Oils, lubricants and fluids, what do you run and why?

[CJ]

This thread is to discuss what oils, lubricants and fluids you run in your CJ and why. (An offshoot of this post -->> http://www.jeep-cj.com/forums/f2/what-kind-transfer-case-transmisson-1269/index2.html#post8779 )

I'd like to know about engine oil and viscosity, trans, diff, brake, power steering (if so equipped), bearing grease, spring bushing grease and even coolant.

I'll start, I'm a castrol 20w50 racing oil fan for my 390, a cheap diff 90w and I can't even remember what I ran in my trans and transfer case... I think it was 90w as well?

I run the cheapest junk in the diffs as it always gets contaminated with water and I have to change it so damn often..

I've always used Kendall wheel bearing grease as it repels water pretty good.

Did I miss any? You tell me.

 

[elwood blues]

I used to run only Kendall oil. Kendall was oil pulled from the ground and refined in Oil City, PA, the birthplace of the oil industry. It was about an hour away from the town I grew up in. But they went under about a decade ago, after that I switched to Quaker State oil. Another PA brand, that's why I stick with it.

As for power steering fluid, brake fluid, etc, I started using Lucas Oil products a few years ago. It's good quality stuff, that's worth the price. Any grease I use is generally NAPA brand synthetic.

 

[BrockGrimes]

Ok here we go, worm meet can, LOL.

I run Brad Penn racing oil or Amsoil.
It depends on what I can find, sometimes they can be a pain to find,
not hard just not everyone carries them.
Brad Penn is endorsed by several large name CAM builders Crane and crower are a couple I can remember. The VW guys are fond of Amsoil, Brad Penn, and Mobile 1.
I know because I used to drive a bug.

There is more to oil than just picking a grade for a given temp, there are detergents, the stuff in the oil, i.e zinc, phosphorus, etc. anti-foaming, anti-wear additives, etc. etc. API certification, and ZDDP.

The problem is people get hung up on the ingrediants and forget the most important part which is what your using it for.

Example the best oil isn't always the best oil, by that I mean CJ drains the gear oil alot, so an expensive synthetic would be a waste for him (maybe) if he changes it that often is he really gaining a benefit from the extra wear protection of a synthetic, the money spent on a synthetic over the life of a part might outway the cost of a replacement part. So the cost would be the deciding factor and not the worn part.

Even novak if i'm not mistaken I think I read on their site recommends a good dino oil in a gear box and not synthetics.

I've seen reports where synthetics actually don't transfer heat as well as dino oil. The part might look like it's not wearing as fast but the heat built up in the part is killing it along with bearings etc.

One of many sites listing oil stuff:
Motor Oil Myths and Facts
Found it on a quick search there are others.

My friend basically took an engine and ran it and rebuilt it for each oil test.
Looked for heat, wear, mileage, and power, a few other things but those are the most interesting to people.

btw, castrol is used as the worst control sample, lol, I was suprised to as that was what I was using.

I knew amsoil was good and knew of mobile 1's rep. but was surprised by brad penn and was surprised that royal purple didn't place as high, it was in the top 5 if I remember correctly.

I'll try to get the test results from him it's been a year or 3, i forget, time flys.

BTW ignore my spelling I spell everything like it sounds, and combined with nerve damage in my right hand and being a fast typer, it's a PITA.

 

[dalefan88]

i got castrol high milage 10w30 in the engine. if running thicker is better let me know. everyone with yjs around here dump anything in them.

i got coastal 80-90 in diffs, trans, & transfer. thats what we sell at work.

lucas bearing grease cause it said it was water resistant.

 

[elwood blues]

More stupid knowledge for ya' Brock. Brad Penn oil is an old Kendall oil plant in Bradford PA.

 

[chuck35f]

As from were this started, in 4wds I have previously worked with we have used marine lubricants for dealing with the water issues in mud bogging. to keep things on the cheap we have even used a five gallon can with a spigot on the bottom to separate the water out after making several runs through the mud, and with a coffee filter we would let it filter through after a couple of days(the water settled to the bottom) and boom you have good lube again, as the lube was not old, just contaminated with water, which settled to the bottom. We were all in the army then, and to put it nicely, we qualified for food stamps then, so if we could "recycle" it we did. We were told the marine was meant for the water and did better at "containing" the water away from the metal parts. I have read recently though that "red" grease has a higher shock load for bearings and is just as good for water resistance, this is the last link I looked at that I think most readily applies to what we are primarily disusing this for Advice Needed: Red Grease, Marine Grease, Synthetic Grease, Marine Synthetic mixes - JeepForum.com Well that is my $.02 for this one.
Chuck

 

[BrockGrimes]

More stupid knowledge for ya' Brock. Brad Penn oil is an old Kendall oil plant in Bradford PA.

I'm familiar with Kendall, I used them at one time.

I do use some marine spec stuff also.

 

[GPER]

I have used Castrol Syntec 10-40 in the XJ and CJ for man many years. I use the synthetic Mobil 1 grease and the Coastol gear lube for a long time also.

 

[Old Dog]

for the engine I use Shell Rotella as it is said to have the additives to make flat tappet cams hold up.
TC & diffs. I'm like CJ just everyday 80-90w as they get changed offten.
As for greese its Wolfhead red for everything.
some good sites about filters:
ISO 5011 Duramax Air Filter Test Report

Oil Filters Revealed - MiniMopar Resources

 

[BrockGrimes]

They say DL5 gear oil will cause shifting issues, and to use DL4 if you can find it.

 

[Petescj]

Im suprised at the Castrol contingent here. I thought there would be more variation. Castrol 10 w-30 and Wolfhead 80 or 90 wt. for the t-case , diffs etc.