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Engine oil

Gene Brink

By Gene Brink
in Buick - General

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EmTee 25,000+ Points

EmTee

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21 minutes ago, 60FlatTop said:

I bought a 5 Qt. jug of full synthetic 5-30 NAPA oil for $22.

I've been doing that for the last 3 or 4 years after discovering it.  They used to run a sale twice a year (Spring/Fall) and I'd stock-up.  I haven't seen it at my local NAPA this year - I think they are phasing it out.  :(

 

WRT the video above, if you don't want to hear the BLUF, stop reading now.  Bottom line is even the cheapest full-synthetic oil outperforms a quality name-brand conventional oil.  Oh, and if you're thinking about running VR-1 in your daily driver at even the severe-duty drain intervals -- don't.  The additives used in racing oils perform well for race cars or classic cars that have short (limited mileage) change intervals, but they are depleted fairly quickly (no 5,000 mile oil changes).

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60FlatTop 25,000+ Points

60FlatTop

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I am down to less than 800 miles per year on my most driven old car. Under 500 on the others and change my oil annually. And keep them in a heated garage. I could probably go to two years if my memory was better.

 

NAPA online is good. Pick up the order the next day.

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NTX5467 25,000+ Points

NTX5467

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Also watch his videos on oxidation of "old oil", even when it is new in the bottle (as the rear axle lube was when it was tested 20 years later).

 

He also has some vids he has done for the Porsche Club, which are interesting and relate more to the vintage car orientation.  Get into a comfortable seat and enjoy!

 

I found the comments about VR-1 interesting as almost everyone has touted it for older car use, due to the "gasoline-rated" zddp levels in it.  NOT to be used in any modern "direct-injection" motor, though, due to the higher calcium levels.

 

NTX5467

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Marty Roth 25,000+ Points

Marty Roth

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On 8/27/2024 at 9:33 AM, 60FlatTop said:

I haven't had a chance to watch the video but last week I bought a 5 Qt. jug of full synthetic 5-30 NAPA oil for $22. That is relabeled Valvoline.

Similar - I bought several cases of NAPA Full Synthetic when they had an exceptional sale, and saved an additional 20% on a special offer, Plus an extra 5% for being an AAA Member,

but my choice here in the hotter part of the country was their 15W-50 - excellent blend, in my opinion.

Other than that, when it on sale at Sam's Club, I also buy Shell Rotella 15W-40, both for my Diesel, and for some of the older models and flat tappet engines.

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EmTee 25,000+ Points

EmTee

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9 hours ago, Marty Roth said:

Other than that, when it on sale at Sam's Club, I also buy Shell Rotella 15W-40, both for my Diesel, and for some of the older models and flat tappet engines.

I'm currently running Mobil Delvac 15W-40 in my '38 Buick and my 130 HP Mercruiser I-4.  I buy the 5 gallon pail at Walmart, which works out to about $3.50 a quart.

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Barney Eaton 25,000+ Points

Barney Eaton

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This is one of those subjects that everyone has their opinion/beliefs. 

I have my oil choice and change routine and it is possible that others do not agree. 

So like the subject of religion,   I will keep my oil choice to myself. 

Also in 65 years of driving and owning lots of vehicles (30+ Corvairs as one example)

I have never turned or replaced a brake drum or rotor.... may be just luck and I am easy 

on brakes, my GMC just turned 100K and the pads may be half worn. 

Edited by Barney Eaton (see edit history)
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Marty Roth 25,000+ Points

Marty Roth

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7 hours ago, EmTee said:

I'm currently running Mobil Delvac 15W-40 in my '38 Buick and my 130 HP Mercruiser I-4.  I buy the 5 gallon pail at Walmart, which works out to about $3.50 a quart.

I also recently bought Mobil Delvac on sale. 

I wonder if there is any potential interaction between Rotella and Delvac, and if there's any reason not to use one behind the other, or not to mix them?

 

Your thoughts??

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EmTee 25,000+ Points

EmTee

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16 hours ago, Marty Roth said:

Your thoughts??

The Mobil Delvac 1300 15W-40 that I'm using is API certified for both diesel (CK-4) and gas engines (SN).  FWIW, I have been using Rotella T1 SAE 30 in my lawn tractor for years now.  That is dual certified as CF-2 / SL.

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NTX5467 25,000+ Points

NTX5467

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The API changed their certification process that such dual-certifications can't happen any more.  I'm not sure what the real-world implications are for used engines running diesel-rated oils in them are, as to the alleged "diesel" type of zddp rather than the car-rated zddp.  Lake Speed Jr claims there is a difference, but there are still LOTS of wear areas in a diesel engine that can benefit from zddp, too, other than just the camshaft.  Like crankshaft and rod bearings.  Note that "Rotella Gas Triuck Oil" meets the same OEM specs as normal car oils do.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

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EmTee 25,000+ Points

EmTee

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8 hours ago, NTX5467 said:

I'm not sure what the real-world implications are for used engines running diesel-rated oils...

To be clear, I'm not advocating use of HDEO (i.e., diesel oil) in anything with OBD-II emission controls.

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NTX5467 25,000+ Points

NTX5467

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I highly suspect that anything OBD-II would have roller valve lifters already.

 

In one respect, as Mr. Speed, Jr., mentioned, the high zddp oils also had lots of calcium in them, back then.  Those two need to be "in balance", I believe.  He also mentioned that with less calcium, then less zddp is needed.  The current API SP rated oils have less calcium due to the affect of calcium on low speed spark knock (and the massive piston damage that can result!!!) for Gas Direct Injection motors.  Woith less calcium, the 900ppm zddp spec level works just fine.  With the prior high-calcium formulations, the least amount of zddp that was considered "safe" was 1000ppm, which is what the old "SL" rating had, dino or syn.

 

Enjoy!

NTX5467

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NTX5467 25,000+ Points

NTX5467

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Yes they did.  When the API said a dual rating was not possible, a few years ago.

 

From the oil analysis, Rotella diesel-rated oil evolved into a little bit lower zddp from when I started paying attention to that, when the "CI" rating was in effect, but still was about 1200ppm zddp, down from the prior 1400ppm zddp.  So still above the "SL" (gas) level of 1000zddp level.

 

I need to do more research to better understand some of the "conflicting data" I've been seeing on YouTube on motor oils.

 

In the mean time, where's that VR-1?

 

NTX5467

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NTX5467 25,000+ Points

NTX5467

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It has more zddp than an "SL" oil has to have, with the appropriate "counterers" to keep the additional zddp from becoming "toxic"
 in the mix.  Which also means it's NOT approved for direct injection gas engines!

 

NTX5467

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Frank DuVal 25,000+ Points

Frank DuVal

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On 9/11/2024 at 3:53 PM, Marty Roth said:

if there is any potential interaction between Rotella and Delvac, and if there's any reason not to use one behind the other, or not to mix them?

No, mix as needed. It is an old wives tale not to mix oil brands or weights. There may have been a time this was an issue, not now. It's not like the different soap bases in greases. 

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NTX5467 25,000+ Points

NTX5467

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Even back when wives were telling tales, all USA motor oils that met a particular Government Spec, so the government could buy anything they wanted, at the lowest bidder price, and it would not cause compatibility issues.

 

In one of the recent "The Motor OIl Geek" YT channel vids, Mr. Speed, Jr. mentions that it takes up to two full oil changes to get all of the "old oil brand" out of the motor.  Due to the amount of residual oil left in the block and passages when the ol is changed.  This can be important if oil analysis is being done.

 

Consider, too, that even in the same brand/product/viscosity, the formulations CAN change over time.  So "incognito changes" are made as the customer does not know the difference.  Might be that an oil is now "Dexos Approved", which means a different formulation, just as the new SP API rating is different from prior "SL" or "SM" ratings, as to formulations.

 

Just some thoughts,

NTX5467

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Oilglup

Oilglup

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For anyone interested, we’ve got a whole museum on the history of motor oils, with stories and full VOA analyses (elements, viscosity, base number, composition, etc) from oils going as far back as the 1940s right up to the 1980s. There’s a lotta focus on synthetics too, since the first Prestone synthetic oil was released in the U.S. in the late 1940s. You can switch the site to English if you scroll down to the bottom. There’s even some gems like the Shell X-100 ash-free from 1960, known for being packed with additives but no any ZDDP/Me-detergents. Definitely something worth a look (including a more detailed description of over 30 exhibits).

 

https://oil-glup.ru/forums/muzej-istorii-motornyx-masel.12/

 

To switch to English for navigation, please refer to the bottom of the page via the provided link.

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NTX5467 25,000+ Points

NTX5467

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I don't mean to be disrespectful, I DO appreciate the link, but I am a little leery of logging into a Russian account in order to view the trove of information there.  When I go into www.bobistheoilguy, I am a registered member, but I don't need to log-in to look at the forums and oil information there.

 

I did change the language at the bottom, but still encountered Russian in many areas.  I'm sorry, just not comfortable with that.

 

Respectfully,

NTX5467

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