $5.00 for a gallon jug. It claims to be the same makeup as Shell RotellaT, which is a CI-4 rated oil.

The problem is that the voters don't know about weasels.

They see no weasels.
They hear no weasels.
The speak no weasels.

Now what about oil filters and add-on coolers?

I guess I really started something!!! Thanks for all the input. Now let's all try to play nicely with others.

Mobil 1 15w-50 made my lifters quiter, I wouldn't use it if it didn't.