Sorry guys, I know it's been like a broken record, but now that some time gone by has anybody got comments on using newer stuff with less zinc and phosphor on older engines. I've been running amsoil (1400 ppm zink) for few years now and don't have any problems with it other than price and the way you got to get it if you want a half a.. deal on it. Plus I don't put enough miles on it a year to justify it anymore. Called Cummins and they use Valvoline Premium Blue in just about anything and it replaces all of the older stuff. Guy said it had 1200 ppm of zinc in it and was plenty for flat tappets, price at cummins was $14.50 a gallon. Then I called Delo and talked with their support guy and was told that their Delo 400le 15w40 is one of the best and they have billions of miles to prove it. Zinc was 1300 ppm, and price is $29 for 2.5gal at Walmart. I hear some guys run ether oil and put some zddp additive also, but not sure if it's even needed if both places told me their oil is fine the way it is. I was thinking I can still run amsoil bypass filter and change it once every 2 years and use fleet guard LF16035 for full flow. Also there is a fleet guard LF9028 that has full flow and bypass in one if I decide to get rid of amsoil bypass. Let the steam roll. Thank you all.

Edited September 22, 20159 yr by Dieselfuture

I'd try a different lab. I never cared for blackstone but do like OAI testing.

Past 3 years Amsoil AME 15w40 diesel and marine. These guys put this Altorfer DEO oil in just about anything I'm starting to think that lab results are goofy for some reason.

The lab results are very goofy but also concerning. I would make the jump to new commonly available oil bit since you have the oil I would use it until you run out then run some Rotella 15W-40 or try the Mobil 1 CI-4 blend I mentioned earlier in the thread. Cummins recommends Rotella 15W-40 and Valvoline Premium Blue 15W-40 down to 0 degrees Fahrenheit. If you run in colder climates plug in and or run Rotella T6 5W-40 which is a factory fill in Ram trucks.

I'd try a different lab. I never cared for blackstone but do like OAI testing.

I've gotten great results with Blackstone labs. There is a local oil analysis company (more than one actually) but I have gotten mixed results with the same sample. Consistency is very important in my opinion.

I have never seen a blackstone report give much of anything for soot readings when reports of the same oil show soot with other companies. I also don't like the added charge for TBN that blackstone has. I have only talked with reps a couple time but the blackstone reps seemed to be reading a script vs being actually knowledgable.

I have never seen a blackstone report give much of anything for soot readings when reports of the same oil show soot with other companies. I also don't like the added charge for TBN that blackstone has. I have only talked with reps a couple time but the blackstone reps seemed to be reading a script vs being actually knowledgable.

That is common these days. Probably due to liability. I spoke with some of the big wigs in the lab with my oil sample results and after speaking with them about the truck and what my intentions were with the OCI interval and we both agreed on where to start out and sampling intervals.

I agree the added cost for TAN levels is definitely a bit in left field but the local analyst's are 25 dollars more for the same job and the consistency is not as good.

Who are you sending your samples to AH64ID?

After trying blackstone and one other company in Spokane I am using OAI. OAI is also who Rocky Mountain Cummins reccommends.

After trying blackstone and one other company in Spokane I am using OAI. OAI is also who Rocky Mountain Cummins reccommends.

Cummins has there own oil analysis program also. Not sure why they recommend another company. Curious to know if the Cummins UOA would be any better?

So these 3 tests are same oil out of same bucket, Mobil MX 15w40 oil with suposedly extra ingidients. what is good and what is bad, asuming TAN wasn't done in this test as a lot of people don't bother with TAN and just do TBN.

Cummins has there own oil analysis program also. Not sure why they recommend another company. Curious to know if the Cummins UOA would be any better?

I went to cummins and they sent me to CAT dealer and said that's who does all of their analyses.

So these 3 tests are same oil out of same bucket, Mobil MX 15w40 oil with suposedly extra ingidients. what is good and what is bad, asuming TAN wasn't done in this test as a lot of people don't bother with TAN and just do TBN.

Both oils are very similar. I would prefer Mobil oils over the other oil in the CI-4 classification. If I had to use commonly available oil I would definitely run Shell Rotella over many major brands for two main reasons. A: it is commonly available and B: it has been proven to be just as high a quality as many other names in the industry.

Currently I am on 9,700 miles on Rotella T6 5W-40 and the TBN is still very high. The zinc and phosphorus levels are also close to that of new oil.

These older Cummins engines are not hard on the oil.

I went to cummins and they sent me to CAT dealer and said that's who does all of their analyses.

Definitely odd. I guess it's whatever the local shop wants to use. I may just give Cummins Southern Plains a ring tomorrow and ask them what they use just out of curiosity.

I'd try a different lab. I never cared for blackstone but do like OAI testing.

So I retested same oil total of 3 times and the results all kinda close to each other, what do you think. Does it look like ci4 or cj4 oil to you according to these tests, I know I should use different lab but already too much money spent here. How do I tell if oil is of good quality, zink seems higher than most, tbn is over 12, v100 is at 15, the only number I see that's off is TAN. But I did some more research on oil analises and most people don't even bother with tan and only get tbn done. So what are the chances all oils are like that.

So I retested same oil total of 3 times and the results all kinda close to each other, what do you think. Does it look like ci4 or cj4 oil to you according to these tests, I know I should use different lab but already too much money spent here. How do I tell if oil is of good quality, zink seems higher than most, tbn is over 12, v100 is at 15, the only number I see that's off is TAN. But I did some more research on oil analises and most people don't even bother with tan and only get tbn done. So what are the chances all oils are like that.

From what I see it is CI-4 oil but it's not very much different from the CJ-4 oil I'm currently using.

It looks like CI-4 but without actual ash it is probably impossible to tell.

It looks like CI-4 but without actual ash it is probably impossible to tell.

Agree but the additive pack is CI-4 no way CJ-4 will be over 10 on the TBN scale also on regular 15W-40 oils. If it was from Redline, or Amsoil it would be possible but not likely as the zinc and phosphorus levels would be above the specifications listed for CI-4.

Agree but the additive pack is CI-4 no way CJ-4 will be over 10 on the TBN scale also on regular 15W-40 oils. If it was from Redline, or Amsoil it would be possible but not likely as the zinc and phosphorus levels would be above the specifications listed for CI-4.

 

No it probably wont; however, one does has to consider that all the spec's on the bucket are for CJ oil.

 

It could be a CJ oil with a ZDDP additive; however, one has to go back to the TBN too.

 

I would really like to see the ash.

 

The discrepancy on the bucket is enough to make me wonder WTF it is.

No it probably wont; however, one does has to consider that all the spec's on the bucket are for CJ oil.

 

It could be a CJ oil with a ZDDP additive; however, one has to go back to the TBN too.

 

I would really like to see the ash.

 

The discrepancy on the bucket is enough to make me wonder WTF it is.

I asked them if they could do ash and the answer was no, but that's when they showed me specs on Mobil with ash of 1.3 and said it was same oil but slightly modified to CAT spec. As a lab they are strictly set up for wear metals and can't do ash for some reason. At least that's what they told me. I think they were tired of me and were willing to tell me what I wanted to hear just to get rid of me and $100 spent on oil samples didn't matter, but maybe not. I just think people they deal with spend hundreds of thousands of dollars there and could care less about oil as long as someone changes it for them.

I guess I'm going to use it and maybe sample again after 1000k or so and see where everything is, if TAN gets higher and not lower then we'll know there is something wrong with their oil and I'll be asking for my money back on oil and samples done. Might even charge them for my time for lying if that's the case. I know good luck right.

What they said and what the oil is packaged in are two very different things... so I guess time will tell.

I asked them if they could do ash and the answer was no, but that's when they showed me specs on Mobil with ash of 1.3 and said it was same oil but slightly modified to CAT spec. As a lab they are strictly set up for wear metals and can't do ash for some reason. At least that's what they told me. I think they were tired of me and were willing to tell me what I wanted to hear just to get rid of me and $100 spent on oil samples didn't matter, but maybe not. I just think people they deal with spend hundreds of thousands of dollars there and could care less about oil as long as someone changes it for them.

I guess I'm going to use it and maybe sample again after 1000k or so and see where everything is, if TAN gets higher and not lower then we'll know there is something wrong with their oil and I'll be asking for my money back on oil and samples done. Might even charge them for my time for lying if that's the case. I know good luck right.

It looks like CI-4 oil. Also that brand is not CAT specific oil it is made by the company on the oil bucket. It's there spec not CAT's special requests. The additive pack is probably from Lubrizol too. Very few oil companies produce there own oil additive packs. Chevron does produce there own additive pack but it's on the lower end of the scale.

What they said and what the oil is packaged in are two very different things... so I guess time will tell.

I see CI-4 blends but labeled as CJ-4.

The Mobil MX oil is accurate for the CI-4 spec.