40 wt. Non Detergent oil

[pitman]

I have a 1929 International 4 dr. Chevy in Arizona. QUESTION: In your opinion is 40 Wt. oil TOO HEAVY to use in this OLD 6 CYL. ENGINE?  I currently use 30 wt.--But have a case of 40 I would like to use up----- if it will not harm the engine.  Since our temps are HOT I kind of assume it would work OK-----ANY OPINIONS?

[Guest]

I would say it is too heavy unless you have a particular problem you are trying to solve.  When I started driving my daily driver in 1959, with 99,000 miles on it , was burning oil badly.  My Grandfather had gone from 30wt Mobiloil to 40wt.  It had been burning some oil and the consumption and smoke increased.  At the time I was working at a GM dealership.  A mechanic there said to go to a thinner oil.  I went back to 30 wt and the next change went to 20 wt.  This was the thinnest oil that had ever been in the engine.  Within a thousand miles it stopped smoking and the oil consumption came down to about a quart per thousand miles.  I drove that car another 80,000 miles before overhauling the engine.  Of course this was all in a full pressure system.  I would think that thinner oil would be even more important in an engine with dippers.  One man's opinion only.  By the way my car has over 500,000 miles on it now (with two more engine overhauls).

[JFranklin]

See my response in the Model T Ford forum. for the other car. Use the oil in this rig or your lawn mower.