Delvac 1 ESP used in a Subaru EJ255 petrol motor

[squareznboxez]

Hi everyone, i'm looking to have some wives tales cleared up to either quash or confirm some reservations i have about using Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40 in my 2004 Subaru Forester 2.5L turbo with 70-80,000 miles


Im from Australia where we don't have any sub 0 degree celcuis weather - from alot of the reading on wrx/subaru forums - there has been overwhelming support for diesel oils to be used in our engines - support is also quite strong in America (on this forum) also for this oil

the main reasoning for this seems to be the robust nature of diesel oil (zero sheer loss) as well as the additives/detergent pack used

i myself have taken the plunge and serviced my foz with Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40 which is a group IV synthetic Diesel oil - i plan to drop this after 3000 kms (2000~ miles) as i have been advised that the first run with diesel oil will pick up a lot of soot/carbon due to the extra detergent pack

what i'd like to know is this;

- will the diesel oil be too potent for my engine - by means of cleansing out too much of the embedded carbon in my seals to cause leaks/blow by

- will this lead to the oil and petrol mixing and causing me grief down the track?

- will the diesel oil not serve my engine to its full potential because of various tolerances that a petrol motor has

- will/can diesel oil potentially posion my catalytic converter as i only have 1 now as opposed to the 2 cats given in the standard exhaust

I pose these questions/concerns as i've noticed slight blow by via white smoke from the exhaust which extended idling

i have also detected a difference in smell from the exhaust which smells like something dirty is mixing with the petrol - compared to my other car which gives out a pure smell of premium fuel


My other car is a Nissan Skyline R34 - and i've been using Motul 300V Chrono 10w-40

- will a 10w be find in the Forester?

there seems to be a taboo around the EJ boxer engines in australia and the variations in opinions are vast as to which is best

my goal is to best determine which is the very best oil for these engines to prolong the life/wear as much as i can - many tuners/enthausists here down under believe diesel oils are the way to go

i on the other hand think ester based oils are still the better suited option for subaru engines

sorry for the wall of text, i am pedantic (allbeit unqualified) and i am after the very best oil to use in my cars - the nature of my driving is on public roads with the odd occasion of spirited driving

i'm a first time subaru owner so i hope you forgive the silly questions - but as far as cars go there has never been a wider spectrum of opinions as to what is best

thanks again,

daniel

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
squareznboxez - I purchased a new 2.5 Manual Outback in 2000

From about 1k (until sold at 150k) it ran only on Delvac 1 5W-40 (ESP not available then). It was a great lubricants in that application. I also ran it in various Porsche and BMW cars I owned

Where the HDEO is dual rated (C?/S?) the risk of misapplication is greatly reduced

Well you must be in a great place - I live in the Tropics and we still get <0C temps! Not good for early morning motorbike rides even up here

 

[squareznboxez]

Thanks for the quick reply Doug, i too also read that it is a common choice for Porshce boxer engines - from just general deduction, it would seem subaru engines are engineered to be cleaned with several different agents as it recommends;

- OEM upper engine cleaner (sea foam) every 6000 miles

- OEM fuel additive/cleaner every 3-4000 miles

so it would seem the stronger detergent packs in D1 would suit the nature of these engines

i will be running the D1 over 3 OCI's (2K miles, 3.5K miles, 3.5K miles) and will try and get an UOA for the first change and the third change

 

[dparm]

squareznboxez, can you buy Delvac 1 ESP 0w40 in Australia?

 

[squareznboxez]

Hi Dparm, i believe u can as i have a local mobil distributor where i was able to pick up a 5 gal. drum of D1

i did assume thought that that cold weight may be too this as the factory recommends 5w as a minimum - the most popular oil for enthausists here seems to be the original dino Delvac 15w-40 - but i couldn't bring myself to put that through my motor

happy to be corrected as i only know as much as i read other's experiences/opinions

cheers

daniel

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
dparm - Delvac 1 ESP 0W-40 is not available in Australia to my knowledge. Most likely it won't be in the future either

 

[bluesubie]

And no worries running a 10W in the Foz either. Nice cars!

-Dennis

 

[jett]

nothing wrong with running delvac 15-40 in that engine i ran it in my sti. dont get caught up in the dino vs synthetic thing . run this with confidence contact msr engineering in your state 20 plus years subie experience.

 

[squareznboxez]

appreciate the replies fellas, just wondering if anyone has any experience with the following wives tales that plague me -

i'm currently experiencing slight blow-by when idling for extended periods - and i'm not sure but i get the sense that oil could be mixing with the fuel due to the smell from the exhaust

- will the diesel oil be too potent for my engine - by means of cleansing out too much of the embedded carbon in my seals to cause leaks/blow by

- will this lead to the oil and petrol mixing and causing me grief down the track?

- will the diesel oil not serve my engine to its full potential because of various tolerances that a petrol motor has

- will/can diesel oil potentially poison my catalytic converter as i only have 1 now as opposed to the 2 cats given in the standard exhaust

 

[bluesubie]

Is there any smoke coming from the hood scoop or around the turbo area? The only thing I can think of is oil getting past the turbo seals. I had that problem and didn't even have any excessive consumption. As to the other questions, it's fine. Look how long Doug Hillary has run Delvac.
End of thread.

-Dennis

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
Dennis - I first experimented with HDEos in petrol engines in Europe in the early 1960s when working in Copenhagen for Caltex-Chevron in a Technical position

This was prompted by various experiences, excessive engine deposits in certain engine families, "poor" petrol engine lubricant standards and motivated by the results coming out of MB and Porsche. Porsche FF in the 1950s-1960s was a Shell HDEO

I've used HDEOs in petrol engine ever since - for nearly 50 years!

This was confirmed by extensive lubricants field testing for a number of Oil Companies over several decades

Modern appropriately classified lubricants as recommended by the engine's Manufacturer have almost effectively negated their use in petrol engines today IMO

My dealings and comparisons of HDEOs started in the early 1960s. I was always motivated by the MB and CAT lubricant specifications at a time when very few existed. I've always found that Shell and Delvac products produced the cleanest engines as the end result

 

[squareznboxez]

great, thanks a ton for that - will continue to use w/ confidence as i've picked up 5gal (18.9~ L) of D1 - i will change this first batch @ 3000km (2000~ mi) and then resume regular 5000km (3125 mi) ocis

hoping to do a uoa come the end of the 3rd/4th change

would you guy's go as far as to recommend your likes of D1 or Rotella T6 over a group V ester based oil like RL or Motul 300v?

obviously the group V's are pricier but not by much $70-80/5L for Delvac 1 / $90-100/5L for Motul 300V

for but yeh once again appreciate the feedback and the welcomes


** also to correct my post earlier D1 0w-40 isn't available in AU as i checked with my local distributor

daniel

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: Doug Hillary
Modern appropriately classified lubricants as recommended by the engine's Manufacturer have almost effectively negated their use in petrol engines today IMO


Can you clarify this for me, Doug? I'm reading it to mean that one doesn't need to (and probably shouldn't) use a modern dual rated 15w-40 HDEO, for instance, in an engine that has specific European specs (MB, VW/Audi, BMW, ACEA, and so forth) that go beyond the generic API SM/Cx found on most HDEOs.

I know that for the old Audi, the preferred grade was 15w-40, around SH or SJ or better, which implies one is going to be getting an HDEO. However, since then, all the relevant European manufacturers have gone to their own specifications.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
Garak - Since ACEA was formed and the API had a shakeup the standards of petrol engine lubricanst have come a long way. As well, Manufacturer's specifications should always take precedence including the viscosity recommended for the application

Dual rated lubricants tell the story to a large degree and can be used as the ratings allow in both diesel and petrol engines. Those that are diesel specific have no place in a petrol engine

In an older Audi the dual rated 15w-40 HDEO is probably a good choice

 

[Garak]

Thanks, Doug. It's quite obvious that just about every dual rated HDEO out there meets the minimum 3.5 HTHS part of many European specs; however, those European specifications require much more than simply meeting or exceeding 3.5.

The fellow who now has the Audi took the Delvac 1300 15w-40 with him, and it should serve him as well as it did me. I hope his first winter in this province doesn't surprise him too much when it hits -40, or at least I hope he remembers to plug in the factory oil pan heater!

 

[bluesubie]

Originally Posted By: squareznboxez

would you guy's go as far as to recommend your likes of D1 or Rotella T6 over a group V ester based oil like RL or Motul 300v?

obviously the group V's are pricier but not by much $70-80/5L for Delvac 1 / $90-100/5L for Motul 300V

They also have robust additive packs like HDEO's, but what you will gain with these oils over HDEO's is more Friction Modifiers.

-Dennis

 

[squareznboxez]

hoping to have another query/concern cleared up

as the kms/miles stack on (currently @ 75,000~ miles/ 120,000 kms) will the 5w-40 D1 be too thin for my clearances/seals? would it be in the motors best interest to move up to a 10w-40 (compared to the recommended 5w-30 from the factory) ?

thanks again guys - in my 5 posts here i've gotten more straight and informed answers here than anywhere else

 

[squareznboxez]

exactly the answer i was looking for - thanks for that Dennis, good to have some weigh in from other XT Forester owners - if i can ask what's the reasoning for your oil/viscosity choice?


Originally Posted By: bluesubie
Originally Posted By: squareznboxez

would you guy's go as far as to recommend your likes of D1 or Rotella T6 over a group V ester based oil like RL or Motul 300v?

obviously the group V's are pricier but not by much $70-80/5L for Delvac 1 / $90-100/5L for Motul 300V

They also have robust additive packs like HDEO's, but what you will gain with these oils over HDEO's is more Friction Modifiers.

-Dennis

 

[bluesubie]

While I've only used an HDEO 5W-40 for one short interval, I've used various 5W-40's and 0W-40's with no change in oil consumption (1 - 2 quarts in 6k miles). I'm hoping that the 10W-30 High Mileage oil will help with consumption. It's one of only a few xW-30's that we get that meet ACEA A3. IMO, you don't ever need to go thicker than a 40 weight unless you have a built motor that calls for a 50 weight.

-Dennis

 

[squareznboxez]

oh i see, thanks for that - if you don't mind me asking - pardon my ignorance

- ACEA A3 - what exactly is this standard and should i be looking at oils that carry this? as my current D1 or mobil 1 5w-30 alternative do not carry this

- how many kms/miles do you have on your XT?