Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

[Keith B.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

is there any evidence that the oils recommended by Duke are inadequate?

Yes Duke recommends the cheapest oil avalible at none other then Wal-Mart. If I learned anything is for these priceless artifacts we must run the most expensive everything. Because the more it cost the better it has to be.

[Gene M.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

Yes Duke recommends the cheapest oil avalible at none other then Wal-Mart. If I learned anything is for these priceless artifacts we must run the most expensive everything. Because the more it cost the better it has to be.

Personally I don’t care what he says, I not going to put Walmart cheapest oil in my car. You get what you pay for.

[Michael W.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

is there any evidence that the oils recommended by Duke are inadequate?

so I'll take that as a 'no', you have no evidence.

[Mark E.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

so I'll take that as a 'no', you have no evidence.

These ongoing oil debates are so entertaining, I suggest the administrator consolidate them all into one thread so we can easily read the point-counterpoint. ;-)

I see both sides. No evidence maybe. But 5 quarts of Mobil 1 is only $13 more than Walmart's cheapest. Is $13 per oil change worth a possibility of less wear and varnish?

[Michael W.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

These ongoing oil debates are so entertaining, I suggest the administrator consolidate them all into one thread so we can easily read the point-counterpoint. ;-)

I see both sides. No evidence maybe. But 5 quarts of Mobil 1 is only $13 more than Walmart's cheapest. Is $13 per oil change worth a possibility of less wear and varnish?

But Mobil 1 is not a suitable oil.

[Keith B.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

Personally I don’t care what he says, I not going to put Walmart cheapest oil in my car. You get what you pay for.

Some one is bottling the oil for Wal-Mart so there oil is the same as a major brand. Who’s I don’t know.

[Darryl D.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

You get what you pay for.

No in this case. There are not really as many manufacturers of motor oil as you might think. The ones that actually do make it private label for everyone else. I certainly would not spend anything extra for the boutique oil providers.

[John D.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

The oil in my 67 expires by time not by miles. I change it every year or so. Some of it self changes from the few drips from the rear of the intake manifold onto my garage floor.

[Jerry K.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

I asked many engine builders over the year and they have as many different opinions as there are brands of oil. The last guy I asked was the engine builder for Paragon Reproductions and he recommended Brad Penn 30 weight. That is what many of my friends use, the most important thing is change the oil often, at least spring at the start of the driving season and check often, both level of oil and for heavy gas smell (carburetor) engines leak down and contaminate (thin) the oil. Always change the filter and put one quart directly in filter canister.

[Mark E.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

But Mobil 1 is not a suitable oil.

Mobil designed their synthetic 15w-50 for flat tappets: 1200 ppm P; 1300 ppm Zn.

[Patrick H.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

Mobil designed their synthetic 15w-50 for flat tappets: 1200 ppm P; 1300 ppm Zn.

Or Castrol Edge 5w-50.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[Duke W.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

the most important thing is change the oil often, at least spring at the start of the driving season.

Nope, for those who store their car during the winter, the oil should be changed just before storage. That way there is fresh oil in the crankcase during the storage period, and when you start it in the spring the oil will be as fresh as the day you poured it in the prior fall. And, of course, you don't start the car during the winter - just let it hibernate until spring, like a grizzly bear.

If you drive less than 1000 miles per year, the oil is clean and the engine is nice and tight with a properly functioning PCV system, I see no problem running C-category oil for a couple of years. I'm down to about 500 miles per year on my vintage cars and that's what I'm doing. After a year and about 500 miles the oil looks as clean as the day I poured it in, which means there has been insignificant oxidation. Even after two years and about 1000 miles I can barely detect any darkening, but I change it anyway, which is probably overkill.

One reason is that though I drive them infrequently when they are in service, I don't do short trips, so the oil gets hot enough, long enough, to burn off any blowby and condensation that forms during cold start and warm-up.

Also, some who obsess over engine oil forget about other time-limited fluids like conventional DOT 3/4 brake fluid and antifreeze. Both should be changed at least every five years regardless of mileage. Also, it's a good idea to change transmission and axle oil at least every 30K miles (no time limitation, especially Positraction axle oil because clutch pack wear particles contaminate the oil.

Duke

[Brian K.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

Duke,
I have been following your recs on oil for years and thanks for the reminder, I converted to HOAT antifreeze about 6 years back so time to change that too. I too do the 2 year thing at 1k miles coincidentally.

Anyway, my neighbor belongs to a Healy club. They had a guest speaker who was an oil industry engineer with credentials to speak on it (please don't ask because i wasn't there) but his spiel on the diesel oil thing was that it has way too much detergent and washes off everything including the oil. You should just buy the best quality non synthetic recommended grade oil and add Camshield. I'm not buying it because diesel is an internal combustion engine and has much the same lube needs. I always understood detergent as a surfactant that held contaminants in suspension for the filter to remove. Not that it would let oil run off a cylinder wall like rain off a waxed hood.

I wondered if you had heard this slant or what your take on it is.
Thanks,
Brian

[Dick W.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

I have been running the diesel oils in my vehicles since about 1961 or so. I started with Mil spec 2104B and have come up to the current CK spec oil. Never had a problem remotely related to motor oil.

[Chris S.]

Re: Best Engine Oil with enough Zinc

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/
Good reading
read on here for years.......