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Engine Specific Info and Questions => IDI Engine => Topic started by: 91jettaidi on April 16, 2012, 03:10:38 pm
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Hey guys i've looked on the forum and doesn't look like this is a popular oil used allot of people are running Shell Rotella. I've been putting in Castrol GTX Diesel 15W40 just any input of who has used it and what you think of it. Thanks
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Well why do YOU think you should run this oil? How many miles on the car? I also ran rotella T on my old 1.6 NA but just because it's cheaper than GTX diesel oil where I am.
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Well the engine has 403,000km (250,412 miles) and runs like a top. Barley burns any oil but the previous owner said he always ran synthetic. Castrol doesn't make synthetic diesel oil or at least not sold here but I just wanted some ones opinion who knows more then I do. Would I be better off running something else thats better for these old engines? Do they need a certain additive so keep them running strong? Not all oils are created equal so I just want to take as best of care of my engine as much as possible. Thanks.
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I would find out what the PO was running and use it.
That's pretty impressive. That Castrol is likely OK. You really have to pay attention to zinc (ZDDP) levels now. You can't assume anything. Our cams need zinc badly and it's going away.
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Ahh thanks a bunch rs899 for that little bit of info I didn't know. Here is what I dug up.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2599023
I might try Shell on next oil change and see whats what.
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Woah, that's actually a very informative thread! I'll admit, even being a technician I don't know nearly as much about oil additive versions and regulations as I probably should. I only have 5 grades and types of new OE-spec oil available to me, though. Still, great read when concerning oil for the the older flat-tappet, diesel-fueled, or air-cooled engines I seem to always get my hands on.
A little more on-topic, why not try ELF total synthetic? Special order, but the TDI guys seem to love it.
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I don't want to go threw the hassle of ordering oil. I rather just have the peace of mind knowing I can get it when ever I need. I'm going to try that Shell Rotella though and I have tried there V-Power diesel I have found that it makes a difference on its own. I'm going full out Shell haha.
Here is a link for the V-Power and whats in it.
http://www.shell.ca/home/content/can-en/products_services/on_the_road/fuels/shell_vpower_diesel/
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here's where I will sound dumb? I always ran delo400 in my rig? was that a bad thing to do?
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The delo is fine. I think the important thing is not to switch it up all the time, especially between synthetic and traditional. I used to run the synthetic rotella but now I run the elf. I run Castrol in all of my old german gasser cars though.
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Delo 400 used to be a great oil. But have you noticed much of it is now Delo 400LE? LE= Low Emissions= lower zinc so as not to give someone else's cataclysmic converter agita.
Doesn't do much for your cam or lifters, though.
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I loved Rotella T and I think it is still a great oil. Now I run schaeffers oil. They do a free oil analysis if you are running their oil and it has the good zddp and moly in it. As far as the zddp ruining the cat, it won't. That was an oil company thing whenever they all switched from Pennsylvania grade crude to the light Saudia Arabian crude. The PA crude has zinc in it. There is only one company using exclusively PA grade and that is Brad Penn. It is a good conventional oil, but not as cheap and easy to get as rotella for our diesels. If I don't run semi synth or full synth Schaeffers in my gas vehicles, I run the Brad Penn. If I run conventional in my diesel it will be Rotella. This is a link to the Schaeffers page : http://www.schaefferoil.com/