Get to WAL-MART NOW!!!!!

[Alli-max]

I was just in there and was going to buy some of the Rotella Synthetic oil in the gallon size, and it was mis-marked!!!! The tag on the shelf said $18.88, but it rang up as $12.83. A gallon of syn for less than $13!!! I am the proud owner of all their oil in the Texarkana store.... 8 gallons!

But.... then again, they were changing prices on that isle, and it might be one of their highly advertised price drops. Who knows... but there isnt ANY WAY I could take a chance.

[SWLA]

Alli-Max,

I don't think its mismarked. I saw the rotella synthetic at the local wal-mart a few weeks ago and 12.93 was the labeled price. Asked about it here and the general opinion was that since it was not a "true" synthetic it should not be priced as one. Here is the thread

http://forum.62-65-dieselpage.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic&f=3&t=003613&p=

Seems to be 3 price choices for oil now: Dino for $5-6 a gallon, Group III synthetics at $12-13 a gallon, and true synthetics $18-20 a gallon. I have been running dino Rotella for 15,000 miles, at my next change I may upgrade to the rotella synthetic. Let me know how you like it.

[gregmican]

It's not mismarked, Wal Mart has lowered this price on this oil! :D

[tmg115]

you pay $12 for oil??? wow i pay $9.50 a gallon.

[Alli-max]

what kind of oil is it and where do you get it?

[Silver Bullet]

For a second there I thought Wally World was cuttin' back prices on gutters!!! :D :D :D

[SoCalDMAX]

OUCH!! THAT'S gonna leave a mark... ;)

Steve, paying back for that "bucket of bolts" comment. ;)

[SoMnDMAX]

Too bad Shell doesn't offer Rotella synthetic in 15w-40. I will not run 5w-40 in the summer months. I know I'll get flamed, but I think it's too thin for hot weather usage. I'm aware it's approved, and most likely will not cause harm, but I don't like it.

I will run 5w-40 in the winter though.

[Kennedy]

In talking with Geo, I understand (and Ive heard this before from others) that Shell has fallen WAY behind the curve in additization and other things. Not sure what this new synthetic thing is, but you can just about BS anything into being synthetic as proven by Castrol and their stretch of the term...

[Alli-max]

Mr. Brown is Mr. FUNNY MAN!!! :rolleyes: :D

And Somn.... What you do is on that last quart of oil, put some Bar Chain Oil in there to thicken it up. I have run 5W last summer, and didnt have any problems with heat buildup. (per the gauges)...

[KenZ]

SoMnDMAX

OK, this has been on my mind on several other post, and I guess I will put it here since you made the comment. Educate me if I am wrong, but the way I understand it is that a multiweight oil is supposed to cover a range. the w stands for winter, so a 5w40 acts as a 5 weight oil in winter and 40 weight in summer. a 15w40 acts as a 15 weight in winter and 40 weight in summer. So the viscosity of both oils should be the same at higher temperatures, and only at low temperatures would the oil be less viscous--thinner. So whats the concern unless its cold out?

OK--start edumicating me.

Thanks,

Ken

[DmaxMaverick]

I'm not the oil expert on the board, so I'm probably sticking my foot in it here, but....

An oil that is "5w-40" is an oil with a base stock that is 5 weight (W = Weight, I think. I'm pretty sure it's not Winter), and is chemically, or otherwise, modified to increase viscosity performance to 40 at a given temp. This means the oil will perform as does a 40 weight at the given temp, not actually have a V.I. (viscosity index) of 40 (or the actual V.I. #). Dino's and lesser synthetics do this with additives (modifiers). True synthetics do this by design and engineering, which is what makes the synthetic "viscosity stable". Basically, it just means that it is more predictable.

The modifiers in dino's break down and you loose the multi-weight performance over time, corresponding to the abuse it receives. Synthetic does not do this at nearly the same rate. A true synthetic will become contaminated to the point of being unusable long before it actually breaks its V.I. This is seen through continual oil sampling of parallel dino/synthetic uses in similar applications. The effect can also be seen with the oil pressure gage under "abuse" situations. The dino oil will begin lowering oil pressure under heavy stress and heat, and doesn't usually regain the higher pressure until the engine is allowed to cool by sitting with the engine off. The synthetic will recover to nearly the same pressure as the engine cools while running.

I use synthetics exclusively as a result of my own studies. Your results may vary. I may be giving too much credit to the oil, but that has been my experience. Whatever the reason, I'll take it.

I agree with JK on the "let's just do this to our oil and call it synthetic" theory. Just like politics and lawyers. Talk about "fuzzy math".

Cheers

[kerry witherspoon]

Well shell oil is aproved by the faa for planes many are not as far as the synthetic oils so i use it like it.

[tmg115]

i buy shell at orilly's. the reason i use shell is because i know tons of truck drivers and they all use it so i figure if it is good enough for them then my truck should be fine.

[SoMnDMAX]

KenZ, I'm no oil expert either, but Dmax Maverick pretty much summed it up.

[KenZ]

Well, I wasn't trying to trap anyone, but he w does stand for winter and refers to how the oil acts at 0 degrees c I think and not f. A 5w30 and 10w30 should have the save viscosity at operating temperature. The API states as follows:

"SAE Viscosity Grade

The center of the donut shows the oil's SAE viscosity grade. Viscosity is a measure of an oil's flow characteristics, or thickness, at certain temperatures.

The low-temperature viscosity (the first number, 5W in the example above) indicates how quickly an engine will crank in winter and how well the oil will flow to lubricate critical engine parts at low temperature. The lower the number the more easily the engine will start in cold weather.

The high-temperature viscosity (the second number, 30 in the example above) provides thickness, or body, for good lubrication at operating temperatures.

A multigrade oil (for example, SAE 5W-30) provides good flow capability for cold weather but still retains thickness for high-temperature lubrication.

A single grade oil (a single number in the center of the donut) is recommended for use under a much narrower set of temperature conditions than multigrade oils."


If you want to research this just do a search on multigrade, multiweight, or multiviscosity. Lots of information on how the oil molecules role up at low temp and elongate at high temp. this giving you a range of viscosity. VI's from what I read are hardly needed in synthetics, but more so in dino oil. The vi's break down rapidly and thats why dino oil will thin out and synthetics won't. Also the reason you may see a difference in oil consumption.

Anyway, it appears to me that if you are looking for a summer oil, you should only be concerned with the second number on a multigrade oil.

I agree with dmaxmaverick on the synthetics. Thats all I use. All the talk on the weight or viscosity can tend to scare people, but I think a lot of it comes from opinions and not based on facts. Unless someone can prove otherwise, it looks to me like a 5w40 will be as thick as a 15w40 in the summertime. but to each his own.

Thanks for the replys

Ken

[SWLA]

Thought I'd bring this back to the top. Its time to change the oil so I went to Wal-Mart today to pick up a couple of gallons of Rotella synthetic. Imagine my suprise when I notice the price is back up to $18.88 a gallon. Paid ~$12 a gallon 3 months ago. I went ahead and bought it as tomorrow is the only chance I have to change my oil for the next several weeks. I've decided to switch to Delvac 1 in the future, why pay $19 for "dino" synthetic when I can get true synthetic for $20. Only problem is I have to go to Beaumont, TX to pick it up, about an hour drive.

[bryantch]

this is a link to "Everything you ever wanted to know about oil v1.2". cant say i understand all of it (or care to) but some of you guys may find it interesting and informative.

"Oils that fall into a certain range are designated 5, 10, 20, 30, 40, 50 by the S.A.E. The W means the oil meets specifications for viscosity at 0 F and is therefore suitable for Winter use."

"Multi viscosity oils work like this: Polymers are added to a light base (5W, 10W, 20W), which prevent the oil from thinning as much as it warms up. At cold temperatures the polymers are coiled up and allow the oil to flow as their low numbers indicate. As the oil warms up the polymers begin to unwind into long chains that prevent the oil from thinning as much as it normally would. The result is that at 100 degrees C the oil has thinned only as much as the higher viscosity number indicates. Another way of looking at multi-vis oils is to think of a 20W-50 as a 20 weight oil that will not thin more than a 50 weight would when hot."

" Multi viscosity oils are one of the great improvements in oils, but they should be chosen wisely. Always use a multi grade with the narrowest span of viscosity that is appropriate for the temperatures you are going to encounter. In the winter base your decision on the lowest temperature you will encounter, in the summer, the highest temperature you expect. The polymers can shear and burn forming deposits that can cause ring sticking and other problems. 10W-40 and 5W-30 require a lot of polymers (synthetics excluded) to achieve that range. This has caused problems in diesel engines, but fewer polymers are better for all engines. The wide viscosity range oils, in general, are more prone to viscosity and thermal breakdown due to the high polymer content. It is the oil that lubricates, not the additives. Oils that can do their job with the fewest additives are the best."

http://www.repairfaq.org/filipg/AUTO/F_oil_facts.html#OILFACTS_004

more than I really wanted to know about oil but this topic and the others got me searching for info...just thought i would share.

[CleviteKid]

from the cited reference:
http://www.repairfaq.org/filipg/AUTO/F_oil_facts.html#OILFACTS_004


"All of the oils above meet current SG/CD ratings
. . . . . "

This gives you a clue as to how old this write-up is, from about 7 or 8 years ago. Things have changed some since then, mainly that there are better synthetic and reformulated mineral base stocks with good intrinsic viscosity indices, so they need less or no viscosity index (VI)improvers.

Some VI improvers are not shear stable, and some less-than-ethical automobile manufacturers use them for CAFE mileage testing. Early in the test the oil shears down to a 10 weight, and reduces friction losses in the oil film, for a while. The engines are toast at the end of the test, but the marketing guys got the EPA numbers they wanted.

The VI improvers in diesel oils are shear-stable, and the viscosity holds up over the life of the oil.

Dr. Lee :cool:

[george morrison]

Compimenting Dr. Lee's comments, I work with over the road fleets that do 100,000/125,000 mild drain intervals with synthetic diesel oils with no shear-down whatsoever. All current CI rated diesel engine oils, both mineral based and synthetic, are supremely shear stable. And yes, oil analysis will reflect shear down very clearly in the reported viscosity of the used engine oil. However, other than the CAFE mileage trickster oils, I have not seen shear down in years.
George Morrison

[TLA]

SWLA - I believe avlube, a banner advertiser on this site sells Delvac. Only a phone call away (unless you really want to go to Beaumont), and delivered to the privacy of your own home by the boys and girls in brown.

[CAT MAN]

Ladies and Gentlemen,

A solution for those of you having problems finding Mobil Delvac 1 sythetic 5W40. If you have a local Caterpillar dealer, or CAT TEPS (Truck Engine Parts and Service)dealers; they can order the CAT 5W40 Synthetic (guess what; made by Mobil to CAT "specs"; a fraction "better" to differentiate the difference....read into this....the same product at a competitive price when figuring shipping costs from other suppliers)

The CAT part numbers to reference are as follows:

CAT 5W40 Synthetic - 141-3339 (1 gallon containter)

Happy Oil Changing!!

T.D.

[ChevysRus]

For me it's Quaker State and Fram....good to go for 25K......NOT!!!!!!!!! LOL ha ha ha

I spent too much money for this fine machine, can't see skimping on oil change intervals. Dino or synthetic is a personal preference. I changed to Synthetic (Mobil Delvac 5W 40) about 20K and plan to change the oil every 5K. That kind of splits the difference (3K or 7.5K) and easy for me to keep track of at my old age, 25, 30, 35, 40 and so on.

Only issues I have so far is the engine seems to burn more oil on the Synthetic (on DINO would drop about 1/2 QT every 5K and now on DINO it's already a qt low at 4K. And why the hell does my truck take 11 qts. to get to the top of the in range mark? Been like this every oil change. Put in 10 it's 1/4 inch below the top of the in range mark, wait an hour or so, check it again and it's still about a 1/4 inch below the full mark, add the 11th QT. and it's right there
on the full line every time. And yes I am on level ground and the dipstick is the correct one.

Makes me go Hmmmmmm every time

[George Gozelski]

ChevyRus, from what I've been reading here on the DP, most guys wouldn't be caught dead using a Fram! Someone, and I can't remember who, cut one in half at an oil change and it literally fell apart! I have been using the Baldwin filters, they look to be made much "stouter" than the Frams and can be purchased at a reasonable price!

[ChevysRus]

Thanks George, I meant it as a joke and appreciate your concern.....FRAM is just another 4-letter word to me ha ha ha