15W40 Rotella-T CJ-4 VOA (2007 date)

[Jim Allen]

Here is a VOA sample of 15W40 Rotella-T CJ-4 I had done in preparation for having a UOA done on my 100hp IH tractor this fall. It was dated June of 2007 and I poured it in that fall. It will be a two year, 100+ hour interval.

Only non-zero elements shown

Iron- 1
Potassium- 5
Boron- 30
Silicon- 3
Sodium- 2
Calcium- 2015
Magnesium- 6
Phosphorus- 885
Zinc- 979

cSt @ 100C- 15.22
Flashpoint- 410
Insoluables- TR
TBN- 10.6

 

[cven]

Looks alot like this oil from Shell.

https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/voa-suzuki-shell-10-40-dino-15-50-synthetic.104341/

 

[atomix8]

Are these Zinc numbers about what to expect from a 15w40 CJ-4? Or from any CJ-4, i.e. a 5W40 synthetic too?

I was rolling around in my head using 15w40 as a cheap way to get high zinc for my air cooled Porsche 914 (VW Flat 4, flat tappet pushrod motor)...but I must have been looking at CI-4+ VOA's. Right? Running Brad Penn 20w50 right now, but I'm questioning the Zinc after seeing only Brad Penn tell me it's great on Zinc.

Thanks, Dave

 

[Jim Allen]

This is in the ballpark with other CJ-4 VOAs I've seen. CI-4 Z & P levels are in the 1200+ range IIRC. You can still find it around, but it's getting harder. Thus far, CJ-4 is working very well in my old school diesels (trucks and farm tractors) in conjunction with ULSD. Not sure how much Z&P the Porsche flat four actually needs, but CJ-4 is adequate for most gassers. There's new chemistry in them to make up for the loss in the old standby Z&P but it's not universal. You would probably know better than me.

Had a '72 914 2.0L back in the days when I worked at a Porsche dealership in the 1980s. Know 'em well! Mine was an abused child with a blown trans that I bought from a customer who didn't have the bucks to fix it. Given the prices of those things now, wish I had it back!

 

[atomix8]

Appreciate the feedback Jim. I'm starting to wonder if the CJ-4's would cut it. I know my NAPA has some extra dusty CI-4 sitting on their shelf that possibly one day will go on sale, so that might be a worthy fill for the Porsche.

Thinking about it some more, Jake Raby, one of the "Type IV" engine builders still swears by Brad Penn, so maybe I'll stick with it for now. Even if it's pricier than what I've been paying for most of my synthetics.

Nice to hear you were a fellow 914 owner, they are very fun little cars! The market values are up...but they're still pricy to fix, I'm spending an arm & a leg on rust repair to the frame & floor pans right now!

 

[Jim Allen]

You would have loved my rust-free, original paint, Southern California 914 then. I will say, it was the only car that "whipped" me. Despite being at a shop that had around 100 years of combined experience on the Marque to help me, I've never owned a car that left me (an ASE Certified Master Tech and a technical legend in my own mind) stranded more times than that one.

 

[deeter16317]

Hmmm...interesting. Compare those VOA numbers to my Rotella UOA ranges between 7k and 10k miles:

CA 2061 to 2344
PH 873 to 989
ZN 1064 to 1269

Could that be a lab variance? Mine are Blackstone results...

 

[Jim Allen]

Mine are Blackstone too. Yours looks like CI-4+ to me, not CJ-4. So far, the thing I'm using this in seem the like the oil. The UOA in the fall will be the longest run to day, maybe as much as 100 hours, but all of two years.

 

[deeter16317]

Originally Posted By: Jim Allen
Mine are Blackstone too. Yours looks like CI-4+ to me, not CJ-4. So far, the thing I'm using this in seem the like the oil. The UOA in the fall will be the longest run to day, maybe as much as 100 hours, but all of two years.




I have a single UOA of CI-4+, but I did not include it in these numbers...they are all UOAs of Rotella CJ-4 ranging from 7k to almost 20k (with makeup oil added). The CI-4+ is a lot higher than these...

It doesn't seem to like a lot of heat for extended periods...a long hard run or towing seemed to "boil" mine off (loss of a quart in the engine and the viscosity would increase). I have a thread about it in the HDEO section. It always seemed to produce good wear numbers, regardless.

 

[Jim Allen]

I've had the exact opposite effect. I've use R-t in my desiels for decades and started using it on my 8300 hour tractor when I got it. It was an oil guzzler at first, but after two seasons, it's really slowed down... perhaps a quart per season (about 40-50 hours). I attribute a lot of that to the R-T.

Anyway, your UOAs and my VOA are different. Not sure what to make of that.

Blackstone's Universal Averages for the CJ-4 are:
CA- 2403
PH- 972
ZN- 1133

Either my sample was a rogue batch or they botched the tests.

 

[atomix8]

Hmmm, so....I found my Z & my P? And it's $10.50 at Wal-Mart...

It will be interesting to see the replies in your other thread Jim about variance.

 

[Falcon_LS]

Some interesting results there, especially with the comparison to previous UOA's.

Out of curiosity, would a 6,000 mile OCI be too long for this oil? I'm using it in my 3.0L Mitsu (as Pennzoil LL Gold) and so far it's loving it. Only downside is it's priced at $5.30 USD per quart here...6k would help justify the cost so to speak.

 

[Jim Allen]

Can't say for sure in your application. I used to run the CI-4+ version to about 6K in a Ford 6.9L diesel with good UOAs. I haven't run the 15W40 in that truck for a while now, using 10W30, so haven't tried the CJ-4 in it.