Oil recommendation for my 1970 dodge dart with 318 engine
- Thread starter tx70dart
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Use what you choose. I use 10/30 Valvoline Conventional and some Rislone zinc additive.
BigBlockMopar
BigBlockMember
As for thickness... let the oilgauge tell you want the engine wants...
MOPAROFFICIAL
Oogliboogli
i reccomend any brand, just keep an eye on it and change the 'wix' filter evey 3 months, oil every 5k or at least every year if you don't drive it much.
Wyrmrider
Well-Known Member
Mobiol 1 0W 40 in my 69 318
under $25 jug at walmart
the 40 is really a high 30
0W allows you to hit the interstate while not fully warmed up
most wear is when you are cold
15 or 20 K change is for fI cars (annual model)
I just change once a year with carb
agree on a good filter- you can use the long one
under $25 jug at walmart
the 40 is really a high 30
0W allows you to hit the interstate while not fully warmed up
most wear is when you are cold
15 or 20 K change is for fI cars (annual model)
I just change once a year with carb
agree on a good filter- you can use the long one
1969cuda
Well-Known Member
Is this a fresh build? Miles?
If it's a original miles 1970 318, it's gonna like 20/50 in the Texas heat.
dartfreak75
Restore it, Dont part it!
In my 318s iv had 4 everyday drivers with 318s I have always ran 10w30 Castrol GTX.
Wyrmrider
Well-Known Member
no need to run 10 or 30 W oils anymore
used to be you had to run a lot of anti thin out additive which sheared down so 10W30 or 20W 50 made sense if you needed a 30 or 50 wt oil
not any more
the new base stocks do not shear down much so a 0W oil can be built with almost no additives
Made out of Natural Gas
a 0 W oil cold can be the same viscosity as a 40 hot
or you can actually have an oil that is 40 hot and still flow well when cold- and even Texas is "cold" as far as oil flow is concerned
anything else you have to preheat your oil
run full synthetic 0W 40
look at the Oil for the New corvette as an example
or if you need a 0W-20 look at the VW 508 spec oil
used to be you had to run a lot of anti thin out additive which sheared down so 10W30 or 20W 50 made sense if you needed a 30 or 50 wt oil
not any more
the new base stocks do not shear down much so a 0W oil can be built with almost no additives
Made out of Natural Gas
a 0 W oil cold can be the same viscosity as a 40 hot
or you can actually have an oil that is 40 hot and still flow well when cold- and even Texas is "cold" as far as oil flow is concerned
anything else you have to preheat your oil
run full synthetic 0W 40
look at the Oil for the New corvette as an example
or if you need a 0W-20 look at the VW 508 spec oil
Krooser
Building Chinese Free Engines since 1959...
We changed the oils at 1000 miles because the oils were not as good as they are today. Sludge was a big problem if you delayed the oil change.
Many people still used non-detergent oils thinking a detergent oil would make the engine have bubbles coming out of the breathers and road draft tubes.
I remember when the dealer I worked at (Mopar around 1969) recommended a 1500 mile oil change... our shop techs laughed at that predicting many worn out engines!
Many people still used non-detergent oils thinking a detergent oil would make the engine have bubbles coming out of the breathers and road draft tubes.
I remember when the dealer I worked at (Mopar around 1969) recommended a 1500 mile oil change... our shop techs laughed at that predicting many worn out engines!
I'd say use what was recommended in the FSM or owners manual for always above 32 F, or for as low as 0 or 10 F whatever is appropriate.
However some years the factory was quite liberal in the recommended grades. I'm looking at '75 owners manual - pretty anything goes!
I know '69 FSM is a bit more specific.
Temperatures consistantly above 32 F:
straight 30, 10W-30, or 10W-40 or 20W-40.
For year round use where temperatures may occasionally go as low as -10* F
10W-30, 10W -40
I agree with using the oil pressure gage as your guide.
When the engine is heat soaked, if its holding the minimum pressure at idle of 10 -15 psi and most important its going up so its got 50 - 60 psi driving at 60 mph, your good. If its struggling to do that, then go up on the grade, or find an oil with better hot viscosity within the grade.
In short, Grade indicates the minimum and maximum viscosity allowed at 212*F
and W grades are indicators of colder temperature viscosity, which in recent years have a more complex set of specifications than back in '68.
The key thing, as you probably have observed, is that oil viscosity is very temperature dependent.
>Pick one that's heavier than needed, and when its cold, imagine trying to push honey through a straw. Pressure at the pump may be high but not much is making it through to the top.
>Pick one that is too light, and when hot there isn't enough pressure to properly support the bearings.
So that's why paying attention to engine temperature and pressure is useful in determining if a change is needed.
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Some people like graphs.
Viscosity is measured in Stokes or centiStokes (metric).
This is a graph of viscosity vs. temprature for three of the grades mentioned above. Additionally shown is 5W-20.
Viscosity specs for all are Havoline conventional so we're not mixing different product lines.
from the graph we can see the 10W-40 around 240*F would have the same viscosity as the 10W-30 a bit over 212*F.
Oil in the pan on a warmed up engine should be 180*F and typically won't be much above 220*F but it depends on engine and conditions.
Viscosity is measured in Stokes or centiStokes (metric).
This is a graph of viscosity vs. temprature for three of the grades mentioned above. Additionally shown is 5W-20.
Viscosity specs for all are Havoline conventional so we're not mixing different product lines.
from the graph we can see the 10W-40 around 240*F would have the same viscosity as the 10W-30 a bit over 212*F.
Oil in the pan on a warmed up engine should be 180*F and typically won't be much above 220*F but it depends on engine and conditions.
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