Proper oil for GM 2-53

[JD440ICD2006]

Lavoy,


One of the real kickers when I started this thread was the fact that your buddy's Detroit had to be rebuilt due to using a "detergent oil". I think we now understand that his problem was likely from using a multi grade oil, common in many current diesels. These engines need a detergent oil.
I almost made a career out of this one topic, but I believe we now have good solid information for the folks that are lucky enough to own a Detroit 2-53.
From the article:

"Less than optimum engine life must be expected when using 15w-40 oils. Multi-vis oils tend to break down due to mechanical and thermal stress which results in a loss of viscosity and premature engine wear."

Thanks for all of the helpful information.

[Lavoy]

I was remembering detergent, but it should have been ash content.

As to the multi-weight arguement, I spoke at length to a Conoco petroleum engineer one time. Given what she said, I have serious questions about the validity of that statment other than in large industrial engines that virtually never shut off, and therefore have no cold start wear potential. In all other cases where an engine is shut down daily, and started daily, a multi-viscosity is the way to go.

One other thing to consider, given that you have to run a fairly heavy straight weight, if you are doing much work in cold weather, you may want to look at installing a block heater, or oil pan heater.
Lavoy

[chartelltractor]

GENTELMEN: DO NOT USE MULTI-VISCOSITY OIL IN DETROITS. USE DETERGENT OIL, 30 OR 40 WT DEPENDING ON AMBIENT TEMP. OUTSIDE--HOTTER=HEAVIER. I WORKED FOR DETROIT DIESEL FOR SEVERAL YEARS AND SORT OF SPECIALIZED IN 53-SERIES. RUN THEM FAST AND KEEP THEM COOL AND GOOD OIL AND YOU WONT HAVE TROUBLE. UNFORTUNATELY THE JD APPLICATION OF THE 2-53 HAS NO OIL COOLER AND HAS A BYPASS OIL FILTER INSTEAD OF A FULL FLOW SO IT TAKES A LITTLE MORE T.L.C. PUT AN AIR TO AIR OIL COOLER ON IT USING THE RETURN LINE ON THE OIL FILTER. ALSO MOST DETROIT APPLICATIONS HAD A PRIMARY(BEFORE THE FUEL PUMP) AND A SECONDARY FUEL FILTER OF DIFFERENT MICRON FILTRATION CAPABILITY, THE JD APP. ONLY HAS ONE FILTER. I KNOW YOU GUYS THAT WANT TO STAY ALL ORIGINAL DON'T WANT TO ADD ALL THIS BUT IN MY CASE I AM GOING TO BE WORKING MINE, IF I GET THE 440ICD, AND DON'T WANT TO STRAIN ANYTHING.
IF I CAN HELP WITH DETROIT QUESTIONS, PLEASE ASK, AS I AM GOING TO BE ASKING A LOT OF QUESTIONS IF I GET THIS CRAWLER/DOZER.

Charlie-----chartelltractor

[tuney443]

To supplement what Charlie just said,here's the link right from another thread that I posted awhile back.
http://www.trucksaleguide.com/detroit-diesel-oil.htm

[440 iron popper]

We put Shell Rotella SAE40 in all 71, 92 and 149 Detroit 2 strokes engines. Oil temperature in these engines gets pretty high on full load, 220 F and more... No multi viscosity oil for shure.

[chartelltractor]

Bragging a little-- I worked on the first 149 series to go out to a customer. It came to unit rig & equipment co. Tulsa OK. It was installed in a ore hauling truck called an "M 200 lectra haul" It actually ran a big gen set that supplied power to wheel motors and also was used for dynamic braking (putting the motor in reverse while going forward)

serial # 12v149X133---experimental=X in #

Charlie-----chartelltractor

[440 iron popper]

Good. 149's I know are in gensets too. Standby machines. There are 3 16V149 that we service and test every year on full load for 2hours. They get old but standby machines last forever if well maintained. Exept for that particular 16V149 in a hospital where discontinued seals made the final point. When you have to go to e-bay to get some parts for an hospital emergency genset... time is over! The Detroit went out and they put a Cat 3508 1MW. Tons of 71 and 92 over here. I never saw a 53 series in the past 9 years... But next week I'll work on very old GM Bedford.


For me Detroit 2 strokes= Monograde diesel engine oil. Better to have a oil heater in winter and a block heater in all seasons. Sometimes when the oil sits in my service truck for a job the next day, it can take 15 min to empty a 5 gallons!!