Engine oils.

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Bills65Dart

Bills65Dart

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Hi, for all those who do not know, I have just gotten a 1965 Dodge Dart, with a 225 in. Anyway, I need engine oil for it, and the operators manual says 20W-40 in the hot weather we have here in California. Now, I had a horrible rattle in the engine so I wanted to find a little thicker oil, like 20W-50. But that was easier said than done since most who carries oils have the low viscosity stuff up to maybe 10W-30. So, I ended up with Kendall 20W-50, and hope it will work fine.
The rattling issue is now solved, it was the valves that had way too much clearance, and all of them.

But, I found a list of oils online, and got very puzzled. So, I figured out, why not post the link to the list here and hear what you all say. I must admit I struggle taking the list 100% seriously.

Best Motor Oils - Complete List - Best Synthetic Oil & Filter

What do you guys think, is this "PSI" figures correct, or have someone just been out there having fun ?


Bill
 
Don't make too much out of oils...…. watch the first part of this video...
 
318willrun said:
Don't make too much out of oils...…. watch the first part of this video...
Click to expand...


:) Fun video. But he is right. And, I did not mean to start an oil discussion, because it is so many out doing that, and it is often so much feelings in it. I was just so puzzled by that list, I mean, the number one oil has almost 2 times the PSI figure of the Kendall oil I bought. LOL, so I felt kind of a little dumb there having done that. But, I do think it is important to find an oil that is not made for the last brand new engines and use that in the old cars unless you do as the guy say, add some zinc. Neither oils are bad, just made for two different types of engines and different times. Then I think it is important to use the viscosity the manufacturer recommended back when the engine was made. I might be wrong, but that is how I have been thinking. Over the years I have experienced that all oils are not the same, but it is more like one type of engine seems to like that oil, while another engine is more comfortable with a different oil. I had a 1988 Ford Aerostar, and it liked to burn oil, and I tried a lot of different oils, with some oils I got a little better result, with others worse, and the oils it seemed to like was not at all what I liked and prefered to use. So, I figured oils are different, but not different as in good or bad, just different.

Bill
 
Truth is you could run pretty much any oil out there and it would be plenty sufficient for these older motors.

In the newer motors like the Magnums and LS, Coyote and a lot of foreign motors a good synthetic is what they were designed and machined to run.
 
Make sure the dipstick reads "full".
 
I've seen the psi list before and don't know how it actually compares to how well an oil works in any particular engine....but it is interesting info.

At this point, our motors have been rebuilt and have different clearances than factory so you could get away with different weight oils depending on your engine. Kendall is a good oil. I tend to stick with a 10w30 or 10w40 depending what is available or on sale, with zddp as both my Mopars have solid lifter cams.
 
A horrible rattle in a slant 6 or earlier 273 is probably valve adjustment. I run Valvoline Conventional and add some Rislone Zinc additive.
 
I actually like the idea of the 0/ and 5/ oils. The lighter flowing abilities when the oil is ambient temperature means much less wear on cold startup while still having 20 or 30 or "whatever weight" when warm. That means less engine wear.
 
RustyRatRod said:
I actually like the idea of the 0/ and 5/ oils. The lighter flowing abilities when the oil is ambient temperature means much less wear on cold startup while still having 20 or 30 or "whatever weight" when warm. That means less engine wear.
Click to expand...

@Wyrmrider has some interesting info on that, apparently he runs Euro-spec 0W-40 oil in his Magnum engine. I think I'm gonna give it a shot this winter in my Duster.

But overall, stock old-school Mopar engines will last forever on even the cheapest Wally World conventional because it's still better than most of what you could get back when these cars were new.
 
You MUST use oil with high levels of ZDDP (zinc) to keep the cam from going round . You can either use regular oil and a zinc supplement or purchase high zinc oil . Either way is fine . Also you must put a lead substitute in the gas to keep the exhaust seats from sinking into the head or have the head converted to unleaded by installing hardened valve seats . third : the regular fuel is crap . Higher octane is needed (91octane +) to hold back detonation , especially going up hills . Old cars are fun aren't they .
 
383Scampman said:
You MUST use oil with high levels of ZDDP (zinc) to keep the cam from going round . You can either use regular oil and a zinc supplement or purchase high zinc oil . Either way is fine . Also you must put a lead substitute in the gas to keep the exhaust seats from sinking into the head or have the head converted to unleaded by installing hardened valve seats . third : the regular fuel is crap . Higher octane is needed (91octane +) to hold back detonation , especially going up hills . Old cars are fun aren't they .
Click to expand...
Well I've never had any issues with flat cams if the springs are stock. Never used any zinc additives in a stock engine... Nor have I replaced the valve seats. I've seen them recess and need replacing after a lot of miles but nothing out of the ordinary.

And I've even run E85 in my Buick powered 48 F1 and my 351c powered 55 F100... Mostly on long trips when the 80 cent per gallon cost difference added up.
 
Krooser said:
I think you need glasses!!!!!
Click to expand...

Yes, in fact I do, thank you. :D It was in the shop manual I read it says every 3 months or 4000 miles, whichever comes first. Not in the operators manual. How on earth could I mix the operators manual with the shop manual. I need glasses indeed. lol

Bill
 
So I recently switched from Schaeffer's 7000 20W-50 to Valvoline SynPower 5W-40 MST from a suggestion by @Wyrmrider in my 360. It has a roller cam so zddp wasn't an issue. The cold-start oil pressure buildup isn't much quicker than before but the engine seems to have a little less internal friction; idle got smoother and went up just a hair. I'll probably keep using this oil because it's available at Wally World and $.50-1.00 cheaper per quart than the Schaeffer's. Apparently that MST stuff is approved for use in modern Euro diesel engines so I'm willing to bet it would keep flat-tappet cams alive, some of those Euro diesels do actually use "flat" cam followers.

I noticed it smells nice too, very very mild scent almost has no smell at all compared to typical motor oil. You know that pungent additive/detergent stank lol
 
You might want to check out Tractor Supply's "Traveller" 20W-50 ($17 for a 6-pack of one-quart containers, which works out to $2.83 per quart) and 15W-40 diesel-rated oil ($51 for 5 gallons, which works out to $2.55 per quart).

Best bang for the buck, IMHO. I think the diesel-rated oil contains ZDDP, but I'm not sure about the 20W-50.

You have to order in the 20W-50 oil ahead of time because they don't normally stock it.
 
About 15 - 20 years ago Pennzoil came out with a HD diesel oil using their new "pure base" technology. Their deal said using a cleaner base oil helps the life of the oil since the additive package isn't fighting the impurities in the base stock from day one.

That oil was crystal clear with a slight yellow tint to it. And it didn't stink.

Called "Long Life" it didn't sell well enough to topple the industry leaders like Delvac and Rotella and I haven't seen it on the shelves since about 2003 or so.

I used it in both Cat and Detroit engines and had good luck with it. Lower oil consumption towards the end of my extended drain intervals (50,000 miles) was a nice surprise.
 
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