[bondservant2]

Once again I'm caught up in the "best-oil" debate. I thought I had settled on T6 for all my lawn equipment (gas and diesel) but now information overload has me guessing again....something about Shell changing the Zinc content in their Rotella synthetic....

I realize most good oils are good - just keep up on it. But are there any long-term users on board that still swear by this stuff... ?....or changed their minds...?

Also read that WIX filters are no longer what they once were.....**** you Internet...!

Going to stick with the Deere filters....but what about the T6....? Still good-to-go...?

 

[Diesel Powered]

I tried that stuff in my minimax and I've never heard lifter tap so bad in my whole life. Never again. Luckily it came back out of it after a drain and fill with standard 15w40.

 

[pidjones]

15W40 T6 is all I run in my 2006 GL1800 GoldWing. Only 107,000 miles so far, so I'll post later of any problems. Don't know if it comes in the recommended weights for gas tractors, but it should be great for diesels.

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[Seane1987]

I have been running it in everything I own except for our F150 and our Subaru. All my small engines get it and if they have a filter its OEM. No oil related issues in the 10 years I've been using it. It is true that the formula is changing, it is a diesel oil, and they have been slowly cutting back on additives to extend Diesel Particulate filter and SCR catalyst life.

 

[bondservant2]

I tried that stuff in my minimax and I've never heard lifter tap so bad in my whole life. Never again. Luckily it came back out of it after a drain and fill with standard 15w40.

When you say standard do you mean non-synthetic..?
What brand..?

 

[bondservant2]

I should specify I've been using the 5w-40 synthetic...I've had no problems so far but I don't tear engines down to the bearings either...the engines I use it it run smooth and cool....

 

[Seane1987]

I've been using the 5w-40 in the blue bottle

 

[Diesel Powered]

15W40 T6 is all I run in my 2006 GL1800 GoldWing. Only 107,000 miles so far, so I'll post later of any problems. Don't know if it comes in the recommended weights for gas tractors, but it should be great for diesels.

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Since that oil doesn't exist, what are you actually using? Not that motorcycle oil is pertinent here, I'm just curious.

When you say standard do you mean non-synthetic..?
What brand..?

Non-synthetic Rotella 15w40 diesel oil; many years of first hand experience with the same oil and no real reason to deviate.

 

[bondservant2]

Since that oil doesn't exist, what are you actually using? Not that motorcycle oil is pertinent here, I'm just curious.



Non-synthetic Rotella 15w40 diesel oil; many years of first hand experience with the same oil and no real reason to deviate.

I see. I wonder if the low end number (5w..) added to the clatter you experienced..? In other (non-technical) words - was the thinner oil the reason for the tappet noise.. ? Perhaps it doesn't have the hydraulic "cushioning" that the 15w-40 has...?
Certainly mechanical noise doesn't give much encouragement in believing the oil is protecting the engine internals. Still....the bearing shear test reports I've seen show T6 in a very positive light. I may just try the 15w-40 in my 2025r next oil change.

...and the great motor oil debate continues...

 

[mrbeef]

Well since I was out at the shop I took a picture of the oil cabinet.... Note the location and number of bottles of T4.... Then note the location of the T6 bottle behind the Deere break-in oil....

I bought 2 gallons of T6.... I still have a gallon left that I use for random tasks... Talked with DP about T6 and I had similar results.

Im not saying T6 is bad just haven't found a place it's better than T4, Plus 50II, or the Motorcraft (not shown) I use for various diesels....

 

[MrGiggles]

It's very good oil, and as mentioned, JASO rated for power sports use.

You'll want to adhere to the recommendations in your manual regarding viscosity and temperature. Make sure that 5W-40 is going to work for your climate.

Rotella has had reduced zinc in all their oils for several years now, but it's not enough to make a difference for this application.

As far as I know, Wix filters are as good as ever.

My ZTR is about to roll over 600 hours with nothing but dino SAE 30. It's easy to overthink, but all oils are required to pass the same standards, and we're not dealing with F1 cars here. Keep it simple.

 

[ubber_gearhead99]

I run T6 in my 6.0 Ford with good results, but I also use a pint of Arch-oil AR9100 friction modifier in every oil change.($$$) You can literally hear the difference the arch-oil makes though and I'd bet money it will make my engine last past 300,000 miles. I ran the truck without it for a few weeks once and when I added it, the engine noise was greatly reduced. But that's not the topic of this discussion. I honestly cant say how good T6 by itself is, but I have had Zero oil related problems in 50,000 miles, and I drive hard. I use Mobil one synth in my gasoline tractor and newer mowers. Old stuff gets dino oil as I have 30 qt. of 10w-30 I got from a neighbor a while back.

 

[nick4030]

I use standard Rotella 15w-40 in all of my diesel engines, with the exception of our common rail TDI.

I have used Rotella for at least 12 years, and no problems yet. Its funny though, back in diesel school I had an instructor that said he only used Delo because Rotella left a film on everything. I always thought to myself, "isn't that the point of oil??" Anyhow, I like it a lot.

The TDI uses Castrol 5w-40 that is spec'd for VW. It still under warranty, so I figured its best to use what they want, especially should something catastrophic happen. I would think they would be sampling oil in that scenario. The previous TDI (two 2001 ALH's) both had T6 in them. Worked great, but that's the weight of oil they were designed to run on. One of them I sold to a friend with 210,000 on it (now almost 350,000) and still going strong. I don't think I would be running it in an engine that calls for 15w-40, however.

With all of that said (and Im not going to mention the name of the dealer here), when I worked for a Kubota dealer way back when, the owner refused to order in any compression rated oil. All of his new Kubotas were filled with 10w-30..... (I quickly left that job), but I still didn't see any failures that I could even remotely blame on the oil. Would I ever do that, no! But, like I say I have seen it done and in the little over a year I was there I never saw any of them come back for engine problems.

 

[pidjones]

Since that oil doesn't exist, what are you actually using? Not that motorcycle oil is pertinent here, I'm just curious.



Non-synthetic Rotella 15w40 diesel oil; many years of first hand experience with the same oil and no real reason to deviate.

Right you are! Just checked, and I actually use the 5W40 T6. Many GoldWing owners run diesel intended oils as they contain very little friction modifiers that would cause our wet clutches to slip. I change between 3000 and 5000 miles.

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[USMC_Johnson]

Lets see if i can remember all the vehicles i ran or run rotella T6 in....this should be long.

• 2011 John Deere Z445 (25hp kawi)
• 2011 Ninja 250
• 2015 Yamaha R1
• 1999 Subaru Impreza
• 2003 Subaru Forester
• 2006 BMW R1200GS
• 2011 KTM 990 adventure R
• 2 2012 KTM 300xc
• 1999 VW Passat (v6 gas)
• 2006 Toyota Sienna
• 2002 Ford F350 (7.3 diesel)
• 2012 Ford F150 (ecoboost)

I am sure i'm forgetting more than a few in there. Point is that its cheap and it works well. The only way to really know how the oil is working is to have someone analyze a sample from your engine.