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Diesel oil? T4 15w40

25K views 16 replies 10 participants last post by  Enigma  
#1 ·
Hey it’s my first oil change and I was told to use the shell Rotella t4 15w40 but it says diesel oil wanted to know why and if the information given to me is correct I have a 2018 brute force 750
 
#2 ·
Ive been using t-4 since my second oil change. Im assuming vforce john told you. Nice thing about the t-4 is how cheap it is for the 5 quart jug. Get yourself a magnetic drain plug on ebay. I think they are called gold plugs.
 
#6 ·
That's not how detergents work at all. They simply suspend, isolate, and/or neutralize insolubles. They don't strip buildup off the engine metal.
 
#4 ·
I would hope varnish is not making up the tolerances of any motor.
 
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#5 ·
That oil is used for the high zinc content that is needed for the babbit bearings in the kawi v twin engine.
Also this oil is recomended because it is low cost.
 
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#7 ·
T4 is an hdeo oil with a jaso ma/2 specification. Kawie says these engines need oil with the jaso ma/2.
I've used the T4 and the T6 in my Kawie before. The T4 was just for break in, but new oil analysis on it shows it's nearly as good at some things as T6 (which is full synthetic).
However, I would not run T4 15w50 in my kawie in the colder months. It "oozed" out of the bottle at 20 degrees F. Well, maybe not oozed, but it was in no hurry when compared to the T6!
And don't ever buy the T5.
 
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#9 ·
There are legions of people using Rotella in their Harleys, and many, many folks using it in their atvs. It might be the most widely used oil in these applications.
That being said, I don't run it anymore. My UOA's showed that while it worked well at protecting, it sheared down fairly fast in my vtwin Kawie. After a short time, it sheared right out of 40 weight into the mid 30's.
Change Rotella often if you use it in a Kawasaki!
 
#10 ·
There are legions of people using Rotella in their Harleys, and many, many folks using it in their atvs. It might be the most widely used oil in these applications.
That being said, I don't run it anymore. My UOA's showed that while it worked well at protecting, it sheared down fairly fast in my vtwin Kawie. After a short time, it sheared right out of 40 weight into the mid 30's.
Change Rotella often if you use it in a Kawasaki!
Can I ask what you recommend?

I only recently got my Prairie and I just used a quality synthetic motorcycle oil, I don't even remember what brand. I've always been of the school of just use a reputable oil intended for your application and change it on schedule and you'll be fine. The internet sometimes likes to go crazy analyzing and speculating, not that there isn't legitimate science behind it.
 
#14 ·
If you have an engine that has developed sludge and carbon buildup to the point where it's choking the engine and filling in tolerances, and you take it to a mechanic, he will do one of three things:
1. He may try a chemical engine flush.
2. Disassemble the engine and physically remove the sludge by hand.
3. Tell you to buy another car/engine.

He probably will not suggest you go buy a barrel of "high detergent" oil, and change it a dozen times. Why? Because as I said earlier, oil detergents don't really work that way. They are much better at preventing buildup than stripping it from the metal surfaces. What stuff they do lift from the surface would better be described as varnish rather than sludge.
 
#16 ·
Heres mine