tufftom4 Posted July 26, 2018 Share #1 Posted July 26, 2018 (edited) I just found out by a very well known shop that is very skilled at building race engines that Rottella is good for break in period because of the zinc and phosphorus for a gas engine but for daily use will cause extreme sludge and clog oil ports on a gas engine fyi. Edited July 27, 2018 by tufftom4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SpencerPJ Posted July 26, 2018 Share #2 Posted July 26, 2018 I just found out by a very well known shop that is very skilled at building race engines that Rottella is good for break in period for a gas engine but for daily use will cause extreme sludge and clog oil ports on a gas engine fyi. Thanks for your shops 2 cents. I buy Rotella for my 1st Gen, I like Rotella for my 1st Gen, I have never had a problem with Rotella with my 1st Gen, and I will continue to buy Rotella for my 1st Gen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tufftom4 Posted July 27, 2018 Author Share #3 Posted July 27, 2018 Have you ever taken the valve covers off to see if you have sludge buildup? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rbig1 Posted July 27, 2018 Share #4 Posted July 27, 2018 should not be able to build up sludge as changing it often. Have had the pan off mine and its clean inside. also have never see sludge in a diesel engine that has been maintained. try a oil sample test if you want clarification. it turns black but is ok Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Venturous Randy Posted July 27, 2018 Share #5 Posted July 27, 2018 I use Rottella T in everything, cars, lawnmower, Bikes, 4 stroke weedeater and leaf blower. Does not appear to sludge up to me. Randy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patch Posted July 27, 2018 Share #6 Posted July 27, 2018 Have you ever taken the valve covers off to see if you have sludge buildup? YES! That is not what causes sludge, not even close! No disrespect but your mechanic is full of "sludge" Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snyper316 Posted July 27, 2018 Share #7 Posted July 27, 2018 I have been running rotella, because it is cheaper. What causes sludge in my opinion is water and oil mix... Ps I have had the valve covers removed on my bike and since running rotella looks alot cleaner than before. Some mechanics want you to think they know more then you so they can charge more.. But sorry your mechanic has some sludge build up between the ears... He should get that checked IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kretz Posted July 27, 2018 Share #8 Posted July 27, 2018 I first heard about Rotella on a Kawasaki owners website & then later, on this website after I got my RSTD. I & many others have been using Rotella (personally I use T6 synthetic) for years & have never had any problems with "sludge". Rotell is also JASO certified for use in wet sump motorcycle engines. As someone said earlier I suspect your "mechanic" is full of "sludge", but... maybe he's right & thousands of users & the Japanese motor manufacturing industry are wrong Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncledj Posted July 27, 2018 Share #9 Posted July 27, 2018 Have you ever taken the valve covers off to see if you have sludge buildup? Back in "The Day" I had a 65 Pontiac Tempest with a straight 6 in it. I pulled the 6 banger and put a 326 out of a Lemans in it. Anyhoo, just out of curiosity I pulled the valve cover off of the 6 banger and the sludge had completely filled the top of the head to the point that when I pulled the valve cover, there was an impression of the cover on the head. Kind of like dropping a bundt cake out of a pan. I don't know how that thing was still running as good as it was. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowrollwv Posted July 27, 2018 Share #10 Posted July 27, 2018 Never a problem with Rotella in any thing I have had. If you want sludge in your motor try Quaker State oil. That stuff is crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted July 27, 2018 Share #11 Posted July 27, 2018 Never a problem with Rotella in any thing I have had. If you want sludge in your motor try Quaker State oil. That stuff is crap. My first wife's father was a mechanic and if you mentioned quaker state oil, he would go on a rant about how it sludged up engines. I'm sure it isn't that way now but I've heard about quaker state sludging up engines many times in the old days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted July 27, 2018 Share #12 Posted July 27, 2018 Back in "The Day" I had a 65 Pontiac Tempest with a straight 6 in it. I pulled the 6 banger and put a 326 out of a Lemans in it. Anyhoo, just out of curiosity I pulled the valve cover off of the 6 banger and the sludge had completely filled the top of the head to the point that when I pulled the valve cover, there was an impression of the cover on the head. Kind of like dropping a bundt cake out of a pan. I don't know how that thing was still running as good as it was. Way back in 1971, I bought a 59 Chevy Impala 4 dr hdtp 283 cu in engine for $100 mainly to have a car to work on and as a second car. Anyhow, when I bought it, it smoked like a freight train. It had about 105k miles on it and the PO had used non-detergent oil in it the last 50k miles. Then he switched back to detergent oil. He said it leaked oil at the valve covers and he had not been able to stop the leak. So, one of the first things I did was to remove the valve covers in order to replace the gaskets. Oil gushed out when I removed the covers. The valve cover was almost filled up with sludge from using the non-detergent oil. And the oil drain holes in the heads were plugged causing the oil level in the valve covers to get higher than the valve guides and run down the valve stems into the combustion chambers. Switching back to detergent oil had started breaking up the sludge which caused the plugging of the drain holes. I removed the intake manifold and removed a bucket full of sludge from the heads and under the manifold. Afterwards, it didn't smoke any more. I highly doubt that any modern day oil will not keep an engine clean if changed regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoarizona Posted July 27, 2018 Share #13 Posted July 27, 2018 My first wife's father was a mechanic and if you mentioned quaker state oil, he would go on a rant about how it sludged up engines. I'm sure it isn't that way now but I've heard about quaker state sludging up engines many times in the old days. I don't know about QS, BUT, the oil that got my 318 van engine after 160K miles was Penzoil. The mechanic who took the heads off and repaired them said he blamed the oil since it was paraffin based oil. Wax. Don't know if that's true, but I haven't used it since and have had no problems with other vehicles for over 600K miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slowrollwv Posted July 27, 2018 Share #14 Posted July 27, 2018 I don't know about QS, BUT, the oil that got my 318 van engine after 160K miles was Penzoil. The mechanic who took the heads off and repaired them said he blamed the oil since it was paraffin based oil. Wax. Don't know if that's true, but I haven't used it since and have had no problems with other vehicles for over 600K miles. Quaker State regular is what had a lot of the wax in it. I have been using Penzoil synthetic blend for quite a few years without any sludge or wax build up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mm482 Posted July 27, 2018 Share #15 Posted July 27, 2018 I replaced the valve covers and intake gaskets last year on my 2004 van. It had 200 K miles on it and the last 140 k was with Rottella. The inside of the engine looked like new. I had changed the oil every 4 K to 5 K miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlueSky Posted July 27, 2018 Share #16 Posted July 27, 2018 I don't know about QS, BUT, the oil that got my 318 van engine after 160K miles was Penzoil. The mechanic who took the heads off and repaired them said he blamed the oil since it was paraffin based oil. Wax. Don't know if that's true, but I haven't used it since and have had no problems with other vehicles for over 600K miles. From what I've been reading the last few years, Pennzoil is one of the best oils. There is a guy on the F150 forum who works in an oil co. lab and he thinks it's one of if not the best. A member of the LXforum has a 2005 Dodge Magnum Hemi with 375,000 miles on it and he uses Pennzoil Platinum and runs it 20k miles sometimes. He has it tested along the way. I suspect all modern oils will do the job these days. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoarizona Posted July 27, 2018 Share #17 Posted July 27, 2018 I gather that all oils made today are very good...but my issue with Penzoil was in the late 80's. I thought it was a good oil and I used it exclusively in my Van from mile #1 . Well..the 318 heads showed it was crap. Ah well....it doesn't surprise me. I still like Yamalube 20-50 dino oil. Seems to make both of my Ventures run well. The VStar 950T ran it too, and it was a peppy, fuel efficient little motor! 11K miles and still ran like it was brand new. Just wish it wasn't so expensive. The RSV ran very well despite the wind on Rotella T6 on this last cross country trip. Shifted well despite the heat. But a bit more noise from the engine/transmission on the T6 than on Dino. Next, I'll try Mobile 1 and then WalMarts house brand of synthetic in 20-50. Speaking of oils and grease...small hijack here: During another WallyWalk....found my favorite trailer bearing grease. Decided to read the label. Whoa. No wonder it's been great for all the times I've drowned the wheels and it just works! A grade 2 lithium complex grease! It really does stick despite the heat we have here...I've trailered my boat across the desert to San Diego and Marina Del Ray in LA, in 110 degree heat and bearings stayed at ambient temp. I've been really happy with this stuff. I'm going to get some additional tubes for use in the rear end and wheel bearings of both scoots. I bet it will be good stuff there too! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kretz Posted July 27, 2018 Share #18 Posted July 27, 2018 I'm sure lots of people think "Their Oil is Best" ask 100 people & you'll likely get 75 answers as to what oil is "best". It's far too wide a subject & way to subjective to come out with a "best" oil. Every manufacturer makes superlative claims about their oil. There is no "best" oil. Whatever you use is "best" for you, that's why you use it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
YamahaLarry Posted July 27, 2018 Share #19 Posted July 27, 2018 I just found out by a very well known shop that is very skilled at building race engines that Rottella is good for break in period because of the zinc and phosphorus for a gas engine but for daily use will cause extreme sludge and clog oil ports on a gas engine fyi. Been using Rotella T6 in my RSV since purchasing it used 46k miles ago. Also add a little MotorKote during each oil change. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7 lakes Posted July 27, 2018 Share #20 Posted July 27, 2018 I'm sure lots of people think "Their Oil is Best" ask 100 people & you'll likely get 75 answers as to what oil is "best". It's far too wide a subject & way to subjective to come out with a "best" oil. Every manufacturer makes superlative claims about their oil. There is no "best" oil. Whatever you use is "best" for you, that's why you use it! I disagree. You'd get at least 101 answers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
djh3 Posted July 27, 2018 Share #21 Posted July 27, 2018 The "best 0il", is clean oil. Basicly the oil dont "wear out", its the additives that are in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDawson Posted July 28, 2018 Share #22 Posted July 28, 2018 They're all wrong mine is best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leo3wheel Posted July 28, 2018 Share #23 Posted July 28, 2018 FYI, I've used the old formula for 50K miles. https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4490450/all/Shell_Rotella_T6_5W40_CJ-4/SM_ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
videoarizona Posted July 28, 2018 Share #24 Posted July 28, 2018 The "best 0il", is clean oil. Basicly the oil dont "wear out", its the additives that are in it. Yep....!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RandyR Posted July 28, 2018 Share #25 Posted July 28, 2018 The "best 0il", is clean oil. Basicly the oil dont "wear out", its the additives that are in it. I'm not sure that's totally correct. I seem to recall reading a lengthy technical article that included specific information about some of the oil molecules breaking down when subjected to mechanical stress. Modern synthetic oils containing molecules less prone to that happening. That said, I know over the road diesels get -lots- of miles between oil changes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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