Mobile delvac or Lucas

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I have 2007 pete 386 with a Cummins 475 isx 824000 miles on her and the oil is STILL slightly transparent after 24,000 mile ,,, now ive always changed oil at 15,000 most because the oil was blacker than you know what. This engine makes no sense ,,, burns clean and efficient but gets [censored] for mileage. my ? is should I top off the oil with lucas or delvac with this many miles on the oil..

Note when I do a fresh oil change one gallon of lucas is used.
 
Dump the Lucas. Try going 100% Delvac for a few changes at 15k and see if your mileage increases. You might even try Rotella versus the Delvac.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
15,000 miles -- is this a vocational application?

this is an over the road truck 100% highway...
 
Originally Posted By: 2hellandback
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
15,000 miles -- is this a vocational application?

this is an over the road truck 100% highway...


What's your average miles per gallon?
 
Isx are known for low oil pressure , ive been told it will drop more with rotella, not sure if this is true or not....
 
Originally Posted By: 2hellandback
Isx are known for low oil pressure , ive been told it will drop more with rotella, not sure if this is true or not....


Then try Delo.
 
Well this last summer 4.6 wasthe worst and 5.6 was its best this winter after adding a bullydog and getting rid of that tapered intake pipe and stopping the egr from running ive been getting 5.2- 6.3 winter time....
 
Thanks for the information.

At a 5.75mpg average with the modifications, there shouldn't be any issue whatsoever running the normal 25,000 mile oil/filter change interval. With no EGR, I'd be you could hit 35,000 with data from analysis.

Lucas is not needed. Mobil Delvac 1300 15w40 is low cost, will offer excellent performance, and is available at Walmart for $12/gallon.

If you've just gotta do something, consider a good fuel additive.
 
I wouldn't put Lucas anything in a POS anything I was trying to sell to someone I don't like.

You will never see any meaningful MPG increase with an oil swap alone. That does not mean you shouldn't use an optimal oil. Rotella, DELO, DELVAC all make a 5W-40.
 
Originally Posted By: Oil Changer
I wouldn't put Lucas anything in a POS anything I was trying to sell to someone I don't like.

You will never see any meaningful MPG increase with an oil swap alone. That does not mean you shouldn't use an optimal oil. Rotella, DELO, DELVAC all make a 5W-40.


Actually my old truck/ isx 2003 pre egr got 5.8 to 6.8 and with a fresh oil change (delvac) I always saw an increase of about .5 to .75 per gal increase....
I asked cumins one time one time about 5-40 they don't recommend it,,, but is it still possible to run it ?
 
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The only ISX experience I have is with a hydraulic excavator. I ran that thing at redline for hours at a time with Rotella SAE40.
I see no reason why you can not use the 5W-40 in an OTR application.
 
I'm skeptical of a >10% increase in MPG in a Cummins (or any HDT) if it used 0W20 for a OCI, let alone a fresh change with 15W40...
 
Originally Posted By: 951Indy
I'm skeptical of a >10% increase in MPG in a Cummins (or any HDT) if it used 0W20 for a OCI, let alone a fresh change with 15W40...


I cant tell you why but I saw it every 15,000 miles change and would be back down by 7500 to 8000 miles
 
Originally Posted By: 2hellandback
I asked cumins one time one time about 5-40 they don't recommend it,,, but is it still possible to run it ?

Here is the spec sheet for Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40, along with the builder approvals, including Cummins CES 20081. If it meets the specs you require, you're good to go.
 
Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: 2hellandback
I asked cumins one time one time about 5-40 they don't recommend it,,, but is it still possible to run it ?

Here is the spec sheet for Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40, along with the builder approvals, including Cummins CES 20081. If it meets the specs you require, you're good to go.


Ok im going to have to give it a try problem is I doubt my oil change company, sapps brothers, prob don't carry it at least in bulk !!!
 
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Originally Posted By: 2hellandback

Actually my old truck/ isx 2003 pre egr got 5.8 to 6.8 and with a fresh oil change (delvac) I always saw an increase of about .5 to .75 per gal increase....
I asked cumins one time one time about 5-40 they don't recommend it,,, but is it still possible to run it ?


You asked Cummins? Who? Some dweeb tech at a Cummins shop or an engineer at corporate? They do recommend 5w40, specifically their own brand, Valvoline Premium Blue 5w40 synthetic. Just open a Cummins manual. I owned two ISX's and they got 5w40 (not Valvoline) and 25,000 - 30,000 mile oil changes with no issues related to oil. But the engines themselves were such a pain, that I have since sworn off having a red engine in my semi's ever again. I dearly liked the N-14, but the ISX, I invented new swear words over.
 
Cummins SLC UT Wow ive had good luck with ISX very reliable and avg 900 mile engines... they like all have there prob areas from time to time like soft injector cams that only last 800 to 900 thousand miles!
smile.gif

So What kind of fuel increase may I see using 5-40 ?
 
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Maybe none. Too many variables to state whether a commercial truck is going to see any mpg improvement. I have never seen any appreciable difference in mpg from using a full synthetic 5w40 or a synthetic blend 15w40 I use now in my truck. Cost is a major difference though, with the blend being cheaper. A tenth or two might be seen, but it would be inconclusive that the oil was the benefit. Since the driver himself is almost 30% the variable in a truck getting or losing mpg, there can be a placebo effect in play. If one does something, like oil type change, to gain mpg, they might actually drive a little better to prove the point, albeit even if they are not aware they are doing so, and the better driving is what got the mpg than the the oil type change.

For me it is about cost benefit analysis. I get fantastic oil sample results using a Schaeffer 7000 15w40 synthetic blend (25% PAO and 75% Group II+) that I can get delivered free to my door, complete with free oil sample kits, for $980.65 for a 55 drum. That is roughly $17.83 a gallon delivered free, only state sales tax. That beats most anything on Wally World's shelf, and I don't have to go get it. It is available in gallons, 5 gallon pails, 30 gal drums, etc also. SalesRep here on the site can fill you in. And this stuff has a killer amount of zinc and moly. I get the lowest wear numbers I have ever seen on any oil sample reports in over 2 decades.
 
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