Marine grade or regular oil for old diesel?

[chasfgr]

Originally Posted by Emmalina

LOL what the hell is marine grade ???? I use Castrol CRB designed for "mature " engines and it works fine..

Marine grade means that it doesn't have many of the additives added to modern road vehicle lubricants.


The risk of using high detergency oil on an old engine is that you clean out so many coked up oil passages, that:-
a) filter blocks
b) the bearing and ring clearances on a design using mineral oil are a long way from suiting running on a fully synthetic and things start to rattle, shake and roll before knocking.
c) Marine engine run at a considerably lower temperature than modern road engines.


Castrol CRB, designed for commercial vehicle use, has far higher levels of additives and designed for higher operating temperatures than those designed for private vehicles and are even farther away from ideal marine lubricants.
Just goes to prove how tough your engine is.
Talk to the lubricant designers, they are all over the country (I've got 3 within 20 miles of my Shropshire village), don't rely upon the superstitions of enthusiasts.

[Wotname]

Originally Posted by Simi 60

What the hell is tractor oil?
Sounds as ridiculous as marine oil.

Tractor oil usually refers to a single oil the is suitable for all the various applications found in a tractor e.g. engine, hydraulic systems, transmission, differentials, wet clutches (and brake) systems as well as machinery gear boxes.

Buy one oil and use it for everything and IIRC, not super expensive! Don't have to remember which oil to use where when topping up.

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Midnight Son

Marine engine oil, the real article, has a base number. This is as in acid and base. For large ship engines, that burn HFO. The little boat on the jug is cute, and that is all that can be said about it. Use the grade of oil recommended, sticking with the brand used before, as mentioned. Switching brands can sometimes lead to seals leaking.

I believe you are thinking of Diesel Oil. The byproducts of diesel combustion are more acidic than gasoline. If you use conventional oil, like you would put in a gasoline engine, the oil quickly turns acidic and that can lead to corrosion on internal engine parts. By providing an oil that starts out as a base, it neutralizes the corrosive acidic by products. Eventually, as enough acidic by products are added, the oil will turn acidic. This is one of the key reasons you need to change the oil on a diesel (in addition to soot).

[Midnight Son]

Originally Posted by valhalla360

I believe you are thinking of Diesel Oil. The byproducts of diesel combustion are more acidic than gasoline. If you use conventional oil, like you would put in a gasoline engine, the oil quickly turns acidic and that can lead to corrosion on internal engine parts. By providing an oil that starts out as a base, it neutralizes the corrosive acidic by products. Eventually, as enough acidic by products are added, the oil will turn acidic. This is one of the key reasons you need to change the oil on a diesel (in addition to soot).

Sorry, large 4 stroke diesels, for ship or power generation, that use HFO or VLSFO have combustion products getting by the piston rings. These vary in acidity, S stands for Sulfur, think sulfuric acid. The base number of the oil is how basic it is to counteract this acidity. This oil has to be in the engine for a long change interval. a Wartsila 6L32 has between 1.6 and 4.5 cubic meter oil supply.

Best wishes

[canadianbeethov]

You should use old oil...

[Spot]

Originally Posted by Wotname

Tractor oil usually refers to a single oil the is suitable for all the various applications found in a tractor e.g. engine, hydraulic systems, transmission, differentials, wet clutches (and brake) systems as well as machinery gear boxes.

Buy one oil and use it for everything and IIRC, not super expensive! Don't have to remember which oil to use where when topping up.

Do those tractor fluid / universal trans-hydraulic oils go in the crankcase too or is it more of a 'everything else' sort of application?

[hpeer]

I may screw this up, but let me try.

The xx-yy ratings tell you the viscosity range of the oil.

When operating my Yanmar 4JH4 in the Chesapeake I used 10W-30 because that matched the climate there. Heading into the Caribbean I started to burn oil. But also all the oil sold was 15W-40, for use in warmer climates. Switched to the local oil and oil consumption went away.

Now my old Volvo MD-7 lives in cold water, very frequently below 40° F. The manual says SAE 30. Well thats not available where the boat is. The stores are stocked with 10W-30, it is all I can get so it is what I use. I do not see any operational issues with this oil.

I am not telling you what to do, just what I do and why.

[Cadence]

Re: Tractor oil. I think it is a hoax. Many tractors share the transmission and crankcase oil. Gears lubricate well with a good sump oil. Same for dozers.

[Emmalina]

Originally Posted by chasfgr

Marine grade means that it doesn't have many of the additives added to modern road vehicle lubricants.


The risk of using high detergency oil on an old engine is that you clean out so many coked up oil passages, that:-
a) filter blocks
b) the bearing and ring clearances on a design using mineral oil are a long way from suiting running on a fully synthetic and things start to rattle, shake and roll before knocking.
c) Marine engine run at a considerably lower temperature than modern road engines.


Castrol CRB, designed for commercial vehicle use, has far higher levels of additives and designed for higher operating temperatures than those designed for private vehicles and are even farther away from ideal marine lubricants.
Just goes to prove how tough your engine is.
Talk to the lubricant designers, they are all over the country (I've got 3 within 20 miles of my Shropshire village), don't rely upon the superstitions of enthusiasts.

Most Engine manufacturers by oil from the big boys and put it in there own packing so it can be sold at a large markup! VP being one ! I have run CRB in my donkey for the past 10 years and all is well .

[Celestialsailor]

Just make sure it's NON-DETERGENT and of a good manufacturer. I also use Delo...just because.

[Cool Hand Luke]

Another vote for Shell Rotella T4

[Emmalina]

Originally Posted by chasfgr

Marine grade means that it doesn't have many of the additives added to modern road vehicle lubricants.


The risk of using high detergency oil on an old engine is that you clean out so many coked up oil passages, that:-
a) filter blocks
b) the bearing and ring clearances on a design using mineral oil are a long way from suiting running on a fully synthetic and things start to rattle, shake and roll before knocking.
c) Marine engine run at a considerably lower temperature than modern road engines.


Castrol CRB, designed for commercial vehicle use, has far higher levels of additives and designed for higher operating temperatures than those designed for private vehicles and are even farther away from ideal marine lubricants.
Just goes to prove how tough your engine is.
Talk to the lubricant designers, they are all over the country (I've got 3 within 20 miles of my Shropshire village), don't rely upon the superstitions of enthusiasts.

I am so happy you are surrounded by lubricant designers. I personally have to drive 170km to buy oil let alone find somebody for advice so I use that old fashion system of looking in my user manual ! The manufacturer seems to like Castrol CRB ! but what would they know hey.

[hpeer]

I personally have to drive 170km to buy oil

You have got me beat by 100km, for me its only 70km.

Thats why I use what they have. Seems to work.

The other thing is this, the new oils were not around when the manuals were written, so they could not he recommended. MAYBE if they were a available they would have been recommended?

[valhalla360]

Originally Posted by Midnight Son

Sorry, large 4 stroke diesels, for ship or power generation, that use HFO or VLSFO have combustion products getting by the piston rings. These vary in acidity, S stands for Sulfur, think sulfuric acid. The base number of the oil is how basic it is to counteract this acidity. This oil has to be in the engine for a long change interval. a Wartsila 6L32 has between 1.6 and 4.5 cubic meter oil supply.

Best wishes

Sure and completely irrelevant to even large power cruisers. I doubt the OP was finding commercial ship oil in quart bottles on the shelf of the local marine chandler.

The acidity issue is true of even small diesels and diesel oil has additives to make it more base to neutralize the acids.

[olivierlc]

the workshop manual for my yanmar 3JH3E says to use regular oil.