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Carl C
08-31-2011, 08:17 PM
I put Shell Rotella SAE 40 in my 525 along with a WIX racing oil filter. This is a new oil for me :crossfing:. :popcorn:

Fishermanjm
08-31-2011, 08:25 PM
Carl,,,I have heard good things about the Rotella oil from the two motor heads at the dealership, they also have been talkin about Royal Purple also, i just put the Royal Purple in my Ram truck. I have been using Castrol for ever, so when i changed to a different oil i felt the same way,,, crossed fingers. How often do you change the oil in the boat?

Carl C
08-31-2011, 09:03 PM
Carl,,,I have heard good things about the Rotella oil from the two motor heads at the dealership, they also have been talkin about Royal Purple also, i just put the Royal Purple in my Ram truck. I have been using Castrol for ever, so when i changed to a different oil i felt the same way,,, crossed fingers. How often do you change the oil in the boat?

I change the oil twice a season. Have always used Quicksilver 25w40. Going for a good run tomorrow, can't wait.

BUIZILLA
08-31-2011, 09:21 PM
I put Shell Rotella SAE 40 in my 525 along with a WIX racing oil filter. This is a new oil for me :crossfing:. :popcorn: you watch too much TV :popcorn:

mrfixxall
08-31-2011, 10:56 PM
rotella is at the bottom of the good oil to use in your engine..

biggiefl
08-31-2011, 11:06 PM
I always thought Rotella was for diesels? I have always run straight 40w in my I/O's. Never cared what brand as long as it was good...Mobile, Castrol, etc. Royal Purple is synthetic which I do not run except in my cars.

300EVIL
09-01-2011, 01:15 AM
With oil changes you can never go wrong. Almost.....

Changing frequently and methodically is ALWAYS good.

Heavy weight oil is generally good for warm start temps and high revs.

Synthetic, Dyno, blend, Diesel stuff??? Eh, whatever, Just stick with a brand/type if you can. It's better not to change your oil brand often. Sometimes your main and valve stem seals don't like it.

I also like WIX. They make really good filters.

My favorite oil brand is Amsoil and use 20W-50 for all my power engines. Not a suggestion, that's just what I prefer.

Pismo
09-01-2011, 06:08 AM
I like the 20qt jugs of RP

mk32j
09-01-2011, 06:34 AM
Well,

As I run a high hp car on pure E-85 in the range of 900-1000hp on the street I use Rotella 15-40 T6 and have had really good sucess in my 35-40psi 3 liter straight 6 .


Now I will say that I change the oil about every 1000miles due to the moisture created by E-85 and the breakdown and shear from the fuel but it is very reasonable in cost .


It does have high zinc content as well as phosphorus which helps alot with E-85.

Carl C
09-01-2011, 06:42 AM
rotella is at the bottom of the good oil to use in your engine.. Is there anything bad about it? It will only be in there long enough to finish the season and there will probably only be a half dozen good runs on the big lakes left. This is what they had at the local NAPA superstore that sells performance stuff. The next choice would have been a 15w40. Since the "w" in 15w40 or 25w40 stands for winter and the 40 is the summer rating I figured I'd try the straight 40. Does anyone see any problem with that since it will only be run in warm weather and at high rpm and will be changed again before winter lay-up?

Pismo
09-01-2011, 07:16 AM
It's fine.

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 07:32 AM
It does have high zinc content as well as phosphorus which helps alot with E-85. actually it doesn't, in 2003ish zinc went out the window and ALL oils suffer to a degree due to that, federal mandate.... Rotella, for some reason added some goofy additives that aerate the oil like you wouldn't believe, air is NOT a lubricant, just an FYI and not a reason to start an argument here


Is there anything bad about it? It will only be in there long enough to finish the season and there will probably only be a half dozen good runs on the big lakes left. This is what they had at the local NAPA superstore that sells performance stuff. The next choice would have been a 15w40. Since the "w" in 15w40 or 25w40 stands for winter and the 40 is the summer rating I figured I'd try the straight 40. Does anyone see any problem with that since it will only be run in warm weather and at high rpm and will be changed again before winter lay-up? straight 40 is good, especially for prolonged higher RPM use, the ONLY reason you bought the Rotella was because it was on sale and it was cheaper than the rest.... you SHOULD have got the Delo 400 40# they had on sale last month and it was $10 gal... MUCH better oil IMO

Wix is owned by NAPA BTW, and their Gold Series filters are pretty decent

at least you didn't use Castrol GTX, that has to be the WORST crap since dirt was invented

mk32j
09-01-2011, 08:03 AM
My statement was in no way meant to be argumentative just an actual testimony to my success with the product.

But since it seems to be a very specific boys club^^^^ I'll keep whatever my real world knowledge is based on and leave all these truly invaluable threads to all you gear heads with 500-700hp 8000 Cubic inch BB boys to your niche as I apparently am not in your Boys club.

A big bow for your superior knowledge.

Have a great day.

maddad
09-01-2011, 08:36 AM
actually it doesn't, in 2003ish zinc went out the window and ALL oils suffer to a degree due to that, federal mandate.... Rotella, for some reason added some goofy additives that aerate the oil like you wouldn't believe, air is NOT a lubricant, just an FYI and not a reason to start an argument here

I just used Delvac instead of Rotella at the last change and noticed higher oil pressure after a long runs that heat the oil to 260ish. The pressure went from 15 lbs. to almost 25 lbs. at idle, which is the idle pressure with oil under 200. It also stayed cooler longer. Could that be due to it not getting aerated?

Carl C
09-01-2011, 08:39 AM
Sounds good. Price was not a factor. I never asked how much it cost; I just wanted their best dino oil for a high performance engine. Getting ready to head out now.

edit, just saw the last few posts. I hope it doesn't aerate :(.

mk, relax. I appreciate your input. Oil threads get passionate and that's why I started this one with a box of popcorn.

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 08:40 AM
it does have high zinc content as well as phosphorus which helps alot with E-85. not being argumentative but i'd like to see this source for the high zinc and phosphorous content with Rotella since the zinc content has a max. federal spec across the board now... we all know zinc is our friend... :) and, I too, did the BIG boost, BIG power 6cyl street car routine for a longgggggg time with a V6 Buick, 20-25 years ago for about 15 years running, hell my Dodge/Cummins tow vehicle ran 62# :cool: and i've only beeen doing this turbo gig, as a living, for about 40 years... but hey, who's counting :tongue:

pipnit
09-01-2011, 08:41 AM
I run rotella 5w 40 in my bikes, but wouldn't run it in my boat motor.

I use Brad Penn racing oil in the boat, it has ZINC in it which Rotella lowered a couple years ago. It also has anti foaming agents so it won't aerate. I have had a number of guys tell me it's the best stuff available including my engine builder (Steve Shaker, Shaker Racing, Granger Indiana) and Bob Madera of Marine Kinetics. Bob told me years ago he was in a race and was having problems with oil pressure. It was a long course where there were two stretches that would be WFO at 6,400. He said in between races, a friend of his gave him a couple of quarts, he did an oil change and it oil pressure went way up and just stayed there. That's what I've experienced this summer. Very good oil but not cheap...

http://www.penngrade1.com/

Penn Grade 1 zinc 1,424 ppm zinc 1,565 ppm
10W-30 #7150 phos 1,139 ppm phos 1,332 ppm

CHACHI
09-01-2011, 08:58 AM
An analysis of Rotella.

Ken

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 09:02 AM
we have an oil expert onboard here, who I highly respect for his opinion, so i'll bow out now.

Brad Penn stuff is good, walk the wall at any NASCAR or NHRA race and see who uses what..

walk the pit's at NHRA/INDY this weekend, and see who uses what..

it WON'T be Rotella, in any weight

find just one CAT dealer in the USA that sells or hypes Rotella, you won't, same with Volvo, Cummins, and DDA engines... CAT is the worlds largest user/manufacturer of HEUI injectors (oil controlled)

find a new car dealer that stocks or sells it, you probably won't...

does anyone really think John Force uses Castrol GTX ?? :boggled:

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 09:28 AM
good info that Ken posted, but it should be noted that the product was UNUSED, and it's a 3year old sampling, things have changed since then a bit in the blending realms... an interesting comparison is the same product after 5,000 miles or 200 hours

CHACHI
09-01-2011, 12:24 PM
As Buizilla stated, the sample was new and it was done before the Feds jumped on the bandwagon.

Zinc is a consumable additive in oil. One of the reasons you change your oil is to replenish the add pak and zinc is one of those additives.

Let me dig around and see what I have for a more "modern" oil.

Ken

jvcobra
09-01-2011, 12:41 PM
I think in an engine like that I'd run synthetic all the way, for my stock HO 502's dino oil is fine.

blackhawk
09-01-2011, 01:02 PM
With oil changes you can never go wrong. Almost.....

Changing frequently and methodically is ALWAYS good.

Heavy weight oil is generally good for warm start temps and high revs.

Synthetic, Dyno, blend, Diesel stuff??? Eh, whatever, Just stick with a brand/type if you can. It's better not to change your oil brand often. Sometimes your main and valve stem seals don't like it.

I also like WIX. They make really good filters.

My favorite oil brand is Amsoil and use 20W-50 for all my power engines. Not a suggestion, that's just what I prefer.

Ding ding ding!

I love oil threads as everyone has an "opinion", key word being opinion. Change your oil and filter often and use a good filter.

I really like the guys that say, I won't used Brand X cause it blew up my 1985 Escort. :boggled:

biggiefl
09-01-2011, 01:12 PM
I am the 2600-3200 rpm kinda guy so my oil pressure is always 40 at idle cold or warm. I ocassionally run her up to redline for about 5 seconds every now and then. Again I run a straight 40w as I live in FL. I tried Synthetics(not in this engine) but my bildge was not happy as they will find the TINIEST leak that dino oil missed. I change my oil about every 40-50 hours so it really does not matter much. As a diesel car and truck owner for decades I have always been told not to run diesel oil in gas engines but that was car gas engines, not boats which run hard even if run gently. No 350 pickup engine runs as hard a s a 350 Mercruiser on a daily basis so I can see the need. My mechanic runs NAPA brand oil in his 502 since new(1993) so I guess it is a good oil as engine is still together. I prefer to run a name brand like Mobile, Penzoil, etc. Really depends on what is on sale and who has 8qts available. 40W is not that popular. If I lived up north, I might run 30W or a 15w40 but down here straight 40 is popular due to 90 degree water and air temps. It is so warm we dont even have chokes....CHOKES? We don't need no STINKING chokes!

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 01:27 PM
NAPA branded oil is usually, if not always, bottled by Valvoline

at least the gallon jugs I have here say that :wink::wink:

blackhawk
09-01-2011, 03:09 PM
actually it doesn't, in 2003ish zinc went out the window and ALL oils suffer to a degree due to that, federal mandate.... Rotella, for some reason added some goofy additives that aerate the oil like you wouldn't believe, air is NOT a lubricant, just an FYI and not a reason to start an argument here

straight 40 is good, especially for prolonged higher RPM use, the ONLY reason you bought the Rotella was because it was on sale and it was cheaper than the rest.... you SHOULD have got the Delo 400 40# they had on sale last month and it was $10 gal... MUCH better oil IMO

Wix is owned by NAPA BTW, and their Gold Series filters are pretty decent

at least you didn't use Castrol GTX, that has to be the WORST crap since dirt was invented

Most Rotella oil has a 1200ppm zinc count. Whether that is "high" or "low" is subjective. It will be higher that passenger car oils and lower than racing oils.

mrfixxall
09-01-2011, 03:46 PM
wont be long before we have a second yellow 22 classic getting its bottom end rebuilt..i hope not but ??:crossfing:

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 03:51 PM
all the naysayers can do this...

get 1qt of Rotella

get a kitchen blender

add oil, and spin on medium high for 10 minutes

get back to me the next morning after you have discovered the air bubbles are still suspended overnight and the oil is still frothy and milky

keep in mind this was only a 10 minute test

I dare ya

:cool:

tmdog
09-01-2011, 05:18 PM
There was a thread on another boating site questioning the use of Rotella in boats. The user of the oil in question called the maker and was told their oil was for diesel engines only, not gas. Buiz may have a good idea how Rotella reacts in in marine gas engines. Listen to him.
Carl, I think that oil was a sale item.

Phil S
09-01-2011, 06:11 PM
"at least you didn't use Castrol GTX, that has to be the WORST crap since dirt was invented"


I found this out the hard way with my first Audi years ago. It was a 4 cylinder, and I did drive the heck out of it, but engine was shot at 110,000 miles. Will never buy that oil again. 2nd 4-cyl Audi, without Castrol, was still running strong at 225,000 miles with nearly zero consumption. 3rd Audi, 200 TQ, without Castrol, made it over 250k miles, again, with nearly zero oil consumption.

I really don't know much about oils. I've enjoyed great longevity of engines (car) running Mobil 1 in them though.

(Carl...you should have known better for starting this thread ! :wink: ...see what you started !! :nilly: )

All this aside, hope you are having a great boating season !

Phil S.

blackhawk
09-01-2011, 06:14 PM
Too funny. A friend of mine has over 800 hours on his 454 in his boat using nothing but Castrol GTX from day one.

Pismo
09-01-2011, 06:28 PM
Wal Mart 99 cents per qt oil would work fine in 99% of engines.

Carl C
09-01-2011, 06:56 PM
Had a good run today and the oil temp stayed around 170-180*. I pulled the stick a few times and it didn't look foamy. Anyway, I'll leave it in til the end of the season and go back to a more proven oil. Buiz, you gonna buy me a new blender if I do that?

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 07:06 PM
Buiz, you gonna buy me a new blender if I do that? f*** no, if you can afford to blow 90k on a 22' dinghy you can afford $25 to protect your investment.... it's your money not mine

blackhawk
09-01-2011, 07:19 PM
Had a good run today and the oil temp stayed around 170-180*. I pulled the stick a few times and it didn't look foamy. Anyway, I'll leave it in til the end of the season and go back to a more proven oil. Buiz, you gonna buy me a new blender if I do that?

Of course it wasn't foamy, you have an actual gasoline engine under your hatch, not an electric blender!

Lots of guys run Rotella in marine applications. As stated it has a fairly high Zinc content for a readily available oil.

Phil S
09-01-2011, 07:29 PM
These always wind up the same.....so whatever works for you, should be what you stick with, with no questions or opinions requested. If it works for you..great, if it doesn't,.....

Just sayin'....

Phil S.

blackhawk
09-01-2011, 07:32 PM
These always wind up the same.....so whatever works for you, should be what you stick with, with no questions or opinions requested. If it works for you..great, if it doesn't,.....

Just sayin'....

Phil S.

I agree, lube topics go in circles. 300EVIL said it best, change your oil often.

craigdskilling
09-01-2011, 07:43 PM
When you say 40 is that 20/40 oil cause i have to do a oil change soon and my mech says you's 15/40 hard to find in syn so i am thinking 20/40sys any choices i should use.I am thinking royal purple.from canada cold.:cool:

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 08:20 PM
Of course it wasn't foamy, you have an actual gasoline engine under your hatch, not an electric blender!
Lots of guys run Rotella in marine applications. As stated it has a fairly high Zinc content for a readily available oil. do you REALLY think a 50# spinning crank at 5,000 rpm doesn't create windage and aeration? or are windage trays a myth? anybody with a brain knows your not going to see air bubbles on a dipstick
actually, as far as zinc content is concerned, check the allowable max Fed spec and you'll see most blenders cram what they can in there upfront, how it lasts and reacts with the other additives is another matter, check it again at 50 and 100 hours and get back to us... also check the V100 numbers from new and 100 hours, don't be surprised if it doesn't drop 5-8 numbers, good oil won't do that
and then there's the moly content
I can tell you with 110% authority, down our way, more fleets are getting away from R-T6 than buying it... and that's a fact
a Heui fuel injector, if you know what that is, and how they operate, chops the oil worse than a blender does, up to 3,000 psi, up to 30 times a SECOND
you don't think oil pump gears, especially gerotor designs, don't chop up oil????
ever ask the USCG how Rotella worked out for them?? try and find it on ANY vessel or land base around the globe right now... you won't, not one, and they can spec anything they want
ever see CAT, Iveco, John Deere, Deutz, DDA, Volvo, Cummins, MAN, MTU engines with a specific Rotella endorsement or factory filled?? hmmmmmm

which gas engines, worldwide, spec Rotella by name and endorse it?? just name one... just one....

up to 2003, Rotella was great, I sweared by it, BUT all the goal posts changed in 2003, and they changed again in 2007...

from sunup to sundown 5 days a week for the last 40 years I have dealt with the positives and negatives in engine oils and lubrication

pullleeeezzzze

Ken knows more about oil than all of us, combined, so I digress to him

have fun, it's your money, i'm done :)

blackhawk
09-01-2011, 08:40 PM
do you REALLY think a 50# spinning crank at 5,000 rpm doesn't create windage and aeration? or are windage trays a myth? anybody with a brain knows your not going to see air bubbles on a dipstick
actually, as far as zinc content is concerned, check the allowable max Fed spec and you'll see most blenders cram what they can in there upfront, how it lasts and reacts with the other additives is another matter, check it again at 50 and 100 hours and get back to us... also check the V100 numbers from new and 100 hours, don't be surprised if it doesn't drop 5-8 numbers, good oil won't do that
and then there's the moly content
I can tell you with 110% authority, down our way, more fleets are getting away from R-T6 than buying it... and that's a fact
a Heui fuel injector, if you know what that is, and how they operate, chops the oil worse than a blender does, up to 3,000 psi, up to 30 times a SECOND
you don't think oil pump gears, especially gerotor designs, don't chop up oil????
ever ask the USCG how Rotella worked out for them?? try and find it on ANY vessel or land base around the globe right now... you won't, not one, and they can spec anything they want
ever see CAT, Iveco, John Deere, Deutz, DDA, Volvo, Cummins, MAN, MTU engines with a specific Rotella endorsement or factory filled?? hmmmmmm

which gas engines, worldwide, spec Rotella by name and endorse it?? just name one... just one....

up to 2003, Rotella was great, I sweared by it, BUT all the goal posts changed in 2003, and they changed again in 2007...

from sunup to sundown 5 days a week for the last 40 years I have dealt with the positives and negatives in engine oils and lubrication

pullleeeezzzze

Ken knows more about oil than all of us, combined, so I digress to him

have fun, it's your money, i'm done :)

Of course there will be some aeration. But a blender is still a blender. I can make bubbles by farting in water, does that mean my ass is comparable to a scuba tank?

I should have known better than to disagree with an almighty "Board God". :rolleyes:

Phil S
09-01-2011, 08:59 PM
"Too funny. A friend of mine has over 800 hours on his 454 in his boat using nothing but Castrol GTX from day one."



I agree, fresh (any) oil helps any engine. You don't say this, but I am going to assume he changed it weekly...too funny. Bored....certainly not a God.

With kind regards,

Phil S.

BUIZILLA
09-01-2011, 09:03 PM
Of course there will be some aeration. But a blender is still a blender. try different brands, different weights, and different speeds, it's a great equalizer and a perfect constant tool... you might be VERY surprised what you find out, you might even learn something

i'm not God, far from it, but i've damn sure been around this gig for awhile, and deal with it every day

as far as blowing bubbles, you'll make better bubbles with the variable pressure scuba tank than a lip straw, same theory as the blender constant

have fun

zelatore
09-01-2011, 10:28 PM
This thread has been very informative, but a little too late.

I learned, after the fact, that NAPA had Dello 400 on sale for $10/gallon and I missed it.

That truely brings the suck! I could have stocked up on about 100 gallons!

(I do however question if they had it for $10/gallon here in CA)

CHACHI
09-02-2011, 07:09 AM
There was a thread on another boating site questioning the use of Rotella in boats. The user of the oil in question called the maker and was told their oil was for diesel engines only, not gas. Buiz may have a good idea how Rotella reacts in in marine gas engines. Listen to him.
Carl, I think that oil was a sale item.
Chances are that the API (American Petroleum Institue) rating on the Rotella had both an "S" and "C" classification.

Not seeing the bottle, it could of had SL and CG-4 rating, or something similar.

This rating says the oil can be used in both gas ("S") and diesel ("C") engines.

Oils with both ratings are "full fleet" sevice oils.

Ken

BUIZILLA
09-02-2011, 08:23 AM
Rotella T user at approx 900 hours, oil changed 100-125 hours.... pay attention to the hub area and shaft color and hub debris, this turbo failed due to poor oil quality, internal coking, restricted bearing housing drain due to coking, and piston ring seal area degradation, this is a Volvo TAMD43 with Rotella, Volvo filters, watercooled turbine housings, 100-125 hour intervals
67715677166771767718

BUIZILLA
09-02-2011, 08:30 AM
Delo 400 user at 950 hours approx.

compare the shafts.. the bearing housing is untouched, study the drain opening inside the housing... we did wash off the shaft and hub in the parts washer, but no cleaning, polishing or wiping was done on the shaft itself, this is a Yanmar with a water cooled turbine housing, Delo 40# oil, Yanmar filters, serviced every 150 hours

handfulz28
09-02-2011, 08:49 AM
Any data on Wally World's SuperTech? Seems to be a rebadged ExxonMobil product. Not sure how it breaks down between their conventional and synthetic.

I'd rather change it twice as often with cheaper stuff than run longer with contaminated or broken down oil.

oledawg
09-02-2011, 09:39 AM
Interesting thread, love it when the S**t gets stirred up! I have another thread going on about my blown 454 and am wondering now if I had the right oil...think that it was a Valvoline 15-40 syn at about $8 a quart ( 12 quarts to fill the engine ).

Am also have my '90 V12 Jag convertible in the shop having the heads pulled an milled for failed head gaskets...the point being that the Jag manual actually calls for Castrol GTX. Any thoughts on this before I get it the oil changed? Motor has 100,000 miles on it and doesn't smoke, etc. One would think that if Castrol was so bad this would not be the case.

Thoughts?

BUIZILLA
09-02-2011, 09:53 AM
Interesting thread, love it when the S**t gets stirred up! I have another thread going on about my blown 454 and am wondering now if I had the right oil...think that it was a Valvoline 15-40 syn at about $8 a quart ( 12 quarts to fill the engine ).

Am also have my '90 V12 Jag convertible in the shop having the heads pulled an milled for failed head gaskets...the point being that the Jag manual actually calls for Castrol GTX. Any thoughts on this before I get it the oil changed? Motor has 100,000 miles on it and doesn't smoke, etc. One would think that if Castrol was so bad this would not be the case.

Thoughts? a LOT has happened in 24 years since 1990.... BMW spec'd Castrol (not GTX) as well, as did Volks and Audi for awhile... all 3 service dept's sold a ton of it.... they also sold a ton of engines under warranty, especially 1.8T's... then BMW mandated Castrol Syntec by name in 2007, full synthetic, which is a pretty good oil IMO.

CHACHI
09-02-2011, 09:59 AM
When you say 40 is that 20/40 oil cause i have to do a oil change soon and my mech says you's 15/40 hard to find in syn so i am thinking 20/40sys any choices i should use.I am thinking royal purple.from canada cold.:cool:

Craig, you can find a 15w40 full synthetic in a diesel formula, I doubt you will find that viscosity in an automotive formula.

In all honestly you don't need a synthetic. You don't boat in extreme cold, say -40C, the water is kinda hard, you don't keep your oil in for long drains, 100 hrs, and I am guessing you don't see high oil temps of over 300 degrees F for any extended period of time.

I am a fan of 20w50, you can't beat viscosity (film strength) to keep parts from wearing.

Also a straight 40 has the same flow properties as a 15w40, 10w40, 20w40 at 100C.

Ken

Carl C
09-02-2011, 10:39 AM
Good input. I appreciate it. I bought the straight 40 oil because they said it was the best they had and they recommended it for a high performance engine. I would do the blender test but I'm afraid the milk shakes won't taste the same after:boggled:. Buiz, I change my oil about every 20 hours and will probably go back to a different oil.

SunGator
09-02-2011, 08:18 PM
I just got my Donzi in June and did a major tune up on the 502 Mag MPI, I put 20W50 Castrol GTX, and ran some 2600 to 3000 and some 3600 to 4000 RPMS at lengths (ST. Johns river is over 300 miles long) and I put approx. 30hrs on her and covered close to 150 miles. She burned through 1 qt.

There is alot of good information on the internet about Marine engine oils vs Auto engine oils, and they all basically say that it boils down to engine temps. Auto engines run between 195F to 210F and boat engines run between 165F to 180F. With out the "higher temps", the oil is more likely to "hold on" to moisture instead of "flashing" the moisture out. At 30 to 40 psi at 200F, you will flash off 3 times the amount of water then you will at 175F.

The Marine grade oil is formulated specifically to "grab" moisture and "suspend moisture" so it will not touch any parts of the inside of the engine.

This is what I read anyway. Take it for what its worth and by all means, please do your own investigation so you can come up with your own conclusions.

Me- I am going to switch back to 25w40 merc oil. Yes its about double the price, but right now, I cannot afford to replace my 502, BUT I can afford to put Merc oil in her.

As for filters, I always use wix because they have about the best Micron rating around. for example, the fuel/water separator from Serria is about 10 micron at best, some older filters I saw as high as 25 micron. Wix fuel/water separators (bought at Napa) have a 6 micron rating. (smaller the micron, the better the filtration). Just dont go to small or you will end up taking out the needed additives.

mike o
09-03-2011, 07:12 AM
I had a 79 Ski Nautique / 351 pleasure craft. I sold it after 12 yrs with 1200 hrs, It was finally sold off my lake this spring with 2100 hrs on the clock still running great and not burning any oil ....:yes: Straight 30W Castrol.... "Better than it has to be".:kingme:

roadtrip se
09-03-2011, 09:59 AM
I ran 40W Valvoline Racing in my 500 for a decade and had little to no problems with that package.

My engine builder recommends 15-40 Valvoline All Fleet or 15-40 Delo as a second choice.
He states that the multi-weight helps during warm-up.

He was adamant about NOT using Rotella. I'll take the word of a guy that builds super high performance
marine and drag engines all day long and stakes his reputation and living on it.

Oh, and he recommends WIX Racing filters.

mike o
09-03-2011, 11:03 AM
Carl, Ya better pick up a dollar blender @ the "market" today.........:kingme:

GBond
09-04-2011, 08:04 PM
Anyone use Amsoil synthetic 15/50? :biggrin.:

300EVIL
09-06-2011, 11:11 PM
[ QUOTE=$originalposter]{$pagetext}[/QUOTE]

20W-50.... Close enough. Good stuff!!! I got one Mercedes I've been running it in for over 10 years and a peek under the oil cap at the valve train shows nothing but bright aluminum. The stuff runs really clean and obviously works well since the Merc has 390K MILES on it and doesn't leak or burn a drop. It is a Mercedes though....

Carl C
09-07-2011, 06:46 AM
Yup, I will only run the oil til the end of the season when I change it for winter lay-up. Maybe I will even just change the oil sooner. No more Rotella. It's hard to find the 25w40 Merc oil around here. A local shop sells it in bulk but it's a different color than what comes out of the bottles, hmmmm. They make dollar store blenders?

Carl C
09-09-2011, 12:39 PM
The truck oil is out of there. The nays outnumbered the yeas! Thanks.

Carl C
09-09-2011, 09:04 PM
One more simple oil question plz :). Is there any reason to not use a high zinc oil (Kendall) in a roller engine? I know all the oil opinions, just bought Kendall 20w50 because it is easily available and was recommended. It says it has zinc added. I haven't put the oil in yet but the Rotella is out!

Carl C
09-10-2011, 04:40 PM
No replies on my question in the above post means that I will dump in the Kendall tonight.:)

CHACHI
09-12-2011, 06:17 AM
Carl, high zinc, won't hurt a roller cam, but it necessary for a flat tappet one.

Kendall is blended and packed by Conoco-Phillips in case you are wondering and Brad Penn is blended and packed at the old Kendall refinery, but the new Kendall is not made but the same people who made the old Kendall. At one time Amalie and Kendall were both blended and packed by Witco.

Ken

Carl C
09-12-2011, 07:28 AM
Thanks, Ken. I have always used Mercury 25w40 but it is getting hard to find and is overpriced at most boat dealers and boating stores. Opinions vary but there is enough doubt that I will not switch to a full synthetic in the 525 because of the high cam lift and quick valve action that can cause the roller lifters to skid sometimes. I like the idea of using Valvoline Racing straight 40 weight and that is what I will look for at winter lay-up time which isn't until November for me. :)

mattyboy
09-12-2011, 09:22 AM
several guys by me swear by AGIP seems like they don't make straight weight oils though.

CHACHI
09-12-2011, 09:32 AM
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Carl, come on, if a roller "skids" something stopped it from turning. Oil won't stop a bearing from turning.

And if the roller is sliding on an oil film, well isn't the oil doing it's job.

This alledged roller skidding problem was started by Harley Davidson because they didn't have a synthetic oil for sale.

Ten years ago th Motor Company came out with a synthetic and guess what, no more roller skidding issues.

FWIW, last time I "looked" at Mercury oil, it had a good slug of zinc.

I won't even get into the price issue on oils.

Ken

CHACHI
09-12-2011, 09:44 AM
Matty, just to add more useless information to this thread, AGIP is an Italian oil comapny. Think EXXON-MOBIL in scope.

The compay is now called ENI and the division here in the States is American Agip.

They package the auto line out of Cabot PA and import all the motorcycle product from across the pond.

I have a cousin who works for ENI in Italy and he is the sales manager for ENI in Italy for the Motorcycle/scooter division. I found this out about 8 years ago, go figure.

Ken

CHACHI
09-27-2011, 06:11 AM
As promised, Shell Rotella T. No Brad Penn around me to test.

Ken

Carl C
09-27-2011, 07:47 AM
Chachi, IDK what all those numbers mean in real life but members of another forum also said that Rotella can foam up. It did not appear to foam in my engine but there was enough doubt that I drained it after one run. I did not know it was a diesel oil. Also, the problem of roller lifters skidding in big cammed engines with synthetic oil is well documented. Some of the newer synths appear to be OK but Mercury Racing still says not to use them in the 525. I'll stick with high quality, high viscosity dino oil and change it often. The only thing everyone seems to agree on are the Wix filters :).

CHACHI
09-27-2011, 10:17 AM
Carl, the numbers on the report are parts per million of the additive that the manufactures blends into the oil.

In the case of zinc and phophours, more is better.

Carl, all oil foams, it is how long the foam last is the question.

An additive polydimethylpolysiloxane, (silicone), is added to help control foaming.

The element "silicon" reported in the oil analysis IS NOT THE SAME as the additive silicone.

The SAE has tests for foam ASTM D-892 and D-6082.

As far as running the Rotella in your motor, don't worry, it is also rated for gasoline engines. It is SM (gas engine) rated, well at least the sample I sent out is.

These numbers were for new out of bottle oil.

As we all know, these numbers will change once the oil is run. The metals go up and the additive package goes down.

And I am still not buying "skidding" on a cam.

I have a customer with a supercharged nitro Harley and we blend a full synthetic 70 for him.

Ken

Ed Donnelly
09-27-2011, 08:20 PM
Ken; How come you don't make a 5/30 full synthetic ??? ..Ed