Hey Guys,
I'm currently in Germany for a few more months with my 2004 6.0 powerstroke. Problem: oil availability. The europeans have some seriously expensive oil here and love their synthetics. They also love diesels and run them in everything. Problem is all the diesels are in wind-ups. I've looked through the wall of oil available here and CI-4 is not available, neither is any other spec listed in the ford manual.
The miltary base nearby has had Quakerstate QDX (15-40) that I ran in the summer, but it gets so cold here in the winter that the engine really romps on start up unless I run something thinner. So my only choice was Castrol EDGE 5w-40 for Turbo Diesel. Unfortunately its an API SM/SF spec. So, how bad am I really stuck and is there anything I can do to mitigate the problem in the meantime...additive??
The major oil companies have distribution in Germany. I just checked Petro-Canada (excellent low temperature Group III HDEOs, BTW) and they have a telephone number in Germany you could try: Locations - Petro-Canada Lubricants Locations
Mobil Delvac 5W-40 also seems to be available: Mobil Produkte
ACEA "E" spec oils are the European equivalent to API "C". Delo 400LE is a worldwide Caltex product that meets ACEA E-7 and API CH-4, CI-4 and CJ-4. Im sure you can find ACEA E-7 oils locally from Shell, Castrol, BP, Total and many others.
"E: Heavy Duty Diesel engine oils
E2 General purpose oil for naturally aspirated and turbocharged heavy duty diesel engines, medium to heavy duty cycles and mostly normal oil drain intervals.
E4 Stable, stay-in-grade oil providing excellent control of piston cleanliness, wear, soot handling and lubricant stability. It is recommended for highly rated diesel engines meeting Euro 1, Euro 2, Euro 3 and Euro 4 emission requirements and running under very severe conditions, e.g. significantly extended oil drain intervals according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It is suitable for engines without particulate filters, and for some EGR engines and some engines fitted with SCR NOx reduction systems. However, recommendations may differ between engine manufacturers so Driver Manuals and/or Dealers shall be consulted if in doubt.
E6 Stable, stay-in-grade oil providing excellent control of piston cleanliness, wear, soot handling and lubricant stability. It is recommended for highly rated diesel engines meeting Euro 1, Euro 2, Euro 3 and Euro 4 emission requirements and running under very severe conditions, e.g. significantly extended oil drain intervals according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It is suitable for EGR engines, with or without particulate filters, and for engines fitted with SCR NOx reduction systems. E6 quality is strongly recommended for engines fitted with particulate filters and is designed for use in combination with low sulphur diesel fuel (max 50 ppm). However, recommendations may differ between engine manufacturers so Driver Manuals and/or Dealers shall be consulted if in doubt.
E7 Stable, stay-in-grade oil providing effective control with respect to piston cleanliness and bore polishing. It further provides excellent wear and turbocharger deposit control, soot handling and lubricant stability. It is recommended for highly rated diesel engines meeting Euro 1, Euro 2, Euro 3 and Euro 4 emission requirements and running under severe conditions, e.g. extended oil drain intervals according to the manufacturer’s recommendations. It is suitable for engines without particulate filters, and for most EGR engines and most engines fitted with SCR NOx reduction systems. However, recommendations may differ between engine manufacturers so Driver Manuals and/or Dealers shall be consulted if in doubt."
Thanks for all the help.
Here's the good news. I'm finishing up my assignment here I'm headed back the states very soon so this will no longer be an issue.
The bad news. For those moving specifically to Germany...don't bring your newer "big" Ford Turbo Diesels. I don't care what the big companies make, because they don't distribute these oils here.
Yes, I've called them and talked to the "FORD" dealer in person. The highest oil spec in Germany right now is essentially ACEA C3. Does higher SPEC exist? Yes. But not here. Maybe elsewhere in Europe, but that really doesn't help me at the moment.
The Ford dealer will not sell this because the only customer he has that uses the oil is the US military on Gov't Vehicles. Guess what? they bring the oil in with them when they need mx done. The oil they bring you ask; it appears to be just what our AAFEX-BX sells. To recap, the AAFES-BX does sell one CI-4 oil. Its a quakerstate 15W-40 in quart size. This is all I've used even in the COLD winter. It is very hard on the truck and I was hoping to find a thinner and even synthetic oil here since the temps are dropping, but this isn't going to happen.
The Ford dealer suggested the local fuel suppliers/distributers: shell, Aral, and Esso (Exxon). While these companies do sell an oil that will work it is not distributed in Germany because as the Ford dealer stated,"This spec is higher than anything needed in Germany."
For edification, just 1 Liter of the ACEA C3 synthetic 5W-40 sells for about 30Eurodollars. That's about 45 US dollars for roughly a quart. Multiply that by sixteen for an oil change! As such, the really big 18wheelers and similar here have no emissions spec req't and do not need high spec oil...apparently they use an older version dino oil--go figure. So, all the hype here about emission standards in Europe...bunk as far as I'm concerned. Our "Big" US Diesels are lightyears ahead. The bad sign is that in Europe there is no support structure for the US big Diesel....
Anyway...I'm back to land of the free in less than 2months...hopefully the old girl can hang in there until then...
You can always run motul 5w40 diesel oil it can be found in germany (I have been there) it should run about 20 eurodollars and the specs are very good.
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If it doesn't fit, FORCE it.
If it breaks, well, it needed replacing anyway.
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