Oil Change
Time to change oil in my 1958 283/230 hp motor. What is the best oil to use? Can I run synthetics? I use Amsoil in my daily drivers.
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Re: Oil Change
Bob,
There is tons of info about modern oils in the archives if you have the time to read. Long story short, go to walmart and buy five qts. of there 15W-40 oil, it's a dual rated spark/commercial oil with at CJ-4 rating. It comes in a gallion jug so you need to buy a additional single quart to make five. -
Re: Oil Change
I use Valvoline 10-30 and a bottle of ZDDP and a Wix filter in my 1960/ 230.Comment
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Re: Oil Change
As suggested, buy a CJ-4 rated motor oil and you do not need any expensive snake oil additives.Dick WhittingtonComment
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Re: Oil Change
I do not know if ZDDP is snake oil as it is what is in the CJ-4. I have not been able to find any CJ-4 in 10-30 and as cool as it is where I live like the idea of a little thinner oil at start up. I sure that this is probably wrong but that is what and why I do.Comment
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Re: Oil Change
To answer all your questions on engine oil for vintage Corvettes, including those that you haven't even thought to ask, download the following pdf and read the engine oil article, which starts on page three.
15W-40 is suitable for cold starts down to... ah, just read the friggin' article.
DukeComment
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Re: Oil Change
Thanks EveryoneComment
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Re: Oil Change
Joe, The winter weight is probably not a real issue as the car is not used in the winter unless it is a real nice day. In the specification for the 15w-40 it would be all right to use. Interesting article that Duke presented, In looking at oils a lot of it has to do what a person has had issues with in the past real or imagined. The thing with using ZDDP additive you should be able to insure you are getting the quantitiy you want. Rotella and its other brands state they have 1200ppm of ZDDP in their blend which they say is 50% more than the API SN/GF-5 passenger car oil. This leads one to believe that there is somewhere around 600 ppm in their car blends(Quote from Shell Technical not my opinion). I do not know if that will change with the current clean burn requirement for diesels. I am hiving my engine rebuilt and during the inspection there was no adverse wear on cam lifters etc and that was using my blend of Valvoline and ZDDP. I will be talking to the rebuilder for his recomendations.Comment
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Re: Oil Change
I did not make this up below is the quote from Shell
On Mon, 30 Jan 2012 05:48:42 -0800 you wrote:
Rotella T multi-grades (15W-40, 10W-30, 10W-40 & 5W-40) all have 1200
ppm ZDDP. This is 50% higher than current API SN/GF-5 passenger car
motor oils.
Thank you for your interest in Shell products. Richard Moore
They specify it in ppm. Maybe they do not know what they are talking about.
Just passing along what information I have, not trying to make any type of authoritve statements.Comment
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Re: Oil Change
Taken from your article;
The typical level of ZDDP in these oils based on the mass fraction of phosphorous (symbol "P" on the Periodic Chart of Elements) evolved to about 0.12%, which can also be expressed as 1200 ppm (parts per million, 0.10% equals 1000 ppm).
I have no idea what you are referring to.
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Re: Oil Change
Oil analysis is done with a mass spectrometer. This device breaks down the various molecules in the oil to their elemental components and the mass fraction of various basic elements like phosporous (associated with anti-wear additive) and calcium, which is associated with detergency, are measured. The ZDDP concentration is not measured directly.
The reason phosphorous was limited by API instead of zinc is that phosphorous can also occur in the oil molecules. Ideally, a good lubrication molecule should be what is known as a "saturated hydrocarbon" consisting of only carbon and hydrogen atoms and only single bonds between them.
But crude oil has a lot of molecules that have "contaminents" like a sulfur or phosphorous atom replacing at least one of the carbon atoms. Most of these "bad molecules" are removed during the refining process, but a few slip by, which is why API placed a limit on phosphorous rather than zinc since zinc molecules can't replace carbon molecules.
Some may consider this a fine point, but it's how the science and technology works, and there's no reason why people can't understand it.
The people that work customer support lines are mosty just off the street. I'm sure they get some training, but that doesn't mean their advice or statements are the Holy Grail. Often they mess up the details.
So now all you guys should know that when somebody starts talking about "ZDDP concentration" they have their head in a dark place and don't understand the basic science and analysis technology, but now you do.
It's all in the details!
Here's a link to the Product Data Sheet for Delo 400 LE 15W-40, which is one of the common national brands that you should find at auto parts and big box stores. I'm not endorsing Delo over any other 15W-40 CJ-4. It's just that they have IMO the best technical data available on the Web compared to other CJ-4 brands.
Note that it says nothilng about ZDDP, but does list the mass fraction of P, S, and Zn.
And for those of you who like to drive their cars regularly when the cold start temperature gets below 10-15F, here's the spec sheet on Delo 400 LE 10W-30. It's not commonly available in most climates but it IS available. Note that the analysis specs are similar, but not quite the same.
And here's the Product Data Sheet for Delo 400 CI-4 Plus 15W-40. Yes, it's still available and the best to use in diesel engines that can still legally use high sulfur diesel fuel like off-road farm and construction equipment. Note that the P and Zn analyses are nearly identical to CJ-4. The big difference is the higher base number of CI-4 Plus, which is necessary for the increased potential for acid formation when using high sulfur diesel fuel. Gasoline is low sulpher, so the lower base number of CJ-4 is perfectly adequate for all gasoline engines.
DukeComment
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Re: Oil Change
Well now I know not to believe what a company tells me, so I talked to the engine builder and he recommends Shaeffer oil, so that is what I will use and change it in the fall and I will use a Wix filter. Yes it is expensive but it is made in the USA, well that is what they said anyway.Comment
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