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Personally I use Cat diesel oil because my brother is the executive VP at Cat so I get a discount (my nephew works in the oil lab and gives me a break down on my engine condition by reading tea leaves and my old oil filter. That said:

Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40 and Mobil Delvac 1 (truck oil) 5W-40 are the same product just branded differently for different markets and is just as good as Rottella (as far as zinc content , buffering agents emulsifiers and detergents). Good news you can find it at Wall Mart stores just about anywhere.

Specifications and Approvals:

5W-40 API CI-4 PLUS/CI-4/CH-4/CG-4/CF-4/CF/SL/SJ X
ACEA E7/E5/E4/E3 X

Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck Meets or Exceeds the following industry and builder specifications:

Caterpillar ECF-1 X
Cummins CES 20072/20071 X
Detroit Diesel Power Guard Oil Specification X
Ford WSS-M2C171-D X
Global DHD-1 X
JASO DH-1 X

Jeff Paquette, Raymond, NH asked the question about the presence of zinc in engine oils. Does Mobil Delvac have zinc in the oil? A lot of racers are using Shell to break in their cams in HP engines due to the zinc in the oil. It works the best. I think most oils for non-gas cars have zinc in the oil to help something? -- Source Mobil Oils web site.

Response: All engine oils have an additive called ZDDP (Zinc DialkylDithioPhosphate) for wear protection. In general, heavy duty engine oils (truck oils like Mobil Delvac) have a higher level of ZDDP than automotive engine oils. Automotive engine oils generally have a lower level of ZDDP to protect the catalytic systems and the oxygen sensors.


Big Dave
 
Discussion starter · #22 · (Edited)
Thanks Dave for the detailed info. Is it okay to run diesel oil regularly? I've heard conflicting stories saying "yes" and "no". I'm leaning more to using diesel oil for breakin, and then switching to synthetic for regular use.


so-cal Jack
 
Yes you can run a diesel designated motor oil in a gasoline car and it will not effect anything. Diesels quality oil is usually a better grade than gasoline use.

The American Petroleum Institute is a non-commercial technical forum allegedly unallied with any one company whose function it is to provide the government and industry with information about petroleum products. they rate the motor oils as to quality defined as Grade, Viscosity, ash content, freezing point, and flash point and the density of the product. API is responsible for testing the oils and assigning them the "SF, SI, SJ, SL" etc. labels which tell you what the quality of the oil is (S means spark or gasoline motor, and the letter after the S is the quality; with the higher the letter in the alphabet being the better quality).

From Mobil's web site (I am in no way affiliated with them, this is just the cheapest product that will meet your needs, because I'm of Scotch ancestry and an engineer that's the way I think).

SAE Grade 5W-40 (SAE stands for the Society of Automotive Engineers of which I was once a dues paying member)
Viscosity, ASTM D 445
cSt @ 40ºC 102
cSt @ 100ºC 14.8
Viscosity Index, ASTM D 2270 151
Sulfated Ash, wt%, ASTM D 874 1.35
Total Base #, mg KOH/g, ASTM D 2896 12
Pour Point, ºC, ASTM D 97 -45
Flash Point, ºC, ASTM D 92 226
Density @ 15ºC kg/l, ASTM D 4052 0.854

Features
Advantages and Potential Benefits Meets or exceeds demanding specifications of major OEMs One engine oil for mixed fleet operations Outstanding thermal and oxidation stability Reduced low temperature sludge build-up and high temperature deposits Enhanced film strength at high temperatures Reduced engine scuffing and bore polishing Inherent stay-in-grade shear stability Wear protection and reduced oil consumption; maintains viscosity in severe, high temperature service Advanced formulation and viscometrics Improved fuel economy Low volatility Reduced oil consumption Exceptional low temperature pumpability Easier engine start-up and reduced wear Enhanced TBN quality reserve Deposit control and extended drain capability Outstanding resistance to corrosion Extended life of critical wear surfaces Long drain capability Increased operating efficiency and lower overall cost Component compatibility Longer gasket and seal life, extended service intervals


Big Dave
 
Since diesel oil will change shortly as they are now required to comply with Federal EPA smog equipment being installed to remove oxides and particulates we will all be running rollers or racing oil. Racing oil is not sold by your local "Quickie" oil change emporium because it can not be used on the street (because it contains ZDDP). It also contains all of the detergents you would need to run your car on the street (anti-oxidizers, buffers, etc), but the manufactures can not legally induce you to break the law using their products by telling you this. (It is also more expensive per quart than diesel grade which is why I do not use it).


Big "Blabber Mouth" Dave
 
EOS is the best for break in but it will clog your oil filter if used continuously which causes the bypass valve to open which means your just like the original SBC 265 no optional oil filter. A "good" oil works just fine. Synthetics do not have ZZDP unless it says so on the can (look at me I said "Can" LOL, just showing my age. Shucks I have a one quart glass jar with an oil spout from when we got oil by the 55 gallon barrel and had to hand pump it out for customers) I meant to say written on the plastic liter sized container.


Big Dave
 
I go by a couple of rules when choosing an oil. Small blocks in general use 20w50 oil. There are exceptions of course. The higher the horsepower, the thicker the oil. Unless your breaking 600 hp to the ground there is no need to go heavier than 20w50. (True hp, not a guess becuase "it feels like it") Once you pick an oil, stick with it. Oils have additives in them that may not mix well between brands and cause sludge build up. Like Doug said, change it often. The harder you are on it, the more you need to change it, but don't be like the guy who thinks he needs to change the oil after every pass. You only do that for high horse alcohol applications.
 
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