Rotella Oil

[Mike4551]

were can one buy rotella oil
I'am in the midwest (st louis)

[TOOLS1]

Napa auto parts, any truck stop (Pilot, Love's), and even Wal-mart. i hope you are not wanting to use it in your Honda. It is too high of detergent for an aluminum engine. However it is great for a Harley.
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[Mike4551]

Tools the Harley is also an aluminum engine? I use amsoil in the Harleys. I read about the rotella oil on this site and lots of rembers use and like it, did a search, so i thought i might try it

[TOOLS1]

I thought since Harley was still using bronze age engineering, they were still using similar materials. But since Harley's are only good for 10K before needing a rebuild, and since most will never see that kind of mileage it would not matter.  
But seriously, I would not run Rotella in any thing other then a diesel. And I have run a few thousand gallons through a few diesels. best diesel oil on the market.
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[Mike4551]

enough with tha Harley bashing , i have 2 in the garage with over 100,000 miles between them and they both are running , the honda has 10,000 miles on it and its broke down

[sgtslag]

I have to disagree:  Rotella T, and T6 Synthetic are being used by many, many Honda CB owners, and other bikers.  This is the first time I've come across anyone who has said not to use it.  The high detergent level is precisely one of its benefits:  it scrubs out the engine without using an additive which can thin your oil.

I run Rotella T6 Synthetic in all three of my bikes, as well as both of my cars.  It is rated SM for auto's/bikes/whatever, as well as the CJ-'?' diesel rating.  If it damaged aluminum engines, it would damage auto's engines, as well, which would mean it would not be rated for cars.

Check other bike forums, or do a Google search on "Rotella+Motorycles" (check car forums, as well, for additional comments, and insights into how many folks are using it in non-diesel engines), and take a few minutes, or even hours, if you like, reading up on what others have to say about using it.

The Synthetic may not be a full synthetic, but it certainly performs like one here in Minnesota.  I park my car in an exposed ramp, while at work.  Every time, this Winter, when I started my car after work, in temperatures as low as (-20) F, it turned over like it was 80 F in July.  That was amazing, as usually I have to hope that it will turn over fast enough to start, and then I have to wait 5-10 minutes for it to warm up before I can begin my descent in the ramp, to the street.

I switched to the Synthetic T6 in my bikes because it is inexpensive, I can use one oil in all of my vehicles and equipment, and it can handle higher temperatures before breaking down into carbon sludge.  I plan on doing analysis to see how many miles I can run it before it breaks down, also.

Don't take my word for it, though.  Do some searching, and reading.  Weigh the evidence, and make an informed decision for yourself.

As stated, Rotella oil is available just about everywhere.  Shop around for best prices, though.  Cheers!

[TOOLS1]

Sgtslag That is interesting that, but I am going to have to see a high mileage engine torn down before I change my mind. I do not doubt the oil's ability to lubricate. I just am worried about it attacking the soft cast aluminum that the engine cases are made of. I have see what it will do to a Briggs and Stratton engine, but it was 20 years ago.

Mike did not mean to offend you there. There was a time when I would have busted a guys head, for mocking a Harley, but that is one of the reasons I dislike the RUB's. They can dish it out (rice grinder jokes, throwing metric bikes off roofs....), but they can not take it. Anyway here is a pro Harley video for you to enjoy, as a peace offering.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tnwamnC7dlE
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Tools I have not said 1 bad thing about a Honda on this forum ( and I would not ) I'am here for advice and learn about this bike and if it turns out to be a good bike, I will keep and ride it with pride just like I do with my Harleys. I said at the start that I always like the inline fours, just like the Harleys  better.
But i'am glad you apologized and i except because your the only one on this forum that answers my treads
Be safe
Mike

[sgtslag]

Thanks for the input on the Briggs & Stratton engines.  Like I said, I will be having my Rotella oil analysed.  One of the things they check, is the aluminum levels in the oil.  If the oil is attacking it, as in dissolving it, it will show in the analysis.  The oil has been in the engines all Winter, so I will likely do an early analysis, just to be safe.  I need a baseline analysis anyway (two of my bikes are 20+ years old!).  Thanks for sharing your concerns.  I'll let you know what I find.  If the Rotella is bad news for aluminum engines, motorcyclists everywhere need to know.  Cheers!

[Rodgil]

Just a warning about high detergent diesel oils. (And I do use it myself,)  I worked at a tractor and auto dealership where we found some engine failures after petrol engines were switched to diesel oils. The high detergent action caused sludge build-up to move, and in some cases completely blocked crankshaft oilways.
Note that this ONLY happened in older high milage engines that may not have had regular maintenance, and may have previously used crap oil.

[TOOLS1]

Rodgil
That is a very good point. I have seen the same thing happen before. I once bought an S-10 pickup that ran great, and had very good oil pressure. After I changed the oil a couple times it started to loose oil pressure. Come to find out the previous owner had used Quaker State oil. I always Texaco Havoline. The Havoline loosened up all the grunge from the Quaker Cake oil, and plugged up the oil pickup.
Another oil that is bad for caking up Arco. It will just gum up an engine so bad; it will spin bearings.
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[sgtslag]

I have used SeaFoam in my engines to dissolve sludge deposits.  If you follow the directions, you should not have any issues.  I added it to the engines on all of my bikes, and both of my cars.  The first time I added it, the oil turned black within a few minutes of running it on idle -- then I changed the oil and filter (all five vehicles; have added many thousands of miles to each since, ten's of thousands on the cars, no ill effects yet).  Some folks fear that SeaFoam will adversely affect the clutch in a wet clutch engine, but all three of my bikes were unaffected by the addition of SeaFoam, and all three have wet clutches.  YMMV.

I added it to my Honda's engine a second time, around 9k miles after the first cleaning:  the oil was caramel colored initially, and it remained the same color (no deposits were dissolved) 300 miles later -- I changed the oil and filter just to be safe, as it does thin the oil some.

Long story short, SeaFoam does what it says on the label:  it dissolves sludge deposits inside your engine; it dissolves varnish in your fuel system; it stabilizes gasoline for months at a time.  I use it every Winter to stabilize my gas in my bikes, and in the Spring, they run like new, but it does decrease the mileage by around 5-7 MPG, so run that first tank out fast -- as if you need any encouragement to go out and ride...  

The high detergent levels in Rotella oils should keep my engines clean from now, until they are retired.  The deposits, if any, were removed by the SeaFoam flush/cleaning.  Your points are absolutely valid, though, and worth reading.  Forewarned is forearmed.  Cheers!