Whats with rave of using Diesel engine oil?

[Sjorge450R]

I was just wondering why everyone is switching to the diesel oil. What benifits are there and what kind is everyone using?

[jdboy]

Rotella T 5w40 is what I've seen most people use (including me). I made the switch because I've heard of people doing this for several years now and thought I would give it a try. One reason is that it is about the same cost as Honda GN4 standard oil and the T is a fully synthetic. Another reason is that you can get it almost anywhere; Wal-Mart sells it in the gallon jugs for $14 here in TN. After the switch I have noticed that my leaking valve seals don't cause as much smoke at start-up (although what smoke there is stinks to high heaven). The engine seems to run cooler as I don't hear my valves tick as much as before when riding slow trails. Also after several rides the gears seem smooth as ever and I haven't had to adjust the clutch perch at all so that tells me the clutch is taking to the new oil well also.

One of the reasons I was told that the diesel oil was ok was that being that diesel had some lubricating properties to it already the engine oil they use don't really have to have all the friction modifiers the gas engine oils need. And the modifiers are what are bad for our clutches. Hope this info is correct and helps.

[rooster300ex]

Originally posted by Sjorge300EX
I was just wondering why everyone is switching to the diesel oil. What benifits are there and what kind is everyone using?


Good question. Lets read more.

You can buy it anywhere, its cheap, and its exactly what a wetclutch needs from what i've read on this site & many others.

[rooster300ex]

Nobody else??

[boricua]

there must be bad reasons why not to use this stuff, right? they just dont out-weigh the good? what are they?

[boricua]

diesels get hot, real hot and demand a lot more from their oil. does our little 4 stroke produce enough heat? or are we looking at the fact that it's synthetic, for a lesser price, and seems to work? just wondering

[rooster300ex]

Originally posted by boricua
diesels get hot, real hot and demand a lot more from their oil. does our little 4 stroke produce enough heat? or are we looking at the fact that it's synthetic, for a lesser price, and seems to work? just wondering


I think alot of the reason people use it is because it doens't have any molys, and it has additives for soot & shearing. correct me if i'm wrong.

[boricua]

dont know much about our clutches, but it sounds like the wet clutch likes shear(ing) and what is the soot additive for, emissions?

[underpowered]

rotella is a high detergent oil. it will clean out all the gunk in your crankcase. after running rotella fora while now, you can eat off teh inside of my engine (so to speak) it is spotless, very little build up or grunge anywhere. one downfall is it may cause your engine seal to leak if they are old. it may clean off any grunge holding the rubber seals together and cause oil to get where it is not supposed to go. Like prebiously said, diesels run hot, really hot and so do most little air cooled 4 strokes. the oil doesnt break down like most other oils do in such high temteratures. KTM and harley both use rotella from the factory, so there must be swomething good about running it over other oils.

[cals400ex]

it is a good oil for the price. the synthetic (5-40) is a group III synthetic if i remember correctly. so, there are definatly better oils made but for the price i don't see how it can be beat. i run the regular rotella (15-40) when breaking in my bike after a new piston or rings install.

[NacsMXer]

I made the switch to Shell full synthetic Rotella T 5w40 after Mobil 1 red cap 15w50 was discontinued. I really believe the Rotella is just as good as the Mobil 1. What I like about it is the fact that it doesn't contain moly (like the old Mobil 1 red cap), and the fact that I can buy it for around 13-14 bucks a gallon. There ARE better synthetics out there, but they come at a price. At the rate I change my oil, it just doesn't justify the cost to run something like Amsoil or Royal Purple. The Shell full synthetic provides MORE than enough protection that a motor would need with regular change intervals. It says that it is approved for both diesel and gasoline engines on Shell's website, so I wouldn't look at it as a diesel-specific oil. It is just popular with diesel guys because it is up to handling the abuse they can dish out.

[DieselBoy]

the actual diesel engine itself actually does not run hotter than a gasoline engine, however, the combustion is hotter. I was always thinking about using diesel engine oil in a gas motor wondering what would happen, if it would be worth while or not, maybe I'll give it a try.

My powerstroke REQUIRES quality engine oil as the engine oil lubricates the turbo, and fires the injectors. When my motor oil is getting worn, you notice a drop in "pep" and if the powerstroke was to run too low on oil, the engine would actually stop running!

So who here runs REGULAR walmart diesel engine oil in there machine? Noticed any negatives with this route? It seems like a good idea in my books.

[firefighterjosh]

Theres a reason it is Diesel Motor oil. Not Quad motor Oil. It dosen't sound bad but I will stick with the Recomended stuff.

I use Maxima 20 50 on the 400
and Maxima 80 with the Banshee

[Glamis400ex]

Firefighter,

If you actually would READ the back of a bottle of "diesel" oil, it's compatible with ALL diesel AND gas engines. Don't disgourage people here from maybe saving a few bucks and actually getting a VERY good quality oil to run in their quads.....because you don't know any better.

If my Diesel Excursion can't break it down after 5K miles, I'd say it's a good bet in my 426.

Glamis

[firefighterjosh]

Glamis400ex,
I am not discouraging people from buying it I am just putting my 2 cents worth in. I understand people want to save money, but motor oil isn't one thing I would try to save money on. Thats your engine we are talking about. Has anyone ran this stuff for a long time? I haven't heard anyone say anything about it. There is also a thing called "too good" oil. I ran ams oil in my Banshee the stuff would never break down and would make my clutch slip (but it would never be wore:confused: ) My buddy ran AMS in his 450r and it blew out some bearings, honda went through it and said it was the oil. "It is too good" they said. So if you diesel excursion can't break it down within 5K how is a little 400 going to do that within the recomended time? I would rather oil break down and change my oil every 20 Hours then have some oil that isn't made for my quad and change it every 50 Hours just to save a couple bucks!

Thanks,

[Glamis400ex]

I understand your point FireFighter....what I guess I meant to say was, if it's good enough and recommended for my $50K truck....it's certainly more than good enough for my quad.

[firefighterjosh]

Understood

[nosliw]

a very good (similar) diesel dino oil is Chevron Delo 400. i use that and the dino T in my quads and duramax truck.

1. cheap
2. readily available
3. convienent 1 gallon jugs


EX, KFX, and LLY all love the stuff

[ryanh250ex]

oil is something i NEVER cheap out on. i know that in my V8 Jeep i run mobil 1 EP synthetic oil and M1 oil filter.

however, 10 bucks a quart to pay for Amsoil 10w40 is straight up rediculous. The oil is good, but not good enough to not justify that kind of price.

I now run this oil from Europe called ELF oil full synthetic oil. Its from Europe, and people that have used it rave about it. its a 10w50 oil, and it was only 7.50/qt. Not quite rotella cheap, but it's a Amsoil quality oil for a better price.

[426racer]

i went to a shop yesterday to ask how much it would be to install a cam and he ask what kind of oil i was using so i told him 5 40 diesel oil and he told me that it would run my clutch out faster and i was wondering if that was true???

[cals400ex]

the synthetic oils mayall be a bit harsh on the clutch because these oils are a little slicker. however, my 400ex was fine on its stock clutch after several years of use. it actually looked nearly brand new. i just put a sparks clutch in for the heck of it. it didn't need it but oh well. i always ran a full synthetic. however, the 5-40 synthetic rotella oil does not contain the friction modifiers so it is fine to run in your bike.

[426racer]

oh ok, thanks for the info.

[chiaml]

So you people running Rotella have no clutch slip problems? Do you recommend it for cold weather also?

[jdboy]

I've had no problems with the clutch at all. As far as winter riding goes, I'll be running the Rotella T year round. Synthetics are hands down better for winter because they have a much lower pour temp. compared to standard oils in the same weight.

[94F450SD]

well after reading some threads on this topic i tried the 15/40 rotella in my 400.but not the synthetic crap.

but my clutch didnt slip,actually felt like it grabbed a littler harder.and the engine wasnt ticking as bad as it normally does.its a little tougher to start but wnybody that knows how diesels start know what im talkin about

[nosliw]

delo 400 is basically the same stuff, just cheaper.

[buck naked-r]

you want some good oil try this.....it's the best you'll get........syntheic and full of moly..

[waycott_259]

should i use 15w40 or 5w40? whast the differnece cuz i've only seen 15 where i live

[rooster300ex]

Originally posted by buck naked-r
you want some good oil try this.....it's the best you'll get........syntheic and full of moly..


You don't want moly in a wet clutch motor.

[jdboy]

Originally posted by waycott_259
should i use 15w40 or 5w40? whast the differnece cuz i've only seen 15 where i live

If your talking about Rotella, the 15W is standard oil and the 5W is a full synthetic. The one most of us is running in the 5W in a dark blue jug. If I'm not mistaken the 15W standard oil is in a white jug by the gallon.

[Sjorge450R]

Originally posted by jdboy
If your talking about Rotella, the 15W is standard oil and the 5W is a full synthetic. The one most of us is running in the 5W in a dark blue jug. If I'm not mistaken the 15W standard oil is in a white jug by the gallon.

yep. the 15w is in a white gallon jug. My boss has it at work.

[JW450R1]

i thought it wasn't good for the clutches to run syth. oils

[d3ktrix]

Originally posted by ryanh250ex
oil is something i NEVER cheap out on. i know that in my V8 Jeep i run mobil 1 EP synthetic oil and M1 oil filter.

however, 10 bucks a quart to pay for Amsoil 10w40 is straight up rediculous. The oil is good, but not good enough to not justify that kind of price.

I now run this oil from Europe called ELF oil full synthetic oil. Its from Europe, and people that have used it rave about it. its a 10w50 oil, and it was only 7.50/qt. Not quite rotella cheap, but it's a Amsoil quality oil for a better price.

I pay $6.75/qt for 10/40 Amsoil shipped to my door.


Originally posted by JW450R1
i thought it wasn't good for the clutches to run syth. oils

They are only bad if they have fiction modifiers (moly) in them.
Most of the oils they are talking about in this thread have 0 moly.

[jdboy]

Originally posted by d3ktrix
I pay $6.75/qt for 10/40 Amsoil shipped to my door.



They are only bad if they have fiction modifiers (moly) in them.
Most of the oils they are talking about in this thread have 0 moly.

I'm sure the Amsoil is a better ATV oil than the Rotella T but for $14 a gallon (same price as honda GN4) it's hard to beat. A real plus for the weekend basher but maybe not good enough for the racers in the group.

[Flynbryan19]

And if you run the Rotella 15w-40 you can get it for under $8 a GALLON. ;)

[nosliw]

i just bought a case of 6-1gallon jugs of delo 400 for $30 at sams club.

so yea, bout a buck or two a quart :cool:

[waycott_259]

ok i;ve been using 15w in the white gallon jugs..i hoguht thats what ppl were using.. is that good for my motor?

[Flynbryan19]

Originally posted by waycott_259
ok i;ve been using 15w in the white gallon jugs..i hoguht thats what ppl were using.. is that good for my motor?

Its fine. Lots of people use this too. The makers of the Rekluse Auto Clutch tell people to use it with their product, so I doubt its bad for your quad. ;)

[waycott_259]

my motor smokes alot more after switching to rotella 2..is that normal?

[waycott_259]

ok thanks hah i was woried for a minute

[red2004 TRX450R]

they have more Zinc in them

All the oil manufacturers have been required to take the zinc out because it damages catalytic converters on street cars. More production cars are going to roller-type camshafts instead of flat-tappets, therefore not having zinc in the oil does not harm the engine as it would in a race car. The only thing you need to worry about with these flat-tappet cams, like most of these engines are required to run is , the oil needs to have more zinc than is normally found in a production oil. Zinc helps with wear on flat-tappet cams.

i know Rotella has high zinc content and zinc is a real good lubricant.

there was a big articular in one of my car mags that talks about the removal of zinc and another compound to improve emissions but if you have a flat tappet cam Like I do in my race car. you should use racing oil or desel because they have more zinc (Rotella had one of the highest levels of zinc in non racing oil)

[WheelieMan4]

Im installing a new piston and cam, so i should get the 15w40 for breaking it in, and then switch to 5w40? Thanks...

[NacsMXer]

Originally posted by WheelieMan4
Im installing a new piston and cam, so i should get the 15w40 for breaking it in, and then switch to 5w40? Thanks...

You should do exactly that ;) Break it in on the petroleum 15w40 and then switch to synthetic 5w40 for good.

[WheelieMan4]

alright, thanks alot!

[buck naked-r]

Originally posted by rooster300ex
You don't want moly in a wet clutch motor.

i only use this on the engine side

its a trx 450

[stalefish_132]

i switched to chevron delro 400 in my EX today, new wiseco seems to like it. $10 a gallon in sted of $14 a liter for what i was useing. alot less valve noise... i like it! :D

[stupidhurts400]

should i use the 5-40 or the 15-40 for my 03 400ex