Suggestions for oil change

[hawkdriver 14]

Hello All,

 

I looking at doing an oil change this will be the first since i bought my stang. engine is stock 351W. I have read a lot of preferred brands and weights, as well as additives. i have no engine mods and am not looking at doing any in the immediate future. So what do you suggest on Brand weight and additives.

[Grabber70Mach 107]

I haven't used it yet, but am going with this additive for the ZZPD problems with newer oils.

 

http://www.cam-shield.com/

[Boogerschnot 12]

Im running 10w 30 penziol

[Boogerschnot 12]

im running penzoil 10w 30 right now with a motocraft fl1a filter.. if you seem to be burning oil right now or if has been a while since your motor was refreshed or its just a worn motor, you may want to go to a heavier weight. 10w 40 or 15w 40.. it will help keep your oil pressure up.

[S code 69 13]

There is no right answer for every application, but for my cars since I only drive them in the warm months I use 30W and zinc.

 

The brand and weights are more or less a matter of opinion most are fine, but the zinc is a requirment.

[Justafordguy 10]

What does the zinc do and where do you get it?

[S code 69 13]

Zinc is what keeps your flat tappet cam alive, all oils used to have it, then most deisel oils still had it , now only some race oils have it.

 

The problem with zinc is it can ruin a converter, so since our old flat tappets are a thing of the past so is zinc. I bought a few cases of the old GM EOS, but cam ZZDP and a few other additives are still on the market as Grabber's link below shows. run race oil with zinc in it or add it, one way or another keep it in there.

[1BAD351 21]

Honestly I Am not a fan of additives as they can react with other oil additives something so I run straight up Amsoil 15-40 diesel oil. It has a very high zink content and the friction modifiers in it are plenty enough for my flat tappet cam. IIRC factory oil is supposed to be 15-40 or 20-50, it was something thick, I'll have to check my owners manual.

 

Here is what I run, I buy 2.5 gallons at a time, it's not cheap but only the best for my baby.

 

http://www.amsoil.com/storefront/dme.aspx

 

For you guys that know what all the specs mean check them out, its some pretty good stuff. Oh yeah and this crap will really keep your engine clean too, it's made to keep sooty diesels clean. I noticed a lot of cleaning being done in my other car when I Started to run this. Within 2k miles it looked as if the oil had 4k miles on it. MY engine only has 5k miles on it, so this is in there to make sure it stays clean forever :)

Edited August 4, 2009 by 1BAD351

[S code 69 13]

15-40 and 20-50 didn't exist in 1969, most people ran 10-40, 10-30 or 30W . zinc additives are fine, if the oil you're buying has zinc in it and few do, that means it was added to it so it doesn't matter who puts it in.

 

The Amsoil says it's for pre 2007 deisels so it should be good stuff, I'd probably use it if I couldn't get the additives cheaper.

[1BAD351 21]

15-40 and 20-50 didn't exist in 1969, most people ran 10-40, 10-30 or 30W . zinc additives are fine, if the oil you're buying has zinc in it and few do, that means it was added to it so it doesn't matter who puts it in.

 

The Amsoil says it's for pre 2007 deisels so it should be good stuff, I'd probably use it if I couldn't get the additives cheaper.

 

Interesting, I always thought older cars run thicker oil due to the larger oil galleys and such vs most of todays engines.

 

Anyway, yeah it's not cheap stuff, but I really like it, you can become a prefered member I think its called and get it cheaper, or jsut become friends with a dealer and get it even cheaper:shifty:

[Black_69_FB 49]

I like Valvoline VR-1 10W30

[zerfetzen 10]

I was reading in Hot Rod a while back that 10-anything is not enough for our cars, so I use 20W50. Synthetic's better than mineral no questions asked, but you also want to make sure you get the proper zinc levels. You could use an additive, but why do that when it can be incorporated correctly without mixing? I use Royal Purple synthetic 20W50 racing oil. It's synthetic, has sufficient zinc without needing additives, and is a great weight for classic muscle. Because of the 50, you'll keep your oil pressure up as well. That's my 2 cents. Cheers.

[Jurisd 10]

I was wondering about this question as well. My local shop recommended 5w-30, because I live in a temperature-moderated climate (SoCal), so I don't really have to worry about extremes. The trade-off in using the thinner oil is that it will coat quicker on start-up.

 

I'm not sure how comfortable I am with that guidance, so I wanted to get your collective wisdom on using thinner than 10W when in ~70-85 degree temps.

Edited August 6, 2009 by Jurisd
typo

[S code 69 13]

These old engines were not designed to run the new lightweight oils unless it was oh my god cold , and you don't need a heavy one either but I don't see why it would hurt anything if you're in warm weather.

 

Look at almost any owners manual from the day and it will say for temps above 32 use 10-30, 10-40 or 30W. it also says 10-30 and 10-40 are suitable year round if temps drop as low as 10 degrees.

 

I like 30W as it's more consistant and I never drive in cold weather that would require anything lighter. I'll say it again I'd rather have the cheapest oil of any weight with zinc added than a new high quality smogger oil with no zinc.

[zerfetzen 10]

That's a good point about what's recommended in the owner's manuals, you can definitely run 10W mineral oil, so I want to correct my prior post, which should have stated that if you opt for synthetic oil, then 10W is not enough, according to Hot Rod.

[Jurisd 10]

I'll say it again I'd rather have the cheapest oil of any weight with zinc added than a new high quality smogger oil with no zinc.

 

So I went to three auto parts stores, and nothing jumped out at me as a zinc-additive for oil. In fact, I saw that the high mileage and Royal Purple oils also don't expressly call out zinc as an additive.

 

Is there a particular name or brand to look for in order to find the zinc additive?

[Grabber70Mach 107]

Don't think you will find the zinc additives in stores.

 

Only two I know of:

 

http://www.cam-shield.com/

 

http://www.zddplus.com/

[69cobraman 10]

Hello Guys,

I will try to attach the techanical bulliton for Amsoil with the ZDDP.

[NJ_Bob 10]

Hello Guys,

I will try to attach the techanical bulliton for Amsoil with the ZDDP.

 

This is good info, thanks. I've been trying to find info like this - so far only Mobil 1 gives you Zinc/Phos levels in their oil in a chart & it's too low. I bought some ZDDPlus in a speed shop, but I'd rather not use additives.

[NJ_Bob 10]

15-40 and 20-50 didn't exist in 1969, most people ran 10-40, 10-30 or 30W . zinc additives are fine, if the oil you're buying has zinc in it and few do, that means it was added to it so it doesn't matter who puts it in.

 

The Amsoil says it's for pre 2007 deisels so it should be good stuff, I'd probably use it if I couldn't get the additives cheaper.

 

Actually SM oils have about 800ppm. Since we need about 1400ppm, you have to use an additive, but zddplus tells you to use the whole bottle since it picks up water if it sits open on the shelf (like brake fluid) which will give you a crazy amount of zinc & phos. I heard that too much is no good either.