Engine oils

Yep, this subject almost gets emotional at times.

I've been using Motorcraft Semi Syn in my '31 (as well as the wife's car and my DD truck). Usually been either 10W-30 or 15W-40 for the '31 as I feel that the 5W-20 is a little light for heavier valve springs and roller rockers. I can't find anything but the 5w-20 locally unless I go to their diesel specific oil. Is there any advantage to my using this Motorcraft Diesel specific oil? Disadvantages? Or should I just switch to Valvoline which is my other long time favorite. Not interested in Amsoil or Royal Purple (way too expensive to use in that car and the amount driven). I have used Mobil 1 and do like it, but for a car only driven a couple thousand miles, probably isn't cost effective either. Then there are the racing oils like Joe Gibbs and Brad Penn and no sellers any where locally according to their web sites, nor do I think that I need these oils for my kind of driving(Oh yeah, I wont EVER use Castrol again).

Mostly I'm interested in comments of what others use and why:D

Dave I`ve been using rotella 15-40 for the last ten years, although the last I heard the protective agent has been reduced its still not nearly as low as the quote ( off the shelf oils ), I just did this check on several sites just a couple of weeks ago, think this will be a good thread, I`m also using a wix filters...

Dave............it comes down to the additives that are used in the heavy duty oils for diesels. I don't think they would hurt the motor, but if you have the alternative, use the Valvoline.

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DaveW, have you ever perused Bob Is The Oil Guy's information? It takes a while to wade through, but the guy seems to know his stuff - Motor Oil 101 - Bob is the Oil Guy

I use Rotella in a lot of my diesel engines, Mobil 1 on the newer common rail engines, and I also add Zinc additive to help protect the cams and tappets in the engines. The zinc additives have been removed from diesel oils recently. I use either ZDDP or Lucas zinc plus. Tappet wear has dropped with running these additives. I've ran 15w40 Rotella in a few gas engines and had no ill issues either. I was actually planning on running it in my Hemi. I've heard the older engines have looser tolerances and will require a heavier oil to maintain proper pressure. I don't know how true that is, but it makes sense to me.

Good discussion - even Craig's deleted one appears to have good info.

I do use Rotella in my little Iseki powered diesel tractor and after 20 some years still doesn't use a drop although you could tar a road with the drained stuff.

Looks like Valvoline may again be in my future as I am still hesitant to use the diesel blend. I spent some time on BobstheOilGuy this morning - that is until I got an overload headache. Too much Castrol/Amsoil/Mobil 1 (sponsors perhaps and forcing a 'lean')

One tidbit that I just came across and it is a hijack of my own thread. I've been using a Motorcraft FL 300 oil filter but unless I make a 40+ mile round trip or do an internet order, none locally. I then decide to cross reference to WIX/NAPA. Their cross referenced filter is a 51068 and is 3/4" longer and wont fit my car (I have one now for a swap meet sale:HMMM:). Instead, the 51311 is identical to the FL300. The Wix 51335 is the very little one at about 2-1/2" tall - and both have the 3/4-16 thread. If you go to NAPA, just take the leading 5 off the WIX p/n and you have their number.

Dave W,
Thanks for that filter numbering information. That WIX 51335/NAPA 1335 is the one I use too, for clearance with my steering box, but I did not know that dropping the leading "5" from the WIX p/n worked across the board for the NAPA Gold's. I expect that means WIX makes the filters for NAPA, and the difference is the paint color. I strongly considered going to a remote mounted filter to be able to use the "full size" filters, but I decided that the potential for hose failure with four fittings plus the adapter on the engine and the remote mount itself was not worth it for me. Besides the potential leaks and the cost I did not have a real good place to mount it. I change oil more on time than miles anyway, at this point.

Oil Filter Cross-Reference Table
http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...9ztBe0KWeNAZKw

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Originally Posted by billy zz

Oil Filter Cross-Reference Table

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Good info, but only a partial list (doesn't have the 51335/1335 filter, for example). Is CM Canton Racing Products? If so those are some high buck filters!!

Dave W, I totally forgot, what got you out of sorts with Castrol? Just wondering, as I've used it some in the past and didn't see any problems.

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Originally Posted by rspears

Good info, but only a partial list (doesn't have the 51335/1335 filter, for example). Is CM Canton Racing Products? If so those are some high buck filters!!

Dave W, I totally forgot, what got you out of sorts with Castrol? Just wondering, as I've used it some in the past and didn't see any problems.

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heres one that covers everything from airplanes to zambonies.

http://www.google.com/url?sa=t&rct=j...Wi7XZ9fJIjlmAA

Roger - not sure that NAPA numbering thing is 100% across the board, but every WIX/NAPA filter I've had has cross referenced that way.

My fall out with Castrol has been with vehicles that never used a drop of oil between changes suddenly starting to need 1, 2 or more in the same period of mileage. Then changing over, no longer used any again. That had happened on several vehicles. Is it bad oil? Of course not. But I've just had less then good experiences and more then once

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Originally Posted by IC2

Roger - not sure that NAPA numbering thing is 100% across the board, but every WIX/NAPA filter I've had has cross referenced that way.

My fall out with Castrol has been with vehicles that never used a drop of oil between changes suddenly starting to need 1, 2 or more in the same period of mileage. Then changing over, no longer used any again. That had happened on several vehicles. Is it bad oil? Of course not. But I've just had less then good experiences and more then once

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I've had the same experience with castrol in any of my "hopped up" gas engines. I quit using it for the same reason years ago. I know a lot of dirt track guys that quit using it too, for the same reason. Most of those guys went to John Deere oil because they could buy it 5 gal at a time and it still had the zinc additive in it.

I stopped at Wally World today and again looked over their line up of oils. I picked up a jug of Valvoline conventional 10W-30 - walked about 50 feet, looked at the label, asked myself "Why am I downgrading oil in a several thousand dollar engine for a couple bucks". Took a look at the Valvoline semi synthetic, lights again went on, and for a couple bucks more, bought the Mobil 1. Oh well!! Been known to contradict myself before:whacked::LOL:

i use castrol oil in my 548 14to1 my 548 blower engine . my donovan 632 my 572. my 468 . my 462. there one or two mising from the line up and erery day drivers . but i am a dealer for joe gibbs . brad pen so not using it any more but it worked fine for me ???

Going to add two things to this.We have seen lope failures on flat tappet cams many miles after the first break-in.So the need for zine is for the life of the engine.Synthetics is the worst possible oil for flat tappet cams.

pennzoil for my daily drivers and castrol for my hotrods ...

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Originally Posted by 1gary

Going to add two things to this.We have seen lope failures on flat tappet cams many miles after the first break-in.So the need for zine is for the life of the engine.Synthetics is the worst possible oil for flat tappet cams.

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Not a break in and best of all, not a flat tappet engine.

I STILL wont use Castrol - and like I said, not a bad oil, it just doesn't work for me!!

Dam', I wish I would still get topic subscription response notifications. I seem to have lost my 'connections' here regardless of the fact the option is correctly checked off - Bill

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evey flat lifter cam engine i build get added to the bill a case of joe gibs or brad pen with a wix filter on it. i have not used a flat lifter cam in any of my BBC for over 20 years. there more to it then just oil my driver 90 chevy truck was flat lifter cam never seen any zdp in its life was still going had over 100.000 miles on it and was still going when i sold it the quality of parts and lobes of cam ramps and spring Lbs it takes to hold lifter on the cam come in to play as this go.s up the oil needs to be there and it low speeds rpms it is not . things can be done to get more oil the lobe face . but with a roller cam with a roller lifter with hippo it can idle at 1000 with 275lbs on the seat no big deal

All the ZDDP discussions I've read about made me nervous enough that I use Amsoil Racing Oil which has a good amount of it and it's otherwise a good oil. It might be more like a Personal Petroleum Prozac to ease my mind but I get a decent discount on it from a local distributor.

Pulling the pan this morning gave me a very clear idea of where the break in lube goes if you don't drain the oil while the engine is hot:o. It's about impossible to get the car high enough quick enough to get that drain plug out. Other then that, the engine innards are clean enough to eat off after several thousand miles. It all goes back together tomorrow then a couple more mods for ease of my 6'4" driveability. Refire should be soon, maybe even this coming week, pending decent weather for a short ride:D

much of the zddp you add to your oil there is very good chance it will never bonds to any thing . much of the oil have detergent in them that strip s zddp off parts so it sits in the oil pan . i buy the brad or joe oil with zddp in there break in oil so i know there is no oil clash

The Wix filters are a big bang for your buck.

To think I was a die heart Fram user for yrs..............Well I guess there is something to"it is better to be lucky than good"!!!.

for race stuff jomar is better but wix.s are very good i use both

Reminds me of a guy we know that runs a 440 super gas Arrow.He put on a high volume/high pressure oil pump.The then got lazy or cheap and bought a K-Mart special oil filter.When he blew up the oil filter at the top end almost taking the car,himself,and the guy next to him out,we wouldn't let him live that one down for a very long time.:rolleyes::eek:

What a idiot.............:LOL::LOL:

i run mobile del-vac in my pickup 15-40 has little bit better oil psi, and the benefits of a diesel oil cleaning out better then a normal oil. i love the stuff. never uses any oil between changes with 102500 miles on the clock.

in the racecar i always used valvoline VR1 or shafers.

We have seen alot of problems with Rotella in the diesel direct inj motors. It's not what it used to be. Motorcraft seems to work well, I've used it in my wife's car for the last 80,000 miles, at 5000 it still looks new. I ran Castrol for a long time in my race engines with real good results and that was on alky. The last yr I raced I ran Brad Penn since my eng guy sold it to me for $60 case. I ended up putting it in my chevelle 434 sb street car after it was broke in. The Pennzoil plat. sync is suppose to be real good according to test I've seen, but I've had no experience with it. It seems like there is alot of stuff out there now that used to work great but now not so much. Quaulity isn't what it used to be, that's for sure.