Ford 5000 diesel. What oil?

BillinAZ

Member
I have a 1968 5000 diesel. Would it be ok to use something like 15-40 Rotella in the engine, or should I stay with single weight oil. Mostly used in warm weather. Thanks for your opinions.
 
(quoted from post at 00:17:27 02/11/13) 15-40 is just fine. All big-boy diesels (Cat, Cummins, etc.) run that as well.

Bern, Cat and some others are now using a factory fill of 10W-30 CJ-4.

In the OPs 5000 I would suggest 15W-40 or straight 30, unless he's up on the plateau where it gets chilly.

I sure wouldn't use Rotella in it though!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 

Evidence would suggest that Rotella is a sludge maker just like Pennsoil used to be (and maybe still is) in a gasoline engine.

The are better oils out there than Rotella!
 
i can remember way back when i may have used it a couple times.. but none in the last 10ys. it's not a comoonly sold oil here.

mobile delvac and delo and motorcraft and valvoline plus the store brands are what you see mostly here. mobile is probbaly the most common..
 
(quoted from post at 07:07:00 02/11/13)
Evidence would suggest that Rotella is a sludge maker just like Pennsoil used to be (and maybe still is) in a gasoline engine.

The are better oils out there than Rotella!

The 'evidence' usually turns out to be studies conducted by the competition.
 
We use 15-40 in all our tractors except one that is going to feed or push snow then 10-30 but go back to 15-40 in the summer. The brand is the color of the jug, I don,t put the jug in the crankcase so it doesn't matter. 50 years no bearing or cam problums.
 
I have been using Rotella exclusively in all my diesels for as long as I can remember. I know several contractors and truckers who have been running it for millions of miles too in on and off highway diesels. There is always something better, but I haven't seen the sludging problems that are reported. Rotella is a common product around here, it's in every farm, car and truck store, and until this post today I had never heard that it wasn't a good product.
 
that's why i asked.. I hadn't heard anything about it either.

in fact.. the last time I heard about a truly 'bad' oil was quaker state.. adn that was decades ago.

I run walmart or tractor supply oil in my tractors mainly. a couple get different oils ( motorcraft, and 1 is on syn, as are my trucks.. etc.. )
 
(quoted from post at 10:01:57 02/11/13)
(quoted from post at 07:07:00 02/11/13)
Evidence would suggest that Rotella is a sludge maker just like Pennsoil used to be (and maybe still is) in a gasoline engine.

The are better oils out there than Rotella!

The 'evidence' usually turns out to be studies conducted by the competition.

I disagree! The evidence is in engines opened up for one reason or another.
 
Probably foolish to change the manufacturer of my oil, right? As far as I know rotella has been used in my 2000 Ford forever.
 
After reading this thread I googled rotella trying to find some kind of research or expert analysis proving that there is a problem and I can't find anything. I won't stop using it until I see something concrete that makes me want to find a better oil.
 
Rotella is fine, just pulled a diesel apart with 7000 hours on it, zero sludge, do not believe the wives tails.
 

7000 hours????? That's not a very good recommendation for Rotella!

I have a firend that's got 33,000 hours on a 706 Farmall diesel. He claims he's overhauled at about 11,000 hour intervals on straight weight oils that were not Rotella!
 
(quoted from post at 19:57:58 02/11/13)
7000 hours????? That's not a very good recommendation for Rotella!

I have a firend that's got 33,000 hours on a 706 Farmall diesel. He claims he's overhauled at about 11,000 hour intervals on straight weight oils that were not Rotella!

He did not say why he had to tear apart the engine. It could have been from cavitation or head gasket, or a number of things not related to lubrication issues.
 
Shell Rotella T 15w40 and Delo 400 15w40 are the finest off the shelf oils today...these companies stay on the cutting edge. Ive been buiding diesel engines since 1970.Neither of these oils build sludge.Any oil will lose its additives thru the crankcase vent when run past their service limit.
 
OK, I'm a little less concerned about the fact that I have been using Rotella without incident for many years now. Honestly, I doubt that I put more than 200 hours on any piece of equipment between oil changes, so I feel pretty good.
 
The way I had it put to me one day... and I forget who said it... but his remark was that Rotella was a modest quality oil with a top notch marketing program and a top shelf price.
That still doesn't mean it's a bad oil...
I've never used it myself. I've never heard anything bad about it either... so I'd say if it works fine for you; use it.
Biggest thing in avoiding wear is to avoid hard cold starts and keep the oil and filter changed within the manufacturers recomendations... or when you notice oil degredation.
I have one I change at 100 hours use though it's recomended at 150 hours... but basically it starts slowly consuming oil around 70-80 hours use on hard work... oil is degrading abit... so I change it when it gets down to the add mark.. unless it's really low hours since the last change.

Rod
 
I change oil in my tractors every year. They work on small produce farm, the off set cultivating tractors see the most hours. None of my tractors will see over thirty hours a year. I used 15 w 40 in the diesel, and 20 w 50 in the gas one.
 
I love oil war threads. I don"t see them here all that often but go to a diesel pickup discussion forum and read till your eyes hurt. Some guys would get into fist fights if not seperated by the web. After 25 years working in a Kubota tractor dealership and 30 years of owning, operating, maintaining and repairing my own diesel equipment (tractors below 100 hp and diesel pickups) I can say that I have NEVER seen an engine overhauled due to an engine related oil failure IF something EVEN CLOSE to the proper weight, proper API rating, proper fluid level and some resemblence of proper change interval has been maitained. Now, lost drain plugs, holes in oil pans, leaking turbo oil lines, broken pressure sending units, etc is another story. A broken oil pressure sending unit is why my 1991 7710 had a BSD engine put in it at 2500 hours (previous owner). The point is to use the brand you want that meets spec and you will be fine. I agree with Rod in that Rotella is good oil with great marketing. I"ve run 30wt Delo 400 in all my tractors for years. Is it the best? They still run... and good
If you just follow that bit of advice, you will find that you will be overhauling that engine due to other factors, primarily low compression, long before you overhaul it due to poor lubrication. Good luck to all. -Steve-
 

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