Doug Hillary

Hi,
Dave R - yes. Castrol's Approved oils are now 5w-40 viscosity with only one exception 0w-40 Formula RS

Castrol's Syntec range included/includes some Group 3 synthetic formulations

adwriter - my love to Auckland, I used to cycle race on the Western Springs velodrome, I (originally) come from Dunedin!

This link may help in understanding lubricants;

http://www.landsharkoz.com/tt/ttlubricant.htm

Regards

Dave R.

Doug,
OK, thanks
-Dave

Pesty

Hi Doug, Thanks for the info, I have not seen Mobil 1 5W-40 for sale in the UK for a few years.
IIRC it started as that and then went to 0W-40 only recently noticed the 15-50 race oil.

It all gets very confusing for a simple sole like me.

so for Mobil its the 0W or 15W unles anyone knows wher ei can get 5W as for delvac never heard of it. I imagine thats an Australian trade name?

Doug Hillary

Hi Pesty,
Mobil sells its Commercial range of lubricants around the World under the "Delvac" brand and has done so for several decades

Delvac 1 (or Delvac SHC) 5w-40 is sold in the UK and can be obtained at Mobil Truck Stops or from a Mobil Distributor

I am amazed that Mobil do not sell a M1 5w-40 in the UK - they do NOT sell it here, we only get;
M1 0w-30
M1 0w-40
M1 5w-50 (or selectively M1 15w-50 as a Motorbike oil)

Mobil's marketing leaves much to be desired - it is a pity as M1 (and etc) are truely excellent products

Let us know how you go

Regards

Doug Hillary

Indycam - of course I stand by my previous comments. Remember that M1 is sold to the Retail market - Delvac 1 5w-40 is sold into a very selective Commercial user market where cost effectiveness is paramount

I posted this on another US Board (oil specialists/chemists etc) today and it relates to Used Oil Analysis;
"Mobil's dedicated Customer Engineers review their own Lab's results prior to despatch to their Customers and this defuses many "crisis" situations. I liaise very closely with a number of their Engineers on Delvac 1 5w-40 and its application. It could be said that we have learnt about the same from each other over the last seven years!"

What is not said in your Mobil post is;
a) the ester content (26%) in Delvac 1 5w-40 aids in stimulating engine seal performance and,
b) aids in protecting engines that have a low use factor (such as "Classic" cars etc)
c) The better detergency of Delvac 1 over M1 is especially important where engines may have lower or higher oil temperatures than in normal operating circumstances
d) the High Temperature High Shear (HTHS) viscosity of Delvac 1 5w-40 (4.1cSt) over M1 0w-40 (3.5cSt) is
very important especially in older engines. (M1 15w-50 has a HTHS vis. of 5.11cSt, and M1 10w-30 has a HTHS vis. of 3.17). Porsche's Approval has a minimum HTHS of 3.5cSt
e) Wear rates in complex valve train components operating with high "wiping" loads and with complex chains and gears is superior with Delvac 1

They also did not mention that they now sell it under the Mobil 1 banner as "M1 T&SUV 5w-40" in the US! Just another case of performance, money and marketing!

Of course it is over to the user but my experience may help

I have used Delvac 1 5w-40 in my own diesel engines costing more that $50k each for many millions of kms over seven years. During this period I have carried out hundreds of clinically controlled Used oil Analysis (UOAs) and one complete engine strip down at 1m kms (620k miles).
At engine strip down the engine (a 500hp Series 60 Detroit Diesel) was able to be rebuilt without any new components and was exceptionally clean and deposit free internally. This is MOST exceptional as the OHC valve train and piston component areas are well known for wear in this engine series! The valves/injector actuators had NOT been adjusted for 800kkms due to low wear rates. The tear down inspection was carried out by the engine's Manufacturer Detroit Diesel and was also monitored by Mobil's engineers. The results are now well known and the UOA data is stored on a complex database by individual engine and engine family
This engine had a whole of life oil consumption averaging 6kkms per litre (same as engine family average) and now one year later still has the same oil consumption factor at 1.1m kms

I have used it (Delvac 1 5w-40) in many petrol engines too during that time (seven years) with perfect results. It is especially good with elevated fire band pressures and temperatures which can lead to ring/land and piston "issues" and with turbochargers/superchargers

I operate my own Transport and Consultancy business (17 years) and am NOT connected to Mobil or any other Oil Company. I have done field service trials/lubricant testing for Castrol since the 1970-80s and Mobil, and I once worked for Caltex-Chevron (in Copenhagen Denmark in 1960s)

It is over to each owner to make their choice - the facts make for a better decision

Regards
Doug

Doug Hillary

Hi Indycam - no I did not find anything in your Post other than good intent - that is always welcomed I'm sure. It certainly is by me!

It does still astound me though that even at retail store and Oil Distributor levels so much lubricant mis-information exists today. I know that it worries the major Oil companies but it is really their own fault as they do so little training at Rep. level let alone at Dealesrship or "Autozone" type retail outlets!

I find the same thing when dealing with Service Managers in the Transport Fleets I consult with/for. When gearbox and diffs (worth $20-30k each) were first being filled with synthetic oils some of these people drained them saying "synthetics are not needed and are no bl**dy good". This of course invalidated warranties etc. Firm directives had to come "from above"!
The take up rate of synthetic lubricants that are so very cost effective is very slow in the Transport Industry. This is mostly due to existing prejudices, a lack of knowledge and appropriate training

Best of luck and Aloha (Kia Ora)
Doug (once was New Zealander - Pakeha)

Doug Hillary

Hi Indycam,
no dead Horses here - only a few dead Kangaroos due to the drought!

This from Mobil may have confused some;

"If you use your gasoline vehicle in "heavy-duty" service, Delvac 1 will provide many benefits compared to conventional oils. When compared to Mobil 1 performance, those benefits may not be as obvious, and in fact, Mobil 1 would be expected to outperform Delvac 1 in many gasoline applications"

Both are great products - in certain highly stressed and some other engine operations Delvac 1 5w-40 is simply better!

Now, if you have a KIA RIO for instance and just go to the shops or to work in it even M1 is probably an overkill (no horses or kangaroos though) - so no need for Delvac 1!

Regards

Doug Hillary

Hi Indycam - I currently use Delvac 1 5w-40 in;
'02 VW Golf
'98 BMW Z3 2.8
'89 Porsche 928 S4

I use M1 0w-40 in my CLK Benz (now under warranty - after warranty it will get Delvac 1 5w-40 too)

Yes, I would certainly use the correct viscosity of M1 instead of Delvac 1 if it was not available

M1 0w-40 has a "lighter" viscosity with 14.3cSt and Delvac 1 5w-40 has 14.8cSt
(the SAE 40 viscosity range allowed @100C range is between 12.5 and 16.3)

Regards
Doug

Doug Hillary

Hi Indycam,
the new range of M1 Extended Performance oils have not been introduced into Australia so I do not know much about them. They have been very well received in Tribology circles in NA

Many new advanced chemical additives and very stable base stocks are being introduced and these may displace some existing full and semi-synthetic oils at lower costs. Technology moves on!

Personally the new range of API's SM quality rated oils leave something to be desired. The API is controlled by the Oil Companies and much development is CAFE driven

I like the European vehicle maker's (ACEA) A/B, C, E oil quality rating system - it is controlled and managed by the engine makers and is performance based

Recommended oil change intervals (OCIs) on Euro vehicles will soon reach 30-40kkms. Very advanced on-board oil condition monitors are proving to be reliable and accurate and will predict and inform when an OC is needed. Oils with special additive packages and performance "tracers" are already in use.
In heavy trucks, on-board oil conditioners are now being refined - these will allow oil to be used indefinitely

I hope others on here are not bored to death about this subject

Regards
Doug

Eric Kessel

Doug,
Would you recommend the Delvac 1 for use in a gasoline turbo charged engine? (I've got it in my 90 C2 at your previous recommendation, but i'm not sure how suited it is for my 99 Volvo wagon - V70R)
Thanks for any info.

Doug Hillary

Hi Eric,
yes Delvac 1 5w-40 is an ideal choice in most turbocharged gasoline engines. Its year round temperature use is between slightly below -20F to 100F and over - but check what the Volvo handbook says on temperatures

Delvac 1 is designed to operate in very high boost engines. As well most heavy truck turbochargers are only cooled by the oil supply and run very hot at times (long climbs when heavily loaded @ exhaust temps around 500+C (average 380C, "normal" 350-450C). We have never had a turbo fail when using Delvac 1 and the cleanliness in the bearing(s) area is usually as new.
I NEVER allow my drivers to idle beyond 3 minutes (automatic engine shutdown is programmed into ECM for that point) and most engines are shut down without any specific idle period at all (usually instantly)

Regards