[V8] FW: Mobil DTE 13 M

[cobram at juno.com]

 Way back when listers were still searching for a decent Pento$in
substitute,  I remember looking up the seals used in the hydraulic
system, they were spec'd for 30-40 weight motor oil.  So Orings shouldn't
be a problem.  There was a problem reported with the bladder material of
the bomb and straight, non synthetic ATF.  In a pinch you can also go
with just about any tractor hydraulic oil, saves the trouble of mixing
and a few bucks too.  

I've been running DTE-13M for about 12 years in the type 44 fleet, and
actually have found the hydraulics to be more reliable.  I suspect it's
because I don't mind pissing away a gallon or three to flush the system
well whenever I have to get in there to repair or replace something. 
Cheap substitutes are usually the only recourse that make any kind of
economic sense in older cars, may as well go with a substitute that comes
close to the original spec versus something that's out in left field.

I've also been running DTE-13M in the hydraulic suspension of the '87
Mercyless Benz 300TDT for about 5 years without any problems.  A friend
with a Rolls borrowed some once to get his sheetbox...err, fine English
automobile, yeah that's it,  to a nearby Rolls lawn day when he had a
suspension leak.  He later fixed the leak but never went back to the $50
a quart Pento$in brand fluid spec'd by Rolls.

The other fluids mentioned in this thread have just about the same
properties as DTE-13M, geographic availability is generally the only
reason to use any particular brand over another.

 
BCNU,
http://www.geocities.com/cobramsri/
"God's a kid with an ant farm, lady. He's not planning anything."


"Tony and Lillie" <tonyandlillie1 at earthlink.net> writes:
> I'm no purist, that's for sure. I've run a 50//50 mix of ATF/Motor 
> oil in 
> min just to get home. I was in Vegas, living in Oklahoma. went 
> through about 
> 40-50 quarts to get home. Yea, it was smoking ;-) That was the cheap 
> stuff, 
> BTW, no synthetic there. I rebuilt the pump (an "X" cap was leaking 
> bad), 
> had all the hoses done at spokane hose, and flushed the system and 
> filled 
> with DTE-13M. Rack has never leaked, and I put about 60K on the car 
> after 
> that.
> 
> Now, I did a rack on a customer's Jetta the other day. 02 VR6 with 
> 55K on 
> it. Only Pentosin in the car since new. It leaked pretty badly, 
> enough that 
> they would loose all assist after two days if they didn't keep 
> adding to the 
> car. So, just how good is that Pentosin, anyhow?
> 
> Not that I'm saying a substitute is better, I think they both have 
> positives/negatives. But, I certainly couldn't justify spending $60 
> to flush 
> and fill my system on that car (V8) when I had two 5000's also that 
> needed 
> it, and I could do them all for $35. Call me cheap, but I just can't 
> do it. 
> And, the results (still) speak for themselves.
> 
> Tony
>