Delvac 15W40, 8062 miles, Honda ST1100

[Rick_A]

1999 Honda ST1100
Water-cooled V4
Shared engine/trans. oil, wet clutch

Comments:
Mobil Delvac 15W40 oil
PL14612 is a Purolator automotive oil filter
LC20 used in the oil. FP3000 and Redline Lead Substitute in the gas.

I'm not too worried about the Sodium, it is not coolant. I am using Redline Lead Substitute
in the fuel to help protect the valves and it is Sodium-based. I have used it before and it
shows up in the oil tests.

This is the second run on Delvac. Low wear numbers and pretty good viscosity. The Iron reading is down again.


Blackstone Labs Test results:

Oil...............Rotella 15W40 CJ4 ....Max Life 10W40....Delvac 15W40....Delvac 15W40
Filter............1536 Napa Gold....1536 Napa Gold....PL14612 Purolator....PL14612
Total Miles....89,028.................97,045................110,996................119,028
Miles on oil....7,947..................8,017.................8,016...................8,062
Time on Oil.....3 Mo.....................5 Mo...................2 1/2 Mo............3 1/2 Mo
Make up oil......0.....................0.......................0..........................0
.
Aluminum.........13...................9...................8...........................10
Chromium.........1.....................0....................1.........................1
Iron................24........................23...................14....................14
Copper............3.........................3....................3.....................3
Lead...............4........................3....................3......................3
Tin.................0.......................0....................1......................0
Moly..............8..........................249..................82....................51
Nickel.............0........................0....................0.....................0
Manganese......0.......................0.....................0......................0
Silver..............0.........................0....................0.....................0
Titanium..........0.......................0....................0......................0
Potassium........7.......................2....................2.......................2
Boron.............32......................13...................37.....................27
Silicon.............12.......................12...................12....................11
Sodium.............19........................10....................332....................343
Calcium............2347......................2588....................1719.................1169
Magnesium.........17..........................9.......................827...................735
Phosphorus.......956........................742........................963...................806
Zinc.................1264....................863........................1300...................1018
Barium.............0.......................0..........................0........................0
Flashpoint F......400.....................385........................410.......................385
Fuel................ Antifreeze........0............................0......................... .66........................ ??
Water.............0........................0..........................0...........................0
Insoluables......0.2.......................0.2........................0.3........................0.3
SUS Visc@210f..71.5......................61.5........................68.4......................66.0
cST Visc@100c..13.35...................10.64.......................12.54.......................11.89
TBN.................4.2...................3.1.........................3.1........................4.2

 

[nicrfe1370]

I am impressed with how well these oils have performed. I wouldn't have thought any oil, particularly a non-synthetic, could go this long in a shared sump. You are probably getting the best bang for your oil buck possible; if you switched to a synthetic, you probably wouldn't be able to increase the miles by the same percentage as the cost would increase.

I am curious what Blackstone had to say about the coolant. That's basically the only concern I have here, every other reading looks about as perfect as one could hope for.

 

[sunruh]

the visc is a hair low, but for 8k miles....SO WHAT!!!

what sticks out to me is that zinc dropped 282 on the same oil for the same miles! and the tbn went UP for the same miles when time was MORE!!! and yet susvis went down 2.4 for just that hair more miles. very very odd!!! oh yeah, and how does phosph go UP with more time and a hair more miles? yet again magn and calc went down.

very very odd!!!
was black...stoned again?

oh, and is TR less or more than
p.s. you need to ride more!!!
8k in 2 1/2 months. jeez.

 

[Steve S]

p.s. you need to ride more!!!
8k in 2 1/2 months. jeez. .... That is the bike to do the miles on!!! You sure can pick out great oils,

 

[Rick_A]

Originally Posted By: nicrfe1370
I am impressed with how well these oils have performed. I wouldn't have thought any oil, particularly a non-synthetic, could go this long in a shared sump. You are probably getting the best bang for your oil buck possible; if you switched to a synthetic, you probably wouldn't be able to increase the miles by the same percentage as the cost would increase.

I am curious what Blackstone had to say about the coolant. That's basically the only concern I have here, every other reading looks about as perfect as one could hope for.


Blackstone worries about the coolant because of the Sodium in the sample. I don't worry about it because I am sure it is coming from the Sodium based fuel additive that I am using. That and the bike doesn't use any coolant that I can observe.
The fuel additive is a lead-substitute from Redline to help protect my valves

 

[Rick_A]

Originally Posted By: sunruh
the visc is a hair low, but for 8k miles....SO WHAT!!!

what sticks out to me is that zinc dropped 282 on the same oil for the same miles! and the tbn went UP for the same miles when time was MORE!!! and yet susvis went down 2.4 for just that hair more miles. very very odd!!! oh yeah, and how does phosph go UP with more time and a hair more miles? yet again magn and calc went down.

very very odd!!!
was black...stoned again?

oh, and is TR less or more than
p.s. you need to ride more!!!
8k in 2 1/2 months. jeez.


Yeah, I don't worry about the exact numbers too much, just general trends. But then again, maybe I don't know enough about this stuff to know when to worry

The TBN may have improved because I used the LC20 in the oil this time??

And yes, I did get to do a little touring last year with some trips to AZ, NV, UT, OR etc. A good year for riding and almost 28,000 miles last year.

 

[Rick_A]

Unfortunately, most of these miles are commuting to work; about 100 miles a day round-trip but I did get some good touring and motorcycle-camping trips in last year!

Rick

 

[sunruh]

ah, so LC20 was used this oci but not the last oci?
ok, that all makes sense now.

ride on rick, ride on!!!

my only recommendation would be to wash the liner of your helmet more often!!!

 

[TucsonDon]

What do you suppose accounts for the drop in iron? Is there some property of Delvac that might do that, as opposed to Rotella or Max Life?

 

[Rick_A]

Darn if I know Don??
I was surprised when the iron was low the first time I tested the Delvac. I figured that it was a mistake in testing but now it has stayed low for the second OCI.

The main reason I ran the Delvac is because I got the $3.00 per gallon rebate so the oil was just over $6.00 a gallon

Sure seems like a good oil to me.

Rick

 

[TucsonDon]

Rick, you're killing me here ... I'd finally settled down and stopped worrying about oil, having staked my trust in Rotella T. Heck, I even wrote up a Wikipedia article on it! Now you have to come along and plant the seed of doubt in my mind. Mobil Delvac, huh? Rats. Now I'll have to think about trying it.

Thanks a lot!

 

[sunruh]

rick and don,
what you also have to consider is this:

part of an oils job is to get the "impurity" into suspension so the filter can catch it.

so, did SRT get more iron into suspension and show the filter is not so good?

OR

does Delvac prevent internal rust better or something else?

OR

does the Napa Gold not filter as well as the Purolator?

hmmmm?

 

[TucsonDon]

Originally Posted By: sunruh
o did SRT get more iron into suspension and show the filter is not so good?
o does Delvac prevent internal rust better or something else?
o does the Napa Gold not filter as well as the Purolator?

What's your guess?

Iron in the suspension could be due to either oxidation or wear, correct? So is there another variable at play?

I'm going to guess that SRT is so good that it literally scares the iron atoms and they fall into the oil suspension.

SRT is the Chuck Norris of oils.

 

[sunruh]

i think running the napa gold filter without LC20 but with delvac would take my opinion out of the equation!

imho i tested delvac 1300 15w40 and it wasnt as good as srt and not as good as supertech. soooooooooooo, either his bike is vastly different or the filter OR LC20 really changes things around.

 

[Rick_A]

Yeah, there are a couple of variables here from my other UOAs. It’s kind of hard just changing one thing at a time when I do 8,000 miles OCIs, it takes a long time to get comparisons.

A couple of quick notes though; my last run on the Delvac did not have LC20 and looked pretty good. Also, I’ve run the Purolator filters with Delo and not seen iron this low before.

Rick

 

[BigJohn]

Originally Posted By: TucsonDon
Rick, you're killing me here ... I'd finally settled down and stopped worrying about oil, having staked my trust in Rotella T. Heck, I even wrote up a Wikipedia article on it! Now you have to come along and plant the seed of doubt in my mind. Mobil Delvac, huh? Rats. Now I'll have to think about trying it.

Thanks a lot!

I also was a Rotella fan and still believe it is a SUPER oil, but after reports like this and the specs I have been able to find and use as comparison, I have now purchased 2 gallons of Delvac 15w40 and am using it in my XL600's. The boys and I both believe that the bikes are running a bit smoother, shifting better, etc...than with any oil we have ever used.

Matter of fact, the current $36 fill of Amsoil that I have in my V-Strom may be the last of the high dollar synthetic I ever purchase again for my bikes. The jury is still out, but I am leaning that way.

 

[Rick_A]

Yeah John, the HDEOs have worked great for me. I bought a Goldwing a few months ago that is coming up on it’s first oil change and I’ll probably use either Delvac or Rotella 10W30 for the first one.

Rick

 

[dnewton3]

I just spoke with my friend who rides a 1998(?) ST1100. He just took it in for service (he's not a wrench-type guy).

He is having to replace the swingarm - because it rusted from all the wet/winter riding he does in the DC area. He is a true trooper; rides the ST nearly all the time, rain or shine, year round (unless there is snow or ice). Swingarm rusted so badly that it literally was giving way and moving laterally side-to-side! Yikes!

But the reason I mention this is because he's got 127k or so miles on it. And yet, he spent the money to replace the swingarm because the bike still runs great. He follows the OEM recommendations for service religiously. Uses OEM parts and lubes, etc., all done by the dealer. Every time he has the valves checked, they are fine; cams good and buckets ok. Compression is good. Engine is just great overall. Same can be said for the whole bike. (You can't fault a vehicle for environmental rust).

And all that mileage on the (less than stellar) Honda GN-4 oil and stock filters changed every 8k miles. HDEOs are "better" than GN-4 oil any day of the week; the add pack alone blows away Honda's base oil. I dont' care if you're looking at Rotella, Delo, Devlac, or whatever. HDEO is flat out a "better" oil than GN-4. I've seen VOAs on the stuff; GN-4 is as bland as they come.

If the ST can go that far on run-of-the-mill OEM oil, (and shows promise of continuing to give great service), then the debate of which HDEO is the "best" is a moot discussion.

Most people here (myself included) are maintenance zealots and/or lube biggots.

Your ST could probably not care less what you put in it. Surely you'll get differnt UOA results, but much of that is due to the changing of brand chemistry, etc.

The ST is simply an awesome design and well manufactured. Rick - keep it going! I love to see people who use bikes to their full potential.

 

[whitesands]

Been using Rotella, but I may have to try out the Delvac next OCI...

 

[RWEST]

Quote:
I'd finally settled down and stopped worrying about oil, having staked my trust in Rotella T. Heck, I even wrote up a Wikipedia article on it! Now you have to come along and plant the seed of doubt in my mind.

So, if I use RT based on your glowing Wiki report, and my engine falls apart, can I blame you?