motor oil post

[ruddbow]

I know I have stumbled across a thread here that had what motor oils guys were using. I cannot find it. I have a 283 that I want to service this week. Normally my family is a Quaker State family and will go that route if push comes to shove. For some reason I thought guys were going the synthetic route. It is the original motor in my 66, runs well, little over 100k.

[awbrown]

You may want to search the internet ,specifically the oil companies websites and see what their recommendation is .. GM recommended a "low ash parafin base oil" that was the days of straight weight oils and most old engines ran just fine on them .. technology now concerning oils is way advanced from what it was back then ... From my own experience , I look at what the oil pressure is hot , and whether or not it uses oil... My 63 that I ran years ago used oil if I ran 10-40 , but it used half as much if I ran 15-40... my 97 7.4 has 60 psi all the time so I run 5w-40 syn. in that and it uses no oil.... zinc additives are available from a lot of suppliers.......

[Indian113]

Go ahead and use the quaker state,you have hyraulic lifters and I would use 10w40 especially if your motor is original

[ruddbow]

perfect, thank you both.

[vin63]

Originally Posted by ruddbow

I know I have stumbled across a thread here that had what motor oils guys were using. I cannot find it. I have a 283 that I want to service this week. Normally my family is a Quaker State family and will go that route if push comes to shove. For some reason I thought guys were going the synthetic route. It is the original motor in my 66, runs well, little over 100k.

Any of the premium oils, such as Qauker Sate, in the applicable weight range is fine for your application.

For what it's worth, I'm a lubricants retailer in my home town, and I run synthetics in my newer daily drivers, but run Brad Penn (conventional) in my hot rods and race cars.

[protrash64]

I use any different brand of oil. The problem now is the lack of zinc in adequate levels for flat tappet engines. My local parts store carries Edelbrock zinc which I add. 20 bucks a bottle; may be a cheaper brand but this is close to me so I get it on the way by the store.

[Indian113]

What does flat tappet and stock 1966 283 have in common?

[blackedoutharley]

Originally Posted by Indian113

What does flat tappet and stock 1966 283 have in common?

Their married to each other.

In other words a stock 283 has a flat tappet cam.

[blackedoutharley]

Originally Posted by blackedoutharley

They're married to each other.

In other words a stock 283 has a flat tappet cam.

This not being able to edit post thing sucks!

[vin63]

Originally Posted by WAAF

then feel free to post the zinc ppm of that quaker state thats fine for him to run?
FYI anything under 1200ppm is to low..for flat tappet.. and thats borderline

It is important to have higher ZDDP levels upon break-in of a new engine, including a flat tappet cam-lifter combintation. But, once the break-in is complete on a stock engine, it is not necessary to maintain the high levels of ZDDP. Combined with the fact that the OP noted that this is for the original engine with 100+K miles on it, any of the premium oils, including the Quaker State that he prefers, is fine. Since his engine seems to be running fine with what he was running before, there really isn't a need to start doing anything differently, such as switch to synthetics, or add costly additives. In his case, the viscosity will be more important than the ZDDP levels...keep in mind, an oil with tons of ZDDP, but too little viscosity will not protect the cam and lifters.

[clinebarger]

OH NO!!! A oil thread.

[bloertcher]

Originally Posted by vin63

It is important to have higher ZDDP levels upon break-in of a new engine, including a flat tappet cam-lifter combintation. But, once the break-in is complete on a stock engine, it is not necessary to maintain the high levels of ZDDP. Combined with the fact that the OP noted that this is for the original engine with 100+K miles on it, any of the premium oils, including the Quaker State that he prefers, is fine. Since his engine seems to be running fine with what he was running before, there really isn't a need to start doing anything differently, such as switch to synthetics, or add costly additives. In his case, the viscosity will be more important than the ZDDP levels...keep in mind, an oil with tons of ZDDP, but too little viscosity will not protect the cam and lifters.

My disagreement to this statement,is that while a flat tappet cam may very well continue it's wear pattern happily without ZDDP,I have seen an alarming amount of distributor gear failures in the last 4-5 years.While I can't point you to written facts,I have to say that logically this wasn't an issue with the "old" oil.These weren't antique engines,but relatively new,even roller cam engines that randomly chewed the distributor gear up,some to the point of being towed in.
Comp Cams additive runs about $10 a pint,and I consider it cheap insurance considering what it costs nowadays to change your oil in the first place.

[awbrown]

The only times I see distributor gear failures is 1 , late model chevys with roller cams and melonized gears , and 2 when people run more oil pump than they really need , ie a HV pump when the engine has clearances that require a std vol. pump ...

[vin63]

Originally Posted by WAAF

then feel free to post the zinc ppm of that quaker state thats fine for him to run?
FYI anything under 1200ppm is to low..for flat tappet.. and thats borderline

Originally Posted by bloertcher

My disagreement to this statement,is that while a flat tappet cam may very well continue it's wear pattern happily without ZDDP,I have seen an alarming amount of distributor gear failures in the last 4-5 years...

That failure type is usually not a result of the levels of zinc and phosphorous in the oil. If it were, piston aircraft engines for the past 20 years and longer would need to use oils with high levels of ZDDP...but, the engine oils used in the aircraft industry have no ZDDP at all.

[C-10 simplex]

I'm running redline synthetic in a stock 78 LG3 305 that has never been rebuilt and probably has a street value of $40 at best. But i'm not taking any chances.

Yes, the oil changes cost more than the engine itself!


Am i saying this is the way to go? No, all i'm saying is i don't really know, but i'm not taking any chances.

[clinebarger]

I agree with Vin63...The lifters are spinning....They have been spinning for 100,000 miles on a mild cam with weak valve springs......Run whatever oil you want.

[storm9c1]

Lots of finger pointing regarding this issue for years. Here is the conclusions I've drawn over the years. Yes, ZDDP levels have been lowered in modern oils due to their affects on catalytic converters. And yes, many hard parts like cams and distributor gears have seen quite a few problems recently. Is it due to the oil? Is it due to cheap Chinese metals? Is it due to the influx of "do it yourself" wrenchers and/or improper installation or break-in? Perhaps the real truth is somewhere in the middle of each of those issues.

On older cars with well worn engines, it is safe to say that cheap metal or improper break-in is not a factor. So the only concern at that point is the oil. Personally, I run Havoline 10W-40 from a 10 year old stash I found in my parent's garage in my flat tappet cars. And none of those are daily drivers, so that stash should last me quite a while. When that runs out, I'll just use a name brand oil, and throw in a bottle of ZDDP additive and call it a day. Just in case.

[richards72chevy]

I have a little blue bottle of stp that claims to have zddp.Is any body using this stuff?

[oldblue1968chevy]

Ive ran the vr1.