Delvac Elite 10W30 21,900 miles Volvo D13

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I don't know how much interest there is in this oil, but here is a peek at it in heavy duty use (along with two oci's with Kendall 15W40).

This particular D13 is part of Volvo's XE13 package. The package was introduced a few years ago and uses what is referred to as "downspeeding". It is set up to run 65 mph at 1,150 rpm. I mostly cruise at 63 mph @ ~1,125 rpm.

The oil temp is free to roam up to 245-247F (119C ?). I'm loaded at 76K-80K lbs most of the time so I am usually at the upper oil temp limit. When oil temp hits 246-247 the oil cooler takes it down to 238-239 and then, up it goes.

The difference between 15W40 and 10W30 is that the 30 takes much longer to hit the max (after cooling to 238). The Kendall would blast from 238 to 246 in just over a mile. The Delvac 10W30 took three to four miles to get back up to the limit after being cooled. This isn't the least bit scientific but merely an observation that I noticed throughout each oci.

2013 Volvo D13 officially rated as 425hp @1700 rpm, 1750 lb-ft @ 1050 rpm
425 HP from 1300-1800 rpm
1750 lb-ft from 1050-1300 rpm
45 psi boost 1250-1500 rpm (down to 37 psi at 1050 rpm)

All three tests by ALS Tribology. Delvac was a NAPA kit and other two were Delvac Accutrack kits.


Element.......Delvac 10W30.....Kendall 15W40.......Kendall 15W40
Truck miles......269,712...........247,803...........227,421
Oil miles..........21.910...........20,382............22,176
Oil hours............1,001............815...............551
Driving hours..........413...........386...............410

Iron..................17...............16...................21
Chromium........... Lead..................10...............4....................8
Copper..............2................4....................8
Tin................... Aluminum...........2.................2....................2
Nickel............ Silver............. Titanium..........14..................103.................107
Vanadium..........
Silicon..............7....................4....................6
Sodium..............10...................7....................6
Potassium..........1....................7....................7
Water................ Coolant................no..................no..................no

Magnesium..............753..................311.................315
Calcium...............1416.................1902................2246
Barium................... Phosphorus............1098..................1026...............1194
Zinc......................1398..................1286...............1443
Moly.......................45.......................1.....................2
Boron......................7.........................12....................31

Viscosity cSt @ 100C...........12.4...................14.8.................14.2
Fuel %............................. Soot %.............................0.2.....................0.2...................0.4
TBN....................................4.1.............no test............no test
 
Amazingly good looking report, using the speced oil for a speced application should yield good results. From the looks of your report you wouldn't have an issue extending out to 30,000+ mi.
My large diesels are used in off-road marine applications and one can't compare what my usage is to yours, but when new they were speced at 250 hr. OCI, with the advent of USLD and CJ-4 lube the manufacturer has extended the OCI to 500 hrs., which in a marine environment was unheard of. I also have extended idle time to run hydraulics, but have been running to 500 hrs. with UOA and no problems.

Great report
 
Originally Posted By: roadrunner1
Amazingly good looking report, using the speced oil for a speced application should yield good results. From the looks of your report you wouldn't have an issue extending out to 30,000+ mi.
My large diesels are used in off-road marine applications and one can't compare what my usage is to yours, but when new they were speced at 250 hr. OCI, with the advent of USLD and CJ-4 lube the manufacturer has extended the OCI to 500 hrs., which in a marine environment was unheard of. I also have extended idle time to run hydraulics, but have been running to 500 hrs. with UOA and no problems.

Great report


Thanks roadrunner! The truth is that earlier this year, Volvo bumped up their oci intervals and for me that means 40k (or is it 45k) miles. I'll be honest and say I've been a chicken so far. I could use the excuse that I'm learning my truck first, but I don't know if I'll ever get close to 40 or 45k on an oci.

I've talked to a few service writers who say that Volvo D13's do have cam failures. They have told me that if I keep my oci's 15k-20k, they have no trouble making warranty claims. When guys (fleets mostly) stretch to the limit, Volvo is quick to put up a fight. Apparently Volvo is kind of tough on claims. I can't say as I've not had much trouble. At this time, I'm willing to change oil at 20-25k and develop my trends from there.

I'll also note that my oil is oxidizing in my short(ish) intervals. I will run some voa to uoa comparisons in the future to get an accurate look. For now, I'm willing to bet that the high temps are thickening the oil. I can't imagine that it's not, based on the high viscosity in my uoa. I don't think the vis stayed so high, otherwise. My D11 was the same design only smaller, and it sheared 15W40's down into the low 13 cSt range and 10W30's into low 10 cSt range. That truck had the more traditional 210F oil temp and didn't thicken up the oil (even at 28-30k miles).

Yup...I'm a chicken, but I do have some reasons. I could be all wrong, though.
 
Originally Posted By: Ramblejam
Thanks for the report!

What are your thoughts on the truck and XE package?
Automatic transmission?



So far I think it's a fantastic truck, especially the XE package. I got a decent deal on it because it sat for six months with only 186k miles on it. It has a Meritor engineered set up with one drive axle and a "tag" axle behind it. The Meritor air suspension control adjusts weight onto and off of the tag axle. Anyway, the single drive was a deal breaker for most guys who asked about the truck.

The Volvo "automated manual" (called I-Shift) is pretty neat. I'd rather have an Eaton Fuller 18 speed but the I-Shift twelve speed is fine. It is an impressive package with mega low end torque and tall gears. It trys to stay in as high of a gear as possible to maintain super low rpm. It is a nice shifting trans that would make a rookie look good.

The high torque/low rpm makes for a relaxing, quiet drive. It's very deceiving as it sounds like you're driving down a city street when cruising at highway speeds. Even though cruising at 1100 rpm, a hill means nothing as it will pull (seemingly) forever with that torque. With the automated shifting, mountains are a breeze, too.

The torque and tall gearing makes for phenomenal fuel mileage possibilities. I only have a lifetime average of 6.92 mpg, but if you look at my hours in the oci's posted, I do idle a bunch. I never had luck with auxiliary power units so I idle the truck to survive the summer heat/humidity. I also run heavy and run west a bunch. However, I have twice got over 10 mpg with light weight hauls. With only 10k-14k in the trailer, I set the cruise at 58 mph (1,050 rpm) and acheived over 10 mpg (in less than perfect weather conditions). So the package provides some amazing possibilities.

I'm just rambling I guess. Have anything specific you want to know? Sorry if I wasn't helpful here.
 
I'll add that my lifetime average on DEF, is 224.36 mpg. Not quite as good as the smaller diesels but so far, has been trouble free.
 
Overall a nice UOA. I would agree that longer OCIs are possible, but I also understand your hesitance due to potential warranty arguments. In terms of wear and contamination there is nothing but good news here. The Kendall did well also. Generally looks like a good wearing engine.

I did notice your avg run time must have been down on this last report; the oil hours were much higher for the distance traveled. Your last three reports have oil miles about the same, and driving house about the same, but the oil hour are going up. More idling I presume?

Long live the thin HDEOs and the engines they protect!
 
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Originally Posted By: dnewton3
Overall a nice UOA. I would agree that longer OCIs are possible, but I also understand your hesitance due to potential warranty arguments. In terms of wear and contamination there is nothing but good news here. The Kendall did well also. Generally looks like a good wearing engine.

I did notice your avg run time must have been down on this last report; the oil hours were much higher for the distance traveled. Your last three reports have oil miles about the same, and driving house about the same, but the oil hour are going up. More idling I presume?

Long live the thin HDEOs and the engines they protect!



Thanks dnewton. Yes, more idling to survive the summer heat. Whether sleeping or sitting at a customer, I idle to stay cool (and get quality sleep). I had put auxiliary power units on previous trucks to provide electric and A/C, but they were all troublesome and became deadweights, so I idle the truck now.

The first report (far right) was an oci from this past mid february to mid april. The middle report was mid april to mid june. The Delvac was run mid june until late august. You can see why idle time went up with each report.

Incidentally, I got another oil change yesterday in N.C. but got talking with other drivers and forgot to hand a sample bottle to the guy under the truck. Missed out on a sample.
blush.gif


These heavy duty trucks have air brakes (as everyone knows) and have two cylinder air compressors run off the gear train of the engine. The compressor gets lubed with the engine oil so any wear from that is part of what is seen in my reports. Obviously, I don't know how much (if any) of the wear metals come from the compressor. However, if ever there were a sign of trouble in a report, it has to be considered. I've talked to guys who had a compressor blow up so something (for a trucker) to think about.
 
I'm very interested in your temperature observations, as that's an area that I've been playing with in one of my cars (thermocouple down the dipstick).

Certainly the reduction in HTHS changes the relationship between minimum oil film thickness (protection of parts touching) and viscous drag. Drag in the bearing surfaces (bearings and piston skirts predominatly) heats the lube, that and RPM is the typical driver for oil temperatures...without dedicated piston cooling.

Can't (personally) see how in those regions viscosity would create a 4:1 change in oil temperature rate of change.

Given the low revs that you are reporting, have you noticed an oil pressure change between the 40s and the 30s ?

Lower oil pressure would reduce piston cooling flow, and maybe reduce the heat flow from piston crown and ring belts back to the sump.

Just thoughts
 
Hey Shannow, I have read some of your posts about your car's oil temps when driving normal vs running in second gear. I know where you're coming from.

I pretty much always cruise at 1100-1125 rpm so that's where I'm at when I observe the different heating rates. The Kendall 15W40 did this over the course of two oci's, with the exception of running in crazy cold temps, combined with a lack of hills/wind.

The Delvac 30 was also consistent in taking three to four miles to ascend from 238 to 246. To be more specific, the 30 was quick to rise up to 242F, but then slow(er) getting on up to the 246-247F cutoff.

In a long climb in hot temps, the oil cooler couldn't get the oil below 245F and spent a considerable amount of time at 249-250F.

While my oil temps are digital, my oil pressure gauge is just one of my basic analog gauges. It is marked in 30 psi increments. At my typical 1100 rpm, the 15W40 was approx 50 psi with oil temps in the 240-246F range. At same rpm/oil temp, the 10W30 was 45 psi.

The 45 psi is easy to see because the needle is smack in the middle between 30 and 60. The 40 grade oil pressure requires an effort to estimate the value. I believe it is indeed about 50 psi.

At idle, the 10W30 was only 15 psi immediately coming off the highway (600 rpm). The 15W40 idled at about 25 psi in same situation. During extended idling, I set the rpm up to 700 rpm (factory setting) and both oils would run 33-35 psi. In those long idles, oil temps remained at 199-204F.

Those are my consistent observations. I guess it may sound strange with the different heating rates, but I assure you I watched it throughout each oci.

I don't know if I have anything better to add, but if you have more questions I can try to help.
 
Thanks for the additional info...I'll let you know if any more questions spring to mind.

thumbsup2.gif


I'm trying to get as much info as I can.
 
Originally Posted By: userfriendly
Was the switch to 10W30 for fuel economy reasons and how much does an air compressor and new turbos cost?


No, not for fuel economy, at least not this time. I used 10W30 several times in my little D11 Volvo and wasn't afraid of it. I used it mostly in winter to help with cold weather fuel economy, but also used it in a summer oci.

I was apprehensive about using 10W30 in this D13 because of the higher oil temps and the high torque/low rpm operation. I wanted to try it in the toughest of climates and get over the fear of using it. Factory approved oils range from 5W30 to 15W40 (in HDEO form) so no big deal.

The turbo and air compressor are nothing I'm concerned about using thinner oil. I was more worried about bearings and the valvetrain in this particular application.

I have switched to T6 5W40 now, to satisfy my curiosity. So far I am only pulling a light load that is effortless to pull. My oil temps are not getting up to the high limit yet. Will see what it acts like when I get back to my heavier loads.
 
If your lube is staying around or 250F or less, I'd not worry at all. That is the temp many lab tests are run at in engine/lube testing protocol for HD diesel engines. Sure, cooler is nice to see, but 250F is not unreasonable.

It might oxidize the lube a bit quicker, but do not forget that some amount of oxidation is actually a good thing as it promotes the tribochemical barrier generation; this is an anti-wear boundary layer that is deposited on the internal wear parts. Obviously too much oxidation is a bad thing, but some is good. And your UOA clearly shows everything is in a desirable condition.

As long as your cooler is doing its job, keeping the lube at or below 250F"ish", then I'd not worry at all. The only time I'd start to be concerned is if the cooler was unable to maintain oil temps; if it becomes clogged or performs poorly, I'd address it soon. If you can run long climbs, and oil temps are able to be held steady state, indicating the cooler is performing, then don't worry.
 
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All good points dnewton. I forget about the tribo chemical layer (as it benefits from heat and some oxidation).

My first concern is the higher oil temp lowering viscosity and getting pummeled in the bearings (again, high torque/very low rpm). The oxidation is next concern but I can control that via oil changes. Those are my fears as a non educated guy.

Yes the oil cooler does great so far. Amazingly well under the circumstances.
 
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You are taking a pragmatic approach to HDEO XW30. I asked the fuel economy question after seeing the hours on the uoa. Your engine is approved for XW30 engine oil, which means that you are not going out on a limb on piston cooling and other engine metrics, including the air compressor. Whether or not you switched to 10W30 for fuel economy reasons, it likely saved you money. You still would have idled your truck the same 10W30 or 15W40. The Delvac product likely stayed around 3.5-3.7 HTHS from start to finish. The stay in grade could be due to soot load and light end boil-off and not from oxidation.
Additional make up oil over a service interval makes a uoa better. Was there an increase in oil consumption with 10W30?
 
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userfriendly, I agree that I saved fuel with the 10W30. That is, if I gained around 1% in fuel economy as Chevron and Shell claim to be possible. That would have saved me approximately 31 gallons for the 21.9K mile oci.

I still kindly assert that the oil is oxidizing rapidly due to the extended time at high temps. No harm yet and maybe never would have been (in any of the three oci's). However, in all of my previous trucks, 210F was the standard oil temp, only in the mountains did the oil temp get into the 235-245 range. The oil reports always showed viscosity (in uoa) well below the virgin viscosity, with no fuel dilution. That's where I'm coming from. I need to use Polaris or Cat to get an actual oxidation check.

As far as makeup oil, none has ever been added. Throughout all three oci's, the oil level remained level at the full mark. In each case, I was able to check it in the shop, before draining (hard to find a nice level parking spot normally).
 
The elevated engine oil temperatures of your new truck may be contributing another 1% in fuel economy improvements. In addition, the oil when hot is removing more heat from the engine that it would at a lower temperature. (See smaller sump matters? in the auto threads) Your bulk engine oil temperature is assumed to be reaching 245C. If we go with that figure at the oil pickup, what route does the oil travel from the pump? Filter, cooler, engine or some of each? Now imagine the engine oil temperature rise in the bearing cavity during it's duty cycle. At 235C the oil would be quite thin, therefore the viscous dag is low and leakage rate high. The engine oil friction is producing and contributing less heat to the engine for two reasons. First because it is hot and second because it is a lower grade of oil to begin with. If the engine oil was being heated over 150C in the bearing, you might have elevated bearing material in your uoa or in worst case, a squeaked engine parked at the side of the road. Thinner hotter engine oil, equals less oil heating in the bearing and higher side leakage rates from those bearings.
 
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