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Farmall & IHC Tractors Discussion Forum
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H/ Rotella Oil?

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Tom Windsor

12-23-2006 20:45:39




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I went down to the Walmart and then to a local auto parts store to get some 30 weight non detergent oil to put in the H tomorrow. While reading the containers, I became convinced that what they were selling was not what I wanted.

I know, that the head channels, the pump pickup and the pan are clean and free of sludge. That leaves the block itself as a repository for sludge. I was thinking that I would put 30 weight rotella oil in it, monitor the oil pressure, and after running a while, change oil and filter, drop the pan and check the oil pickup, and then convert to full HD 30 weight oil.

It seems to me that this would be acceptable...are there any down sides that I should be thinking about?

TW

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railhead

12-24-2006 12:24:01




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-23-2006 20:45:39  
WELL SAID.



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railhead

12-24-2006 12:26:04




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to railhead, 12-24-2006 12:24:01  
I was saying "Well Said" to Marks post, but it got in the wrong place.



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Yugrotcart

12-24-2006 10:36:18




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-23-2006 20:45:39  
I run Petro Canada 15W-40 oil in my W6. I had an occasion last winter to start it at 15F. I talked a friend into handcranking it and after about 3 cranks away she went. Just do as the others have said and change to oil and filter after 10 or so hours and you should be fine.

Paul



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Randy as in Randy-IA

12-24-2006 08:38:17




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-23-2006 20:45:39  
I got my M 15 months ago in sept. and took the pan off and cleaned out leaves and twigs and globs of sludge and other unknown stuff , removed and cleaned a mostly plugged oil pickup and filled it with Rottella T 15-40 . I think the tractor was had just recently been pulled out of a grove and started and then sold ( I bought it off ebay ) . I pulled my hay equipment this summer with it and when I changed oil not to long ago the oil looked good and so did the filter . The problem I have is the bearings in the transmission are growling . But the engine runs good and it also pulled a 30 foot spike harrow over freash tilled ground with spikes straight down in fourth gear ( whatever that means ) I really don't know how hard a spike harrow pulls , I usually pulled it behind the 1755 Oliver so I didn't even know it was there . Just my 2 cents , but I wouldn't worry about it . Merry Christmas ! ...Randy

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earlschieb

12-24-2006 05:57:24




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-23-2006 20:45:39  
I have ran Shell Rotella T 15-40 in my 1951 Farmall H since my Dad gave me the Tractor, sure, it will clean up the sludge, but it a good oil. If the Tractor is used in cold weather, and sits in a cold shop or barn, I would go with the 15-40 weight oil.



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RustyFarmall

12-24-2006 05:25:30




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-23-2006 20:45:39  
Put in the oil that you will be using and forget the non-detergent. It IS a good idea to change the oil and filter after about 10 hours on a freshly rebuilt engine.



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John M

12-24-2006 04:44:10




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-23-2006 20:45:39  
Theres only a couple of places where sludge would be now,the timing cover, governor,,lifetr cover,etc, places that you havent removed.What I do is get the non detergent and one quart of detergent, the non and 2, non and 3 so on and so on.I run them maybe 20 hours in between changes and only change the filter every other oil change.That way, the detergents can brake up the sludge little at a time.Ive done several tractors this way and have yet to have any problems.

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williamf

12-24-2006 01:43:27




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-23-2006 20:45:39  
I'm familiar with the oil you saw at Walmart. I use it in my Liftall, but I wouldn't use it in the engine, either. I've read a lot about oil issues here, on TBN, and as much researching around the net as I could. I haven't found anything that would convince an open minded person that using Rotella 15/40 year-round in an clean engined H would not be better than putting that sludge in a bottle in it.
Whoops. That last comment could cause a flare up in the Old Tractor Oil War, a conflict that will doubtless outlast the other, more widely covered one.
Good Luck, Wm

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Nat 2

12-24-2006 08:15:41




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to williamf, 12-24-2006 01:43:27  
Can you please explain more about why Rotella is bad? I've never seen anything that would lead me to believe that Rotella is anything but the absolute best oil for use in these old tractors.

BTW, no such thing as "non detergent" oil anymore. Even "non-detergent" CaseIH Low Ash has detergents in it.



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Tom Windsor

12-24-2006 10:28:26




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Nat 2, 12-24-2006 08:15:41  
I do not suggest that Rotella Oil is bad. It is the application that matters. Some of these old junk engines have been badly treated and the sludge builds up in the engine. If it has been running on non detergent oil, then you throw in the Detergent oil, it will break that sludge loose and to the pan it goes. The problem is, the sludge is then sucked into the oil pickup and stops it up. and, if you are not on the ball every moment and be aware of the loss of oil pressure, there goes your bearings....and that is the only reason I had concern.

TW

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No tools

12-23-2006 21:16:03




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-23-2006 20:45:39  
Tom We have taking the oil pan off lots of ole tractors clean the pan an reinstall.Put the good Rotella 15/40 or 30 in them and run them.

you've had the head off it's not going to be to allfully dirty.
Put the good oil to her an let"R" run.She'll never complain??

Bill



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Mark

12-24-2006 11:13:08




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to No tools, 12-23-2006 21:16:03  
I find so much entertainment in reading these "What Oil" threads. I cannot believe how ridiculous people are about motor oil. You'd think it was an extract from the Fountain of Youth and if just the 'right' one isn't chosen, the engine is doomed. Hogwash!

Now use a little logic....what country folks call horse sense.

The motor oils sold today, are the finest ever made. True some have had certain additives removed that may affect flat tappet cams in older engines. Just know which oils lack these additives and avoid them..duh! But, Rotella and Delo all contain the necessary goodies to keep any engine alive and healthy.

As for detergents cutting out sludge and clogging pickups.....I have yet to see this occur. The detergents don't act like instant solvents and wash all sludge from the engine overnight..another duh! More than anything....detergents tend to SLOW the formation of sludge in engines and IF the oil is changed on a semi regular basis, sludge doesn't build up because the junk is kept in suspension and drained with the oil.

Whatever kind of engine you are running...built yesterday or 60 years ago....use the most modern lubricants available. Change the oil when you feel guilty..if that is every 10 hours or every 500. I tend to follow what the maker suggests...they ought to know. Before you counter that the maker suggested straight 30 weight motor oil.....well..duh! They didn't have HD oils in 1948...no wonder they didn't suggest their use! Had those oils been available...the maker most assuredly would have recommended their use.

You choose what brand oil you like....there isn't much difference in any of them..Valvoline, Shell, Mobil, Havoline, Pennzoil, Quaker State, etc., etc. They all make a quality product and none of them contain a magic ingredient to stop oil burning or leaks, repair noisy lifters or fix worn bearings.

Buy good oil, change it and the filter on a regular basis and get over it.

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Tom Windsor

12-24-2006 20:28:11




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Mark , 12-24-2006 11:13:08  
Mark, I have read your comments with interest and they are very helpful. We do diverge as to sludge release. I have had the misfortune to have it dumped into the pan and sucked into the screen on the oil pickup--clogging it and with my customary inattention to oil pressure, caused the engine to zeize. Consquently, I use more caution when doing the transition than you suggest.



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Mark

12-24-2006 21:00:27




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Tom Windsor, 12-24-2006 20:28:11  
Dear Tom,

Do you think that HD motor oil was solely responsible for causing the crud in the engine to let go and clog the pick up? Hmmm.

I have never seen it happen....but I have learned to never say never. Could it possibly be that some crud just finally broke loose...man it would have had to be an engineful....and suddenly clogged the pickup OR that the pickup had by and by became clogged and finally choked?

I cleaned out an old JD 430 once that had been severely mistreated. I doubt the oil had been changed in 25 years....no kidding. I purposely filled the engine with diesel fuel and ran it to clean the junk out. It kept coming out black for 5 changes....never did clog anything. I finally filled her with oil and ran it for maybe 20 hours and changed it again and forgot about it. Never did see the attraction of those 2 bangers....a POS when built and still a POS all these years later! And yes, I run green tractors! Had I been farming in the 50's, my tractors would have been orange.

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MikeinKy

12-24-2006 16:11:37




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to Mark , 12-24-2006 11:13:08  
Mark, Amen brother. I have worked on engines off and on for almost 40 years, and I have always found a good oil and used it and had no problems. I buy Rotella 15w40, and use it in everything I own from my H to my diesel tractors and my trucks. With the exception of the wife's Camaro, because it calls for 5W30. And it gets Pennzoil.



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Mark

12-24-2006 19:58:19




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 Re: H/ Rotella Oil? in reply to MikeinKy, 12-24-2006 16:11:37  
MikeinKy,

I live in Greenup County and spent 27 years as a railroad engineer for CSX. I worked around the locomotive shops for many of those years. They had a lab on the pit where the engines were serviced and the oil was NEVER changed in those locomotives..EVER. They take an oil sample everytime the engine comes on the pit and it gets analyzed. They check for water content, bearing material, fuel contamination, etc. If any of these things show up..it reveals the health of the diesel engine. Those engines use a lot of oil and they always being topped up...which adds fresh oil (new additives) and that's just how it is. These are multimillion dollar machines and they get top maintinence...but that doesn't require frequent oil changes. Anyway, the chemist in the lab analyzed several different branded motor oils one day to see what the difference was between them. Not enough to amount to any difference. if brand A contained 2% of a certain additive..brand B contained 2.5% and so forth. They are basically formulated the same. The conclusion was to buy whatever was on sale and forget the brand. Just change it regularly. I have gone to pure synthetics because I hate to change oil. I change mine once a year regardless of the mileage. Works for me. I do keep John Deere brand oil in my new JD tractor because it's under warranty...when it runs out...I'll feed it Rotella. I'll not give them any reason to renege on the warranty if the engine lets go.

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