Shell Rotella T and T1 oil

I can't actually find a spec sheet for Rotella T1 HD SAE 40 but they are out there for T1 without the HD designation.

If I were you I would stick with what you know works on those old girls but did happen to notice that on the spec sheet I post the link to below it does say approved for DD two strokes but not recommended for high speed engines which seems to be a bit of a contradiction to me.

http://rotella.shell.com/products/t1.html

I like to stick with the one type unless there is a compelling reason to change.

I will shortly be running 4000 series MTU Main engines and CAT Gensets on the same vessel.

Contractually we have it that all engines will run on the same lubricant as we will be carrying around 2500 US Gals of it and it removes the chance of filling with the wrong stuff.

I found when in Florida that Castrol assuron HD cf2 lower ash than Shell was around 60.00 per pail that was 2014 prices before the big drop in world $$

I prefer anything but Rotella which used to be an excellent oil. I've noticed in D.D. 2 strokes that it tends to make noticably lower oil pressure after 50-75 hours and also FDDA told me they have seen higher piston ring wear with boats that use it. That being said, there are many people who use it with good results. I prefer the Mobil oil who is also the manufacturer for MTU,MAN,CAT, etc factory oil.

Another one to consider, which I got great results from, is the NAPA 75118 if they still have it; some locations had to order it, others like the one on SR84 in FtL used to floor stack it. I pretty much settled on either it or the DD rebranded Mobil Delvac. The 75118 is rebranded Valvoline and has one of the lowest ash %, somewhere around .6 IIRC. I was doing three or four oil changes a year when we were cruising full time. Here in NC, Covington (then Western Branch) sold me the DD for the about the same as the NAPA, so why not?
If you search the Hatteras Owners Forum, there is a comparison of the ash ratings for several oils in a few posts.

I think if you double check, the Kendall Super D is not Cf2 rated. At least it wasn't 7 years ago.

Thanks, I guess I wasn't aware of all the different variations of Super D, looks like D3 is the Cf2 flavor, so it would be helpful to others to specify.

RC: I just so happen to have a pic of a 75118 label right here:

The Ash content is not such an issue for you guys running old DD's with no filtration /after treatment as it is for anyone using a DPF.

I always had an oil analysis every time I changed and got very good results. I, and Detroit, disagree with Kiwi, the factory service manual goes to lengths on the oil's sulfated ash and the fuel sulfur (the lower the better) spec and does not discriminate as to how the engine is equipped. If less is better, why not get less?

And I, and Detroit, disagree with that. It's the one oil spec for those 2 stroke engines they go out of their way to highlight. And the ash maximum % is lower for 2 strokes than 4's: <1% vs <2%.

The Rotella T1 40W is rated for use in Detroit Diesel 53,71, or 92 series and it is cf-2 rated, see chart on the right side with the check boxes, their 30w/40w/50w is rated for it. See the big white box (4th down) on the checkmark sheet under SAE viscosity grade.
http://rotella.shell.com/products/t1.html


It only shows 15w-30 and 15w-40 for Rotella T triple protection, not a straight 40w. That being said I reiterate that I wouldn't use the triple protection. A rebuild on your motor costs $75k or more, what's an extra $2 a gallon for oil to use the D.D. stuff.