Delvac, Delo or Neither

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I just bought a '11 Ram 2500 w/6.7CTD. I live in central MO, after alot of talking to other owners and reading tons of posts, I have decided 15w-40 dino will suit me fine. I know enough about this stuff to know that I still need to ask a few questions.

1. Once the emission [censored] is off there, are 10k OCI's to much to ask for from the oil.

2. On paper, which oil has the slight edge? I know they are very close and similar. Both oils are readily availalbe.

3. Does the 6.7CTD particularly like or dislike a certain flavor?

My typical day is a 17 mile commute to work. Only a 3 stop lights/signs between my door and work.

To be more specific on the oil, Delvac 1300 Super, and Delo 400LE.

Sorry for the long post. I have been a long time lurker, now ready to jump in!
 
1) Perhaps yes; perhaps no. Depends upon your duty cycles, regens, environment, loads, etc, etc. Being driven lightly like you state, it's hard to tell. Sometimes diesels do better with a load. But only a UOA will tell you for sure.

2) On paper (or off) there is no "edge" among the quality brand names. Many people have brand favorites, but that is often an emotional response and not a logical one. When you look at PDS's, one oil might have a bit more of this and a bit less of that, but it is the results that matter most, and to that end, they all do fine. Any lube can be under-untilized, or over-used.

3) No. Many people have success with many brands. There is a fellow here that has posted some really astounding UOAs approachihng 20k miles on VPB, but that does not mean that he could not have got there with Delvac or Rotella or Delo. It's likely a combination of good oil and good service and good use of the vehicle. Some people have great success with Brand XYZ while other find Brand PDQ to be "better". But "better" and "best" are only relevant to each individual situation.

In "normal" driving in Joe-average OCIs, just about any CJ-4 lube will do just fine. If you're going to extend your OCIs, then UOAs are a must, and you'll be able to tailor your lube selection to your use and maintence plan.

Here is a link to the 5.9L ISB UOAs:
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2179591&page=1
Yes, I understand that you're in a 6.7L, but the general architecture is the same, and the abilty to extend you OCIs may be there, or may not. My point to posting this link it to get you to understand how and when and why to use UOAs. This guy is successively extending his OCIs by testing along the way with each OCI. He's planning his approach, and tracking his results; in other words, he's using the UOA as a tool, and not a toy. You may well not get to 20k miles in your circumstances, as he's quite likely to do, but you CAN use this example to start your own program. Pick a lube, do a UOA at the end of an OCI. If all looks good, push it a bit farther the next time. Only you can discover what is possible.

The OEMs simply set safe and reasonable limits for OCIs based upon "normal" oils and use. If you fall into that description, then any qualified lube will suffice. If you want to push past that, then you can either do it with logic, or fall into the emotional abyss.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: atoalson
On paper, which oil has the slight edge?

Delvac IMO very good oil...


please read this recent post #2190903 here


plus it's on rollback at WM for $9.87 with a $4 rebate.
 
Originally Posted By: daman
Originally Posted By: atoalson
On paper, which oil has the slight edge?

Delvac IMO very good oil...


please read this recent post #2190903 here


plus it's on rollback at WM for $9.87 with a $4 rebate.



Doesn't get any better than that!
 
From my little personal research, Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 edges over Chevron Delo LE, Shell Rotella, and Valvoline Premium Blue, at least for my purposes:

Originally Posted By: Gokhan
Here is a very interesting systematic UOA comparison of Valvoline Premium Blue, Delo LE, Mobil Delvac 1300 Super, and Rotella 15W-40 oils:

Valvoline Blue, Chevron Delo, Mobil Delvac, and Shell Rotella UOA comparison

Delvac seems to be the winner; although Delo and Rotella seem to be very close. Valvoline Blue seems to be a little further behind.

Note that Shell Rotella and Valvoline Blue have virtually no friction modifiers (molybdenum and boron) and for this reason I wouldn't put these two oils in my engine myself. Some amount of friction modifiers is necessary to improve the effectiveness of ZDDP (because they decrease the force on the wear surfaces, on which ZDDP gets attached).

Delo has the most friction modifiers (some more molybdenum and a lot more boron); although, this doesn't necessarily translate into better wear protection, as there is an optimum level to increase the effectiveness of ZDDP and beyond that friction modifiers might actually decrease the effectiveness of ZDDP by getting in the way.

Delvac is the clear winner in viscosity retention. Rotella is the second best, and Delo and Blue fell behind significantly in viscosity retention. In my engine viscosity retention is important as I have high mileage (increased oil consumption); therefore, this eliminates Delo and Blue for me as well.

So, for my purposes, Mobil Delvac is the winner in all respects, as Shell Rotella and Valvoline Blue have no friction modifiers (therefore have questionable wear protection) and Chevron Delo and Valvoline Blue don't nearly match the viscosity retention of Mobil Delvac.
 
Thank's for all the quick help/guidance. I'm leaning toward the Delavac 1300.

I'm picking up the truck this evening, so have yet to read the owners manual. I often see "fleetguard" thrown around in filter discussions? Isn't that the OEM filter? What is the filter pecking order on these Cummins?
 
Originally Posted By: Gokhan
From my little personal research

already posted..
Originally Posted By: daman
Originally Posted By: atoalson
On paper, which oil has the slight edge?

Delvac IMO very good oil...


please read this recent post #2190903 here


plus it's on rollback at WM for $9.87 with a $4 rebate.
 
Originally Posted By: atoalson
Thank's for all the quick help/guidance. I'm leaning toward the Delavac 1300.

I'm picking up the truck this evening, so have yet to read the owners manual. I often see "fleetguard" thrown around in filter discussions? Isn't that the OEM filter? What is the filter pecking order on these Cummins?

Fleet guard, yes quality filters,they offer the stratapore synthetic media if your going to be doing any extended intervals OR if your just interested in a better efficiency filter.
 
Oil-filter media is a compromise between filtering efficiency and media clogging. If the media has very high efficiency, it may be clogged too soon and you will end up with unfiltered oil circulating in the engine, as the bypass valve will open.

For this reason I use the OEM filter in my engine, for the best compromise between filtering efficiency and filter clogging. OEM filters should also have enough contaminant-holding capacity for the manufacturer-recommended drain intervals.

So, I would recommend to use the OEM filter and follow the manufacturer's recommended drain intervals to have the peace of mind. High-efficiency filters are not necessarily a good thing.
 
Originally Posted By: Gokhan

...If the media has very high efficiency, it may be clogged too soon and you will end up with unfiltered oil circulating in the engine


...High-efficiency filters are not necessarily a good thing.


The strata pore and most syn filters "load" in layers(deep fill) so it takes a long interval to "load" one of these filters and still maintain flow hence the recommendation to run this type filter for a long interval.

no worries what so ever running one of these high efficiency filters.
 
Originally Posted By: Gokhan
From my little personal research, Mobil Delvac 1300 Super 15W-40 edges over Chevron Delo LE, Shell Rotella, and Valvoline Premium Blue, at least for my purposes:

Originally Posted By: Gokhan
Here is a very interesting systematic UOA comparison of Valvoline Premium Blue, Delo LE, Mobil Delvac 1300 Super, and Rotella 15W-40 oils:

Valvoline Blue, Chevron Delo, Mobil Delvac, and Shell Rotella UOA comparison

Delvac seems to be the winner; although Delo and Rotella seem to be very close. Valvoline Blue seems to be a little further behind.

Note that Shell Rotella and Valvoline Blue have virtually no friction modifiers (molybdenum and boron) and for this reason I wouldn't put these two oils in my engine myself. Some amount of friction modifiers is necessary to improve the effectiveness of ZDDP (because they decrease the force on the wear surfaces, on which ZDDP gets attached).

Delo has the most friction modifiers (some more molybdenum and a lot more boron); although, this doesn't necessarily translate into better wear protection, as there is an optimum level to increase the effectiveness of ZDDP and beyond that friction modifiers might actually decrease the effectiveness of ZDDP by getting in the way.

Delvac is the clear winner in viscosity retention. Rotella is the second best, and Delo and Blue fell behind significantly in viscosity retention. In my engine viscosity retention is important as I have high mileage (increased oil consumption); therefore, this eliminates Delo and Blue for me as well.

So, for my purposes, Mobil Delvac is the winner in all respects, as Shell Rotella and Valvoline Blue have no friction modifiers (therefore have questionable wear protection) and Chevron Delo and Valvoline Blue don't nearly match the viscosity retention of Mobil Delvac.


Hey gokhan , I see you have a 95 corolla with high miles. I have a 93 with 294 and a 95 with 208 . The 93 is burning about a quart every 700-1000 miles. Do you think the heavier oil is slowing the burning on yours?
I could only run it in summer. The winter creates a whole new set of problems including knocking on startup for the first block or 2 and the car does not really like heavier oil. The mileage goes down 2 mpg.
 
Originally Posted By: daman
Originally Posted By: atoalson
Thank's for all the quick help/guidance. I'm leaning toward the Delavac 1300.

I'm picking up the truck this evening, so have yet to read the owners manual. I often see "fleetguard" thrown around in filter discussions? Isn't that the OEM filter? What is the filter pecking order on these Cummins?

Fleet guard, yes quality filters,they offer the stratapore synthetic media if your going to be doing any extended intervals OR if your just interested in a better efficiency filter.
Stratapore from Fleetguard is the ONLY way to go. Check filterbarn, they had EXCELLENT prices on mine (for my '06 5.9 Cummins)-around $9 each shipped, free shipping over $100.
 
Originally Posted By: chad8
Hey gokhan , I see you have a 95 corolla with high miles. I have a 93 with 294 and a 95 with 208 . The 93 is burning about a quart every 700-1000 miles. Do you think the heavier oil is slowing the burning on yours?
I could only run it in summer. The winter creates a whole new set of problems including knocking on startup for the first block or 2 and the car does not really like heavier oil. The mileage goes down 2 mpg.

Hey chad8, mine is actually a carbureted 1985.

Yes, a big reason I'm using 15W-40 is to reduce oil consumption and tailpipe emissions. It helps a lot to have a thicker viscosity, reducing the oil consumption more than a factor of two. Where you live, in Michigan, you might want to use 5W-40 in frigid temperatures and 15W-40 otherwise.

Knocking with cold engine usually means that it's running too lean with the cold engine. You need a richer mixture with a cold engine (more gasoline, less air). Mine is carbureted and it's controlled by the automatic choke, which is in turn controlled by several vacuum diaphragms. In your case, it sounds like you have a faulty component in the fuel or emission systems. It should be easy to fix -- just find a good mechanic. I know pretty much everything about my fuel and emission systems but I wouldn't know much about your 1993.
 
Fleetguard filters are made by Cummins.

Are you sure that the engine will be better off with the emission equipment removed, or is that just assumed by the shade tree mechanics you know? Engine control systems are complex, and altering one part may interfere with the best operation of other parts. Plus, diesel particulates in the air are a significant health risk, especially to children, the elderly, and anyone with lung problems.
 
Originally Posted By: Ken2
Are you sure that the engine will be better off with the emission equipment removed, or is that just assumed by the shade tree mechanics you know? Engine control systems are complex, and altering one part may interfere with the best operation of other parts. Plus, diesel particulates in the air are a significant health risk, especially to children, the elderly, and anyone with lung problems.

Agreed with Ken2. Don't mess with the emissions and fuel systems. A malfunction in the emissions, fuel, and ignition (for gasoline engines) is capable of inducing much, much faster engine damage than using the wrong grade or category of engine oil. In fact, most engine wear and tear is caused by faulty fuel, emission, and ignition systems than anything else. If your fuel, emission, and ignition systems are kept at full health, your engine can last a million miles.

And, yes, don't get advice from shade-tree mechanics on tampering with your engine. The reason is simple: They have no clue what they are doing and you will experience greatly increased engine wear than anything else.
 
Originally Posted By: bullwinkle
Originally Posted By: daman
Originally Posted By: atoalson
Thank's for all the quick help/guidance. I'm leaning toward the Delavac 1300.

I'm picking up the truck this evening, so have yet to read the owners manual. I often see "fleetguard" thrown around in filter discussions? Isn't that the OEM filter? What is the filter pecking order on these Cummins?

Fleet guard, yes quality filters,they offer the stratapore synthetic media if your going to be doing any extended intervals OR if your just interested in a better efficiency filter.
Stratapore from Fleetguard is the ONLY way to go. Check filterbarn, they had EXCELLENT prices on mine (for my '06 5.9 Cummins)-around $9 each shipped, free shipping over $100.

Yep i know of that site,i get 15% from our local case dealer or i'd get them through there.
 
Originally Posted By: atoalson
Thank's for all the quick help/guidance. I'm leaning toward the Delavac 1300.

I'm picking up the truck this evening, so have yet to read the owners manual. I often see "fleetguard" thrown around in filter discussions? Isn't that the OEM filter? What is the filter pecking order on these Cummins?


Fleetguard is Cummins filtration, a wholy owned sub of Cummins, Inc. Any major fleet brand, Donaldson, Baldwin, FG are all fine. Donaldson offers the best filter for the 5.9 and 6.7, 15 microns absolute. FG startapore is 25 microns and baldwin is 30.
 
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