Which Rotella should I use? (1 Viewer)

[NCLX450]

I have been reading all the search database here for days now and it seems Rotella is the way to go. I have 245k miles on my LX450 and it does leak out around the valve gasket and seals. I just purchased it and am going through items one by one. Going to order a new valve gasket and PCV tonight. I removed the PCV and broke the old hose so need to order both now. Anyway, what Rotella do you recommend due to the high mileage and leaks? I can't fix everything all at once but I was looking to use 5w40 or 15w40 Rotella. I don't want Synthetic due to the old seals everywhere that I will eventually replace. I've used Castrol GTX high mileage on my Jeep TJ with great success after synthetics starting to sneak through. However, it seems most on here recommend Rotella.

I will say after removing the PCV I looked in the hole and notice a lot of build up. VERY gritty under the valve cover. The PCV hose had gritty oil in it as well. Probably need a good oil with detergents or run some Marvel in it a little.

I'm a newbie here but excited. I still love and have my Jeep TJ (20yrs of ownership now) but have always wanted a Cruiser. My wife has a GX470 and we have owned for a long time. Great vehicle but I really like my new 97 LX450 toy!

 

[jfz80]

Well first and foremost ... welcome!

The oil thing here has been discussed ad nauseum. Of those two I'd chose 5w40 but I run the rotella t6 synthetic with 310k and no issues

Pop in and say hi at the nc clubhouse
NC- Olde North State Cruisers

 

[half k cruiser]

@NCLX450 I guess I'm not understanding the question. Your asking if you should run Rotella 5w-40 or 15w-40 but you don't want to run a synthetic ? Wouldn't that just leave you with the 15w-40 then ?

 

[NCLX450]

Thanks for the info. Sorry I was under the assumption that Rotella also had a Dino
5w-40. I would rather run the 5w40 than the 15w-40 but I don't think a full synthetic would be wise until I get all of the leaks worked out. The previous owner used synthetic and I'm wondering if switching to a slightly heavier weight Dino would help the drips everywhere?

I will also check in at the NC clubhouse! Thanks!!

 

[thetoyotaman]

There's also a 10W30 semisynthetic version that might be perfect for your climate.

Shell ROTELLA® T5 Synthetic Blend

 

[half k cruiser]

Thanks for the info. Sorry I was under the assumption that Rotella also had a Dino
5w-40. I would rather run the 5w40 than the 15w-40 but I don't think a full synthetic would be wise until I get all of the leaks worked out. The previous owner used synthetic and I'm wondering if switching to a slightly heavier weight Dino would help the drips everywhere?

I will also check in at the NC clubhouse! Thanks!!

From everything I've seen if your going with a 5w-anything it will be synthetic. The dino oils seem to be limited at 10w or greater. Like @thetoyotaman mentioned above you could try going with a 10w-30 which is what the factory recommended for it 20 + years ago. I'm running a 0w-30 in all of mine and haven't had any unusual consumption issues.

 

[NCLX450]

Looks like 10w-30 or 15w-40 are my options. Will 15w-40 be a bad idea? I like the 40w on the hot end. Thanks!

 

[spartan]

It's a truck engine. Put some 10W-40 regular dino oil in it and call it a day. Fix your valve cover gaskets. Don't waste money on synthetic or any blends. It's your truck though. Do what you want. Good luck.

 

[NCLX450]

I think that's what I will do right now. I have ordered a new Lexus Valve cover gasket, PCV, grommet and PCV hose already as well.

 

[half k cruiser]

Looks like 10w-30 or 15w-40 are my options. Will 15w-40 be a bad idea? I like the 40w on the hot end. Thanks!

No 15w-40 will be fine, lots of folks on here running it. There is a ton of misconception out there about oil viscosity's and heavy weight oil vs lightweight oil, pressure vs flow, what temperature's to run what oil, etc. My opinion, based on what I've read from people who actually design oil, and given what new oil is capable of, is that a 40 weight is unnecessary and probably not as effective at lubricating and heat dissipation as a 30 weight oil. That said, a lot of it will be splitting hairs as how do you prove it in our application ? I've noted on here before, if the 1FZ came out of the factory today it would most likely call for 0w-20. One thing most people won't argue about is that the lower you can get your winter weight, the better it will be for your engine.

 

[deltapine1]

If you are set on Rotella; 15W40 conventional. I would suggest the addition of a wear additive high in ZDDP. All of the over the counter oils have reduced levels of ZDDP (wear additives - Zinc, Molybdenum, Phosphorous, etc.) as a result of 2007 regulations requiring catalysts and other emissions equipment on diesels. The consensus is that high mileage diesels with ring or valve seal wear allowed the higher level of ZDDP containing oils to degrade the catalytic converters. Thus the oil industry sells us oils which provide less protection against friction loss. Yet they will tell us the newer oils superceed all previous applications. Put 3000 hours on two test stand motors with higher and lower levels of ZDDP and then look at each camshafts lobes under a microscope and with a Jenoptik high res CNC and you can see it!

Chevron was one of the last to provide both Delo 400 with the higher levels of ZDDP and Delo 400LE (Low Emission) with the newer lower standards.

In short the oils you purchase over the counter today are inferior in wear protection to the oils you could have purchased in 1996.

We are all very proud of the fact these rigs will run multiple hundreds of thousands of miles. Put the best oil in it you can source, add a wear additive pack if need be, use a Toyota or good quality filter, change the oil before 200 hours or 300 days, change the air filter every 400 hours and commit yourself to driving just to see how far she will go!

 

[spartan]

Deltapine1 - did you ever run the Lonesome Pine Enduro. If so I was there in open class on a Penton. I was 15 years old.

 

[thetoyotaman]

Where’s the source for the 200 hour recommendations? Thanks!

 

[deltapine1]

I edited it. Before 200 hours is correct.

Based off of 10 years of oil degradation testing. There isn't a commercially available base stock oil available that isn't stable up to 200 hours at temps up to 275 degrees. F.

 

[gummycarbs]

I don't want Synthetic due to the old seals everywhere that I will eventually replace.

I'm going to poke this beast with a long stick because I don't want to start a torrent of oil debates:

I suggest that you research that concern of yours. It's my understanding that it's effectively a myth, which started because early synthetic oils didn't contain any (or sufficient) seal conditioner/sweller.

 

[NCLX450]

I know what you mean. I have been running full synthetic in all my vehicle's for so long I can't remember. Sent samples off to Blackstone Labs numerous times. I am absolutely a fan of synthetic oils no doubt. However, on at least 4 of the high mileage vehicles I've owned over the years that developed small leaks I switched back to Dino and the leaks magically stopped. I'm guessing it was just luck and the real problem was still there (old seals that needed to be replaced). The Dino worked just fine until I had the seals replaced. Again probably just luck on my end. I would certainly prefer the synthetic for sure.

 

[thebus]

run 10w40 or 10w30 dont over think it..motors are serviced in 3 intervals 300k each

 

[NCLX450]

I always over think it lol. Probably will just do 10w-40 high mileage and roll with it.

 

[Bill F]

FWIW - to the OP - I read all of the oil threads I could find, as well as the manufacturer websites, and settled on 10-30 synthetic blend, either Delo XLE or Rotella T5 - for the reasons that the detergent qualities and additive package (presumably more ZDDP, etc.) will be better for a higher mile motor and longer drain intervals, as well as balancing the potential for leaks with synthetic oil in a motor that has used conventional oils previously.

My logic is b/c I have no way of knowing what oil was used by the PO, and a blend oil would split the difference, and a more detergent oil would be helpful in cleaning out the motor (again, no service history) without having to do some sort of engine flush. Plus, one or the other of these always seem to be on sale - though I do recall reading that the Delo uses a slightly better base stock.

 

[NCLX450]

Thank you for the info. I really like having the cleaning option for higher mileage motors.