That may be it just spelled wrong I'll find out more tommorrow.

 

Yep, Chris, you caught me napping on the UOA issue. Thanks for adding that to the mix.

ronjon... I have to say that just because a trucking company uses the oil doesn't always mean anything positive about the oil's quaity or capabilities. You probably already know this inherently, but I see comments like that all the time and not everyone knows that. There are tons of private labelled oils out there being used by the trucking industry, all the while the oils in use are not necessarily built from quality base stocks which provide quality performance characteristics, and that remains true even if they label it as being a "HD Diesel". After all, what are the "major" oil companies (largest volume) really in business for? It's not for lubricating oils, it's for FUEL. The base stock for lubricating oils is a minor percentage of each barrel of crude, and is actually a byproduct of the refining process while trying to make fuels. The lubricants are a necessary evil in their business plan... they are just something they have to get rid of, and they do so on a commodity basis. The point is this... those base stocks are being derived from a fuel-based refining process and are not necessarily the best base stocks from which to build a lubricating oil. Cheap, readily available, and too often incapable of making a high quality oil with long-lasting characteristics.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to push any particular brand of oil at all. I would rather just provide enough information to help you KNOW that you're getting what you're wanting, regardless of what you want. If you want cheap oil with a plan to change frequently, then that is readily available and takes little investigation, but it also does not provide the best lube for your truck and will cost you more in the long run. Alternatively, if you want to get the best lube for your truck and save some money at the same time, then you'll need to do some serious analysis to be sure that you end up in that game.

Here are some questions you can inquire about from your friend to get a feel for where their oil is really performing.

1. How many miles are they putting on the oil between changes? (10,000-20,000 is most common when not using high-performance oils)

2. How often do they have to top off between changes? What are they topping off with (same oil, or "truck stop specials")? (The amount of oil needed for top-offs will vary significantly with the oil's volatility, and most companies do not have their drivers carrying their own oil between changes and they end up with mixtures of brands in their trucks which can degrade the ability of the "additive package" to resist oxidation and loss of viscosity)

3. What kind of levels do they see on wear metals in their trucks (assuming they are having oil analysis performed)? (Iron should be below 100 ppm, Copper and Lead at or below the 10-20 ppm range, etc.)

4. How is the oil's viscosity holding up over the life of the oil in their trucks? (The oil viscosity should not be dropping more than about 5pts into a lower grade of oil before being changed, i.e. having a 40W dropping down to a 35W before changing is OK, but if it is droipping down to a 30W (or below) then they are probably running the oil too long between changes. Viscosity is the single most important characteristic of an oil because that is what determines its ability to both flow well and simultaneously provide an adequate "film strength" on frictional surfaces.)

Hey... just one more thing... if you feel like I'm being pushy about any of this, just tell me to shut up and I'll back off completely.

 

Here is another wrench thrown into the mix, I know I will catch flak for this one, but hey it works for me. I used to run Rotella in my 7.3 without fail. as well as all of my gas vehicals, never had a problem with it, I switched to Delvac (mobil) last oil change. I have went to a 5000/10000 oil change schedual. Meaning at 5000 miles I change the filter and add make up oil. and at 10000 I do an oil change and filter as well as a fuel filter. Have had great results with this schedual. WHAT is important is keeping the oil clean and at the right viscosity for the HPOP right? bad oil bad HPOP result cause that is what runs the injectors.
Now for the monkey wrench. After doing tons of searching and research about addatives for fuel and realizing I have a 99 model motor, and knowing the fuel companies are making drier fuel now days for the new motors, I was concerned about the fuel being to dry for an older motor that was built before all of these new reciepts.
So what I do is add a 1/2 ounce per gallon of fuel 2 stroke oil, and have had great results with it, The most notable results I noticed after a couple oil changes is that even after 5000 miles on my current oil change, when pulling the dip stick to check the oil level I can still see thru the oil and see the hatch marks on the dip stick. I know not normal for a diesel right? but this is the absolute truth. So bye the time I reach 10000 miles my oil is still looking and feeling pretty good, I do notice over time that my motor oil takes on a tinge of blue (2 stroke oil color) so to keep to much unburnt 2 stroke oil from building up with my motor oil I go ahead and change the oil.
That is just a brief of what I do, I actually gained about 1 mpg and some of my friends have seen better than that. The engine does not get hot enough to burn all of the 2 stroke oil. so some of it ends up mixed with the oil. I have no side effects from this program I run. and I am sure there are going to be alot of people out there with there own ideas, but hey it works for me.
Back to the original posting clean oil makes for a good running motor, yes some oil is better than others, Rotella seems to be the oil of choice for diesel motor, but there are a couple more good ones out there, change your oil regularly remember your injectors depend on it....

 

Just to clarify, are you adding the 2 stroke oil to your fuel or to your engine oil? You mention the drier fuels and 1/2 ounce per gallon, which would lead me to believe you meant adding to the fuel, but then you talk about the engine oil. Just want to make sure i understand you correctly. any particular brand?

 

I actually add the 2 stroke oil to the fuel when I fill up. I know alot of people out there are always looking for some addative to put in there fuel, cleaners, lubrication, c-tane boosters etc. I have heard of used motor oil from your oil changes, tranny fluid, just to name a couple.
What I do is add 2 stroke oil to my fuel every time I fill up. I use the cheap wal-mart brand, it cost approx. $12 a gallon. That is 128 oz. and in doing the math it should last you for around 350 gallons of fuel if you mix it at a ratio of 1/2 oz per gallon of fuel.

Something else I do is also add a 1/2 oz per gallon of Power Service Diesel addative the white bottle which I also buy from wal-mart per gallon of fuel. That is 1/2 oz of both 2 stroke and Power service per gallon of fuel at fuel up.

Not to confuse you, 1/2 oz per gallon of both 2 stroke motor oil and Power service C-tane booster. This is what works for me. I have found other 2 stroke oils out there and even used them, but alot of them cost alot of money. I am more interested in the lubrication properties of the oil for the fuel system than any thing else.

I first read about this on this site, somewhere on here the discussion was going about addatives and I found one little quote from some guy that talked about 2 stroke oil. That was all that was said. In thinking about this and growing up and working on motors and machines most of my life, I thought well a 2 stroke motor runs on fuel and oil mixture and that is all, now considering that most of these motors consist of Lawn mowers, chain saws, weed eaters etc, that run at rpms of 7000 and up, and if 2 stroke oil keeps them running is sure cant be a bad thing for my motor. That was my logic for starting to use it.

The benifits for me that I have found and proven are this, My fuei milage increased bye approx 1 to 2 mpg. After about the 2nd or 3rd oil change my oil started staying clean longer, (I dont know why) but it has to be the 2 stroke oil cause that is the only thing I had done different to explain that. Like I said in my earlier post, at my current 8000 miles on this oil, I can still see the hatch marks on my dipstick thru the oil. Of course I dont use any oil, but I have noticed that oil level does start to increase and take on the color of the 2 stroke oil over time. In watching this I have come to the conclusion that a diesel motor does not get hot enough to burn all of the 2 stroke oil so residual ends up in your oil and over time increases your oil level slightly.
I drive alot of miles so go thru alot of fuel, so I notice these things on a much faster basis than maybe what most people would. I have not yet did an oil analysis yet, but ordered my kit yesterday i am curious what it is going to tell me, will post it when I finally get it in the near future.

Of course please remember this is what works for me and for my driving style and habits. Everyone has there own little mix they like to use. I have been using this mix for approx 40K now and doing well no complaints, no problems, love it. Will know more when I pull a sample, but dont anticpate any negative... I hope this helps and feed back is most welcome on this subject...

woody