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Shell ROTELLA® T5 10w-40 no longer available?

jacksonkev

Member III
Hello all,

Spring has sprung and I was going to change the oil in my Universal 5416.

I see that Shell has discontinued manufacturing ROTELLA® T5 synthetic blend (10w-40) and it's now impossible to find in my area.

I chose the 10w-40 because I sail year-round in the chilly SF Bay and I've read that this weight is good in cold conditions. I went with Shell ROTELLA® T5 because it seemed universally recommended (pun intended).

Question(s)...

-Is there a new recommended 10w-40 diesel lubricating oil? I don't see much at my local auto shores.

-If so, are there any extra precautions/steps when changing brands/blends?

-Is there any harm (or benefit) in switching back to good old SAE 30?

-Is there a particular rec'd SAE 30 for these engines?

-Are there any extra precautions/steps when changing weights?

-Lastly, is there a magic trick to getting the most oil out of these engines? There is little or no access to the plug in the pan on my Ericson 30+. I've been using an oil extractor out of the dipstick tube.

Thanks...just trying to avoid an extra project!
 
Last edited:

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
I use Delo 15-40 for a couple decades. My mechanic likes it too.

As for getting the last bit of oil out, will your engine drain plug accept the Universal oil extractor banjo fitting with the hose, led up the side of the engine compartment? (Probably difficult to install, but after that your oil changes are pretty easy.)
 

toddster

Curator of Broken Parts
Blogs Author
I use 15-40 in all the diesels. If it's going to be really cold, I plug in the block heater. SF Bay does not get that cold.
I did have trouble finding the Rotella in NAPA last month - they had it hidden in an end-cap display on the opposite side of the store from the rest of the oil :rolleyes:
I've got one of those canister-style vacuum oil extractors - they're sold at West Marine or many other places - it comes with a wand that goes down the dip stick hole to the bottom of the sump. Just warm up the engine, give a few pumps on the handle, and relax for a while while it does its thing. Seems to get every drop out of most engines.
 

jacksonkev

Member III
I use Delo 15-40 for a couple decades. My mechanic likes it too.

As for getting the last bit of oil out, will your engine drain plug accept the Universal oil extractor banjo fitting with the hose, led up the side of the engine compartment? (Probably difficult to install, but after that your oil changes are pretty easy.)

Thanks Loren,

I'll check again but I think it's beyond tight on that side of the engine compartment.

I'm also trying to imagine how to capture the last of the oil from the pan when I go to install that fitting. I definitely can't fit a pie pan or the like under the block.

Then again, it never hurts to check it again :esad:.
 

jacksonkev

Member III
I use 15-40 in all the diesels. If it's going to be really cold, I plug in the block heater. SF Bay does not get that cold.
I did have trouble finding the Rotella in NAPA last month - they had it hidden in an end-cap display on the opposite side of the store from the rest of the oil :rolleyes:
I've got one of those canister-style vacuum oil extractors - they're sold at West Marine or many other places - it comes with a wand that goes down the dip stick hole to the bottom of the sump. Just warm up the engine, give a few pumps on the handle, and relax for a while while it does its thing. Seems to get every drop out of most engines.


Thanks...do you think there are any extra steps to take when changing to a new weight? Or just proceed with the oil change as usual?

I was thinking I could do (2) quick changes in an effort to get a higher ratio of 15w-40 in the engine. But that seems wasteful and I don't have a big enough extractor to do it in one trip. Not worth it unless it is...I guess.
 

Christian Williams

E381 - Los Angeles
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The oil has to be warm, just short of hot. Probably means running the engine half a hour.

Bring some household empty jugs so you can distribute the 8 quarts among them. Then save the empty oil containers for the next change.
 

Pat C.

Member III
I was talking about various things with one of the marine mechanics at my marina and he told me only use 30 wt motor oil (they use Delo). The reason he said was that multi weight motor oils are detergent oils and as such are subject to foaming. That foam can impact an engine exposed to excess axial motion, such as a boat engine and cause a measurable decrease in performance of the engine. I'd never heard of such a thing before. I've only used multi weight Rotella T for years and never had a problem with it, but this makes me think of using straight 30 wt going forward. I always wondered why all marine diesels specify straight 30 wt first, then add a multi weight option as an add on as if to say "if you insist and have to". Maybe this explains why.
 

Loren Beach

O34 - Portland, OR
Senior Moderator
Blogs Author
The question is logical, and a decision to sick with the 30 weight is not going to harm the engine, in any case.

Last time I asked my mechanic (50 years experience) he told me that the formulation of the multi-grade oils had advanced quite a bit since my engine was produced in the 80's, and that he would recommend the multi-grade oil for any earlier diesel.

He is a firm believer in the more modern multi-grade oils. Just check the service coding on the container.
 

jacksonkev

Member III
I was talking about various things with one of the marine mechanics at my marina and he told me only use 30 wt motor oil (they use Delo). The reason he said was that multi weight motor oils are detergent oils and as such are subject to foaming. That foam can impact an engine exposed to excess axial motion, such as a boat engine and cause a measurable decrease in performance of the engine. I'd never heard of such a thing before. I've only used multi weight Rotella T for years and never had a problem with it, but this makes me think of using straight 30 wt going forward. I always wondered why all marine diesels specify straight 30 wt first, then add a multi weight option as an add on as if to say "if you insist and have to". Maybe this explains why.

Yeah, I've heard similar warnings....maybe we should request that an oil expert set us all straight once and for all.

I've chosen multi-weight oil mainly because I've read that it has better performance before your engine has a chance to warm up. I often start her up, pull out of the slip and raise the sails...not a lot of chance to warm up.

I have also read that good old SAE 30 is best for the engine due to it's lack of extra crap.

Just not sure what to believe.:thinker:
 

jacksonkev

Member III
The question is logical, and a decision to sick with the 30 weight is not going to harm the engine, in any case.

Last time I asked my mechanic (50 years experience) he told me that the formulation of the multi-grade oils had advanced quite a bit since my engine was produced in the 80's, and that he would recommend the multi-grade oil for any earlier diesel.

He is a firm believer in the more modern multi-grade oils. Just check the service coding on the container.

Makes sense to me.
 

tenders

Innocent Bystander
The reason he said was that multi weight motor oils are detergent oils and as such are subject to foaming. That foam can impact an engine exposed to excess axial motion, such as a boat engine and cause a measurable decrease in performance of the engine. I'd never heard of such a thing before.

Sounds like foaming at the mouth to me. Standard single weight oil has detergents too - you have to go pretty far out of your way these days to get nondetergent oil. The purpose of detergent is to suspend the impurities accumulating in the oil so they don’t settle out and form sludge at the bottom of the oil pan. I can confirm that it works pretty darn well, even without an oil filter. And antifoaming agents are, I think, added to all oils.
 

jacksonkev

Member III
Sounds like foaming at the mouth to me. Standard single weight oil has detergents too - you have to go pretty far out of your way these days to get nondetergent oil. The purpose of detergent is to suspend the impurities accumulating in the oil so they don’t settle out and form sludge at the bottom of the oil pan. I can confirm that it works pretty darn well, even without an oil filter. And antifoaming agents are, I think, added to all oils.

Solid advice....thanks.
 

Tom Metzger

Sustaining Partner
FWIW, looking at a current Yanmar engine manual they do not list single weight oil.

ScreenHunter 89 Apr. 25.jpg

Obviously, if we have been using single weight oil for 30 years it does the job.
 

Tom Metzger

Sustaining Partner
Good info...I wonder which is a better pick 15w-40 or 10w-30? I’d guess the latter in cold weather climates.

If you use the engine when it is below 10*F I agree with you. Otherwise not so much.
 

Kenneth K

1985 32-3, Puget Sound
Blogs Author
I'm looking over the shelves at Walmart in Tacoma WA right now; Shell Rotella T5 10 W 30 and 15 W 40, $18 a gallon.
 
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