I recently switched to Mobil Delvac 1300 industrial grade oil. Should I still change my oil every 3000 miles? I put on several hundred miles a week (anywhere from 200-600) so 3000 mile oil changes could get quite frequent and expensive and may negate the added cost of the better oil. Could I possibly change my oil every 5000 miles? 6000 miles?

Also, today I found a 5 gallon barrel of 15W40 Rotella oil for $40. Is this a reasonable price? I really like the idea of having a large bucket that I could keep refilling with oil and filling my engine with a hand pump (although I guess I couldn't count how much oil was going in unless I first filled a quart bottle then poured the bottle in). Thanks!

Alex

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1983 300D (parked for four years)
2012 VW Sportwagen TDI Manual
2001 Miata SE
1962 Chevrolet Corvair Rampside

Is the Mobil Delvac 1300 synthetic oil?

P E H

Delvac One is the synthetic Mobil oil for deisels...1300 is Dino oil.

The factory recommends oil changes at 5k miles, using dino oil. I'd think you can observe that interval, although FYI I change out my Delvac One every 5k.

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"If God had meant for us to walk, why did he give us feet that fit car pedals?" Sir Sterling Moss

Michael
2014 E63S Estate
2006 SLK55
1995 E500
1986 Porsche 944 turbo

hey guys,


This topic is one of great debate and with many opinions.

5000 miles is probably ok. All I can say is what I choose to do and let that speak for itself.

I love to get dirty with diesel oil so I change my Delvac One every 3500 to 4000 miles. My 84 300d looses about 1 quart in that time so rather than add more I change it out. Yeah it expensive but like the michelins I just put on it it is worthy of my affection.

That is what I do along with my 2 cents

good luck


bob

Besides Mobil Delvac one Shell Rotella, what were the other types of Diesel oil?

I use Delvac 1 in my VW Jetta TDI. It is OK to go 10,000 between changes. Would Mercedes Diesels be similar?

Rooster,

FWIW, there was a post last week from MarkM who said he ran Amsoil synthetic in his 300D turbo and changed oil at 10K and the filters at 5k. He also did an oil analysis and found the oil to be OK.

SW

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2001 Dodge Ram 2500 Cummins Turbo Diesel - 4x4, auto, 3.54 gears, long bed
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'92 300D 2.5 Turbodiesel - sold
'83 300D Turbodiesel - 4 speed manual/2.88 diff - sold
'87 300D Turbodiesel - sold
'82 300D Turbodiesel - sold

If you are going to extend your drain intervals (as I believe you can) with synthetic, you must still change your filters. As SW mentioned, I drain my Amsoil diesel synth. every 10,000 mi., but change filters at 5K. With many types of non-automotive filters, they become more efficient as they become loaded (such as HVAC filters), as effective pore size is smaller. Yet when they become very loaded, little passes through. It is very different, however, with automotive oil filters.... as the filter becomes clogged, less and less oil will go through filter media, travelling instead through bypass ports, unfiltered. Just think of it....if a car oil filter becomes totally clogged, oil is still circulated through the engine...it just travels through bypass ports in the filter and not through filter media. So dont leave filters in for 10 K, especially on a diesel. You could change filters at 3K, but I decided that 5K was OK as this is the manufacturer's recommendation. Also, I think it is important to use an oil formulated for diesels...soot inhibitors, etc. Furthermore, make sure your air filter is in good shape to minimize oil contamination with dust...I use K&N (but I'm not sure if this is the wisest choice) regular OE paper filters may be best. Finally, if you do a lot of driving on dirt roads, more frequent oil changes are in order. Myself, I drive mostly hiqhway miles.

Thanks Mark and SW. The filter change idea is good. I am in the market for a Benz Diesel when I sell my Jetta TDI. I want a less expensive (but older) car that has more room. Nice to know I can use the same synthetic (Amsoil or Delvac 1) rules on the Mercedes.

I have been running Mobil Delvac 1300 for the last 65,000 miles, changing every 3-4k with the filter. I have had no problems and my valves look clean when I change the oil.

Initially I used Valvoline Turbo V SAE 30 in the summer and plain Mobil 1 in the winter (Back in the late 80's) As time has gone on, finding an oil with a CF, CC, CD, rating has been more and more difficult with the mainstream auto parts stores only carrying Mobil Delvac 1300 to do the job. Delvac 1300 is only available by me in 15W-40 which makes it difficult to run in the winter time in Cleveland. I assume I will switch to Delvac 1 this winter. I have some leads on some Mobil Industrial suppliers and a guy I work with owns a Jetta so we team up to order the minimum. I've heard the new Jetta's only run on Synthetic. Fuel mileage has gradullay decreased over the years from 32 to around 30 mpg in the summer. In the winter I get around 28.

I change the inline fuel filter every 3 oil changes and the cannister filter every 8. Also change PS fluid and renew filter once a year. I figure I have plenty of life left on my engine....now if I could just keep the salt from rusting my body.....

Regards,

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'06 E320 CDI 51K miles
'02 VW Jetta GLS TDi 120k miles
'99 Ford E350 7.3L Powerstroke 200k miles -sold
'84 Euro 300D 5 spd manual 317k miles - sold

I have the perfect solution to keep the salt from rudting my good car bodies and it is so simple: Don't drive them in the salt in the winter. My '80 300SD has 235K and doesn't have a spec of rust because I never use it in the winter. I get a sacrificial beater to use in the winter. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~PEH~~~~~~~~~~~~

PEH,

Please don't take this the wrong way, but my 123 Benz is my beater! My toy war would be a '92 500SL for when I am waiting for mail order parts! My 123 is like those old Timex commercials. I truly believe that it is just as much of an engineering masterpiece as it is a work of art - if not more, so I'd rather own an MB with 500,000 miles and some battle scars than one with 5,000 miles and perfect paint.

I'd be curious what other diesel owners think....are they for driving or looking at?

PEH, what is your present beater? I'd bet it is more expensive to run than your SD.

Cheers!

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'06 E320 CDI 51K miles
'02 VW Jetta GLS TDi 120k miles
'99 Ford E350 7.3L Powerstroke 200k miles -sold
'84 Euro 300D 5 spd manual 317k miles - sold

Jeff,

With a last name like yours, how could you drive anything but a German car? My last name is also German, but it is not a very popular one.

You lose your bet because my winter beater is another 300SD. I bought it about 3 years ago when it had only 160K miles. It was supposed to be a parts car but it runs so good I keep driving it and has 195K miles now. It has been to FL 3 times and going again next JAN. Never had any trouble when away from home with it and not much when it was home. I've only spent about $150 on it and taken off parts worth more than that. A woman ran into the back of it andI collected $259 from her insurance company. I fixed it myself in about an hour. Most money I ever made per hour in my life.

I use Castrol Syntec 5W50 and PTFE. It keeps using less oil all the time. It has 5K miles since last oil change and is still on the full line and the leaks it had stopped by themself. So much for saying synthetic makes engines leak oil more. When I first got it, it used about 3 quarts in 10K miles. I change the filters and oil every 10K miles. Any more is just wasting money. I wouild like to find some of the Delvac I at a reasonable price. I use Mobil I 15W50 in the good SD.

The body on the beater is beyond repair and I hope it lasts 3 more years. I have a much better 300SD body with a bad engine that I will do a transplant on. Then the 300SD beater I'm driving will finally be a parts car, so it may live on in parts for years.

I get a kick out of the guys that change their oil every 3K miles, drive their cars in the salt and then their like new engine falls out of the body because of rust. I would rather never change the oil than drive my good SDs ( I also have a like '87 300SDL and '70 300SEL6.3) in the winter.

I agree that is is more fun to drive a beater where you don't care too much what happens to it. I'm always worried that I will get a scratch or dent in the good cars.

P E H