Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

[crazy charlie]

Hi guys.Time to do an oil change before winterizing.Wally world had no sae 30 or 40 oil.they DID have Shell sae30 Rotella .Good or bad choice for 5.0xl mercruiser i/o motors ???? I have heard good things about this oil.Charlie

 

[JustJason]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

eagh.... depending on where you live.... you may want to run multivis. just remember that if you run straight weight you need to let the engine warm up before you run it hard.

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

No interest in multi vis.Straight weight only for me.

 

[Mkos1980]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

Straight 30wt Rotella is fine. Its an excellant oil. If you do go multi in the future which most marine engine producers ask for then go with the Rotella 15-40 or MerCruisers 25-40

 

[waterone1@aol.com]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

I'm just going to throw-out some food for thought here. I always run what the manufacturer recommends for my particular engine. Back in the day, it may not have mattered as much, and with older engines that argument still holds true. With modern engines, there is a good chance that manufacturer's of some of the engines sensors have prototyped and built their products with the idea that a certain oil is run. For instance, let's say that the company that makes the current oil pressure sender and oil pressure switch for Mercruiser, is basing their tests on 25w40 oil (as mercruiser recommends), it is possible their senders may not "read right" if you are running a straight weight oil. It might be possible, in some situations, for the fuel supply to shut off because the "right" oil pressure is not sensed.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

It might be possible, in some situations, for the fuel supply to shut off because the "right" oil pressure is not sensed.

Ayuh,...

That's pretty far fetched....

The Shell Rotella series of oils are Quality products.....

 

[chiefalen]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

Yea wally world as of late has only 30 weight shell. And sometimes there sold out of that also.

I bought 3 gallons cause i need it also for my small engines.

Lawnmower gonna be put away soon need to change it out the oil.

 

[abj87]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

I'm just going to throw-out some food for thought here. I always run what the manufacturer recommends for my particular engine. Back in the day, it may not have mattered as much, and with older engines that argument still holds true. With modern engines, there is a good chance that manufacturer's of some of the engines sensors have prototyped and built their products with the idea that a certain oil is run. For instance, let's say that the company that makes the current oil pressure sender and oil pressure switch for Mercruiser, is basing their tests on 25w40 oil (as mercruiser recommends), it is possible their senders may not "read right" if you are running a straight weight oil. It might be possible, in some situations, for the fuel supply to shut off because the "right" oil pressure is not sensed.

A pressure sender is going to read right no matter what the fluid is oil, water,or air. They are reading the force applied (PSI) only and has nothing to to with viscosity of the fluid.

I did some reading and i found that 15w-40 was best for me with my cold climate.

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

Rotella is all i used to run in my OMC that called for straight 30 weight.
Its very good oil.It actually had better oil pressure than the multi weight when the engine was warm.At least it showed that on the oil gauge anyway.
Its easy to find too....any truck stop has it in the gallon jugs.

 

[Chris1956]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

abj87, Mercruiser specifically does not recommend standard auto multiweight oil. They recommend either straight weight SAE 30 or SAE 40 or their own 25-40 multiweight oil. MerCruiser also recommends their own synthetic multiweight oil.

If I were you, I would use what the manufacturer recommends. if you are concerned about cold weather start up, put a heating pad under the oil pan, and turn it on before you plan to use the boat.

 

[xxxflhrci]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

My Mercruiser has a label on the valve cover that says SAE 30 is the correct weight. With that said, it has had nothing but Pennzoil SAE 30 in it for the past 23 years and still runs like a top. However, I would not hesitate to use Rotella. I also have heard nothing but good about it. Matter of fact, I just put it in the Mercedes that I "stole" last week.

 

[abj87]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

abj87, Mercruiser specifically does not recommend standard auto multiweight oil. They recommend either straight weight SAE 30 or SAE 40 or their own 25-40 multiweight oil. MerCruiser also recommends their own synthetic multiweight oil.

If I were you, I would use what the manufacturer recommends. if you are concerned about cold weather start up, put a heating pad under the oil pan, and turn it on before you plan to use the boat.

Of course they recommend using their own oil! In a nutshell 15w-40 acts like a 15w oil when cold to provide better lubriaction when cold and a 40w when hot. There is no reason to not use a multi weight oil. Were i am 25-40 is not available.

 

[HT32BSX115]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

You know, if you do a search here on this site, you'll find that literally hundreds of people use every kind of oil successfully.

If you want to use what Merc recommends, use either Merc 25w-40 or straight weight NMMA FC-W or automotive oil. If you leave the boat in the water all the time, you should probably use the NMMA FC-W oil. Otherwise use whatever you want. Very few marine engines fail for oil related reasons.


Maybe something like this ought to be a sticky.....




Now I'm probably gonna get struck by lightning for replying to an "oil thread"!!

 

[180shabah]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

Now I'm probably gonna get struck by lightning for replying to an "oil thread"!!

 

[Gary H NC]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

YEP!!! LOL!!!
Another dang oil thread!

I use Wesson oil in mine instead of 2 stroke oil....man that thing cooks going across the lake!

 

[crazy charlie]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

Thanks guys!! I assumed it was fine but just wanted to see if anyone had any negative info on using it.

 

[Lou C]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

Charlie I recall seeing the Merc oil chart that Don posted and I think they specified a 40 wt for our temps if you use monograde. I have used Chevron Delo 400 monograde for years with no problems, OMC specified straight 30 so that's what I use. You can get Chevron straight 30 or 40 at West Marine if you don't mind their prices. Or make it simple and just use the Merc 25/40, might cost a little more but the advantage is that it's not a true multi vis (does not use VI improvers to span that range).

 

[wca_tim]

Re: Rotella sae 30 for mercruiser

Shell Rotella T has one fo the best most robust additive and detergent packages of a broadly available oil on the market. Among the highest anti-scuff test results of commercial oils (read cam lobe protection...) and a very high soot carrying capacity. my engine builder, builds offshore racing engines, recommends it without reservation and it's all I've been running in my marine engines... whatever you use, change it regularly, check it religously and warm it up before you hammer it hard.