Which synthetic oil??
- Thread starter LDB
- Start date
Jack_Berry
Moderator Emeritus
my gy dealer uses kendall gt-1. thats what i use. full syn for the extra time between changes at 10k. usually add a qt every 10k.
chefdennis
Veteran Expediter
AmsOil in engine, trans, 3rd member and also the ft end componet grease.....and their oil filter also...if you use their oli and filter exclusive and document it, they recommend 25,000 mile between changes and will pay for any repair that can be traced to oil failure.....
Not that I am aware of Greg but it has to do with the DPF longevity. CJ-4 oils have 1 to 1.1% ash while MB229.51 oils must be below .75%. Doesn't sound like much but it is a lot. If you read the post by danthewolf007 about what a few oil changes of the wrong oil have cost him it is a wee bit scary. Once I am out of warranty I plan on tinkering. I think I have come up with a way to fool the ECM into thinking some things are there and functioning, the idea is borrowed off of something called a fingerstick that was used with good success as a work around for EGR only Duramax's (pre 07). I just need to work out the resistance values required.
Once the warranty is up I will get brave.
I never thought about synthetic Grease for the front end. next go round I'll try it, and I've used Mobil 1 since 1994
European engines are spec'd so differently from what we're used to here in North America that what normally works, the common sense stuff, none of it applies with a Sprinter. You have to think European. In Europe, the engines are designed, and then the oils are manufactured specifically for the engine. It's beginning to change a little bit here in North America, but it's still, basically, the engines are designed for whatever oils are already out there. They want the engines and oils to be as backwards and forwards compatible as possible. In Europe, specific oils are matched to specific engines.
But one thing that holds true for any engine, regardless of where it's made or how it's spec'd, and that is, each engine will wear differently every time you change oil brands or oil viscosities. Pick a good synthetic that's on the list of oils that the manufacturer recommends, and use it, or at the very least that brand, forever. Then, keep the oil clean by using a bypass filter, or changing out the filter once or twice between oil changes.
What's the best? Hard to say. As with many thing, people can be fiercely loyal about an oil. Not sure why, tho, since cold, hard numbers trump emotionally loyalty as far as an engine is concerned. The initial fill in mine was Mobile 1, 0W-40, and that's the only oil mentioned by name in the Technical Service Manual. That alone is enough to convince me, but I also looked at the results of studies and tests, and Mobile 1 really did come out on top with most categories. But really, any oil that the manufacturer recommends is fine. Just pick one, whichever one that's on the list that also blows yer skirt up, and use it forever. Don't be changin' oils to give it a treat or just to try something different - it's a machine, treat it like one. It wants the same thing every time all the time. That way it'll wear the same way all the time every time, and as the engine ages it won't have worn a bunch of different ways because of different oils. It's real easy, man.
But one thing that holds true for any engine, regardless of where it's made or how it's spec'd, and that is, each engine will wear differently every time you change oil brands or oil viscosities. Pick a good synthetic that's on the list of oils that the manufacturer recommends, and use it, or at the very least that brand, forever. Then, keep the oil clean by using a bypass filter, or changing out the filter once or twice between oil changes.
What's the best? Hard to say. As with many thing, people can be fiercely loyal about an oil. Not sure why, tho, since cold, hard numbers trump emotionally loyalty as far as an engine is concerned. The initial fill in mine was Mobile 1, 0W-40, and that's the only oil mentioned by name in the Technical Service Manual. That alone is enough to convince me, but I also looked at the results of studies and tests, and Mobile 1 really did come out on top with most categories. But really, any oil that the manufacturer recommends is fine. Just pick one, whichever one that's on the list that also blows yer skirt up, and use it forever. Don't be changin' oils to give it a treat or just to try something different - it's a machine, treat it like one. It wants the same thing every time all the time. That way it'll wear the same way all the time every time, and as the engine ages it won't have worn a bunch of different ways because of different oils. It's real easy, man.
ozoxpress
Seasoned Expediter
Even synthetic oils are not created equal.
They are not always 100% synthetic even
though they may be labeled that way.
Not long ago they only had to be 15% to
label them 100. May be still.
Even if they pass the wear tests it still
may not have a shelf life. To be safe, pay
cheap-get cheap !
They are not always 100% synthetic even
though they may be labeled that way.
Not long ago they only had to be 15% to
label them 100. May be still.
Even if they pass the wear tests it still
may not have a shelf life. To be safe, pay
cheap-get cheap !
If I were driving an 06 and earlier Sprinter (No DPF) I would be looking very hard at finding a CJ-4 oil that either met or came close to the required spec. There are many CJ rated oils that meet MB228.31 and 228.3 and 228.5. What is the actual spec number for the older engines Turtle??
I don't understand the logic..we buy a premium van and know that fact...then some turn around and want to cut corners and run on the cheap.....
If ya can't play with the big dogs...leave the yard!
If ya can't play with the big dogs...leave the yard!
greg334
Veteran Expediter
I don't understand the logic..we buy a premium van and know that fact...then some turn around and want to cut corners and run on the cheap.....
If ya can't play with the big dogs...leave the yard!
No OVM, I am asking for another reason other than cost.
If you can't find Mobile one or Rotella t5/t6 ot T Triple Protection, what can you use?
I wasn't pointing to you specifically Greg.....was just a general observation over the whole issue....
The issue for me OVM is oil performance. Sometimes I think oil sampling is a curse because you actually know whats going on inside the engine. Instead of happily going down the road knowing I am using the correct oil and everything should be fine I see oils that despite meeting the specs and being "on the list" are not performing as well as I think they should in my engine and that key factors of oil health are VERY used up after 10,000 miles. The emission system on the 07 and up Sprinters is at best a compromise and performs poorly in the NA marketplace, the oil spec required is based largely on protecting that system at a compromise I believe of engine life.
Any oil I would be using away from "the list" will likely be just as expensive so it's not about cost per se. Availability remains an issue as well, I carry a full oil change worth of oil with me because if I have a leak or some other issue that requires me to add oil the "right" oil is almost nowhere to be found convieniently and even a lot of the dealers do not have the right stuff. My owners manual warns me about the evil perils of using even a little bit of the wrong oil (which is true as it will poison the emission system in short order). Next time you are shopping for oil, try to find MB 229.51 oil.
I just think my "premium van" came with a very poorly designed emission system that is not designed for the fuel we have in NA and that the required oil to keep the inadequate emission system healthy is not keeping my engine as healthy as it could.
Leo I'm sorry I have gone way off the rails of your original post.
Any oil I would be using away from "the list" will likely be just as expensive so it's not about cost per se. Availability remains an issue as well, I carry a full oil change worth of oil with me because if I have a leak or some other issue that requires me to add oil the "right" oil is almost nowhere to be found convieniently and even a lot of the dealers do not have the right stuff. My owners manual warns me about the evil perils of using even a little bit of the wrong oil (which is true as it will poison the emission system in short order). Next time you are shopping for oil, try to find MB 229.51 oil.
I just think my "premium van" came with a very poorly designed emission system that is not designed for the fuel we have in NA and that the required oil to keep the inadequate emission system healthy is not keeping my engine as healthy as it could.
Leo I'm sorry I have gone way off the rails of your original post.
I don't understand the logic..we buy a premium van and know that fact...then some turn around and want to cut corners and run on the cheap.....
If ya can't play with the big dogs...leave the yard!
Premium van???!! You mean premium price.
Yes it does. You sometimes will see different results depending on the additive package in the oil (ie brand a might use more moly and it will show higher on the result) but as long as you tell the lab what brand of oil you are using they will interpret the results correctly for you. I usually send in a virgin oil sample first (straight out of the bottle) so I know what the oil has in it for metals and other stuff first. Otherwise it is pretty much the same deal.