when did rotella switch to CK-4?

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I know they were one of the ones who were putting CK-4 in CJ-4 bottles. Was their a certain date that they started doing that? I recently picked up 6 quarts of shell rotella CJ-4 dated January 21, 2016
 
When they came out with their new bottles. Around October 2016 roughly. Old bottles are good CJ4. New bottles are CK4, even when marked CJ4.
 
Was shell the only one to do that? I have a couple gallons of the old Chevron CJ-4 oil that I bought around November/December 2016. It was in the old style bottles.
 
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Does it matter to my 7 year old Kioti diesel tractor which one I use? Whatever it is, it will be 15-40, and I have been using Delo.
 
Originally Posted By: tc1446
Does it matter to my 7 year old Kioti diesel tractor which one I use? Whatever it is, it will be 15-40, and I have been using Delo.


On Another similar thread, it said CK-4 is fine if it does NOT have api SN also.
 
Originally Posted By: Linctex
Originally Posted By: tc1446
Does it matter to my 7 year old Kioti diesel tractor which one I use? Whatever it is, it will be 15-40, and I have been using Delo.


On Another similar thread, it said CK-4 is fine if it does NOT have api SN also.


I wish someone would show me a bottle of ck4 without the gas engine spec also.
 
Delvac Extreme CK-4 syn blend doesn't have a gas engine spec. both 10w30 and 15w40 varieties. I used a batch of that in my Detroit in January. Delvac1 ESP 5w40 CK-4 doesn't have a gas engine spec. The Schaeffer CK-4 oils I am using don't have gas engine specs. I am sure there are many others.
 
Originally Posted By: TiredTrucker
Delvac1 ESP 5w40 CK-4 doesn't have a gas engine spec.

You're right, and the data sheet is hilarious, at least from a BITOGer perspective. There's no SN or SM mention, as you note, and I confirmed no SN (or SM) spec on the API database. Yet, the narrative mentions, "High performance gasoline engines and mixed fleets." Someone did too much copying and pasting from the previous data sheet.

TDT still is dual rated, which isn't terribly useful for Canadian customers, unless they really like paying $50 a jug.

As an aside, that puts me in more of a conundrum than I thought down the road when I run out of CJ-4/SM stuff, not that I'm terribly afraid of running an E7, E9 lubricant that happens to lack SM or SN.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak

As an aside, that puts me in more of a conundrum than I thought down the road when I run out of CJ-4/SM stuff, not that I'm terribly afraid of running an E7, E9 lubricant that happens to lack SM or SN.


I'm not afraid of the lack of SM or SN either. The way I look at it is that some regulations changed and words on paper got changed. Two letters worth of ink are no longer on the bottle. Nothing in the formulation of the oil changed to make it less suitable for gasoline engine use. If anything, it's more suitable.

I choose an oil based on what's in the bottle, not what's printed on it. If CJ-4/SM worked fine in my gasoline applications, CK-4 will work even better.

Ed
 
No, it's not like they're Detroit Diesel two stroke oils. Here's another rib tickler, at least from a BITOG perspective. Castrol's E6, E7, E9 lubricant is CJ-4, but not SM or SN (unlike Mobil's, Petro-Canada's, and Shell's). Shell intends theirs as a fleet oil, whereas the Castrol has no gasoline spec. I wouldn't be concerned with using it, either. If something's got E7, E9 or E6, E7, E9, and pretty darned confident it will do the job.

I am sad though that Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40's specs are a little weaker, it would seem, when it comes to flashpoint and pour point, making me wonder a bit about a switch (and cheapening) in base stocks. Of course, I really push my lubes to their absolute limits and absolutely must have the best base stocks possible, just in case.
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Ironically Delvac 1 LE 5w-30 is even cheaper up here than Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40, about $25 a jug. On the other hand, the Shell distributor here hasn't figured out what Shell Rotella T6 Multi-Vehicle 5w-30 is yet. My mention on the phone was the first he heard of it.
 
Originally Posted By: motor_oil_madman
I know they were one of the ones who were putting CK-4 in CJ-4 bottles. Was their a certain date that they started doing that? I recently picked up 6 quarts of shell rotella CJ-4 dated January 21, 2016


Hi @motor_oil_madman! The first licensing for the new formulations was December 1, 2016. Shortly after, API CK-4 and FA-4 began to hit store shelves and bulk nationwide. - The Shell Rotella Team
 
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Read Ed Hackett's post and mine. If you understand the specifications and know what you're choosing and why, you can do fine without an actual gasoline specification, in a gasoline engine. Rotella T6 5w-40 and Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40 didn't get transformed into locomotive oils or ultra-high TBN marine lubes. They're still E9 and E7, E9 lubricants, respectively. Shell and Mobil just haven't gotten the gasoline approval. Really, it's exceedingly difficult to find a vehicle calling for SN in a 5w-40 viscosity. I would gather Shell would prefer people wanting a 40 grade for gasoline engines to stick to one of the A3/B4 options, which would be a tad easier if they actually got the stuff on the shelf and in decent container sizes, but that's another matter.

Also note that the T6 line includes Shell Rotella T6 Multi-Vehicle 5w-30, which has the SN approval for gasoline engines.
 
Garak Sir, What about Mobil 1 5w40 TDT? The PDS shows it to be SN as of March 2017.
Thanks for your time.
 
Yes, I noticed that. I guess with it being more aimed at ordinary retail outlets, it should theoretically make more sense to have that one dual rated, and keep all the builder approvals and ACEA E specifications on the Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40, which is more likely to be found where commercial buyers would be getting it.

However, if it were me and I were obliged to choose between TDT and Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40 for my G37, I'd stick with the Delvac 1, simply because it's half the price, because retailers that carry TDT up here are insane and I've never seen the product on rollback, not even once.

This is the retail greed we deal with up here. Walmart Canada right now has conventional Rotella T4 15w-40 on rollback for $26.97 a jug, down from $31.97. I play less than that for Delvac 1, regular price, from Imperial Oil.
 
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