Need help with Engine Oil

Engine manufacturers have specific standards that are described in their user manuals for each engine. All quality name brand oils and most generic brands will meet or exceed the manufacturers requirements. You can find this information in your user manual , online, or by calling the manufacturer. Your mechanic or dealership will be able to tell you what works well for your application.
As for monitoring the oil during its life in the engine you have to take a sample and have it analyzed . This is a very easy and basic thing to do and your mechanic or dealership will be able to do this for you.

 

I start with lokking at the oil to make sure the oil will meet or exceed what the engine manufacturer recommends (especially if the engine is under warranty). After that I use price, availablity, and durability to make my final decision. Some oils are still not up to the task of dealing with the heat and soot in todays modern engines (even though the oil may be certified as acceptable). For instance I tried running Shell Rotella in my '06 ACERT CAT and after 10-12,000 miles the oil came out smelling burnt and the oil analysis comfirmed the oil was past usable limits. Now I run Schaeffers in a lighter weight in it is still good after 20,000 miles with no burnt smells. A lot of the decision has to be made based on your own equipment and type of operation.

 

what engine you have?

 

A good site to read about everything related to oils, lubes, greases, etc is www.bobistheoilguy.com

There are a lot of folks there that have more expertise in this area than all of us on this board put together. Some of them actually work in the petroleum industry as engineers. I wouldn't try to play hard ball with some of these guys regarding oils unless you are wearing your cup. But they will give you solid advice and there is a section on the forums where they post lab results from virgin and used oil samples. You can see the different oil makeups there and how they are performing in various vehicles, even some commercial trucks.

pullingtrucker makes several good points. Most of the oils out here will do a stellar job. But engine are a little quirky at times and one brand may not give the best results. For those that shoot firearms often, the analogy is the same as .22 ammunition. All of the brands of ammunition on the market are good. CCI, Winchester, Remington, etc. But you may find that one particular brand gives you better consistency than another. My Marlin 60 likes Winchester brand, but my friend's seems to have a preference for the CCI stuff. Engines are very similar. One may show great oil samples from Delvac, while the same brand/model of engine in another guy's truck show better results using Delo or Rotella. In a nutshell, try a name brand oil, run it for a while, do regular oil sample analysis (which should be a part of any owner's plan) and see if the things are working out. If you are not satisfied, then switch brands and try it again. In short order, you will be able to find a brand that serves you well. Hopefully it will be a brand that can be had at a good price.

 

The oil should be slick and edible !!!!!

 

By you or the engine?