As a layman, it sounds like the eco diesel is a poorly designed motor and that God himself would have to design an oil to keep this motor running long term. Stated differently, not a lubricant quality issue but simply one of poor or inadequate design.Rotella T6 is not recommended for the 3.0 EcoDiesel due to issues with turbo coking. It's a general caution against using heavy-duty diesel oil in a light-duty diesel engine.
Initially, the EcoDiesel was filled with Shell ECT C3 5W-30 (PP Euro L 5W-30) straight from the factory. However, installing an engine designed in the pre-DPF era for GM sedans intended for the European market into a full-size pickup truck led to several problems. For instance, under heavy loads, the first generation EcoDiesel experienced crankshaft flexing. Moreover, the EGR system was clogging the intake with soot, while the DPF was creating excessive backpressure.
FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles) was quick to address these issues, with motor oil being the apparent low-hanging fruit. Unfortunately, Rotella T6 proved ineffective within the engine’s tiny, overheating turbocharger. It also failed to manage the substantial soot levels, which polished the bearings to the color visible in the pictures posted by @RDY4WAR. Ultimately, FCA settled on recommending a full-SAPS European motor oil with strict OEM approvals, thereby creating their somewhat redundant MS specification - 12991. This specification includes oils such as QS/PP Euro 5W-40, Castrol EDGE 5W-40 (SP), and similar products. Indeed, FCA’s situation with the EcoDiesel was desperate, leading to the recommendation of a full-SAPS Euro oil for diesel engines equipped with DPF and SCR systems.
Mobil, on their part, has provided guidelines on how to use their full SAPS 5W-40 (Mobil 1 FS 5W-40):
View attachment 210566
FCA is presumably hoping that by the time the oil starts contaminating the aftertreatment system, the vehicle will have surpassed its warranty period.
Moreover, viewing a 3.0 EcoDiesel without its engine cover reveals a rather chaotic scene, a testament to its initial design in the early 2000s by VM Motori and the subsequent passing of the project between various engineering teams.
If Stellantis hadn’t already terminated 400 engineers in the US, with plans to lay off another 3200 soon with the intention of relocating those jobs to India and Mexico, perhaps we could seek further insights into the EcoDiesel’s development. Nevertheless, it seems the EcoDiesel will be revisited by a new "elite team" based in Mumbai.
We've managed to run a D60 for 1.5 million miles using Rotella T4 before switching to Delvac 1 Extreme. While Rotella may not be the pinnacle of engine oils, many criticisms leveled against it may be unwarranted.
Why is rotella hated by some?
- Thread starter Redhawk454
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As a layman, it sounds like the eco diesel is a poorly designed motor and that God himself would have to design an oil to keep this motor running long term. Stated differently, not a lubricant quality issue but simply one of poor or inadequate design.
That has been my conclusion too for awhile with the engine and rotella oil products, thank you @Invisible for a sane elaboration.
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You do realize they have a much larger global presence than any other major on earth right now, correct?
Just saying.
A friend of mine was a VP of supply chain for one of the largest drilling companies on earth. Bidding out lubricants globally - where you’re off the coast of Ghana, in the GOM, off the coast of England, or in the South China Sea, or perhaps floating off the coast of Australia - you have one choice.
Shell.
The end. They’re the only major that can do that. For better or worse. It’s a testament to their global presence. Not so much quality or lack of quality.
You can’t prove that is from the oil hell you could have taken that photo from the internet. This isn’t evidence. Where’s your maintenance records for each oil change? Proof of purchase of the oil and so forth.
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I'd be more interested to know how Shell got to this point. They must be doing something right.
There’s a few books on the O&G industry history I can recommend, if you want. They’re fairly dry reads but that info is out there.
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I'd love to read them. Please go ahead. Thank you.
Crude Volatility by Robert McNally
The Seven Sisters by Anthony Sampson
The Prize / The Quest / The New Map all by Daniel Yergin
Helps explain the 7 sisters… as well as the rise and fall of them. Really, supporting production / exploration is how Shell has such a global presence. They want to support themselves globally, in that field. So once they do that, they just keep expanding. They also have had great partnerships / branding support around the world. Where they may not necessarily “do it themselves” - they have other companies do it, under their flag.
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