[Chrysler300] ZDDP re-visited-the bottom line www . rotella . com

["Rich Barber" <c300@xxxxxxx>]

Good questions, well stated.  I was just near a Shell station, so went in
and started reading the labels on their oils.  There was essentially no
technical information on the bottles, other than the API specs it met.  It
did very specifically indicate Rotella is for Diesel and gasoline-fueled
engines.  On the Rotella oil (they only had 15W-40) it said to go to
www.rotella.com for more info.  I slightly edited your question and
resubmitted it through the Rotella pipeline.  Stay tuned, film at 11.

Several places on the very interesting Rotella site reflected the fact that
operators of heavy-duty mobile and stationary Diesel engines utilize
periodic oil analysis to monitor oil condition including contaminant and
additive levels.  I'm very familiar with those analyses from my days as a
natural gas compressor station engineer and manager.  The tests are highly
automated and provide good information on oil condition and contamination.  

I am only familiar with Mobil's service and the bottom line was oil is OK,
or oil and/or filters should be changed.  They never suggested adding a pint
of ZDDP or any other mouse milk to bring inhibitor levels up.  Of course
they were in the oil business, but they would call from the lab if high wear
metals, water or glycol showed up.  Worn piston rings allowed increased
blowby and accelerated certain types of oil degradation and this was also
flagged.  This service was "free", but we bought lube oil by the tank truck
full.  

I have read where big trucking outfits are using oil monitoring as part of
their predictive maintenance program.  Changing filters beats changing all
the oil if it's OK, and early indication of wear metals can change an
unscheduled outage and major failure to a scheduled engine check and minor
repairs.  I believe that this service might soon be available for automobile
drivers, but probably won't be free.  It might be available already--I
haven't Googled that.  Whether or not these oil analyses check for ZDDP or
phosphorus is the question of the hour.

Question for the oily types:  Any problem with using 10W-30 instead of
straight 30W in a 331 Chrysler 300 hemi (assuming the oil contains or can
have ZDDP added)?  How about the 15W-40 Rotella T?  Rotella T is also
available in 10W 20, 30, 40 & 50 weight straight viscosity levels.

C-300'ly,
Rich Barber
Brentwood, CA

Here are a couple of the FAQ's & answers from the Rotella site:

Is Shell Rotella? T motor oil going to have less zinc in 2007?

Yes. The API CJ-4 (next generation) Shell ROTELLA? T multigrade motor oil
will have a slightly lower level of zinc than the current API CI-4 PLUS
Shell ROTELLA T. Zinc is typically used as part of the anti-wear system
within the oil. However, less zinc in API CJ-4 oils compared with API CI-4
PLUS oils does not mean increased wear. In fact, wear protection is one of
the key areas where the API CJ-4 category provides improvements over API
CI-4 PLUS. (Other areas include; oxidation stability and soot control). The
new API CJ-4 Shell ROTELLA T multigrade motor oil also meets the
requirements of earlier API performance categories such as API CI-4 PLUS,
CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, as well as others, and can be used in engines specifying
any of these performance categories.

Another:

Can the same motor oil be used in both a rig and a personal car?

In many cases, yes.

Choosing a crankcase oil always starts with the owner's manual that came
with your car or truck. The engine manufacturer specifies two important
pieces of information: oil quality and oil viscosity.

Oil quality is identified by the American Petroleum Institute (API) service
classification. The classification codes for gasoline engine oils begin with
"S" (SM is the most advanced quality oil). Diesel engine oil codes start
with "C" (CI-4 Plus is currently the most advanced quality oil. An easy way
to distinguish between the two: "S" equals spark ignition, "C" equals
compression ignition. Also, oil service classifications are "backward
compatible": an SM oil will work just fine, for example, in a car that
specifies SH. But an SG won't. You'll also need the correct viscosity grade.
Most modern gasoline engines use 5W-30 or 10W-30 multigrade oils. The "5W"
and "10W" part of the viscosity grades help maintain better fuel economy and
good cold temperature performance. You can use heavier oils but if your
vehicle is still under warranty, check first with the engine manufacturer. 

If your personal vehicle runs on gasoline and is no longer under warranty,
then you'll need a "universal" oil (such as ROTELLA T 15W-40) that's
designed to serve both diesel and gasoline engines. Check the label for the
API SERVICE designation. Be careful because some premium oils are for diesel
use only.

If your personal vehicle is diesel powered, then you don't need to worry
abut the "S" category series. Just make sure the oil is the correct "C"
category. Remember, CI-4 Plus can be used in place of CH-4 and earlier oils.
(Exception: CF-2, which is a two-stroke cycle oil. Don't use CH-4 there.)


-----Original Message-----
From: Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx [mailto:Chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx] On
Behalf Of paulholm@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Sent: Sunday, April 27, 2008 7:14 PM
To: chrysler300@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Re: [Chrysler300] ZDDP re-visited-the bottom line

Oops, here is a copy of my inquiry:

There is a raging debate with serious words being fired across the wires
with my car club membership.
A fair number of our cars are from 1955 to 1965 and a strong percentage of
them were originally built with solid lifter camshafts, 80% plus.
Modern Oils are being blamed for the death of flat tappet cams right and
left. A suggested cause has been the reduction in zinc additives in new
motor oils as mandated by the USA EPA. ZDDP has been bandied about as a term
associated with this. Some members have taken to using Shell Rotella T oil
to gain back the protection properties needed.
Does Shell Rotella T contain enough ZDDP to protect as the oils of the 50's
and 60's did in this application?
Thanks



-------------------------------------------------------------------
I tried to keep it simple, and straight to the point, as well as convey
a measure of 'Please respond'
 
--
Paul Holmgren
2 57 300-C's in Indy
Hoosier Corps #L6





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