Rotella full syn T6 15w-40 for 37hp Vanguard twin?

SOHCman

SOHCman

Joined
Mar 30, 2010
Messages
1,588
Location
USA
This seems like it would be an ideal oil for air-cooled OPE. About the biggest detraction I have seen compared to other HDEOs is that VOAs show a slight decrease in ZDDP compared to say T5. Vanguard recommends their own 15w-50 for all temps down to 20 F.

To ensure more than adequate ZDDP I picked up some Red Line break-in oil additive which can be ran the entire OCI as a ZDDP boost. These engines hold 78-80oz of oil so if my math is correct running two ounces per oil change raises the Zinc from 1082ppm to 1555.60ppm with a similar boost in Phos.

Credit to MolaKule for this: Here is one formula for determining new ppm levels. (Additive oz. x PPM + Oil oz. x PPM)/(oz. of Additive + oz. of PCMO) = new ppm

Any pitfalls I am not thinking of to properly lubricate this engine?
 
My 33hp EFI called for 20w50
So I tried that and 15w50
It has an oil cooler. Both of the above sucked up all the power ( elegantly written lol)
T6 5w40 is the bomb and better gmph - grass mileage per hour.....
I'd even go to a 10w30 HDEO next time as I have some ( oil cooler too) but T6 is the bomb
I mow over 50 acres a week with a Spartan
 
Zee09 said:
My 33hp EFI called for 20w50
So I tried that and 15w50
It has an oil cooler. Both of the above sucked up all the power ( elegantly written lol)
T6 5w40 is the bomb and better gmph - grass mileage per hour.....
I'd even go to a 10w30 HDEO next time as I have some ( oil cooler too) but T6 is the bomb
I mow over 50 acres a week with a Spartan
Click to expand...
Interesting, sounds like you run commercially. I'm running a Scag w/61", how do you like those spartans?

I didn't even consider a -50 possibly causing pumping losses. On the temp scale I believe a 30wt is good up to 100F so I was thinking a 40 would be more than enough in the middle of the summer.

This is for the 37 Vanguard EFI with oil cooler and it has plenty of power but I can still manage to bog it down a bit if I neglect to slow down enough in deep/weedy grass. The EFI already saves a good amount of fuel, so I guess I am leaning towards the side of protection vs fuel savings at this point.
 
Sohcman..
I got mine the first week out- got lucky. Actually it made all of my other mowers obsolete. Guessing 4 years ago???
I'm running a 61" too- thought of a 72" but too wide and may bog down.
I only do my own properties which one is 23 acres and all hills and rough. I can't improve it as it is considered "wet lands".
I see Spartan now recommends T6 5w40 but Kohler is stuck on that 20w50

I agree with you 100%. Also I hear how you can't bog down these big zt's. Baloney- like you said slightly damp and thick like here in MD.
you can and will. In fall this grass gets wiry here and doesn't cut well.

Next time I would get a 37 hp but only a EFI... I burn like 3/4 a gallon an hour on average length grass.
Better than my MF 23hp Diesel. EFI is the way to go.
 
This Vanguard is actually still breaking in, so I hope for a slight improvement once complete. I also need to double check that it's running 3,700 RPM with no load for full blade speed. I understand both Kohler and Briggs EFI is the same Delphi developed closed loop system, and is more efficient than open loop EFI or Kawi DFI.

According to Scag it's best to Adjust to full height or 5 inches for first cut of tall grass and then cut again at normal height. It will cut clean in one pass at normal height, but only if going real slow. That was in relatively dry but weedy grass about a foot in height. It even did ok in 2-3 foot grass/weeds but definitely took multiple passes to look good.

Around here it boiled down to the Scag velocity deck and the JD 7-iron deck being known to be the best for our varieties of grass and wet conditions, but ultimately the Scag dealer and Vanguard engine option won the day.
 
SOHCman said:
This Vanguard is actually still breaking in, so I hope for a slight improvement once complete. I also need to double check that it's running 3,700 RPM with no load for full blade speed. I understand both Kohler and Briggs EFI is the same Delphi developed closed loop system, and is more efficient than open loop EFI or Kawi DFI.

According to Scag it's best to Adjust to full height or 5 inches for first cut of tall grass and then cut again at normal height. It will cut clean in one pass at normal height, but only if going real slow. That was in relatively dry but weedy grass about a foot in height. It even did ok in 2-3 foot grass/weeds but definitely took multiple passes to look good.

Around here it boiled down to the Scag velocity deck and the JD 7-iron deck being known to be the best for our varieties of grass and wet conditions, but ultimately the Scag dealer and Vanguard engine option won the day.
Click to expand...

I had to run mine out to 100 hrs with conventional oil as it was smoking it off.
Once I did that I went back to FS- no problems at all.
Of course with ethanol my other mowers ( carbed) are eating up fuel pumps at 70 hrs avg.
I just keep some on hand.
I need the blades sharpened but I'll wait until next year :)
 
I would say that anything of 1000ppm or more in zinc would be fine. BUT, you have to remember technology does not stand still and zinc is not the only game in town. Titanium, Boron, and Moly have similar attributes as zinc. Since we're not talking about high valve spring pressures in any of these engines, (definitely not the high pressures of solid lifter hot rods), you are worrying about something that is a non issue. I guarantee you that you could use any reputable brand of PCMO and that engine would be just fine for life. We tend to be looking for the "best" when "adequate" is closer to what our goals should be. Think about it, if we use adequate oil, then the engine will last the maximum amount of time it's designed for. If we use the best, the only thing that has changed is the money and hassle we spent to get there. Adequate means an oil that's fine for the conditions it was designed.
 
bchannell said:
I would say that anything of 1000ppm or more in zinc would be fine. BUT, you have to remember technology does not stand still and zinc is not the only game in town. Titanium, Boron, and Moly have similar attributes as zinc. Since we're not talking about high valve spring pressures in any of these engines, (definitely not the high pressures of solid lifter hot rods), you are worrying about something that is a non issue. I guarantee you that you could use any reputable brand of PCMO and that engine would be just fine for life. We tend to be looking for the "best" when "adequate" is closer to what our goals should be. Think about it, if we use adequate oil, then the engine will last the maximum amount of time it's designed for. If we use the best, the only thing that has changed is the money and hassle we spent to get there. Adequate means an oil that's fine for the conditions it was designed.
Click to expand...
I completely understand your sentiment, however, Rotella is not exactly a boutique oil and costs less than the Vanguard oil. The additive is also cheap enough at my dosage to not worry about. Speaking of new technology, this Rotella shows 168ppm Boron on a VOA!

This engine is under warranty, but I plan on using it for years post-warranty so why not discuss the performance of oil on BITOG? Keep in mind it's one of the more powerful air-cooled OPE engines currently available and surely has more heat to deal with than a 5hp flat head. It's also north of 3 Grand to replace one apparently... 🙂

Cheers!
 
Zee09 said:
Plus they take so little oil anyway.
Mine is about 2.5 actual qts although listed at 2.7.
Click to expand...
Very true, I might have different priorities if it had a 20 quart oil pan.

Big picture: I believe T6 15w-40 to be superior to T5 15w-40 for my purposes and planned OCI. I was only looking into the addition of ZDDP additive due to the new CK diesel specs seemingly lowering the ZDDP levels from previous specs. Hopefully that has no negative affect on it's use in OPE wear wise with the new spec, but only future UOAs could really tell that story.
 
Sounds like a gas hog. Eeeek.

Given the small capacity, you can’t go wrong with T6. Just check the oil before each use.
 
dlundblad said:
The HP as well as the fact that it’s a gasser.

What’s the fuel consumption?
Click to expand...
So far it's looking like 1.5 GPH while cutting. That seems to be in line with other reports I have seen on this engine. Some of the other engines around the 1000cc size sound like they use much much more fuel if not-EFI.
 
I though only engines that used an oil pump suffered power loss from thick oils and engines that use splash lubrication dont suffer as much drag?
 
SOHCman said:
So far it's looking like 1.5 GPH while cutting. That seems to be in line with other reports I have seen on this engine. Some of the other engines around the 1000cc size sound like they use much much more fuel if not-EFI.
Click to expand...

That’s not bad at all. Much better than I expected.
 
Zee09 said:
My 33 HP efi with a 61" deck is only
.75 gph and blows away my 23hp diesel. EFI rules the day now
Very economical
Click to expand...
.75 is outstanding! Maybe I can get mine closer when not bush hogging deep grass...
 
SOHCman said:
.75 is outstanding! Maybe I can get mine closer when not bush hogging deep grass...
Click to expand...
Is yours broken in yet??
I got that reading after 50 hours and it has been consistent while mowing
typical 4-5" grass all hilly terrain.
Now after several hundred hours its still the same. I use tt 87 octane only
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

W
Rotella T6 in Briggs Vangaurd 37HP EFI air cooled
2
Replies
23
Views
11K
wgregww
J
Theoretical Justification to Use Traveller 15w-40 in my Wet Clutch MC's
Replies
19
Views
2K
Jim Rogers
wwillson
  • Locked
  • Sticky
Pennzoil Q&A GF-6 and GF-7 with the American Petroleum Institute (API) - Answers
2
Replies
22
Views
13K
weaponoffreedom
P
Hydrogear EZT-2200 oil change - ZDDP Preparation
2
Replies
27
Views
12K
M42duster
S
2009 Ford Focus 2.0 Duratec Rotella T6 15W-40 22K
Replies
11
Views
3K
SR5
Back
Top