New oil..

[dom w. forte]

I never run anything other then manufacturer specs, they have more testing then we as individuals, a boat engine has 2 problems harsh enviroment and its always under load, we are also dealing for the most part with old technology as far as bearing tollerances with he 5.0 & 5.7l , we only run either Kendall in the boats or Brad Penn for our older performence cars, we only use synthetic blend not pure synthetic.

[TeamAllen]

I read the article. Thanks for posting the link. I learned a lot.
I was surprised it didn't discuss the synthetic blends like Dom mentioned. After reading that article, I would think think it would be the best of both worlds?

[talltigeguy]

Thanks for the oil guy link. I got to chapter 5.

It would seem that synthetic would be ideal for the constant start and stop, then don't use it for 3 weeks, type of environment that boats have.

Why not pure synthetic? Because it is so thin it will leak easier?

[What she said]

I will continue using Rotella T 15W40.

[TeamAllen]

Is there still a thought out there that straight synthetic oils flow too well and leaves critical engine parts unprotected if the motor sits unused for extended periods of time? It seems like I remember reading that from Dom's shop in previous years?

[Wickedcummins]

Run a can of MOA and never worry about bearings again =)

[c_hotshot]

I'm not a chemical engineer - but I have a basic understanding of engine oils. One of the functions of an engine oil is to capture and hold all the nasty particles (dirt, soot, contaminants) that are found in the engine, such that they are removed when the oil is changed and not deposited somewhere within the engine. The oil should look black/dark and dirty when it is changed – that means the oil is doing its job and capturing those particles. It sounds to me like the Rotella is actually doing a better job!”

[Wickedcummins]

Maybe you didn't read what I wrote lol.. Where is the material coming from? I can tell you this Ive never had and engine fail on me and every engine I have built when ive pulled it apart to change a came or rods or whatever it is clean as a whistle =). The rotella oil test also stated the oil was beyond its life.. Just what the black stone oil test showed. I can also tell you our dealer will not poor your rotella into your Cummins engine after none stop bad tests back from blackstone. We have sent in 100s of tests and Rotella is the only one to ever come back with beyond its life at only 4k intervals. We now sell and use Valvoline Premium blue and BG HD... With have both came back with great results. At 4k intervals oil life was said to be 60% =).. I personally Run Valvoline Premium blue Synthetic in my truck.

This is all just food for thought with what we have found with tests I personally don't care what you chose to run. Only giving you guys the facts I have gotten through oil testing!

[JreisRZR]

I want to say that we have been using rotella but don't quote me, we always run the manufacturer recommended oil weight and change it within +-10 hours of 50. I have never noticed oil that looks "bad" and that it could go 100 hours, but why risk it. I do get nervous about the oil pressure at times though, because it does seem like it can get rather high on cold starts, I want to say mid 70's but my memory could be foggy after all it has been 8 months. Also, because of the cleanliness of the oil and filter oil we have chatted about sparing the filter for every 100 hours or 2 oil changes, considering the oil gets changed 3 times per year (50 hour, 100 hour,Winter), i have some reservations though, just hate the idea of 1. decreasing life of the boat which i meticulously take care of as if its my own child,or 2. throwing away money/wasting oil unnecessarily by worrying unnecessarily about #1 (3 oil changes a year isnt exactly Cheap...)
In essence, how often are changes necessary?

just more food for thought for you all.

[IDBoating]

throwing away money/wasting oil unnecessarily by worrying unnecessarily about #1 (3 oil changes a year isnt exactly Cheap...)
In essence, how often are changes necessary?

I care for our boat like it sounds you do. I change our oil every 50 hours, and again at winterization regardless of hours (i.e. it always winters with new oil). That's what the manufacturer recommends so that's what I do. I keep a detailed log of everything I do on the boat, including the visual appearance of the oil coming out, how much came out, how much went back in, etc.

I don't know what you consider "isn't exactly cheap", but for me it's no more than $15 for a gallon of Rotella T and perhaps $10 for the authentic PCM filter. That's $25 in materials plus maybe an hour of my time. If you change it 3x per season, that's $75 for the year, less than half a tank of fuel. I consider that pretty cheap insurance on the single most expensive component in the boat to buy, repair, or replace (the engine).

BTW, I also replace the transmission fluid at the same 50 hour intervals. ATF is cheap, transmissions are not. Again, good insurance.

[dom w. forte]

As I said we have always used Kendall since 1956 , never had any engine failures and my personal vehicles have all gone 3 t 400,000 miles without a tear down , on our classic muscle cars we have switched to Brad Penn for the higher zinc content to keep from wearing out the cams, as to synthetic we had trouble with minium used engines like boats , mainly oil consumption when loaded up with more then factory loads AKA extra ballast, also oiling wear problems when useing other then factory specs on viscosty, but different climates can dictate different viscositys , here in Fla., high humidity, and lots of load 15w 40, our ski team boat is under the most extream usage probably of any on the site, it has over 1300hrs , goes from standing start with 4 to 6 in tow barefooting to 5400rpm and back down and then pulls , 3 to 6 jump team 34mph, then 3 sets of trios which is 9 people off the dock to 16 mph, then as many as 15 girls ballet line of the dock to 16mph and its been doing that since 2004 , no problems or oil consumption 6.0l , now those are some real world test.

[IDBoating]

For those who care (that includes me), Rotella T 15W-40 is a multigrade conventional (i.e. liquid dinosaur, as opposed to synthetic or synthetic blend) oil. Other oils in the Rotella lineup are synthetics, which is one reason I'm using Rotella T. I avoid full synthetics in boat engines based on a conversation I had with Dom Forte while taking delivery of my brand-new 24Ve.

Yes, Rotella is marketed as an oil for diesel engines. But it also carries the rating for gasoline engines so no worries there:

The oil carries both the American Petroleum Institute (API) diesel "C" rating as well as the API gasoline engine "S" rating.

...and I use it in both my PCM EX343 gasoline engine in my boat and the Cummins 4-390 diesel engine in my loader/backhoe. (I would use it in my Cummins 5.7L truck engine too, but the dealer changes that oil for less than I can buy the materials to do it myself!)

Disclaimer: I have no relationship with Rotella or its maker, Shell, other than as a standard retail consumer.

[Wickedcummins]

Saying you like something with out actually knowing makes zero sense.. Send your oil out and have it check http://www.blackstone-labs.com/ your eyes cant tell you much about the oil.. Like I said from the results I have gotten back from rotella It will never be used in anything I own.. But there your engines do as you please..

I also like Kendal and brad pen Both great oils as well.. Dom has good taste as well in oils stand the tests!

[IDBoating]

I've long thought about having oil analysis done, and you've pushed me over the edge. Kit ordered, thanks!

[TeamAllen]

Dom, which Kendall 15W-40 are you using?
Guardol ECT or Kendall Super-D XA?