Oil for older engines

[Dolf]

I’ve got a 1986 AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l straight-six and I’ve been reading about how some engine oils don’t have all of the proper lubricants (ZDPH, etc.) for older engines, specifically for the valve train. Some people are using diesel engine oil, or using conventional oil and putting in an additive like Chevrolet Performance E.O.S. Additive 88862586 to protect the cam. On the other hand, if there is too much zinc, it can plug up a catalytic converter. Has anybody here had any experience with this problem? Thanks.

 

[rufus1138]

oil questions will get all kinds of opinions and range all over the map, do the research, there are articles galore about different oils to use for different applications all i will say is that all oils are NOT created equal and must be matched to the application.

 

[Torxhead]

I would say Rotella works good in my AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l . It seems to keep the once sticky lifters pretty clean. I have not heard of too much zinc though. I have not had any issues with the smog man saying that my converter is bad either.

 

[Petescj]

I would say Rotella works good in my AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l . It seems to keep the once sticky lifters pretty clean. I have not heard of too much zinc though. I have not had any issues with the smog man saying that my converter is bad either.

Thats what Im using now. I never had a quieter AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l .

 

[Dan86CJ7]

you guys running the 15w40?

 

[Petescj]

I am.

you guys running the 15w40?

 

[Neuner]

What's a 'Catalytic Converter'?

 

[Hedgehog]

Where do you get this Rotella oil. I've never heard of it and I do pay attention to things like that.

Several years ago now there was much written about the new oil formulas in relationship to aircooled engines. In this case Harley-Davidsons. Since I was running and repairing a shovelhead at the time I paid close attention. What I got out of it was, the old reliable 10-40 was NOT reliable and should be removed from the shelves. There was something chemically wrong with the jump between 10 and 30. 5w-10, and 10w-15 were good to go. The other part was that the heavier oils were the same as the older oil. So, 30, 40, 50 and 20w50 were safe for air cooled and older engines. The articles went on to say that most water cooled engines had nothing to worry about due to the relatively tight heat ranges they lived in. Air cooled engines were another story all together. They live with a wide temperature range where excessive heat would be a killer to a water cooled engine. I prefered to run 20w-50 in my H-D so I figured I was good to go.

 

[hole]

IIRC Rotela is Shell Oil's brand of 15w40. Personally I'm a Valvoline guy, but I'm sure just about any 15w40 diesel rated oil will show your AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l some love. My lifters told me they were happy within 100 miles of switching to 15w40 from straight 30w

 

[Tinman22]

ZDDP values and High Zinc Oils • Speed Talk

Pretty good reading . I've been running delvac simply because I have 55 gallon drums of it, and it's a better oil.

 

[WHATROAD]

Not certain how wide spread the chain is by I have been buying rotella at Orielys auto parts. They have been stocking it in both the quart and 1 gallon sizes.

 

[Tinman22]

Wal-mart also carries rotella and delvac as well as one other diesel specific oil. They also seem to have the lowest prices. No wal-mart? Try the closest truck stop.

 

[mtnwhlr]

I always use the High mileage oil in mine.

 

[Hedgehog]

I've never looked in the diesel oil section. It's probably always been there, never actually looked.

 

[Dolf]

Where do you get this Rotella oil. I've never heard of it and I do pay attention to things like that.

Several years ago now there was much written about the new oil formulas in relationship to aircooled engines. In this case Harley-Davidsons. Since I was running and repairing a shovelhead at the time I paid close attention. What I got out of it was, the old reliable 10-40 was NOT reliable and should be removed from the shelves. There was something chemically wrong with the jump between 10 and 30. 5w-10, and 10w-15 were good to go. The other part was that the heavier oils were the same as the older oil. So, 30, 40, 50 and 20w50 were safe for air cooled and older engines. The articles went on to say that most water cooled engines had nothing to worry about due to the relatively tight heat ranges they lived in. Air cooled engines were another story all together. They live with a wide temperature range where excessive heat would be a killer to a water cooled engine. I prefered to run 20w-50 in my H-D so I figured I was good to go.

The wife and I have a couple of H-D’s. I was told by a wrench once that H-D oil is essentially diesel oil because of the additives, and that it doesn’t foam up as much as automobile oil does. Foamy oil isn’t good for a bike. Never checked if the wrench was right or not, but I thought it was an interesting comment.

 

[Hedgehog]

For a while H-D was making a big stink about people using oil other than their own. That prompted a bunch of investigation along with several articles on H-D's claims of superiority. LArgely they said that H-D was full of it .... oops, lets just say that they were over stating theis claims. That was about the time H-D was saying that synthetic oils caused the bearings to skid in their races destroying engines. It wasn't long before H-D came out with synthetic oils of their own. In most parts of the country their regulat dyno oil was fine, but down here in the HOT south 110d temps made life difficult for less heat resistent dino oil. Down here, in an air cooled engine synthedic oils are far more durable. In my old Shovelhead I lied to use a synthedic blend. It kept the engine running happily for many years. "The best running Shovelhead I've ever driven." was the comment by the few mechanics I used for specialty applications.

 

[PaRenegade]

Interesting article and sounds legit, but those guys were busting on the poster and I'm not sure why.
I've been running Pennzoil in my vehicles for decades now, 10w-40 in the summer and 10w-30 in the winter. I started my Jeep, in 82, using Kendall but switched a few years later. Never had any issues but then I never had to tear things apart to check for wear. And recently when I did tear my engine half way apart, after 150k+ miles I didn't notice any obvious wear, nor did I mic anything either. The blocks interior was covered with blackened oil but after that many miles I figured it was expected.
So It has me wondering, are we splitting hairs here? If it's not a high performance racing issue, does it really matter to any great extent? Playin' devils advocate here.

 

[Tinman22]

The real issue with valvetrain wear lies in valve spring pressures. Most of the failure complaints come from the high performance sector. I've got a 355 that has been together for over 8 years in several trucks .it's got a .459/.486 and no signs of wear at all on castrol 20/50 but not a lot of miles as its off road only.

I did just take apart a AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l 1977 model the bores are good with .002 wear and the pistons are reuseable bearings were also pretty good. But the rockers and pedastals and all the valve tips were shot and you could eat soup out of the lifters. The cam also measured well below spec. The odo showed just under 200k and the last 3 years were off road also .


shoot? I don't know

Gramma never smoked and died from lung cancer.

 

[jeremy5780]

Thats what Im using now. I never had a quieter AMC 258 i6 / 4.2l .

same here

 

[Lumpy Grits]

Been use'n Castrol 20W-50 for 29 years in my CJ. It now has 119K+ miles and other than reseal'n the valve cover a few times. Have NEVER been inside for any reason.
Via a FAA certified oil pressure gauge. I have hot oil(desert, summer)psi of 27 and at 2500rpm shows 57 psi.
LG