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Old Jul 3, 2008 | 04:26 PM
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there are so many oil threads on every single motor vehicle forum.

one thing i noticed after searching for hours on this site was that no one is even trying the mobil 1 4t 10w40 motorcycle oil. it has 1600ppm of ZDDP. thats better than the 1200ppm of their 15w50.

am i being stupid

thanks and please dont flame the new guy too bad for asking oil stuff
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Old Jul 3, 2008 | 09:28 PM
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Corvette Fever just ran an informative artical on oil and ZDDP with flat tappet cams/lifters. I don't know squat about the oil your looking at, but read the label very carefully. Although the ZDDP number is quite good, there may be other things that might not be for a car engine.

Buying AV Gas comes to mind, sure you get octane but you get a whole bunch of other stuff your engine won't like. /:\
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Old Jul 3, 2008 | 10:24 PM
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Castrol GTX 20W-50 you will never have sludge or viscosity breakdown. Change it every 3000 miles or twice a year.

Last edited by Evmcevil; Jul 3, 2008 at 10:28 PM.
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Old Jul 3, 2008 | 10:44 PM
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Originally Posted by Evmcevil
Castrol GTX 20W-50 you will never have sludge or viscosity breakdown. Change it every 3000 miles or twice a year.
yea but you will also be changing your cam.
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Old Jul 3, 2008 | 11:01 PM
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Originally Posted by carguy4sure
yea but you will also be changing your cam.
I've used it for the last 20 years in my trucks, bikes, cars, and race cars and never had a problem due to oil.
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Old Jul 4, 2008 | 01:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Evmcevil
I've used it for the last 20 years in my trucks, bikes, cars, and race cars and never had a problem due to oil.
It sounds like you may not have heard about the recent changes to your oil. What you have been buying for the past 20 years is different now. It is not sludge or breakdown that we are talking about. The problem is lack of zink which is key to keeping your non-roller cam alive. What you have been buying is different now....lables look the same but what is inside is no longer good enough for our engines with non-roller cams.

Last edited by Retro78; Jul 4, 2008 at 01:31 PM.
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Old Jul 4, 2008 | 07:33 AM
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I contacted "STP" and they said 1 can of stp per oil change will put satisfy your zinc requirments as per older oil.Easy and inexspensive.
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Old Jul 4, 2008 | 07:58 AM
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yeah but if i was going to do that i would just get the comp cams oil additive that they recommend when you break in a cam.
you have to use it for break in but they recommend it at every oil change.

i'll just stick with the mobil 15w50.
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Old Jul 4, 2008 | 08:25 AM
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lucas oil now has a zinc additive with ZDDP. not sure what it costs..
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 11:32 AM
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According to a release from Update on ZDDPlus from June 2008 http://www.naaaccc.ca/oil_additives_.htm Castrol GTX 20w50 still contains zinc. Quote: Now for the latest report:

#1 Castrol GTX 20W-50 is still good for our cars after break-in! 10W-40, 10W-30 and other grades are NOT good. Absolute NOT GOOD for any oil (Any Brand) that is marked “Energy Conserving” in the API “Donut” on the bottle, these oils are so low with ZDDP or other additives that they will destroy our cams. Virtually all “Diesel” rated oils are acceptable.

#2 Castrol HD 30 is a very good oil for break-in of new motors. This oil has one of the largest concentrations of ZDDP and Moly to conserve our cams and tappets.

#3 Only an unusual Castrol Syntec 20W-50 approaches the levels of protection we need when we look to the better synthetic lubricants. We are attempting to get this oil but will be using Redline 10W-40 or 10W-30 as these are lighter weights for better performance, flow volume, less drag and has the additive package we need. It also states that additives are not good to use. Quote:
At at least three major motorcycle rallies this past year, we have witnessed live demonstrations put on to demonstrate the effectiveness of certain oil additives. The demonstrators would have a bench- mounted engine which they would fill with oil and a prescribed dose of their "miracle additive." After running the engine for a while they would stop it, drain out the oil and start it up again. Instant magic! The engine would run perfectly well for hours on end, seemingly proving the effectiveness of the additive which had supposedly "coated" the inside of the engine so well it didn't even need the oil to run. In one case, we saw this done with an actual motorcycle, which would be rid den around the parking lot after having its oil drained. A pretty convincing demonstration - until you know the facts.
Since some of these demonstrations were conducted using Briggs and Stratton engines, the Briggs and Stratton Company itself decided to run a similar, but somewhat more scientific, experiment. Taking two brand-new, identical engines straight off their assembly line, they set them up for bench-testing. The only difference was that one had the special additive included with its oil and the other did not. Both were operated for 20 hours before being shut down and having the oil drained from them. Then both were started up again and allowed to run for another 20 straight hours. Neither engine seemed to have any problem performing this "minor miracle."
After the second 20-hour run, both engines were completely torn down and inspected by the company's engineers. What they found was that both engines suffered from scored crankpin bearings, but the engine treated with the additive also suffered from heavy cylinder bore damage that was not evident on the untreated engine.
This points out once again the inherent problem with particulate oil additives: They can cause oil starvation. This is particularly true in the area of piston rings, where there is a critical need for adequate oil flow. In practically all of the reports and studies on oil additives, and particularly those involving suspended solids like PTFE, this has been reported as a major area of engine damage.


In addition, recent new evidence has come to light that makes using almost any additive a game of Russian Roulette. Since the additive distributors do not list the ingredients contained within their products, you never know for sure just what you are putting in your engine.
Recent tests have shown that even some of the most inoffensive additives contain products which, though harmless in their initial state, convert to hydrofluoric acid when exposed to the temperatures inside a firing cylinder. This acid is formed as part of the exhaust gases, and though it is instantly expelled from your engine and seems to do it no harm, the gases collect inside your exhaust system and eat away at your mufflers from the inside out. Any additional input on this would be greatly appreciated.......
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 02:18 PM
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I was just given a couple cases of oil that had been around for years. Still the old style tin cans. There is a case of AMOCO 10-40 API SE SF and also a case of AMOCO 10-30 API SE SF/CC . They do say "Energy Conserving", but I would bet these cans are 10 years old and from what I am reading, " The API grade of oil prior to this was “SF” and had ZDDP concentrations in excess of 0.15%. "

Can anyone tell me if these are OK for a flat tappet motor? I'm not sure "Energy Conserving" has anything to do with the Zinc level.

Here is what I found on the ratings:

SE – 1972 Gasoline Engine Warranty Maintenance Service – OBSOLETE
SF – 1980 Gasoline Engine Warranty Maintenance Service – OBSOLETE

http://www.gbodyparts.com/product_in...roducts_id=767

Last edited by RobRace10; Jul 7, 2008 at 02:40 PM.
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 02:45 PM
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Most popular oil I've heard of is Shell Rotella T.
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 04:03 PM
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Pennzoil High Mileage still has the zinc in it. I believe that other brands of High Mileage oils also have zinc. These can be bought off the shelf at Walmart. If it doesn't have the emblem on it that looks like a "gear" it contains the zinc.
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 04:15 PM
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Flame away:

I am a degreed mechanical engineer, and have owned dozens of vehicles with internal combustion engines over the past 30 or so years.

MOTOR OIL IS MOTOR OIL

As long as you keep it cool and clean, the cheapest stuff (or even old stuff) will serve the sole purpose:lubrication.

Steve
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 04:30 PM
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Originally Posted by halfmoontrail
Flame away:

I am a degreed mechanical engineer, and have owned dozens of vehicles with internal combustion engines over the past 30 or so years.

MOTOR OIL IS MOTOR OIL

As long as you keep it cool and clean, the cheapest stuff (or even old stuff) will serve the sole purpose:lubrication.

Steve
Lab test results indicate otherwise:

http://www.chevelles.com/forums/showthread.php?t=128203
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 04:34 PM
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Originally Posted by halfmoontrail
Flame away:


MOTOR OIL IS MOTOR OIL

Steve
Not true at all. Motor oil has changed a lot in the last couple of years due to EPA restrictions. There has been a lot of additives that have been taken out or severly reduced. There has been a tremendous amount of research on this even from the cam manufacters saying that the oil has lost some of the properties that it used to have. Many a flat tappet cam has been lost due to less zinc in the oil. A standard cam with low lift and weak springs probably won't make any difference. When you go up in spring pressure the oil gets wiped off the lobe and you have cam failure. Being an engineer as you are do some research on this and you should find oil has changed a lot in the last years.
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 08:04 PM
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Originally Posted by baxsom
there are so many oil threads on every single motor vehicle forum.

one thing i noticed after searching for hours on this site was that no one is even trying the mobil 1 4t 10w40 motorcycle oil. it has 1600ppm of ZDDP. thats better than the 1200ppm of their 15w50.

am i being stupid

thanks and please dont flame the new guy too bad for asking oil stuff
I think it's a pretty good question! Motorcycle oil made for Japanese sport bikes would seem to be well suited for use in our engines. Most of the sport bikes are high reving (15K rpm) engines that have inverted buckets riding directly on the cam lobe, so wear there is similar to our lifters riding on the cam. Additionally, that oil is used in the gearbox, where shear wear is extremely high, probably much higher than at the cam/lifter interface. Those bikes also usually have wet clutches, and there is no parallel in a Corvette. But additives for the clutch probably wouldn't hurt a Corvette engine, because if it did, it would harm the bike engine too.

I used to use Golden Sprctro in my bikes, a petroleum/synthetic blend. I'm sure it would be fine in a Corvette, but I am using Mobil 1 at this time, with Comp Cams break in additive. So far with my fairly mild cam and valve springs, all seems well.

Cheers,
Pete
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 08:16 PM
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Originally Posted by DVNTST8
Most popular oil I've heard of is Shell Rotella T.

Me too......I ran 20/50 Havoline or Castrol for years.

Since the Zinc debate, I just switched to Rotella T in my older engines.

I keep a couple bottles of GM EOS on the shelf. I add 8 ounces per oil change. Just makes me feel good.

Does anyone know if my 2001 4.7 V8 Dakota has a roller cam?
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 08:38 PM
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Originally Posted by halfmoontrail
Flame away:

I am a degreed mechanical engineer, and have owned dozens of vehicles with internal combustion engines over the past 30 or so years.

MOTOR OIL IS MOTOR OIL

As long as you keep it cool and clean, the cheapest stuff (or even old stuff) will serve the sole purpose:lubrication.

Steve
If you say so
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Old Jul 7, 2008 | 09:36 PM
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My Lt5 has had Mobil 1 since the get go, 146k and no flat cams.
They use very little spring pressure though, Im sure that may have something to do with it.
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