ACCURATE

[QUOTE=Powershift;1592100257]What viscosity oil are you using now?? Suggest 10W-30 or 15W-40 Shell Rotella for a test. The 15W-40 (easier to get) should be okay in Connecticut with summer approaching. That is what I use in my own 1967 327/350 HP car.

Thanks Larry.. Just ordered lucas 15w-40 ..see how that works,,

Joe ....using 10w-30 now..

Powershift

TUX:

See, I told you.............I wasn't making it up.

Larry

SDVette

While we're on the subject... how does your oil LOOK after 1000 miles?

In all the cars I've owned, it gets a little dark after 1000 miles... eventually almost black if it goes 5000+ miles.

Not sure why, but in my '61, the oil looks GOLDEN BROWN even after 1000+ miles. I do loose about 1/2Q in that time, but I strongly suspect it's due to my improvised PCV "tomato can" (separator) not being very effective, and I'm sucking the oil through the PCV and burning it.

My assumption is that the discoloration comes from combustion gases mixing with the oil?? Is it good or bad that it stays perfectly clean??

MikeM

Generally speaking, engine oil turning black means that the detergents are doing their job. That's all it means afaik.

When the oil gets thick on the dipstick, you are past due on an oil change. Maybe before that but at least by then.

tuxnharley

I was talking about your letting the dipstick get stuck.....

GTOguy

If the engine has significant blow-by past the rings, the oil will get black very quickly. On clean, maintained engines, it will get a bit darker, but won't get black. The ten year old oil in my '65 GTO with about 1500 miles on it still looks like Wesson. Totally clear. The 1 year old oil in my '61 'vette with about 1000 miles on it is almost black....because the engine has blow-by. Subsequent change cycles may improve this, as my '61 sat with a blown head gasket for 25 years or so and was driven hard and put away wet!

KC John

Do those products like "Engine Restore" reduce oil loss or blow by at all? I know it can't really fix the issue, but I've had others tell me it worked for them. I have to say that I'm not sure I believe it, but maybe there is some benefit. Have any of you used anything like that?

Powershift

LOTS of STP in my early cars. No money to fix it right. Just add a can or two with each oil change.

Larry

MikeM

I once had a '58 283 Biscayne. It had a cracked piston in one cylinder, dead miss and used a bunch of oil. A buddy worked at an auto parts store and brought me 7 pints of STP (motor honey). I dumped it in the engine and the knock from the piston went away and instead of getting 50 miles on a quart of oil, I got 8-900 miles out of the next shortage.

The engine lasted the summer and that's all I needed.

Frankie the Fink

Ha! You guys are lightweights - get some Motor Honey that'll cut your oil consumption.
You might need to heat the container with a propane torch to get the stuff to pour out.

Its like 350W....

vettepoor

My 65 used oil like crazy when I first bought it in early 70's. Dumped STP in it to slow down process until I could afford a rebuild. It did actually work, but when I tore down that engine I swore to never use the stuff again! Stuff was like tree sap!

R66

My first Chevy was a 55 with a 265 cu in. and with 80K miles on it would use a quart in 1500 miles. The next 10 or so 283s, 327s, 350s and etc. got the oil changed at 3000 with Kendall 30 wt in the day or 10w 40 when I was forced to grow up. Would rarely use a quart between changes. Now, I run the wife's new cars, 07 Impala & 14 Subaru, to the maximum of 7K. Don't expect them to use oil at 6000. Valve seals / guides are the major problem with the old small blocks. The 60s and 70s small blocks were prone to more valve guide wear but I don't know why. I would live with a quart a thousand on my toys, but raise hell with a quart in 2000 on the wife's luxury cars.
Unless you are loaded with $$$$, enjoy the ride for $3.50/1000.

John BX NY

One modern cars there's no need to stay with the fixed stone age intervals. The oil life monitoring system does that for you. Change the oil when it's at 10% oil life.

tuxnharley

In the old days of cast iron heads, short term warranties, and little or no emissions control requirements The valve guide - such as it was - consisted simply of knurling the inside of the cast iron tube part of the head casting that the valve stem fit into. If it lasted the life of the engine warranty that was all the manufacturers cared about. If it wore out after 24,000 miles or so and leaked down/burned some oil they didn't G.A.S.

For the most part, only high performance high revving cars and/or with aluminum heads - like Ferrari - used valve guide inserts.

Today with almost all aluminum heads and stringent 100k mile emissions requirements manufacturers have been forced to build higher quality longer lasting valve guides. And - less oil burning!

jimh_1962

One of the speed shop owners recommended that stuff. Just add some water with it and pour it in.

SWCDuke

GM referred to cast iron head valve guides as "integral" and never knurled valve guides in production. Knurling was just an aftermarket "fix" that didn't last long.

In production the guide bores were precision reamed, and the repair procedure was a .003" oversize reamer and replacement valves with .003" oversize stems.

Duke

65tripleblack

Engines using forged pistons use more oil than engines using cast or hypereutectic pistons. The reason for this is that forged pistons expand more when they get hot, and need more clearance in the bores.
Modern performance cars use hypereutectics.
One quart per thousand miles is not bad as long as you're not fouling plugs.
If you decide to have the engine rebuilt, I'd have the builder install Napier second rings, which pull more oil off the bores so as to not overload the oil scrapers. Napier rings are beveled on the lower edge in order to hold oil when the piston is on the power stroke.

65tripleblack

Naaah. That's fer amateurs.
Git ya some Bab-O and pour it down the carburetor troat while gunning the trottle. If it wuz da factory fix fer da '55 SBC it'll woik fer yer injun.

oldgold49er

has 215,000 miles now. Does not leak or burn oil. Change every 8-10K. No wonder it is still worth so much even with the mileage. Very happy with that truck.

phil2302

Some modern cars and some old cars use oil between changes and some dont.
A blanket statement either way is just silly.
However, changing every 3000 is a waste of money.