Should we all be using diesel engine oil?

[the]

Comp Cams recommends using diesel engine oil.

http://www.compcams.com/information/whatsnew/NewsDetails.asp?ListHistoryID=1821071676

"Simply put, today’s engine oil is just not the same as it used to be, thanks to ever tightening environmental regulations. The EPA has done a great job in reducing emissions and the effects of some of the ingredients found in traditional oils; however these changes to the oil have only made life tougher on your camshaft. The lubricity of the oil and specifically the reduction of important additives such as zinc and manganese, which help break-in and overall camshaft life, have been drastically reduced. In terms of oil selection, we recommend Shell Rotella T oil for the break-in procedure. Most often used in diesel engine applications, this higher lubricity oil works in gasoline engines as well."

[81 911 SC]

I use the Shell Rotella T in my 81.

[Svaha]

There's a raging discussion about this on the 993 board on Rennlist, the thread is called "Mobil 1 15w-50 vs. 15w-50 Extended Life"

[Porsche_monkey]

I've switched to diesel oil. 10W-30 (Volvo and Mercedes) and 20W-50 Porsche.

[GothingNC]

I switched to Rotell-T 15W40 and will add a pint of GM EOS since the new formulation of Rotella (SM-Cj-4) has reduced amounts of Zinc & PH but Rotella now contains Boron.

We need a forum set up "OIL"

[Porsche_monkey]

I think I'm turning into one of those 'Oil Snobs' I used to laugh at ....

[EarlyPorsche]

John D. is it only the rotella that has SM on the back that is bad? All the SL bottles are fine?

[dd74]

Originally posted by GothingNC
I switched to Rotell-T 15W40 and will add a pint of GM EOS since the new formulation of Rotella (SM-Cj-4) has reduced amounts of Zinc & PH but Rotella now contains Boron.

We need a forum set up "OIL"

I use 20W50. What does Boron do to our engines?

[M.D. Holloway]

Today, there really is no difference between engine oils. Diesel oils used to have higher TBN due to the high sulfation potental but that is not the case anymore - this is why the API has the C and S designations together. The S was for gas engines and the C was for diesel but the truth be known, oil blenders use packs from various suppliers to produce for same oils. It is all marketing now. Some companies market one way, others the other.

A true diesel engine oil will have a very stout lubricity pack as well as loads of detergents/disspersants and a nice high TBN (above 12). Thing is, in order to get a high TBN (the oils ability to neutralize various acids) the ash content goes up which effects the CAFE standards. Most engines for passenger cars will use an oil with a lower TBN (around 6 to 8) in order to keep the ash numbers down.

[unclebilly]

I run Delo 400 Synthetic in most of my vehicles - especially in the 911s. Worth looking into and is cost competitive.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by dd74
I use 20W50. What does Boron do to our engines?

found in detergent / disspersent add packs and also some anti-wear packs. Pretty old technology

[unclebilly]

Oh yah, Boron acts like moly. It has cleave planes in it and adds a layer of lubricity.

Very slipery stuff - we used it in high temperature brazing to keep the parts from sticking together.

The floor in that area was always very slipery just from the boron powder / residue. It seems to get into the pores of the concrete.

[RallyJon]

Eventually we'll all have to make a choice:

1) Buy a major brand synthetic from Wal-mart or wherever, and add the missing good stuff from an 8 oz. bottle, or

2) Pay big bucks for a boutique oil like Redline or Motul that has the good stuff in it already and isn't about to change it to give your minivan another mile per gallon or to satisfy the EPA.

So much of today's debate will be rendered meaningless the next time the oil companies decide to make oil even cleaner and remove even more of the additives we need. Hopefully they'll be courteous enough to warn us, but maybe not.

[Porsche_monkey]

I think it's the EPA banning oil components that clog the catylitic converters, rather than the oil companies jerking our chain, isn't it? I'm pretty sure the oil companies just get us by price, not content.

[M.D. Holloway]

Originally posted by PBH
I think it's the EPA banning oil components that clog the catylitic converters, rather than the oil companies jerking our chain, isn't it? I'm pretty sure the oil companies just get us by price, not content.

Actually, the API is no real friend to many oil companies. In fact, the API has made things rather tough. Some companies won;t even pursue the CJ-4 designations in 2007/8.

Also, majors make very little profits on the engine oils. It is almost a lost leader for them. Independents like Redline and Royal Puple do well though.

[M.D. Holloway]

Some info for those interested:

[the]

Originally posted by LubeMaster77
Today, there really is no difference between engine oils. Diesel oils used to have higher TBN due to the high sulfation potental but that is not the case anymore - this is why the API has the C and S designations together. The S was for gas engines and the C was for diesel but the truth be known, oil blenders use packs from various suppliers to produce for same oils. It is all marketing now. Some companies market one way, others the other.

So the answer is just use regular car engine oil, Mobil 1, Castrol GTX, etc.?

[M.D. Holloway]

yep

[HarryD]

Lots of good reading here: New Shell Rotella 15W-40 now has boron

[EarlyPorsche]

Any answer to my above question?