The only places I fill up at are the Shell Flying J Truck stops...can't get more high volume than that. I don't think there's a better place to fill up in Calgary. Anyways sorry this might be a little off topic.

 

175K exclusively with Rotella and not one oil related problem. Also, I will occasionally run a bottle of Lucas in the summertime, but never in the winter as the oil gets too thick to crank her up.

 

Only bad thing I ever heard bad about Rotella was from a trucker friend. He drives for a nationwide company and they had him in the shop also a while back. He said he could take an engine apart and tell if it had Delo or Rotella ran in it (This company uses either or.). The Delo was clean inside and the Rotella had a lot of sludge build up that the oil was not preventing. I would say there could be other factors causing this though. A good record keeping study would have to be performed to convince me.
Kind of like the argument about the CI and newer CJ oil specs. You hear both sides saying what they believe. I want to see some proof or something substantial proving one way or another which oil should be used in older engines.

Don't worry about how your oil 'looks' on the dip stick. My truck makes the oil so very black when I change it by just filling the crankcase back up. I can pull the dip stick after a change without starting it and it is so black you can't see through it at all. Means nothing because I know it is clean. Only way to tell for sure is to take some and send it off for an oil analysis. That will tell you exactly what is in it and what is not. ('Clean' or new oil out of the bottle can be 'dirty' enough that it is bad for your engine. If you or anyone else along the line gets dirt in it, then it needs to be filtered before use!).

A quality oil and filter are as necessary as I can emphasize. As well as changing it when needed. You can go with the old way of every 3,k if you want or you can run it about as far as you think it is safe and do an analysis to be sure. Companies like BlackStone will even write you a 'story' about your oil and give you recommendations about further use or change intervals. How soon you need to change your oil depends on how you use your engine. Shorter trips will leave more water in it. Dirtier conditions will require more frequent changes too. Basically the harder you work it the sooner you will have to change it. Now, if you get out on the freeway and just cruise - then you may wind up with one of the longest intervals. It boils down to each individual application. A 'one size' fits all plan simply doesn't work well for oil changes. A lot of factors have changed in the last few years to make the 3,k mile change just about obsolete. Take a look at owners manuals for new cars and you will see they are recommending at least double that!
If you do a few oil analysis to see when you should change your oil you should wind up with a pattern that will fit your needs. That way you won't have to do one each and everytime until your operating conditions or habits change.

HTH!!

 

I like Rotella,I use it on gassers too.Keeps engine clean,zero slugde. Diesel rated oil in a gasser is superior,more detergents keep engine clean.

 

I have a cousin who used Rotella thinking it would keep his engine clean well he found out that it left gunk inside of his engine when he tore it down to rebuild it. I can say he was not a very happy camper.

 

Reasons for sludging:

1) Improper maintenance (not changing enough)
2) Running low (variation of #1)
3) Malfunctioning/inop PCV
4) Using wrong grade/viscosity

There are others, but those are the major ones covering 99% of the problems. The oil is never at fault, only the owner/operator.

 

Both my 22re and Om 617.951 are clean,I adjust valves every 25,000 miles in both.My Dad taught me about diesel oil in cars.He had a Mercury S55 do 426,000 miles before trading it.

 

I like the Rotella too. I use it in both my trucks. Never had any trouble. Its blacker in my truck with all the mods, but I think its just blowing soot into the crankcase. My virgin truck is still clear after 3000 miles. I worked for a guy running a d-8 dozer, day in and day out in that dusty field. I figure if its good enough for that then it should be good for our trucks. We also ran Pennzoil in the newer 8. I think they are both good oils.

 

i run the new kendall 15w40 at work and now in my dmax and 6.9

 

Far as zinc and phosphorus content for high performance you want 1800-2000ppm. Its a good idea to also run a additive like ZDDP +

Zinc
Rotella 1000ppm
Valvoline 1400ppm
Amsoil 1500ppm

I have been running valvoline premium blue but will be switching to 20w50 of one of the following schaeffers, brad penn, or cenpeco. Since both of my trucks are used for pulling and one is also a dd. I plan to just get a 55gal drum.