Here is an announcement for a new oil from Hemmings (?) for old cars. Not sure about the SJ rating, but it does have more Zn and P than the latest CJ-4s.
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Big Tanks In the High Mountains of New Mexico -
Re: New Hemmings Oil??? A question for Duke
It's selling for $9 to $11.65 a quart. Do we get a kiss when we're done paying? -
Re: New Hemmings Oil??? A question for Duke
Yep, pretty pricey, maybe it's for folks with Duesenbergs?Big Tanks In the High Mountains of New MexicoComment
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Re: New Hemmings Oil??? A question for Duke
...another "boutique" oil. Everyone wants to get into the game because it is so profitable playing the "they took all the zinc out of oil" myth on gullible vintage car owners.
The MAXIMUM P and Zn concentrations for both S and C category oils before limitations went into effect were about 1200/1300 ppm, and back in the fifties and into the sixties both were less than 1000. CJ-4 is now limited to 1100 P, which is about 1200 Zn - hardly a "drastic" reduction. So CJ-4 is more than adequate for any OE valvtrain. Also, some studies have shown that Zn concentrations over 1400 ppm can lead to exotic long term corrosion mechanisms, which is why, in the past, API oils never went over 1300 Zn.
SJ is an obsolete API category, and if my understanding of the API 1509 document (available to anyone at www.api.org ) is correct it is no longer available for licensing, but as long as they don't use the API "donut", they can probably get away with calling it SJ in their marketing material, but without the donut, it is NOT API certified. Also, the oxidation resistance requirement of SJ was less stringent than current categories, so this oil could be blended from cheaper, less durable base stocks than current SM and CJ-4 oils.
You can buy a gallon jug of CJ-4 at Walmart for what a quart of this stuff costs, but then there's that story about a fool and his money...
Of course, everything I said above is clearly stated in the engine oil article I authored that was published in The Corvette Restorer back in 2009. A slightly edited version was published in the St. Louis Chapter July 2011 newsletter, which is available online:
The article begins on page 3 and nothing has changed since that edit in mid 2011. The current C and S categories are still CJ-4 and SM, and once a category is approved, the specs don't change. Any change in the specs will require new API categories. When that happens, I'll be sure to let you all know what the changes are and what, if any, potential bad effects they might have on our vintage engines.
BTW, I'm thinking about a new business venture: "Duke's Special Exotic Hydrocarbon Cocktail Engine Oil for Vintage Sports and Muscle Cars" It will be a 0W-60 synthetic good for 25,000 miles or 25 years of service, which ever comes first, and it will have 2500 ppm Zn. I figure the elimination of those pesky annual oil changes will result in huge sales at a mere $25 per quart. (Note that all the key numbers are multiples of "25". Boy, am I a slick marketing guy!)
Anyone interested?
DukeLast edited by Duke W.; September 21, 2012, 12:18 PM.Comment
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