Any Detroit Diesel gurus on here?

[nelstomlinson]

I just bought a Huber Warco 4D grader, and it has what I'm pretty sure is a DD 4-53. It's old and thrashed, but the only thing it obviously needs is an oil change. I have a bunch of Rotella 15W-40, and some Delo 15W-40. Is either of them suitable for this old iron?

[gtermini]

Detroits will burn a lot of oil running multi-weight. Straight SAE 30 is what they were designed for.

The saying for saltwater chevys is, you know they're out of oil when they stop leaking. Haven't met one that didn't mark it's territory constantly.

If it hasn't been started in a couple years, and double so if it's sitting outside, pull the valve cover and work the injector racks to make sure they're free. Have somebody stand next to the intake with a board to slam over and choke it out when you start it in case it decides to go to the moon. The emergency shutdown flap in the blower is usually froze or has been sucked through before and won't work when you need it. Even it does, don't use it for shutting the engine down under normal circumstances.

Otherwise, a jimmy was one of the best engine designs ever built. If you can stand the noise.

[nelstomlinson]

I'll look for some single viscosity oil, but it sounds like I won't hurt it with the multi-visc I have on hand, as long as I keep pouring it through. Thanks.

It's run some recently, and I roaded it home Tuesday night.

[slip knot]

Any oil you dump in a DD will be black within 5 minutes of run time.

[nelstomlinson]

Most of my old machines are like that, slip knot.

[highland512]

Every time I hear a 2 cycle DD, I think of an old truck driver we went to church with growing up. He would tell you the DD was so good it was in the bible.
Revelations NKJ 13:9 If any man have an ear, let him hear.

[gtermini]

The old truck driver we had on the farm always said to start you day by slamming your hand in the door, so you were good'n pissed off at it before you started driving. Only way to run a jimmy is hold the pedal to the wood.

[nelstomlinson]

I've heard that slam your hand in the door from an old truck driver, too. They're supposed to be great engines as long as you keep the rpms up.