Shell Rotella-T dino oil 15w40

I think the zinc in the crank case, well, some of it ends up in the combustion chamber. It gets burned and addhears to the metals in the cat, making it not functionas it was intended. With all of that, I got concerned when I read that zinc was being taken out. I started checkin and found out that the blue can/bottle of STP has zinc in it and an be added to the crankcase. Has anyone tried this?? STP{, I know was slick goop) , the people at STP recommeded it for motorcycles. The person I was e-mailing at STP said, with the removal of Zinc from oils, the addition of STP to the crankcase adds the Zinc back to the oil. I haven't tried it yet. I switched to diesel oil or motorcycle specific oil. It is an option. joe

Furthermore, I think whatever zinc that does end up in the cat neutralizes the active stuff in the cat that makes it work. If your engine literally burns no oil, it's not a problem, but all engines wear eventually...

Are you sure zinc or ZDTP (the abbreviation for the long chemical compound that includes the zinc) is sill the main stuff in STP? I thought it had been reformulated to remove most of the zinc, just like oil. I wouldn't be surprised if there's just a little zinc in there now, so they can still claim that it will add back the "missing zinc":rotf:, when really it's just a trace of zinc. I know that a GM product called EOS (engine oil supplement) used to be mostly zinc but now is something else.

Aren't they finding new anti-wear agents to replace the zinc? Are they ineffective?

Jeremy

I'm no expert, but I read on another site that the diesal oils are tough on cat converters. Just something to keep in mind for future purchases.

Just an FYI - the Rotella oils were reformulated last year. MANY bikes have been using the old Rotella oils with great results for years, and back when I was active on Shell's forums I saw numerous statements from them that they had no friction modifiers or other additives that would in any way interfere with our wet clutches. However, they could not meet the JASO-MA oil standard for motorcycle use (primarily a wet clutch friction standard) due to a slightly high ash content. JASO-MA requires max 1.2, and old Rotella dino had 1.4.

Well, the new reformulated Rotella 15W-40 dino and 5W-40 syn oils DO meet JASO-MA standards now. They are not currently "certified" with JASO, so they are not labeled that way, but I have seen a letter from Shell posted on the GWRRA site. I recently found another copy of it and more discussion on Shell's Rotella forums:

http://www.shellusserver.com/ubbthreads/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=3861&page=2#Post3861

Since our bike calls for "API service SE, SF, SG type or higher," and Rotella is SM AND meets the JASO-MA standards, it seems to me this is a GREAT oil for us. Yes, there is a little note in the Caution about wet clutches in the oil change section of the owner's manual that says not to use oil of a higher quality than specified (really not sure here how you could find something of higher quality than "SG type or higher"), but since that caution is specifically about wet clutch slippage, and Rotella now meets JASO-MA, it certainly does not seem to apply.

Anyway, that is my choice of oil now that my stock of old Mobil 1 red-top is about gone. Just thought I share the info.

Goose

I live in Canada and I'm wondering if I'm able to get the same 15w40 Rotella T. Could someone who has been using this oil for a while get me a part # off the bottle.

Thanks

I live in Canada and I'm wondering if I'm able to get the same 15w40 Rotella T. Could someone who has been using this oil for a while get me a part # off the bottle.

Thanks

I don't have that bottle anymore but I know for a fact that Canadian tire sells it coz I bought it there. The 4 litre bottle is White.

I just noticed yesterday that the local Canadian Tire is also carrying the synthetic Rotella (5W-40) in the blue jug. (They used to just carry the dino oil in the white jug) They want almost $30.00 per jug for it but it beats the price for Amsoil or Mobil motorcycle synthetics by quite a bit!

AGAIN, may I suggest, http://www.schaefferoil.com, the oldest oil co. in the U.S., check out #705 20/50 vs. #700 15/40. It has a higher phosphorus/zink/calcium content than the typical "diesel" 15/40 therefor more protection!. Check out the tech data available on the site. As far as cat's and zink, one need not to be too concerned unless your engine is burning oil. I switched to Schaeffer over 5 years ago not only for my scoot but my street rods and personal vehicles, (lawn mower/weed whip/generator/ yada yada yada! If one of the more well known trucking co's (56 ovtr rigs) gets over 60k between oil changes, it's good enough for ME!

RENNE

I don't want to be an alarmist because I'm not even 100% sure that it's the right brand. We have a rider that rides with a local MTA chapter though that has been pushing this oil for a couple of years now and I'm ALMOST sure that it's Shaeffer oil. I just looked at the website you posted and it seems to verify my thoughts. It has friction reducers in it. I will NEVER use an oil that has friction reducers added. The guy that I'm talking about claims that they will not cause clutch slippage but there are MANY here who can tell you for a fact that they do cause clutch problems. Use it if you wish but I'll pass thank you.

I also see that you are a rep for Shaeffer oil and understand you wanting to promote your product but I'm sorry that I can't support it.

I think the zinc in the crank case, well, some of it ends up in the combustion chamber. It gets burned and addhears to the metals in the cat, making it not functionas it was intended. With all of that, I got concerned when I read that zinc was being taken out. I started checkin and found out that the blue can/bottle of STP has zinc in it and an be added to the crankcase. Has anyone tried this?? STP{, I know was slick goop) , the people at STP recommeded it for motorcycles. The person I was e-mailing at STP said, with the removal of Zinc from oils, the addition of STP to the crankcase adds the Zinc back to the oil. I haven't tried it yet. I switched to diesel oil or motorcycle specific oil. It is an option. joe

OLD OLD OLD thread,,, Just had to say, I use the Dyno Rotella 15/40 with 8 OZ of STP for the past 5 years, :-)

Since this was brought back to life I'll add my $0.02

Auto Zone has Rotella oils on sale right now. $14.95/gal on the white jug dino oil, in store. This may be local but check your area.

Full disclosure, I work for Auto Zone but do not get any kind of commission.

Having said all that, I am going to leave it in for a bit more and probably try a synthetic next time just to see what all the "hype" is about.

There are nice folks out there that are absolutely convinced the synthetic oil is better than dino oil. And these same folks will likely be upset with me. It is my opinion that once you drill down through all the hype, synthetic oil simply lasts longer. This means that if you are changing oil every 3,000 miles with dino oil, you can go 6,000 miles on synthetic. The odd thing is the folks that are sold on the synthetic still change every 3,000 miles!

My experience:

I tried synthetic oil in my '85. It leaked.

I went back to dino oil. It stopped leaking.

I have been using a name-brand diesel oil (dino) for all four of my bikes for the past 10 years. Supposedly the diesel oils do not have additives that can damage the clutch of a motorcycle that has a "unit" design. A unit design has the same oil flowing through the engine and transmission. No complaints yet.

Slightly different topic but it does involve oil.

Like many here I put SeaFoam in my gas periodically. SeaFoam motor treatment says you can also use it in your crankcase to clean out gunk that collects in the motor.

My question is... with a wet clutch, is SeaFoam in the crankcase (some added to the oil a few hundred miles before an oil change) a good idea?

STOP IT!!!!

It is spring. Temperatures are warm and the sun is shining.

Oil threads are for winter.

Get out and ride.

RR

PS. Rotella Dino only. 155k+miles on the 2000 Venture.