Rotella T6 replacement?

shelby27604

shelby27604

Well-Known Member
Joined
Jun 6, 2013
Location
Efland NC
I tried a variety of oils in the wife's XJ 4.0l when we bought it. 5w30's seem to breakdown early and cause wild oil pressure spikes. 10w30's seemed to come with some lifter tick.
The final solution was T6 5w40 (good oil pressure for 3-5k miles and no tick). Current T6 supply is getting thin. I have some bottles stashed away but was wondering if anyone has run the 15W40 regular dino oil rotella in their 4.0l in the summer months? (Keep the T6 handy as a cold weather option).
 
I think I’ve run a variety of rotella grades through my 4.0 I am impressed you are noticing differences between the grades.

Latest I’ve ran is the Costco 15W-40 diesel oil. Nothing dramatic. Just buy a good filter and try to change it by 5k miles is my rule of thumb.
 
I run mobile 1 0w40 in my 4.7 stroker. 0weight when cold gets the oil to the cam bearings fast. 40 weight when hot helps keep the oil psi up a little more when hot.
 
I run STP 5w40 syn as an alternative to T6 in all my 6.0's. Never had any issues, with the oil that is, they are 6.0's powerstrokes so to say no issues means they're either not being driven at the moment or waiting to be repaired. I use stp 15w40 in all my cummins trucks and standard weights (both conventional and synthetic) in the non-diesel applications.
 
Jody Treadway said:
I have run generic oil of all sort for years. As long as it meets all of the industry standards which will be indicated on the back.
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Didn’t we just have a big thread about this pertaining to gear oil and people swore name brand was head and shoulders better?
 
grapehead said:
Didn’t we just have a big thread about this pertaining to gear oil and people swore name brand was head and shoulders better?
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I'm not sure. I don't recall.
In my shop, I use Lucas non-syn gear oil on builds where I use ECGS new gears. They require it. For general diff work (my own vehicles included) I use house brand Carquest and the house brand from my local oil distributor. For those of us that inspect our gears often (no wise cracks about the Ranger having cobwebs), no reason to use top shelf stuff IMO.
 
grapehead said:
Didn’t we just have a big thread about this pertaining to gear oil and people swore name brand was head and shoulders better?
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Kinda like horsepower claims and Dyno sheets, when I see someone swear one oil is better than another…show me the Blackstone analysis, otherwise spec is spec and the metal doesn’t care.
 
Mobil 1 15-40 in my truck, the CJ5 and all of our equipment. Why? Because it’s 15-40 and we bought a drum last year. Change it in proper intervals and everything seems to work fine. Same goes for using generic stuff in all of our gas trucks. The only thing I church up is the wife’s 2 series because it seems to be picky.
 
Rotella T5 Syn blend in 15W40 is still available, and the 2.5gallon jug does the XJ and the LJ for $45. The XJ got the first treatment, 5,000 miles will tell the tale, but oil pressure was a healthy 45psi at cold idle and 50psi on the highway. Hot idle was just north of 30psi so I am happy.

I did find T6 (full syn). 15W40 at AutoZone for $44/gallon! That was a hard pass though!
 
I run Rotella T4 plus a quart of Lucas in my 8.1 truck. I notice a substantial difference in oil pressure at hot cruise rpm, and under throttle towing. I change it every 3k miles cause of the miles on my truck and the oil analysis that showed the oil being much better at 3k and very degraded and 5k. But that’s all heavy towing, high rpm miles for the most part. But my truck has 435k miles on the original motor.

There was a thread here about how your mpg effects oil life or whatever. My average mpg and that equation were actually very accurate to what the oil analysis said.
 
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I go with Hot Shot or Schaeffer's.
I cant count the amount times I have seen reputable or infamous shops say they can always tell when an injector was exposed to rotella.
Its not just about meeting the specs. They all do (or it wouldn't sell, legally). Its how they mix their formula to arrive at those specs. The formulas require lubricant, viscosity improvers, micronutirent package, surfactant. Depending on how the manufacturer arrives at the level of lubricity, dictates the quantity of viscosity improvers needed - the more needed the less room to load the oil with additives (which allows for the oil being cleaner longer). An inferior oil can be used, but just means you should change your oil much more often. Its as silly as adding lucas or other additives to an oil change - you're really just diluting those oil additives, necessitating a sooner oil change.

Anywho, those are the thoughts on the subject. Everyone's mileage may vary. Facts and science don't always equal real world truth either - For every 5 guys who say the above, there is 5 guys who have ran Walmart special oil all their life and are on mile marker 555,000.
 
ckruzer said:
I go with Hot Shot or Schaeffer's.
I cant count the amount times I have seen reputable or infamous shops say they can always tell when an injector was exposed to rotella.
Its not just about meeting the specs. They all do (or it wouldn't sell, legally). Its how they mix their formula to arrive at those specs. The formulas require lubricant, viscosity improvers, micronutirent package, surfactant. Depending on how the manufacturer arrives at the level of lubricity, dictates the quantity of viscosity improvers needed - the more needed the less room to load the oil with additives (which allows for the oil being cleaner longer). An inferior oil can be used, but just means you should change your oil much more often. Its as silly as adding lucas or other additives to an oil change - you're really just diluting those oil additives, necessitating a sooner oil change.

Anywho, those are the thoughts on the subject. Everyone's mileage may vary. Facts and science don't always equal real world truth either - For every 5 guys who say the above, there is 5 guys who have ran Walmart special oil all their life and are on mile marker 555,000.
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I appreciate the insight. To test this, on my next oil change I will skip the Lucas. I can tell when it’s time to change my oil as my oil pressure is lower by 3,000-3,500 miles.

I wonder if I’ll see the same increase in OP without the Lucas, but according to your info I should maintain that better OP longer.
 
77GreenMachine said:
I appreciate the insight. To test this, on my next oil change I will skip the Lucas. I can tell when it’s time to change my oil as my oil pressure is lower by 3,000-3,500 miles.

I wonder if I’ll see the same increase in OP without the Lucas, but according to your info I should maintain that better OP longer.
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Well not necessarily? I did provide that caveat, that repeating the science from my beer&stick chill sessions with a lube specialist, real world doesn't always match up with science.

Logically. The additive packages dictate metal wear, carbon absorption, corrosion, pressure additives, anti foam agents, etc. Additives in engine oil options today average 10-30% of the formula. And those items vary in their quantity by manufacturer. So one oil that did poorly on lubricity but meets viscosity requirements, might still see improvement from lucas? Obviouslly lucas works for some, or it wouldn't sell. If I used a Walmart special oil, id prob add in lucas, an additive, and a splash of Jameson for good measure. But if I'm taking the time to buy a oil that is specifically rated to go 10k plus and is backed by oil sampling guarantees - logically I'm not going to dilute that formula with my own cocktail

I hope my post was received as my turn to toss mud on the wall, food for thought.
At the end of the day I bet results are so minor they are indistinguishable to the naked eye.

Brings back a memory. I experimented one time making my own oil. One batch I got the surfactant too high, and the engine locked up 10min after getting to temp. Lol.
 
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