Shell Rotella?

What is added to Shell Rotella T4 Triple Protection Conventional 10W-30 Diesel Engine Oil that is not found in conventional 10w30 shell oil used in gas engines?


When I went to college I wanted to be a chemical engineer but my sinuses couldn't stand the smell of a chemistry lab. I would just like to know what is in Shell Rotella oil, nothing more.
I have no plans to use it in my car or truck.
Inquiring mind would like to know.


I'm guessing the triple protection additive will damage cadillac converters and oxygen sensors.

It has zinc and manganese to protect non roller lifters is what I understand.
I use it in everything here including my Model T.

It will not do any better than the rest for keeping your valves from sticking.

Pixie dust?

Chemical compounds of a retail product are usually labeled as a trade secret.

vitalis with v 7 hair tonic

In a comparison on diesel oil vs a well know gas oil, the TBN on the gas oil was only 7.7 where the diesel oil was 12.7. That was one of several differences. While both have a very good base oil, its the additives packages. Diesel oil must also have anti clumping compounds to keep the soot suspended. Gasoline oil does not.
Diesel engine oils have a higher anti-wear (AW) load in the form of zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP). The catalytic converters in diesel systems are designed to be able to deal with this problem, while the gasoline systems are not. This is one of the main reasons you dont want to use a diesel engine oil in your gasoline engine. If your automobile was built prior to 1975, there is a good chance it does not have a catalytic converter, and thus the above statements do not apply.
Diesel engine oil has more additives per volume. The most prevalent are overbase detergent additives. This additive has several jobs, but the main ones are to neutralize acids and clean. Diesel engines create a great deal more soot and combustion byproducts. Through blow-by, these find their way into the crankcase, forcing the oil to deal with them.

Some say that HD Diesel oils should not be used in gasolene high rpm, modern emission engines due to the higher additives. However these hd oils are very good for slow rpm gas engines like our old tractors. They also allow the tractors to go much longer between oil changes as the high base number continues to fight and neutralize acids due to sulphur and moisture contamination that gas oils can not handle.

Thank you for your detailed information.
I always wanted to know.

By the way, Geo, we filled up with top-tier gas yesterday a Cenex station in Pelland MN, the best price in the area, by far! Cenex stations often have the best prices.

I use the oils recommended by the engineers that make my vehicles and tractors and use the gas they recommend too.

OH NO, you mentioned top-tier gas!
Watch for a fit storm to happen!

George .... the storm you refer to only happens if YT'ers use more than one word in their replies to some of your posts. That whole topic breaks me up ......

(quoted from post at 12:25:06 10/01/23) George .... the storm you refer to only happens if YT'ers use more than one word in their replies to some of your posts. That whole topic breaks me up ......

Click to expand...

"What is added to Shell Rotella T4 Triple Protection Conventional 10W-30 Diesel Engine Oil that is not found in conventional 10w30 shell oil used in gas engines? " Ok, not one word, but two is best I can do.

Good stuff.

Anything would be better than nothing.
Nothing is how much my oil my valve stems are getting right now.

I have improved the oil flow getting to the rocker arms. A few drops of oil are now running down the push rods. The valve springs remain dry.

Richard,
Remember King Richard?
He drove the #43 STP race car.

Fact check; Is Zinc one of the active ingredients in STP? IF not what is the active ingredient?

If So, we call STP snake oil.
If Shell adds zinc to their oil, they can Call it Rotella.
Isn't chemistry neat?

A half lifetime ago when I overhauled engines, I would coat all parts with STP when I was assembling the engine. Never had an engine lock up.

Yep, STP was the great snake oil when putting engines together.
I have used it.

(quoted from post at 14:08:42 10/01/23) Richard,
Remember King Richard?
He drove the #43 STP race car.

Fact check; Is Zinc one of the active ingredients in STP? IF not what is the active ingredient?

If So, we call STP snake oil.
If Shell adds zinc to their oil, they can Call it Rotella.
Isn't chemistry neat?

A half lifetime ago when I overhauled engines, I would coat all parts with STP when I was assembling the engine. Never had an engine lock up.

Click to expand...

uckDuckGO the term ZDDP (zinc dialkyldithiophosphate) . It has been used in motor oils since ~1940's and GM once offered an additive package containing ZDDP. After cat converters, the levels were reduced, but still present, as far as I can tell, with more in diesel than oil for gas engines.

Sometime the limit of 800PPM was set (probably cat converter), but prior to that 1400PPM could be found in oil for diesel (CI) engines. I had a can of un-opened oil from the 1960's and a lab analysis showed only 517PPM. It has designation (now obsolete I think) of MM-MS-DG .



I can report it had MM-MS-DG stamped on the top of the can, which means, in the current API system it would have met SC standards of 1964 or their upgraded 1968 standards for SD (both called MS back then), and DG means a CA for diesel use. The use of the word "plus on the label might have signaled the higher level that became "SD".


This post was edited by JMOR on 10/01/2023 at 01:02 pm.

Me too CH.

So yesterday's snake oil is used in today's Rotella.

Go figure.

It makes me ask what other snake oils are still
in use?

I remember Marvel's Mystery Oil.

Is the active ingredient in MMO still in use in
some form?

About 30 years ago, when O2 sensors were
introduced, I made the mistake of buying a teflon
oil additive. It didn't take long I had to
replace the O2 sensor. Instruction on the O2
sensor, don't use oil additives. Lesson learned.

Yes, STP was a good assembly lube, used by many!

In do not call ZDDP, snake oil.