A simple oil change?!

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I'm nearing 50 hours on my B3300su and was looking over the manual and getting together all the stuff I need. What has me confused is the oil change- yes, the oil change! Specifically, the API classification requirements Kubota states in their manual. The manual is very clear in that CF, CF-4, CG-4, CH-4, or CI-4 be used. It also says that... "The CJ-4 engine oil is intended for DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) type engines, and cannot be used on this tractor."

Picked up all my parts at the dealer- they were out of the Kubota brand oil and gave me CASE, which they said they use in their service dept. Well, when I got it home, I noticed on the back it states " suitable for use in diesel engines where a multi-grade oil meeting API CJ-4 or ACEA E9-08 is specified". OK. I figure they gave me the wrong oil. Today, I was at the auto parts store and looked at the diesel oil there. Noticed a Shell Rotella T which stated " meets API service CJ-4, CI-4 plus, CI-4, CH-4, CG-4, CF-4, CF/SM. All the other diesel oils there were rated similarly.

I'm familiar with the concept of the API ratings as they would pertain to gasoline engines- been doing oil changes since before it changed to SE. I'm assuming that the CF, CG, CI sequence with diesel oil is similar that of gasoline (the latter designation superceeding, and still useable for engines using the earlier type- what's got me is that the manual specifically says NOT to use CJ-4.

Between trying to run a business, screaming kids, a wife going through menopause, (to much info?) and trying to be proficient achieving my "tractoring skills"- this may be the final straw! Any clarification and help with this would be very much appreciated

 

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After some internet searching I was led back to- where else- orangetractortalks. Came across this reply to a post from WayneJessie back in 2011. Any thoughts? It seems to make sense.


Originally Posted by tk1469 View Post

I just got a new L3800 and was looking thru the Owners Manual. Under the Maintenance section it states that the L3200/L3800 tractors (without EGR) should not use oil that has a API classification of "CJ-4".

They say that the CJ-4 oil "is intended for DPF (Diesel Particulate Filter) engines and cannot be used on this tractor".

The manual is kind of confusing on this and I'd like your thoughts on this. Like Bulldog's previous posting - the tractor costs a lot and I don't want to cut corners on maintenance - or do something that will hurt it's longevity.

I know everyone has their preference on "brands" - but what about API ratings ?

Help !

I am a sales rep with an oil company(not Amsoil) that primarily caters to the diesel markets. First, there has been so much confusion over the CJ-4 spec as compared to CI-4. Kubota's stance on CJ-4 has been to not reccommend it and here's why. Kubota sells tractors all over the world and in many South American markets the sulfer levels in their fuel is astronomically high compared to N. America and elsewhere. Most off-road fuel here in the states has already been dropped to 15ppm just like the on-highway stuff. The only difference is the dye in off-road. Anyway, the higher the sulfer level in fuel, technically the higher TBN number you will require in your oil to combat the acids that are formed when sulfer mixes with condensation in the crankcase. The old CI-4 oils usually had a TBN of around 12. The newer CJ-4 spec oils generally have a TBN of around 10. The reason for the lower TBN is because thanks to the tree-huggers, almost all of the sulfer has been removed from the fuel; hence you do not need as high of a TBN in the oil. CJ-4 oils outperform CI-4 oils in every erea of performance EXCEPT in countries that still use poor quality diesel that has high sulfer in it. I'd take a well-formulated CJ-4 oil over any CI-4 oil with the fuel that we have in the states. CJ-4 oil is far better at handling soot in the oil caused by EGR systems. It also has proven over and over to be better at preventing valvetrain wear and handling high-heat from turbos. Kubota is playing it safe by just not reccommending CJ4 because of the various markets they sell in have different levels of sulfer in it. I have run CJ-4 in all three of my Kubotas and will continue to do so. There are a few companies that offer a high TBN CJ-4 oil to consumers(Amsoil,Texas Refinery are two that come to mind). Starting TBN numbers can be misleading at times because some oils will have a high TBN number when you pour it in but will drop quickly with use. Other oils will have a lower beginning TBN number but do a good job of maintaing the TBN while in use. I do not know of a "bad" CJ-4 oil. Some are better suited to extended drains but if you are going by the factory scheduled service times you can't go wrong with any of the major players. If you shop big-box stores (China-Mart) they routinely put one of the three major players on sale regularly(Delvac,Rotella,Delo) for about $10 a gallon. Using any one of the three will keep your Bota engine running longer than you will be around to see it. Hope this helps answer your concerns.