Engine/Transmission (1994 - 1998) Rottella oil smell

[WDaniels]

I just changed oil and used Rotella for the first time and now everytime that I get out of the truck I smell strong Rotella oil smell. There are no leaks on the engine. The only place the smell can come from is the blowby tube. I figured that after a while the oil would not smell anymore. Does anyone else have this problem?

Thanks,

WD

 

[illflem]

Warren, they don't call it Rotta-Smella for nothing, they all smell at first but Rotela seems to be the worse. What you are smelling is an additive burning off that is used to keep the other additives in suspension.

 

[Pit Bull]

Problem??? I love that smell. The only problem is it goes away in about 500 miles I'm thinking about switching to Delvac synthetic but I will miss the smell

 

[M Barnett]

No wonder it stinks, its made from rotten dionasours.

Michael

 

[CWeidenkeller]

Consider yourself fortunate - I learned about the Rotella smell the hard way. Several people I talked to indicated the source of my excess draft tube smoke was a blown head gasket, so I changed it. $300 bucks thrown away that I could have used for BOMBing, but at least now I'm more intimate with my Cummins... ...

 

[redneckdr]

Rosmella

WD, i've used Ros(e)mella in my truck since new. i find that the smell generally fades by about 500 miles on the oil. i kinda like the smell, as some others have said. consider dumping the blow by tube somewhere else if it continues to bother you, and you want to stay with Rosmelly.

 

[C. Harlan]

Ahh, I love the smell of Rotella!!! You know its time to change the oil when you quit smelling that sweet smell, and it begins to get a little sour on ya... . I prefer it to any other oil I have used... in my 98, thats all that has ever been in the crankcase... in my 91, that was the experimental billy goat... we put everything in her, except cooking oil! haha, not really, but we did try all the different oils out. Rotella by far I think is the best. Thats my $. 02 worth



-Chris- :-{}

 

[WDaniels]

Thanks for the info guys.

Warren

 

[jlccc]

Originally posted by charlan

Rotella by far I think is the best. Thats my $. 02 worth



-Chris- :-{}

Not to be argumentative--I'm sure that Rotella is a great oil for our Cummins'--but Rotella never performed well in my 1994 Powerstroke. Here is why:



Rotella T barely passes Ford's "anti-foaming" test. When Rotella T gets a few miles on it, it starts to foam. Since the injectors on the powerstroke are actuated by high pressure oil, foam in the oil is not good for performance--basically the injectors don't actuate properly. This is simply a fact of the common rail injection system in those trucks. Every Ford Powerstroke owner will tell you that their truck always seems to run better after an oil change--and they are right.



I found that with Rotella T I could only go about 3500 miles before I noticed degraded performance. With Delo 400 I could go at least 5000 before the foaming got to be an issue. Ford even sells some anti-foaming additive that you can add to your oil when you're on a long trip and don't have time to get the oil changed.



I don't know anything about the '03 Cummins common rail system, but I hope the injectors are not actuated by high pressure oil. That was one of the reasons I sold my Powerstroke and bought a Cummins.

 

[rrausch]

I like Rotella. Change it every 5,000 miles.



But another odd thing about different brands of oil, is that oil testing labs have discovered that each different brand deposits sludge in a slightly different place in the engine. Exactly why this is so is not well understood, but it probably has something to do with the different additives each brand uses. So when you change brands frequently you are disturbing the little pockets of accumulated sludge, which then circulate a little bit before being filtered out. This is why the advice is to pick a brand and stick with it.

 

[C. Harlan]

I usually change my oil every 2000 miles, just because I do alot of heavy hauling... . if you notice power loss at 3500, change it sooner... the oil is only good for so long, and after that, sure. . I can imagine why it starts to foam... . Its just like in NASCAR... . you cant run the same tires all the way through the race and expect optimum performance... Just a thought to ponder... That's my $. 02 worth.





-Chris-

 

[Pit Bull]

I've been using Rotella and changing every 5K - 6K miles I drive mostly highway and some city but no rush hour start and stop and no towing or hauling. I'm going to switch to Delvac synthetic and go with the micro glass filter and run it for 7500 miles, figure the synthetic will be good for this winter. One theory that I heard growing up is dino oil is generally good for 500-600 miles per qt. that your vehicle holds. If that is true ours should be fine even under hard driving conditions for 5500 to 6600 miles between changes.

 

[TPCDrafting]

I started using Valvoline premium blue when I bought the truck. One time they didn't have any on the shelf at the store so I bought Rosmella T. I'd read on here that it was pretty good. My mileage jumped up 3+ mpg when I swithed. Just my experience and I do notice the smell only right after I have changed it and taken it for a long ride and then park it in the garage. I've never smelled it going down the road. I change every 3k due to hauling a trailer at least once per tank full of fuel.

 

[Piersol]

smell???????

I've used Rotella since new (102,000 miles) and don't have a clue what you guys are talking about! I guess I'm just used to it.