Mobil Delvac - 3 options?

Status
Not open for further replies.
Joined
Oct 15, 2016
Messages
72
Location
Moon
Hey, I know this is similar to last thread but I guess I narrowed it down to Mobil Delvac.

For the older engine 1988-89 ISUZU 4bd1 (going to turbo it in future) - I was looking at Mobil Delvac range just because I can get it pretty cheap compare to other oils and I have read a lot of good reports regarding delvac.

The 3 choices I can get are:

Mobil 1 Delvac ESP - 5w 40
Mobil Delvac MX ESP - 15w 40
Mobil Delvac MX - 15w 40

The M1 Delvac ESP says it is the 'supreme' version (I guess this is their latest and greatest one)...

Cost wise, the M1 delvac ESP is roughly $290 for a 20L drum.

The Delvac MX ESP is only $125
The Delvac MX is only $100

So looking at price, I can nearly get 60L of the MX and MX ESP for the price of 1x 20L M1 Delvac.

My question is, how different are these compare to each other?

Is the Delvac 1 5w 40 going to produce double the km at least before having to change oil, or is it going to be similar to the MX?

All the ESP versions say they are designed for engines with EGR, CAT, DPF etc but good for older engines as well.

The isuzu does not have any CAT, DPF etc so wondered which one of these oils will still produce the best protection?

5w 40 I like the weight of, but may not be relevant...

Then you got the MX and MX ESP version. The MX ESP is only $25 more than the MX version, so if it is a much better/higher tech oil, well for extra $25 its not even worth considering the standard MX.

So thats what I am trying to figure out, which one is the best, in what way is it going to be better (please explain) and then I can decide if the extra $ is worth it or not to me.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Wreckage



All the ESP versions say they are designed for engines with EGR, CAT, DPF etc but good for older engines as well.

The isuzu does not have any CAT, DPF etc



Therefore you do not want or need the ESP versions.

Originally Posted by Wreckage


5w 40 I like the weight of, but may not be relevant...



Nor, for the use and conditions you describe, do you want or need a 5W40 weight.

I've seen Mobil quoted as saying something to the effect that the MX 15W40 had a healthy dose of ZDDP, (1300 ppm?) though it was second hand and a while ago so that might have changed. Nothing much but marketing on the website, and no response to an enquiry.

Seems to have been pretty good cleaning-wise in my engine, though, and was quite cheap, but I can't get it here anymore.
 
The MX is the way to go for an older, non-DPF, non-EGR diesel. Also if AU is now using ULSD, the higher TBN of the non-ESP oil will allow you to run it longer. I use a fair amount of Delvac 1300 15W40 here in America, if MX is available I've never seen it, but I would use it in my old IDI diesels exclusively if it was available.
 
ESP is certainly suitable, but not required. If you were up here, finding a CI-4 would have been hard in the first place, and for Mobil up here, all "ESP" means is CJ-4 or newer. All the lubricants you list are far more advanced than what was available when the vehicle was new, so there's nothing wrong with buying by price. Delvac 1 would probably be best if you were really extending OCIs.
 
In Australia you might be able to get Delvac 1 5W40 non-ESP which would have somewhat higher Zn/P/TBN than the ESP version.
 
Originally Posted by FordCapriDriver
The MX is good stuff, API CI-4 and ACEA E7, has almost 1400ppm of Zinc
Cheap too


Where did you get that info?

As above, I could find out almost nothing from Mobil directly, but did eventually find someone quoting an email from a Mobil rep on a Jeep website. Havn't looked lately though.
 
How much extra mileage would I get from the 5w 40 - Mobil 1 Delvac ESP over the MX?

It is nearly 3x the price, is it gonna give me 3-4x the mileage before needing to be changed?

Here is M1 Delvac

https://www.mobil.com/english-au/commercial-vehicle-lube/pds/glxxmobil-delvac-1-esp-5w40

Mobil Delvac MX

https://www.mobil.com/english-au/commercial-vehicle-lube/pds/auxxmobil-delvac-mx-15w40

Mobil Delvac MX ESP

https://www.mobil.com/english-au/commercial-vehicle-lube/pds/apxxmobil-delvac-mx-esp-15w40

If you scroll down on each of them, they have all the flash point and whatever other information I don't understand.

Someone told me the ESP MX is the improved version over regular MX.

Here is the price I can get all 3 Delvacs for locally:

MX ESP - $125 - 20L
MX - $100 - 20L
M1 ESP - $280 - 18.9L

You said I don't need the ESP version... My question is is the MX ESP going to be 'better' than the regular MX long term anyway? As it is only $25 more. If it is going to be worse for the engine, then there is no point paying the $25 more. M1 ESP is a full synthetic and if it will hugely increase the change intervals etc, well then may as well pay the $280 for it, if it won't be much different whatsoever to the MX versions, then no point.
 
We used to have MX 15W-40 in our bulk tank, it went in every diesel from cars to tractors...and motorcycles too.
 
Delvac MX CI-4.
The limiting factor with this engine and with ULSD will probably be the soot loading so no fancier stuff is really needed.
In previous formulations Delvac MX 15w-40 = Essolube XT5 (discontinued)= Volvo branded VDS-3 .
 
So I am not going to get any added benefits, better protection or longer OCI with the MX ESP or the M1 ESP over the regular MX?
 
Originally Posted by Wreckage
How much extra mileage would I get from the 5w 40 - Mobil 1 Delvac ESP over the MX?

It's possible, but you'd have work to do to verify that it's feasible, not to mention that the other options aren't slouches in the long drain department, either. Unless you have usage patterns out at the limits, there's not any overriding need for the Delvac 1. I used it for a great deal of time, but I also wasn't paying anywhere near what you were.
 
Originally Posted by Wreckage
So I am not going to get any added benefits, better protection or longer OCI with the MX ESP or the M1 ESP over the regular MX?


I doubt you'd get better protection. Since these are Zn limited oils it could be worse.

Unless you get a lot of confirmatory analysis done, the longer OCI will depend on (a) oil makers claims, and (b) whether you believe them. You're unlikely to get any specific statements from the vehicle manufacturer in this context, and oil makers usually defer to the vehicle manufacturer, so that's probably a wash.

The price difference is, however, a certainty.

The "synthetic "oil MAY be more stable, but it gets contaminated just as quickly as the "conventional".

I'd only buy the fancier stuff if I was forced to by the vehicle specs.

You aren't.

So don't.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted by Ducked
Originally Posted by Wreckage
So I am not going to get any added benefits, better protection or longer OCI with the MX ESP or the M1 ESP over the regular MX?


I doubt you'd get better protection. Since these are Zn limited oils it could be worse.

Unless you get a lot of confirmatory analysis done, the longer OCI will depend on (a) oil makers claims, and (b) whether you believe them. You're unlikely to get any specific statements from the vehicle manufacturer in this context, and oil makers usually defer to the vehicle manufacturer, so that's probably a wash.

The price difference is, however, a certainty.

The "synthetic "oil MAY be more stable, but it gets contaminated just as quickly as the "conventional".

I'd only buy the fancier stuff if I was forced to by the vehicle specs.

You aren't.

So don't.


What do you mean the synthetic M1 is more stable?

I guess the whole reason I asked all this was because I am using the 0w 40 M1 in my car which is a full synthetic. From everything I read regarding petrol engines, the synthetic will have long term benefits over a conventional mineral based oil (engine will last longer before wearing/scuffing/etc and needing a rebuild).

Being my first diesel, I didn't know if things worked the same or not.

Are those synthetic benefits translated over into the Diesel world?

So potentially the MX ESP could be worse for the engine than the MX, considering this engine has no EGR/CAT etc regulations, then the MX may protect the motor better just because the oil is not designed to meet todays standards?

I guess theres 2 ways to see this when you dont know...

1: Modern oils are better as technology progresses, then things only improve.
2: Modern oils due to having to meet todays regulations (CAT, DPF, EGR, Emissions etc) protect all those parts but at the sacrifice of the engines longevity. So it does not protect as good as the older stuff as it is compromised to meet all the other criteria.

So my question which one of those is it.
 
Don't worry about any of that. Even with the gasser, an approved synthetic isn't going to make an engine last longer than an approved conventional. In the end, for your application with the diesel, it's hair splitting except for price. The ESP products aren't going to protect "less" because of the more advanced emissions standards. The synthetic's real benefits will show up if you're running the oil to its limits, so you're best off purchasing in a cost effective manner.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top