Giving Rotella T a whirl in the Jeep

[BytorJr]

Well, my Jeep 5.2L (318) has received a fresh batch of Rotella T 15w-40.

Having played with the factory formulation (5/10w-30), I've noticed some oil usage as of late. Though, I'm not convinced it's strictly because its becoming a real oil burner (138K miles) . When I drove up here on 5w-30 and towing it used no oil (12K miles ago). I have a whopping 1.25 mile drive to work, and I've been working in Iowa. So, it never really gets warmed up. I do drive more on weekends, but it only gets an extended workout driving to the airport in Illinois (90 miles).

So, after toying with the idea of T, T5 (10w-30), or T6(5w-40), I cheaped-out and got the old "T" formulation. I drained out the relatively new Castrol Syntec 10w-30 and WOW WOW WOW...my valve train noise is MUCH MUCH less. The whole engine seems quieter. Not all that impressed with the Syntec, though I have run the Syntec 20w-50 in a 911 with somewhat good luck.

I decided on the 15w-40 not only because it's cheap; but I'm going to haul a small trailer full of furniture and other junk back to Florida from Iowa this weekend. I figured the extra weight wouldn't hurt in all this heat and the load of a tow. Also, it'd give me a clue if this Rotella T may stop some of the oil burning.

Good or bad call?

 

[SOHCman]

You really cannot go wrong with a rotella product. Personally I might use a 10w-30 flavor, either the T or the T5. Both are on the "thick" side of a 30wt and I have had similar success quieting down an engine with them. Like most HDEO's all rotellas have very good wear protection and detergents.

 

[BytorJr]

Wasn't sure of the T5 thickness; but I was shocked by the thickness of the 15w-40. It's thicker pouring than 20w-50 valvoline (or it looked that way).

Also, they only had gallons of T5 at Wally World, so I opted for the "T" since they had quarts too. Didn't want to stock up on something I may not like. We shall see.

So, my other plan is to use this in a female friend's Jeep 4.0 that has 178K miles on it.

 

[needsducktape]

Is there any advantage/disadvantage in running Rotella in a newer Jeep engine? (2005, with 33kn 6cyl)

 

[BytorJr]

I'm certainly NO expert; but I'd think if you ran Rotella you'd need to stick to 10w-30 in a new Jeep. Which engine do you have? Even the new V8's are really new. My Jeep is a 1997 with the 5.2 which is the same old 318 Chrysler had for years but with what I'll call loosely "Fuel Injection."

 

[chad8]

Not all that impressed with the Syntec, though I have run the Syntec 20w-50 in a 911 with somewhat good luck.


why is syntec so thin? It runs like water out of the bottle.
Not impressed. You switched to the dark side....

 

[jstutz]

the 15w40 will be fine in florida in the summertime. Im not sure about the 5.2L but i dont see any reason it would be a concern. Not all engines are the same but i know many many people that run 15w40 in jeep 4.0s, chevy 4.3,5.7s ect. If it is a similar style engine, it will be fine.

 

[BytorJr]

I ran Syntec 20w-50 too in a similar vehicle. Seemed ok; but went back to Valvoline VR1..wasn't sure if my new motor was broken in completely so I figured I'd go back to dino for a few changes.

Syntec 10w-30..yes..like water...and when I drained it (VERY hot though) it was water...just dark water.

I almost went 5w-40; but again, this was an experiment. It is thick...no sheer worries to be sure.

 

[rslifkin]

If that engine is burning oil, check the intake manifold plenum gasket. Easy way to test it is this: warm up the engine, then disconnect and plug the PCV hose, and pull the breather hose off the airbox. Put your thumb over the end for a few seconds. It should start to build pressure. If it doesn't build any, or it draws a vacuum, the plenum gasket is shot.

Basically, the gasket seals a plate to the bottom of the intake manifold. When it goes, it starts to suck oil and crankcase gases into the intake. I was able to change mine in a weekend, it's not too hard a project if you're mechanically inclined, and there are plenty of good guides online.

The old 5.2 certainly won't mind a 40 weight though. My 5.9 has been happy as a clam on T6 5W-40 in everything from towing at 75* to cold starts at 2* to normal driving in 105* weather.

 

[A_Harman]

I think the T5 10w30 would be a good oil for your application.

Now about the name Bytor Jr...
Bet your favorite rock band is Rush!

There's also a user here that goes by Lifeson2112.
Wonder who his favorite band is?

 

[BytorJr]

Are there any other bands?

LOL I mean, seriously!

Well, I have no tools in Iowa and I'm driving back this weekend. I suspect you are correct about the gasket being shot.

My plan was to use this as a car towing vehicle too; but I'm concerned over the short wheelbase. Thinking about finding a good used truck (I know...an oxymoron if there ever was one).

 

[rslifkin]

If you're not towing anything huge / super-heavy, the ZJ will tow fine. I pulled a 6x12 tandem axle uhaul (around 3000 - 3200 lbs) on a 350 mile highway run last weekend. Even with surge brakes, the braking sucked (I'm putting bigger brakes on in a few months), but with a big add-on tranny cooler, I had no problem keeping the tranny cool, and it had plenty of power.

I wasn't getting pushed around at all on the highway (cruising at 60), and had it up to 70 a couple of times when passing with no issues. Felt fine around town too. You could definitely feel it back there, but it was stable as a rock, and no "this is too much trailer" moments were encountered. I don't know that I'd want to go much bigger than that though, and for anything more, I'd definitely want a weight distributing hitch setup.

 

[wsar10]

Originally Posted By: rslifkin
If that engine is burning oil, check the intake manifold plenum gasket. Easy way to test it is this: warm up the engine, then disconnect and plug the PCV hose, and pull the breather hose off the airbox. Put your thumb over the end for a few seconds. It should start to build pressure. If it doesn't build any, or it draws a vacuum, the plenum gasket is shot.

Basically, the gasket seals a plate to the bottom of the intake manifold. When it goes, it starts to suck oil and crankcase gases into the intake. I was able to change mine in a weekend, it's not too hard a project if you're mechanically inclined, and there are plenty of good guides online.

The old 5.2 certainly won't mind a 40 weight though. My 5.9 has been happy as a clam on T6 5W-40 in everything from towing at 75* to cold starts at 2* to normal driving in 105* weather.


yeah......
or you could just look down through you TB into the manifold with a flashlight and look for oil build up

 

[rslifkin]

True. Not always an accurate test though, as when my plenum gasket started to go, it failed the vacuum test, but didn't really show any oil (just a very light film, could have been from the PCV) in the manifold, as it was only leaking a little bit (about a quart every 3k miles, burns about a 1/2 quart in 6k now with a new gasket). Gasket wasn't totally shredded when I pulled it apart.

 

[ac_tc]

My 5.9 behaves lik a vacum cleaner if i do the
hose test. I can even hear it sucking through
te oil filler cap. Must fix it some day...
The magnums are happy on xw-40 hdeo.
And i didnt see any fuel consumption
changes when i went from 10w-30 pcmo
to 10w-40 hdeo.

 

[rslifkin]

^ You definitely have a badly blown plenum gasket then. It's not too bad to fix, and you'll probably pick up a little power and mpg when you do.

I agree that going from the 10W-30 M1 that was in there when I bought it to the 5W-40 T6, I didn't see any change in mpg either. 40 weight is no problem at all for these engines. Keep in mind, they were mostly designed in the 1960s.

 

[SEMI_287]

Nothing wrong with 40 weight! I run it in my "modern" 4.7 in the summer and she purs like a kitten. I do tow quite a bit and Ive gotten my best mpg with 15w40.

 

[440Magnum]

The only concern I'd have is high oil pump drive loading when cold with a 15w40 oil. I'd have probably picked T5 10w30 or T6 5w40 for that application, but as others have said you can't really go wrong with Rotella.

 

[84zmyfavorite]

I think any year Jeep 4.0 would do well with a 15w-40 Heavy Duty Engine Oil. Ive got 4 Cherokees with the 4.0, and two of them have been run on Delo 400 for 20,+++ miles on one oil change of 15w-40 Delo 400. Maby you shouldnt go that far.

 

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: 84zmyfavorite
I think any year Jeep 4.0 would do well with a 15w-40 Heavy Duty Engine Oil. Ive got 4 Cherokees with the 4.0, and two of them have been run on Delo 400 for 20,+++ miles on one oil change of 15w-40 Delo 400. Maby you shouldnt go that far.



I agree... but the question was about the 5.2 ;-)
IMO the 4.0 would be more tolerant of a thick cold oil than the 5.2. The 4.0 runs lower oil pressure at all times than the 5.2, plus the 5.2 has roller lifters which the 4.0 doesn't. If you're going to run HDEO in an LA-series engine (5.2/5.9) then I'd stick with a 5w40 to keep from needlessly stressing the oil pump drive on cold start.