So which brand of oil for M103 to pick from?
 

I have done some searching and there are many debates over this...

So being in Southern California, what viscosity would be best suited for me?

Now that I understand why Rotella, Delvac etc.. are used because of the additives and how it helps these older engines, so I want to start using it from now onwards.

Would Shell Rotella 15-40 be okay?

That's fine.

I use Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 in my CIS-E M104. My engine loves that stuff.

Are there any other choices for it? I think I will just go with whatever is cheapest...

Where do you find this stuff too? I think I saw the Rotella at Walmart the other day, but I'm not sure if it was the correct one.

I also saw there is Rotella-T and a few other "versions", are they all ok or are they different?

Where I am using Dino oil, I use Shell rotella 15 /40 or Delo 400 15/40 for the summer here. Both are comparable products and I just buy whichever is on sale.

For the winter, I usually use Mobil 1 10/30. Our winters get cold. Certainly doesnt apply to southern California.

I run the same Shell Rotella Synthetic 5w40 in my M103 as I do in my OM617 diesels....it runs great on the stuff. Consumption with the new valve stem seals is barely 1/4 quart per 2000 miles.....it used to be an entire quart every 500ish miles. :eek: Huuuuge improvement.

Anything less than 20-50w, and I get oil pressure problems...



I think LA and Sacramento are almost the same temperature wise.

What kind of pressure problems? On very hot days at idle mine has never gone below 1 bar.....when its cooler out its around 1.5 to 1.7 at idle.....and it jumps right up to 3 around 1200rpm.

Around Chicago, you can find the Delvac stuff for about $10 a gallon. My car takes a little under 2 gallons. :)

Shell Rotella T is a good choice. I prefer Chevron Delo 400, but any of these TYPE oils will serve you well in this engine.

So went to Walmart...

Rotella-T, Delo 400 and Delvac 1300. $11, $10.50 and $10.50/gal respectively.
Decided on Delvac 1300 due being cheapest and a cool looking container (j/k on the last comment).

Can't wait to get the wagon on the correct oil now. Looks like its roughly $23 an oil change. Not too bad.

iWrock: I have no oil pressure problems using any type of oil. I put in 10-30 after my head rebuild to make sure I did not lose any oil. And I am not :)

Don't kid, it is a cool looking container. :D

I drop to .5 bar for oil pressure on 110+ days if I run anything thinner. The lifters start making noise too.


Good to hear. There may be some internal engine work in my nearish future for the TE.

Sounds like its time for a new oil pump.

One of the most widely assumed fixes that is absolutely incorrect is that when the oil pressure is low, the correct fix is a new oil pump. It would probably work in only about 1 out of 1,000 cases. Another 1 in 1,000 cases, oil pressure would be improved by replacing the relief valve. The other 998 cases will be due to the following:

The cause for low oil pressure and why it is an engine condition indicator is the indication of worn bearings and/or journals. That said, even with hot idle oil pressure as low as .5 Bar, as long as the pressure comes up significantly with engine speed, things will probably be okay for quite sometime as long as the crankcase doesn't run too low and the oil is kept changed.

BTW, IMHO Delvac is a very good oil choice. I personally prefer it over Rotella. Rotella has a much higher parafin content than does Delvac and Delo. It is still a good oil though.

I've been running my m117 and om617 on various 15/40 weight oils for a few years now, with no complaints from either of them.

Getting the oil for $20/case lately has me using Delo 400, but when that runs out, who knows. :)

That being said, I'm looking at running a lighter weight oil for the om617 this winter, as it was a pain to crank up in the cold last winter.