Thread: TD5 Oil recommendations

Originally Posted by carlosbeldia

Ok, thanks. How often must I change the oil and filters? our diesel is kind of bad (around 1000 ppm of sulphur). My car is used in rough conditions, all kind of terrain, mostly dusty conditions and 'stop and go' traffic. Do you think every 12.000 kms is ok for the change? or have I to cut this distance off?

Carlos,
Regardless of running conditions I change my oil every 5000kms and filters every 10000kms as preventative maintenance and I use synthetic oil. Would be even more applicable if you are running semi synthetic or mineral based oils. It also depends on your budget.

I have stuck with Castrol 5w30, change it every 10 000km. I change the centrifugal filter every 20 000 and the main filter every 60 000km. I guess I do not trust the oil to go the full 20 000 service interval. (not very scientific just pragmatic) The first time I changed the centrifugal filter at 10 000 I cut the old one open for a look inside. Seemed to me that there was not a lot of build up and expect that it would do a lot more than 20 000km. So I just go along with the standard service intervals for the filters.

Originally Posted by rick130

You'll be fine but I'd like to see some Visc @40 & 100*C and/or it's VI just to see what sort of viscosity you'll have at start up, but at guess it'll be no worse than a 0/5W-40@0*C.
I did some numbers on here a few years back and Redline's 15W-40 (ok, its a POE syn diesel oil) was thinner at 0* than a Shell 10W-40 and IIRC roughly the same as Penrite's then 5W-40.

A CI-4 diesel oil can cope with the high sulphur fuel better than a petrol biased CF oil with better protection. (the CI-4 spec was developed about eight or so years back while the US still used 500PPM sulphur and the CF spec was superseded something like twenty years ago)

Any idea who's blending Volvo's oils for your market ?

What's the sulphur level there Col ?

Thanks mate, I'm not exactly sure what the sulphur content is but it is >500ppm, it was a lot worse but they are slowly bringing the content down.

As for the oil, I don't know much about it, the salesmen at 2 different places are adament it is a full synthetic, but I have my doubts as the price is only around $80 for 20lt. They order and receive the oil from the main Mobil supplier, so I guess the oil is blended by Mobil. There is very little info regarding the oil on the container or on the net to say if it is a mineral, semi or full synthetic.

I have sent off a couple of emails to the Shell and Mobil head offices here locally but yet to get a reply to see if they can supply a 10w40 diesel synthetic but somehow doubt I will get a reply. Castrol were up front and said they do not supply diesel oils here.

If I can be sure it is a synthetic I will probably use it as at the price of it I will happily change the oil every 10K.

G'day all, thanks for the thoughts on the Volvo VDS3 15w40 oil, after a bit more research and a trip to a Volvo truck workshop where I spoke to the mechanics, who all assured me it was a full synthetic and they had never seen any problems regarding the oil. It is a bit heavier weight than I wanted but I am stuck for choice out here so for better or worse it is what I am now using. With our temps out here I doubt it will be an issue especially when summer comes along as our night time temps never drop under 35 deg and day time is high 40s from May to September.

Mobil did have stock of synthetic 5w40 Delvac which would have been perfect, but could only supply it in 208lts, they were not interested in importing 20lts unless I could place an order large enough be worth their while.

Shell never responded and Castrol said they do not import any diesel oils into the Middle East.

Now I'm working in a heavy duty cars workshop, so I have a really wide spread of 15w40 choices at a really good price. Do you think I can use them? they are all mineral oils. Here are some of the E7 oils. If have to, which one you'd use?

http://www.dooilco.com/pdf/Motor%20O...0%2015w-40.pdf

http://www.petrobras.com.ar/Petrobra.../TOP_Turbo.pdf

Teh other one is the Shell Rimula R4, an ACEA E-5:

http://apps-shellmexico.com/producto...ish__CI-4_.pdf

I know 15w is far away from Land Rover specs, but do you think it'd be ok if I use this specs for next 10.000 km? (I had no job an a kid, this work seems to get me even in money in 4 months, when I can go back to Mobil 1)

I forgot, our diesel has now 500 ppm limit....