Series 60 oil consumption

[LarryB]

Did a search and as usual, for me, no luck.
This is my first series 60 and not sure what a normal range might be.
What amount of oil consumption are you folks seeing on your series 60. This is subject to a bunch of parameters I know, there must be a range for consumption.

Thanks

[phorner]

We typically use our coach lightly, only putting on an average of 8,000 miles annually, and perform an oil/filter change at that same interval.

I have not noticed any oil consumption over this period.

[dale farley]

I had a little over 6K on our last oil change, and I had not needed to add any oil during that year.

[Kenneth Brewer]

I cannot quantify our oil consumption in terms of volume (qts.), but in about 13,000 miles the level on the dipstick dropped from the full mark to 2/3rd of way to the low mark. Perhaps Jon or someone can say what that is in more accurate terms. Bottom line, the engine essentially doesn't burn oil, and if it did burn any significant amount, I would look for leaks first, which should be relatively easy, before even contemplating a top end job (second), or a short block overhaul (second and third).

[JIM CHALOUPKA]

I do not notice any oil consumption.

JIM

[sawdust_128]

I have put on 8k miles since last august. I have used no oil. I thought I had. Then rechecked after the engine was warmed up to operating temps. Has always come out right at the full mark.

[edsaylor]

I now have my fourth coach with a series 60 and in the past have gone as much as 15,000 miles on an oil change. My present coach has 46,000 miles and I changed the oil last month with 9,000 miles since the last change. None of my coaches with series 60 engines has ever used any oil. They have always been at the same place on the dip stick at the end as at first. The most mileage I have had in the past is about 70,000 miles.

[Kenneth Brewer]

I have put on 8k miles since last august. I have used no oil. I thought I had. Then rechecked after the engine was warmed up to operating temps. Has always come out right at the full mark.

Hadn't considered the temperature, and it is a good point. The measurement I took on the dipstick this time was cold, so whatever I may have used, it is less. This was the first time the level was down, come to think of it. Great diesel engine, but my Cat 3208 didn't use oil either.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I think no oil consumption or very little is the norm for the Series 60.

I suspect but don't know for sure that if an engine does consume some oil the manufacturer would consider it normal, especially with longer oil change intervals because as the oil breaks down an engine will show consumption.

I change mine at 5000 mile intervals so I am the last one to be providing data. Truckers that go 20,000 to 30,000 between oil changes are likely the best ones to tell us what oil consumption can be expected.

[adamdegraff]

We put on over 50,000 miles this past year. Changed oil every 10,000 miles or so. I checked oil level about every 1000 miles (at least once a week). When I was in the east and midwest, I used NO oil at all. When I was out west, in the rockies, I had to add a little bit of oil. Got back to the east coast again, back to 0% oil consumption. Strange, eh? There were other strange things too about the bus in the west and Pacific NW. Goblins? My bus is happiest on the east coast.

[Kevin Erion]

My opinion is if you fill to the top it will puke it out the draft tube until about the half way mark. Just fill only to half full and it will stay there between oil changes.

[dreamchasers]

My opinion is if you fill to the top it will puke it out the draft tube until about the half way mark. Just fill only to half full and it will stay there between oil changes.


Very Interesting?

What is the oil capacity of the series 60? How many quarts do you use in an oil change? How many for the filter?

Hector

[dale farley]

Hector, It takes 41 qts for an oil change on the 60 engine. The reservoir holds 10 qts. I usually keep my reservoir full and use that 10 qts at the beginning of each oil change just to keep it from getting old.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

I do the same thing Dale does.

While what Kevin says may have some merit, it is also repeated often by plane owners. I am somewhat of a disbeliever however until someone can document if that is a fact. I keep the crank case in my plane full despite hundreds if not thousands of pilots saying the first quart just blows out the breather.

The reason I fill my crankcase to capacity is simple. Oil in an engine is not only used for lubrication. Oil is an important part of cooling also. Oil either splashing against engine components such as the pistons, or actually being sprayed upon internal parts is lubricating AND drawing heat away from those parts. I have not researched to see what the Detroit Diesel position is on this, but TCM Continental who makes my plane engines is very specific in stating oil should be kept to the capacity level.

As a motorcycle racer I suspect Kevin would never allow his motorcycles to run a little low on oil because he knows how important that oil is for cooling his engines. Our diesels may not be as stressed as much as Kevin's engines, but if the extra cost to baby our engines and prolong their life is a gallon added between oil changes that is a small price to pay.

[Kevin Erion]

John, I understand and agree with the technical reasons you mentioned. We do not fill our race bikes full, it takes away HP, having said that we also rebuild our engines after every race, or at the very least every other. My reason is to avoid the oil mess that comes from the draft tube, however small it is. I also fell that if Detroit or any other engine manufacture was concerned about oil level, they would close the gap on the 2 lines.
I was told this by the owner of Walker Air Sep, I am sure you know that product from Airplanes.

[Jon Wehrenberg]

Kevin, you are correct about HP lost. And Walker knows oil blowing out of the crankcase breathers. They have a lot of their products installed on planes.

I suspect the oil level range on the dipstick is intended because few people probably are anal about checking fluid levels so it may be the high mark is the level that gives enough cushion for the infrequent checking and the low mark is where it really must be maintained.

[LarryB]

Thanks for all the discussion to my question. As far as I know I do not have a consumption problem but was just curious.

Thanks