Is Shell Rotella 15-40 a good oil?
 

Like the title says.. Is Shell rotella a good oil to use? I was wondering if it is synthetic or not. I know it can be used in a diesel engine but heard it has more detergents in it and can be used in a gasser.

Unfortunately you may be starting an Oil War post. There are many different opinions, some very passionate, about oil in general and there are many posts about oi on this forum.

I use it in my '84 300D during the winter and it does a good job for me.

Best advice I ever saw was, whatever you use change it hot and often.

Not synthetic, but its on the Approved List http://www.whnet.com/4x4/oil.html ;)

I use it in all my diesels: one mercedes and two tractors. My friend is a diesel mechanic and says the motors are the cleanest when rotella is used. He works on tractors, trucks and heavy equipment.
I use synthetic in my gassers.

Shell Rotella is also available in a synthetic but the version most use is normal Dino. While different viscosities are recommended by Mercedes, depending on your climate, the 15W40 is good for all but the most extreme climates. Most listings consider the older Benz engines to be "hard working European engines" and recommend the diesel versions of oils for those gas engines. Many folks who have older Mercedes use nothing but diesel-rated oils. My 1990 300E with 98K has used it exclusively since nearly new and my friend has used nothing but that in his 1977 230 (gas) and with more than 160K. When the valve cover was removed recently for valve adjustment, everything was exceptionally clean!

The previous owner used it.
I was changing valve seals on the engine and noticed after 75000 miles how clean it was in the valve cover area.
Never used the oil before but I will keep using it in my 560sl
It worked and kept engine very clean
Oil pressure also on engine is super
I do like syn better but for these old cars which got them this far
I am not messing with something that works

Rotella is the correct TYPE of oil for diesel engines with extra detergents to disperse the diesel soot. These types of oil are called UNIVERSAL oil. The most common of these are Shell Rotella T, Mobil Delvac and Chevron Delo 400.

Of these Shell, however, has the highest parafin content which is not a good thing. Independent tests show Delo to be the best, but any of these oils will serve you very well IF you change hot and often.

Good luck,

Thanks guys. I put that oil in my gasser and my car performs awesome!

I just made the switch to 15w40, too. It seems to be what Mercedes originally recommended in the owner's manual. I'm using the Carquest "house" brand, which is made by Valvoline.

I am trying the rotella syn in both my wife's truck and my son's car.... i'll probably switch his back over to 20w-50 for the summer, however.

pep boys had a sale on pennzoil syn, so that is what is going into the truck next... i am only using syn to lengthen the oil changes from 3k to about 6 or 7k.... my wife has a 35 mile one way commute.

have also used valvoline 15/40 'all fleet' in my engine with good success.
it is also diesel rated.

lately though the delo and delvac have been used mainly due to easy availabilty at wal-mart:rolleyes:

I put Rotella T 15W-40 in my car right after I bought it. It was recommended that I use this. My cars oil probably had 20 or 30K miles on it. :eek:

There is a post here with a photo of the oil filter I removed, that actually had a huge hole in the side of it where it had been on there for so long. It was grotesque.

When it hits 1000 miles, I will change it again, but want to go to a different grade of oil, that will have the maximum pressure when the engine is hot. What grade would that be? 20W-50?

20w50 would meet your goals. However, what's even more important is how quickly you build oil pressure when the engine starts -- 15w40 has the advantage here.

Everyone,

The point of "15W40" is not its WEIGHT. The point is that most 15W40 oils are ESPECIALLY FORMULATED for diesels. These oils have additives that disperse soot. These additives will keep ANY engine clean.

The WEIGHT of these oils such as; Delvac, Delo and Rotella T is the secondary issue. For your diesel it would be unwise to change to a different WEIGHT unless it is one of these oil types.

These oils have a CI-4 PLUS rating for diesels as well as an SL rating for gas engines. For your diesel, don't use an oil that does not have a CI-4 PLUS rating.

Changing to a 20W50 oil is unnecessary and will do nothing but strain the oil pump and its drive components and waste fuel. The truckers run 15W40 weight CI4 PLUS oils from Central America to Alaska and typically reach one million miles between overhauls.

You might also be interested to know that Cummins regulates the oil pressure to 15PSI. They have determined that running it higher only wastes fuel.

Have a great day,

i use 20-50 in Tucson due to the temps, I am interested in the comment about the amount of parafin in the oils. I use vavloline synthetic blend and I have been told vavloline and pennsoil are high in parafin. Does anyone have a list by manufacturer that shows parafin amounts?