LB7 starting to use oil.

[Jimomatic]

Just got back from a hunting trip the other day and noticed my oil is a little
over 1/2" down on the dipstick. I've heard minor oil usage is normal. Total trip was about 1000 miles, using Shell Rotella T 5w-40 synthetic. My 2001 Dmax only has 48000 miles on it. Any ideas?

Jim

[Mark Rinker]

Jim -

First of all, welcome!

Both of my 6.5's used oil until I switched from Rotella (conventional) to another brand. Never used it in my Duramaxes, but have had great oil retention with Mobil 1 synthetic. Not ripping on Rotella, but it was a marked difference from one oil change to the next. I had put many many quarts through both trucks, and the consumption dropped in half. I was using 1 quart per thousand with the Rotella.

Just my experiences, sure worth a try at your next service interval, especially with the price of synthetics.

[oyazi]

In my experience ~ an accurate read is difficult. I wait a couple of hrs to assure drain down showing on the stick. Overnite is better yet.

[SoTxPollock]

Agree with OYZAI, if you just stop at a station to refuel and check the oil, it won't be at the full mark ever. It takes several minutes for it to drain back all of the oil to the pan, why I'm not quite sure. I will usually do the check in the Garage, sitting in the same spot for consistency, and let the engine sit for about 1/2 hour after parking it.
Hope the hunting trip was sucessful. I didn't get to go this year. I'm havng Colorado and Utah withdrawal right now, maybe next year.

[Inspector]

It took nearly 24K for mine to stop useing oil. I have been on Mobile Delvac 1 for sometime now and I am happy to say oil usage is now 0.
Denny

[Jimomatic]

Thanks for the replies guys. yeah, I usually let it set for a good half an hour before I check it. I just changed it again (Rotella 5w-40) so I'll keep an eye on it. I really hate to change from such a good oil just because it uses a bit.
I'm really not into extended drain intervals so it really makes it hard to justify
the exspense of Mobil 1 syn. If money was no object, Mobil-1 would probably be my first choice.

Jim

[precision37]

I have an 02 and also use Rotella synth. I use a quart every 2000 miles or so. Tryed Moble 1 and oil usage dropped by about half. Can't get Moble 1 any more, so back to Rotella. I don't know how much is burned and how much goes out the crankcase vent as oil vapor. The front of the engine is a bit oily, and there is that Shell Rotella smell when the oil is full(the Moble didn't smell much). It has been like this for the last 75000 miles and no other problems.

[Mark Rinker]

I don't understand why Rotella goes away like that...maybe somebody can chime in here with some chemistry info. Doesn't sound good.

If you do the math, I think Mobil 1 ends up being cheaper, even if you change it every 7K miles. Personally, I wouldn't go over 4K with oil that is vaporizing that quickly, and even then you are adding 2 extra quarts per change, so where is the economy?

[speeddrive1]

I buy rotella 15w40 in a 55 gal drum. Have been using this oil for a long time. My 01 d/a uses no oil between oil changes. I change oil every 6000 miles in it, and the iol still looks fairly clean. I use the same oil in my c15 cat 550 hp. It uses 1 gal at 6000 miles and gets changed at 12000 miles. Pickup has 83000 miles on it and 2003 freightliner has almost 300,000 miles on it. Neither one has had any engine issues.