Delvac 1 or Rotella Usage an Upgrade over Dexos2 for European Diesel Engine Application?

Joined
Sep 19, 2004
Messages
598
Location
Tennessee
Background> I own a '16 Chevy Colorado 2.8L Duramax diesel pickup. Engine manufacturer: VM Motori of Italy. Same manufacturer of the Ram 3.0L EcoDiesel. No issues with my truck.

I happened to notice the complaints of a FEW Colorado Duramax owners posting that they had to either: A) Replace the original turbo, B) threw a rod or
C) cracked or threw a piston through the block. (broken wrist pin). Usually, this happened at highway speeds or pulling a substantial load. This typically occurred when the truck had under 110,000 miles on the truck. In a few cases I read about, owners only had 40K on their trucks. Could be a metallurgical issue? I won't begin to tell you the quote for replacing this engine with labor costs. I'll just say you better have "deep pockets." Usually, owners were using dealer supplied 5W30 Dexos2, Pennzoil Euro L 5W30 or Mobil 1 ESP 5W30. Usually, these engines gave "no warning" before they blew. I will add, General Motors decided to kill this engine, beginning the '23 Colorado model year. Will Colorado owners be offered the GM 3.0L Silverado Diesel engine?
Stay tuned.

A couple of things:
* If I am not mistaken, the original Ram EcoDiesel called for a 5W30, low ash motor oil, like Pennzoil Euro L 5W30 or Mobil 1 ESP 5W30. Recommendation was
later changed to the current Rotella T6 5W40, after engine replacement issues became a problem.

* Colorado Duramax owners in Australia (a much harsher climate) come from the factory with 5W40 Dexos2 in their sumps, not the 5W30 Dexos2 as is recommended, here in the USA & Canada. I guess we can "thank" the EPA fuel economy mandates. 5W40 Dexos2 is as hard to find in the US as hen's teeth.

If you ever get the opportunity to drive one of these trucks with this engine, you'll quickly understand why owners LOVE the engine & say it's best part of the entire truck. Where else can you find a mid sized pickup that has a 7,500 tow rating? That can also easily give you over 30 mpg in highway driving. I see about 32 mpg (26 city). If I decide to trade in this truck, (which I may), I have had offers equal to what I paid for it when new. (Only 25K on mine).

I decided early on, I rather risk plugging up the DPF emissions unit, than replace an engine. I ran Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W40 (ht/hs 3.8) this past summer without issues (loved it because it quieted an already quiet engine with no fuel mileage penalty). I am running Delvac 1 ESP 5W30 (ht/hs 3.6) now with confidence, since it Exxon/Delvac's flagship oil that mentions extended drain capabilities.

What say you? Is Delvac 1 ESP 5W30/40 an upgrade over Mobil 1 ESP 5W30 in regard to extending engine longevity in this application? I also considered the new Delo 600 ADF in 10W30/15W40 viscosity. I didn't expect VM Motori to make an engine as likely to go over 200,000 miles as a Cummins diesel, Powerstroke diesel, or GM 6.6L Turbo Diesel. I can't wait until someone offers an EV mid sized truck - and all this motor oil talk will be a distant memory.
 
Doesn't the Corvette spec a 0w40 dexos2 now? :unsure:
There's some kind of M1 ESP dexos2 for the Corvette that might be more readily available than other 5w40 dexos2 oils.

Amalie has a 5w40 dexos2, and I think Valvoline does, too
 
Last edited:
Have you considered an ACEA C3 or MB 229.51 5W-40 oil? 0.8 sulfated ash and over 3.5 HTHS will protect your DPF and bearings. Millions of high mileage OM632 in Sprinters and MB cars.
Castrol Turbo Diesel and Pentosin HP II come to mind.
I've thought of Delo 600 for my Mercedes OM642. I just haven't seen anything in the documents or on the web about how it does with long timing chains.
 
Would run a ck4 or cj4 diesel oil personally. A dpf since someone will say the cj4 will kill it prematurely is way cheaper than an engine

I can’t believe the car oils these companies say to use on a diesel

15w40 would be best but can understand to use something like the rotella t5 10w30 or t6 5w40. Delvac 1 Mobil 1 valvoline premium blue etc all ok IMO

Diesel oil a little tricky to come by right now
 
Doesn't the Corvette spec a 0w40 dexos2 now? :unsure:
There's some kind of M1 ESP dexos2 for the Corvette that might be more readily available than other 5w40 dexos2 oils.

Amalie has a 5w40 dexos2, and I think Valvoline does, too

That Corvette spec Mobil 1 ESP 0W40, though robust enough for a Corvette, may not be significantly better than running Mobil 1 ESP 5W30. HT/HS is about the same, 3.53 vs 3.50 for the 5W30. From what I have read, the minimum a motor oil HT/HS can be to be Dexos2 is 3.50. I like to have a bit more safety margin than that.

Valvoline took their 5W40 Dexos2 oil off the market in the USA, a couple of years ago. That would have been a nice alternative.

Amalie? Are they reputable? Can anyone vouch for their products? I don’t wish to be the first here, to run their 5W40.
 
That Corvette spec Mobil 1 ESP 0W40, though robust enough for a Corvette, may not be significantly better than running Mobil 1 ESP 5W30. HT/HS is about the same, 3.53 vs 3.50 for the 5W30. From what I have read, the minimum a motor oil HT/HS can be to be Dexos2 is 3.50. I like to have a bit more safety margin than that.

Valvoline took their 5W40 Dexos2 oil off the market in the USA, a couple of years ago. That would have been a nice alternative.

Amalie? Are they reputable? Can anyone vouch for their products? I don’t wish to be the first here, to run their 5W40.

Amalie has been around a long time (1903).

The HTHS of this particular Amalie oil is 3.7 according to the PDS and is officially approved by GM. If it's licensed dexos2, it's licensed :)

I didn't know Valvoline stopped selling the 5w40 dexos2 in the US, sorry, and I agree, it sucks :(
 
1: When reading a forum on on why an engine blew you have to determine whether the engine was tuned or abused. Forums also magnify the frequency of issues.

2: Turbo failure isn't going to be an oil issue per se. It's just as likely to be the result of metallurgy.

3: Cost and availability are also factors on why an automaker specs a different oil in other parts of the world. 40w oils are cheaper to produce.

4: HTHS matters. The min HTHS for ALL diesel oils 3.5. The majority hover between 3.5 and 3.8.

5: The allure for T6 is that it's dirt cheap. Delvac 1 isn't going to be a whole lot different from M1 ESP. HTHS is essentially identical but ash levels are slightly higher with D1. For example M1 ESP 0w40 has a HTHS of 3.7

6: There are 40w oils for diesel light passenger vehicles with the following euro spec (BMW LL04, Mercedes Benz 229.51, VW/Porsche C40)
 
Run Motul 5W40 X-Clean GEN2. HTHS 3.9.




Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!

I think we have a winner. Good answer. Go to the head of the class young man!

Some may say that answer is overkill for my lowly Chevrolet. However, when you price a replacement VM Motori Turbo diesel engine, Overkill is a good thing - if you want to sleep peacefully at night.
 
There wasn’t much of a market for dexos2 approved oils in the US. The only things that took it like your truck, as well as higher-spec Corvettes and Camaros for track days are low-volume applications. And to make things even more confusing, GM also has dexosD for the 3.0L Silverado diesel, a 0W-20.

I’d run the 0W-40 D2 oil, if you want to gamble in case you need warranty service, Rotella T6/Delvac 1 5W-40 is proven choice and it might have higher SAPS than D2 oils(which build on ACEA Cx specs, just like D1 builds on API Sx specs).
 
Ding, Ding, Ding, Ding!

I think we have a winner. Good answer. Go to the head of the class young man!

Some may say that answer is overkill for my lowly Chevrolet. However, when you price a replacement VM Motori Turbo diesel engine, Overkill is a good thing - if you want to sleep peacefully at night.
Motul 5W30 X-Clean+ has HTHS 3.6 if you want to stay in 30 grade.
Take into consideration that Pennzoil Platinum Euro L 5W30 had at one point HTHS 3.68.
As for VM engine, heavy oils were bandaid to engineering problem. Thin oil was not an issue, it was engine itself.
 
Background> I own a '16 Chevy Colorado 2.8L Duramax diesel pickup. Engine manufacturer: VM Motori of Italy. Same manufacturer of the Ram 3.0L EcoDiesel. No issues with my truck.

I happened to notice the complaints of a FEW Colorado Duramax owners posting that they had to either: A) Replace the original turbo, B) threw a rod or
C) cracked or threw a piston through the block. (broken wrist pin). Usually, this happened at highway speeds or pulling a substantial load. This typically occurred when the truck had under 110,000 miles on the truck. In a few cases I read about, owners only had 40K on their trucks. Could be a metallurgical issue? I won't begin to tell you the quote for replacing this engine with labor costs. I'll just say you better have "deep pockets." Usually, owners were using dealer supplied 5W30 Dexos2, Pennzoil Euro L 5W30 or Mobil 1 ESP 5W30. Usually, these engines gave "no warning" before they blew. I will add, General Motors decided to kill this engine, beginning the '23 Colorado model year. Will Colorado owners be offered the GM 3.0L Silverado Diesel engine?
Stay tuned.

A couple of things:
* If I am not mistaken, the original Ram EcoDiesel called for a 5W30, low ash motor oil, like Pennzoil Euro L 5W30 or Mobil 1 ESP 5W30. Recommendation was
later changed to the current Rotella T6 5W40, after engine replacement issues became a problem.

* Colorado Duramax owners in Australia (a much harsher climate) come from the factory with 5W40 Dexos2 in their sumps, not the 5W30 Dexos2 as is recommended, here in the USA & Canada. I guess we can "thank" the EPA fuel economy mandates. 5W40 Dexos2 is as hard to find in the US as hen's teeth.

If you ever get the opportunity to drive one of these trucks with this engine, you'll quickly understand why owners LOVE the engine & say it's best part of the entire truck. Where else can you find a mid sized pickup that has a 7,500 tow rating? That can also easily give you over 30 mpg in highway driving. I see about 32 mpg (26 city). If I decide to trade in this truck, (which I may), I have had offers equal to what I paid for it when new. (Only 25K on mine).

I decided early on, I rather risk plugging up the DPF emissions unit, than replace an engine. I ran Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W40 (ht/hs 3.8) this past summer without issues (loved it because it quieted an already quiet engine with no fuel mileage penalty). I am running Delvac 1 ESP 5W30 (ht/hs 3.6) now with confidence, since it Exxon/Delvac's flagship oil that mentions extended drain capabilities.

What say you? Is Delvac 1 ESP 5W30/40 an upgrade over Mobil 1 ESP 5W30 in regard to extending engine longevity in this application? I also considered the new Delo 600 ADF in 10W30/15W40 viscosity. I didn't expect VM Motori to make an engine as likely to go over 200,000 miles as a Cummins diesel, Powerstroke diesel, or GM 6.6L Turbo Diesel. I can't wait until someone offers an EV mid sized truck - and all this motor oil talk will be a distant memory.
No. Colorado owners won’t be offered the 3 liter diesel. GM will not modify or retrofit.
 
Back
Top