Mobil 1 FYI

greg334 · Jul 9, 2007

I use Mobil Delvac 1 oil in my truck - it came this way and I was not about to change it.

I went to buy a gallon of it the other day so I have at least two gallons in the tool box and saw it was $37 a gallon, so didn't buy it there.

Found Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40 for $22 a gallon (I can get this for $18 a gallon in cases) and bought a gallon.

I wondered about the difference and looked at all the specs on Mobil's site and the OA site I deal with and could not find a difference in the oil other than the name and price.

So I called Mobil and after much persistence, I got a hold of one of their synthetic oil engineers who told me they are the same oil, in fact most of the different types they have broken out is the same oil.

Turtle · Jul 9, 2007

http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Car_Care/AskMobil/Comparing_Delvac1_TurboDiesel.aspx

Question:
How does the new Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40 oil compare to Mobil Delvac 1 5W-40? Which is better for my 2003 Ford F-350 Powerstroke diesel?

Answer:
Either brand is a great choice since Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40 and Mobil Delvac 1 5W-40 are the same product branded differently for different markets.

greg334 · Jul 9, 2007

Thanks, and Yes I know that now.

I looked for that FAQ but I could not pull it up for some reason on any search engines.

But regardless, I now have a contact at Mobil.

dhalltoyo · Jul 10, 2007

I spoke with a very knowlegable and respected mechanic here in the Dayton area. He does an Question and Answer program on the radio and he owns Vandalia Auto Clinic.

I asked him about using Mobil 1 in a new van I am purchasing.

He said to run Non-Synthetic for the first 10,000 miles and then switch. If Mobil 1 is supposed to be that good of a lubricant, why wouldn't you just drain the factory oil immediately and switch to Mobil 1?

PS. He indicated something about the rings seating better with Non Synthetic.

unorthodoxneon · Jul 10, 2007

I think on diesel engines you have to run regular oil in it for a bit to seat the rings. I know on gasoline engines you can run synthetic right out of the factory because the piston rings seat the first time the engine is started. Now if the gas and diesel uses the same type of rings then its ok to use synthetic right away.

Marty · Jul 11, 2007

Sprinter vans come with synthetic oil from the factory.

RLENT · Jul 11, 2007

And Sprinters don't really have much of a break-in either - avoid speeds over XX mph, causing the transmission to "kick-down" (like while trying to pass) for the first thousand miles I think.

On the otherhand with the Cummins ISB in my Ram, DC/Cummins says you should tow loads with the vehicle ..... otherwise break-in of the engine will be prolonged and won't happen as quick. And they specifically recommend to avoid using synthetic oil for the first 20K miles.

unorthodoxneon · Jul 11, 2007

Alot of the time on diesel engines they reccomend you tow something every so often or the engine till tend to fail sooner. I'm not a diesel tech so i dont know how/why its like that.