Opinions Please about Delo 400 XLE Synblend 10W30

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Hello all, Long time lurker here.

I have read ad nauseum more threads about this than I care to reveal....so here goes anyway

I have a 2002 Yamaha F115 (4stroker)

It only has about 250 hours and I dump out perfectly good Yamalube every year, well it's like $30 a gallon now so...

After reading all about the HDEOs on here I bought some Delo 400 XLE Synblend SAE 10W-30. It was less than $15 a gallon.

I am curious what ya'll think about this oil in a 4 stroke outboard.......mostly wanting to "DO NO HARM!"


Delo® 400 XLE Synblend SAE 10W-30 is a premium synthetic blend fuel economy and mixed fleet motor oil recommended for naturally aspirated and turbocharged four-stroke diesel engines and four-stroke gasoline engines in which the API CJ-4 or SM service category and SAE 10W-30 viscosity grade are recommended.

Ripped this off another post from 2013

This sample came from a gallon jug dated 6/19/13.

Test by blackstone 9/18/13

Aluminum 2

Chromium 0

Iron 2

Copper 0

Lead 4

Tin 0

Moly 0

Nickel 0

Manganese 0

Silver 2

Titanium 0

Potassium 1

Boron 1

Silicon 4

Sodium 2

Calcium 2484

Magnesium 10

Phosphorous 1164

Zinc 1241

Barium 0

Sus visc @ 210f = 64.9

CST visc @ 100c =11.57

Flash pt = 430 f

Fuel --

Antifreeze --

Water = 0.0%

Insolubles =0.0%

Tbn = 9.1

Tan = 3.4
 
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That looks like my VOA you posted. That was the CJ-4 version. Is that what you purchased? If by chance you have the new CK-4 version, it's an entirely different formula but still a fine oil. Either way, you have a winner in the Delo. If there's something special required for a Yamaha boat engine, then that's out of my realm.
 
Originally Posted By: Pas_Bon
Thank you all!

Dusty,

It is a CK-4



thumbsup2.gif
It's a new formula but I expect it to maintain Delo's good reputation. I've been using it for over 70k miles.
 
Originally Posted By: claluja
Should be ok if you're changing oil annually and not putting too many hours on her. Go for it.

Note: Assuming you've seen on here that the Yamalube formulation is different than vehicle oils (e.g., yamalube syn has very high molybdenum, plus others)

Good read
http://forum.chaparralboats.com/index.php?/topic/13471-synthetic-oil/
_________________________

Thanks!

Yep, one of the many I had read, as fast as things change these days I wonder how that applies today, being that that article is from 2010?
 
OP:

Two of the points I take from that writeup, which likely still apply, are (1) don't leave used car/truck oil in a marine gas motor while it is laid up with the boat over the winter, and (2) HDEOs with high Zn and high P not necessarily good for boat gas motors (so your CK4 may be better for marine gas engines than CJ4).
 
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Originally Posted By: claluja
OP:

Two of the points I take from that writeup, which likely still apply, are (1) don't leave used car/truck oil in a marine gas motor while it is laid up with the boat over the winter, and (2) HDEOs with high Zn and high P not necessarily good for boat gas motors (so your CK4 may be better for marine gas engines than CJ4).


Yes, very good points, and I am guilty of leaving it in over the winter but normally in a garage, and not through extreme winters.
 
Originally Posted By: claluja
OP:

Two of the points I take from that writeup, which likely still apply, are (1) don't leave used car/truck oil in a marine gas motor while it is laid up with the boat over the winter, and (2) HDEOs with high Zn and high P not necessarily good for boat gas motors (so your CK4 may be better for marine gas engines than CJ4).


And just what oil should you use over winter ... And what part of Zn and PH is bad for marine engines ... Gee, I started in a boat shop working on engines in 1967 and have had one or two a year to work on since then. All we ever use is HDEO or Quicksilver oil. Never had a lube failure. Some water intrusion issues, but never a lube related failure. Where does this concern come from?
 
I think he is referring to leaving "old" oil in the crankcase over winter as opposed to doing the maintenance in the fall and have the "new" oil sit in the crank case over the winter. Not the first time I have heard this.

As for the Zn and P it has to do with pre-detonation I think, which I have no authority to speak on, just what the author of the article mentioned.

I'm not one to argue on things I don't know about, just looking for good advice....
 
If the rings and the valve stem seals are in good shape (no blue smoke on start-up) there is no additional pre-ignition or detonation problems to worry about. There is no oil in the combustion chamber.

Motors that run big timing and high compression like drag race engines regularly run more Zn and Ph than you are seeing with the average HDEO. And they have to worry about detonation grenading an engine at high RPM. Most actual marine oils have a decent slug of both.

If the oil is getting into the intake or combustion chamber, yeah it could make a difference. But then you have other concerns like a worn engine, etc.

I agree that fresh oil is good in winter. But most boat owners do not put enough hours on the oil to really deplete the add pak ...

Many marine engines run cool to cold to slow salt water issues with cast iron (direct cooled). They will build soot and HDEO is the best at controlling soot. So it becomes standard practice for boat yards to stock HDEO as their go-to universal oil. There are literally a gazillion boats out there running with HDEO that no one knows or cares. They all run fine
smile.gif
 
Originally Posted By: claluja
OP:

Two of the points I take from that writeup, which likely still apply, are (1) don't leave used car/truck oil in a marine gas motor while it is laid up with the boat over the winter, and (2) HDEOs with high Zn and high P not necessarily good for boat gas motors (so your CK4 may be better for marine gas engines than CJ4).


I didn't read the writeup you cite, however your conclusion flies completely in the face of how I maintain my Nautique. Currently running conventional (not CK4) Delo LE 15-40, which gets changed at layup each year. Original motor is at year 21, providing reliable service.
 
Okay...I went back and read the link. Color me skeptical. It feels more like a response written by a marketing department than someone who's really spent a ton of time around lots of boats. Although BroncLuno here has probably forgotten more than I'll ever know, I can't think of a significant failure of a marine engine less than 40 years old that anyone ever attributed to the choice of oil. Corrosion, cooling system failure, fuel problems, long-term disuse combined with deferred maintenance are so much more prevalent. All of the high-hour gas engines (>2000 hours) I tend to see share the same characteristics: 1. They're not on underpowered boats, 2. They get used regularly, 3. They received periodic service/maintenance, 4. They tend to live in fresh water, 5. (Just for grins) All of them were running unremarkable, conventional, straight-weight or HDEOs.
 
Well I changed the oil (Delo® 400 XLE Synblend SAE 10W-30) and filter (Fram 7317) on the 115, Cost me $20 as opposed to the $50 with a Yamaha filter and Yamalube.

Motor ran great, nice and quiet, did not explode!
 
The nice thing about HDEO's is they are cheap enough that you don't mind doing the service at fall lay-up. At $50+ a pop, many folks will go two or three years w/o a change. Then things begin to happen ...
 
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