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By f-fun2 - 15 Years Ago
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Guys, getting ready to change the oil for the first time since buying the truck(272 motor). What do you recommend for motor oil? I live in Florida where the climate is quite hot and humid most of the year. Also, truck has auto trans - which tranny fluid should I be using? Thanks again.
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By paul2748 - 15 Years Ago
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You may get plenty of opinions on this, so here is mine.
Oil - Rotella T 15/40 . Any name brand 20/50 oil
Trans - if a Fordo, Type F or Dexron III
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By 46yblock - 15 Years Ago
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15/40 for down in the corner.
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By Carson - 15 Years Ago
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suggest you search oil on this web site lots of previous info on oil for flat tappet Y blocks I like www.bradpennracing.com giddy up
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By f-fun2 - 15 Years Ago
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What is best 10W30 or 10W40?
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By speedpro56 - 15 Years Ago
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10W 40
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By Rono - 15 Years Ago
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F-Fun2; Whatever oil you choose, these motors need zinc in the oil for proper lubrication of the flat bottom lifters. I think the Rotella has enough zinc, but i use a ZDDP additive to my 10-40 Amsoil. Just my 2 cents worth. rono
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By Ted - 15 Years Ago
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If using an oil that has ‘SM’ in the API starburst on the container, then stick with an oil that has at least 40W in the labeling (ie. 10W-40 or 20W-50). This will insure that the necessary zinc/phosporus (ZDDP) content is adequate for the older camshaft and lifter design that’s in these engines. The condition of the engine will dictate if you need to use a oil that has a heavier than normal weight or viscosity but for most engines in reasonably good condition, a 10W-40 oil will suffice. Other than this, use a brand of oil that you are comfortable with.
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By f-fun2 - 15 Years Ago
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Thanks everyone, I think I may go with the Rotella as I have heard from more than one source that it is the way to go as far as zinc content is concerned.
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By YukonCor55 - 15 Years Ago
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I've been using Brad Penn 20W50 in my 55 Ranch Wagon for the past 2 years. My engine is old and the valve springs are pretty soft but I figured a little ZDDP and Pennsylvania parrafin couldn't hurt 'em! Anyway, the guy I normally get it from closed his business so I'm on my own. A little online research steered me toward either Valvoline or Kendall "racing oil." I dropped by the local Auto Zone to check it out. Valvoline was $4.50/qt and Kendall was $3.50/qt so I just switched to Kendall GT 20W50 with added Zinc and "Liquid Titanium." I'm sure that titanium will seal up all of the grooves in my old cylinder walls and the blue smoke will stop immediately!!
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By NM56F100 - 15 Years Ago
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Is it not important to know if this engine has been rebuilt and is running a new style filter. If it has always had non detergent won't the addition of detergent fowl up some stuff?
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By lovefordgalaxie - 15 Years Ago
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I use Motorcraft oil, 20W50 SJ with two botles of Militec 1. I'm having great results with this.
The SJ oils still have the ZDDP necessary to older engines with flat tappets like ours. Since Ford discontinued the SJ API rating around here last year, I bought some four cases of 24 quarts each from my delaler last January. After using them all, I plan to add some ZDDP aditive to a SL 20W50 oil.The Brazilian Galaxie's service manual says that 20W50 oil is the choice for hotter climates, like we have in Brazil. In the USA, (unless you are in Florida or Arizona, for example), I think a 20W40 would be a fine choice.
Our Motorcraft oil, is actually made by Texaco, and is their Havoline 20W50 SJ oil, inside a FoMoCo bottle.
The newer cars, suche as my Focus, uses 10W30 Motorcraft oil (made by Castrol, 100% sintectic), but this oil is not suitable for the older engines, because of the SL API classification (not to mention the 5W30 part).
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By Ted - 15 Years Ago
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SM oils with 40 or higher in their viscosity classification (ie: 10W-40, 15W-40, 20W-50) still has the same zinc/phosphorus contents as the older SJ oils. It’s just the oils being used by the new car manufacturers now that pose a problem with the older flat tappet camshafts. NM56F100 (10/11/2010)
Is it not important to know if this engine has been rebuilt and is running a new style filter. If it has always had non detergent won't the addition of detergent fowl up some stuff?Assuming the engine is sludged up, switching over to detergent oil from non-detergent just requires more frequent oil changes I’ll add that not many engines are still on non-detergent oil but I do have one myself that I make it a point in keeping non-detergent oil in (Flathead V8 with original non-full flow oil filter). Looking under a valve cover would probably give an indication of exactly how much ‘crud’ is standing but just keeping track of how quickly the oil gets dark and changing it accordingly will get the engine eventually cleaned up. This is of course assuming the engine is being run long enough to get the engine hot enough for the oil to actually work on cleaning up the engine. If the engine is just being used for short hops, then sludge will likely continue to build up rather than be cleaned out with more frequent oil changes. Just my opinion.
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By lovefordgalaxie - 15 Years Ago
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Ted, do you know if a 5W30 SL still has the old amount of ZDDP?
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By Ted - 15 Years Ago
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lovefordgalaxie (10/12/2010)
Ted, do you know if a 5W30 SL still has the old amount of ZDDP?The SL oil to which you refer has less ZDDP than the SJ oil of the same weight.
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By HT32BSX115 - 15 Years Ago
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paul2748 (10/9/2010)
You may get plenty of opinions on this, so here is mine.
Oil - Rotella T 15/40 . Any name brand 20/50 oil
Trans - if a Fordo, Type F or Dexron III
For a FORDO, and you KNOW it has the older, original type brass clutches, use type F
If it has the more modern clutch material, use any of the Dextron/Mercon fluids.
Don't use Non-detergent oil in ANYTHING! (except maybe to lube the squeaky door!!)
Cheers,
Rick
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By ejstith - 15 Years Ago
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I use Valvoline 20/50 racing oil. Z-1 I think it is. Of course it was the Valvoline rep. but at the Gator Nationals last year I told him about my '56 & the concern about phosphate etc. & he recommended the Z-1. I also heard oil sold at Tractor supply was high in Phosphate & zinc & it's cheaper than Valvoline.
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By pcmenten - 15 Years Ago
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The ZDDP in Rotella is intended for diesel engines, not for gas engines.
Because the viscosity extenders in mineral oil breaks down and becomes a contaminant, I use synthetic oil which has the multi-viscosity rating without using viscosity extenders.
I tried using STP oil treatment in my 223 because it has lots of the right kind of ZDDP, but ran into a problem where the thick STP would not pump up when I was first trying to fire up the engine. GM EOS might be a better source of concentrated ZDDP. Do not use more than recommended because the zinc, which is a transport element and is immediately shed when the DDP bonds to the iron, that zinc also becomes a contaminant.
I'd use Mobil 1 20w-50. And a good filter like Motorcraft, NAPA/Wix, Purolator PurOne, Mobil 1, or similar. I wouldn't use a Fram on my lawnmower.
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By PF Arcand - 15 Years Ago
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This is a subject that draws a hundred opinions. So here's my 2 cents worth. First it's very unlikely that "funs" engine was run on non detergent oil. Next, I'd be reluctant to change the type of oil in an old engine to synthetic. If for no other reason than the the stuff is much more expensive usually. Racing oil is for racing, not street use, so don't use it for a regular street engine. Follow Ted's guide lines re oil and you won't go wrong. Do not use 10-30 or thinner "starburst" marked oil in a flat tappet engine. Those oils are designed for modern roller valve train engines. And another thing, there is probably more myth out there about engine oil than just about any subject you can think of...
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By HT32BSX115 - 15 Years Ago
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The ZDDP in Rotella is intended for diesel engines, not for gas engines.
I think there might be some disagreement with that.
ZDDP is more for flat tappet (and other sliding-surface) lubrication. Diesel type oil is formulated more for keeping soot in suspension and since diesel engines are moving away from flat tappets and other mechanisms that might require ZDDP, the oil companies are lowering the amount of it in diesel oils also. (many diesels now have roller-followers....like my 94 6.5L GM diesel for example)
The only engines that might need ZDDP nowadays are y-blocks, some motorcycle engines, and other engines that do not have roller-followers.....
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By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
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HT32BSX115 (10/30/2010)
The only engines that might need ZDDP nowadays are y-blocks, some motorcycle engines, and other engines that do not have roller-followers.....
In other words, A LOT of engines need it. Most Chevys until 1988 are flat tappet, Ford until the early 80s, and Chrysler somewhere around the same time. There are so many engines on the road that need the adequate protection that I'm actually surprised how small the selection is for them, particularly when the popularity of the sbc is considered. I think it's safe to say that there are tens of millions of vehicles on the road that need it. There's no way it isn't profitable for the oil companies. And there are more choices now than there were 5 or 10 years ago, so they seem to be realizing this.
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By HT32BSX115 - 15 Years Ago
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I think it's safe to say that there are tens of millions of vehicles on the road that need it.
I'm not sure where you get that number.
I tried to find an accounting of actual numbers of vehicles on the road by year model and I couldn't find it.
They do talk about "average age" of vehicles on the road and percentages of vehicles that are more than 3, 5 10 years old etc....
I couldn't find much on vehicles more than 20 or 30 years old.
If I was going to build up an SBC, I would use after market roller-follower tappets, cam and roller rockers. Which would eliminate the need for oils containing high amounts of ZDDP.
It's too bad that someone hasn't come up with a cost effective way to put rollers in a "Y" It'll probably never happen and we'll always need to have to use some sort of flat tappet lubrication snake oil
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By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
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It's only an educated guess. Most estimates seem to put about 135-140,000,000 automobiles (not including motorcycles, atv's, scooters, etc) on the road and almost 40% are 10 years old or older. So that's nearly 54,000,000 which are a 2000 model year or older. For simplicity, let's use 1985 as the year roller cams were used regardless of the brand and use 1930 as the starting year for the calculation. For 15 of those years, the special oils have not been needed. For 55 of those years, it is needed. Now these cars 1930-1985 may not be driven every day but they are driven and need oil probably at least once a year. I don't doubt that if you saw a curve showing the year model and the number of vehicles in use, it will be skewed toward the 1985-2000 models. If you assume that it's split 50/50 between 1930-1984 and 1985-2000, then approximately 27,000,000 are on the road that need it. If you split it 25/75, then there are 13,500,000 that need it. I don't know what the actual figures are, but I'm sure there is a substantial number of vehicles that really need it.
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By HT32BSX115 - 15 Years Ago
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Well, it's probably not a bad guess I suppose.....
I would expect that roughly 10% of the vehicle population needing something would command more products aimed at a particular problem..........but the opposite seems to be the case.... maybe the oil companies feel that since additives like Zddp Plus and others are available, they don't have to put it in oils..... Oil certification is largely based on
There's so much mis-information out there......it's difficult to get independent info on this stuff.... 
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By Y block Billy - 15 Years Ago
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04 was the year all auto motors were mandated to go roller lifters, many motors before were flat tappet such as all the FE's, Y's, 385's, M's and Clevelands, MEL's & Windsors. This is just to name some of the Fords that still need it, let alone all the other brands I would say it is still a high number of engines that need it. I think starting in 07 or later all the truck engines were required to go roller lifters.
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By HT32BSX115 - 15 Years Ago
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It's very hard to find non-biased info on oils because the writers are usually trying to sell oil or oil additives.....
I did find the following articles that maybe puts it in a better perspective......you'll have to read and make your own decisions. I know I am going to stop using 5W-20 in my new Honda! AND I will be running either 5W-40 (synthetic) or 15W-40 in my 292!!
The first article does have some marketing BS that you sort of have to ignore but the second one is pretty much "marketing-free"!
Cheers,
Rick
http://www.synlube.com/sae5w-20.htm
http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/518/motor-oils
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By Missouri Mike - 15 Years Ago
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Hi y guys- Here comes another two cents worth. About two weeks ago I walked into the local Walmart and a guy had a table set up promoting Valvoline motor oil. Sooooo............I asked him about ZDDP and flat tappet engines. He was honest enough to admit he was relatively new and didn't know from squat what I was talking about. He did however make a couple of phone calls and talked to a 20 year engineer who stated that Valvoline VR-1 Racing Oil had the ZDDP additives but that was the only one he mentioned. Now, I don't race and consider a street driven car a totally different animal from one that's raced. I, therefore won't be using VR-1 Racing Oil in my y block, or FE's, or 385. Like many others I used Rotella 15-40 as a stopgap measure but I don't think you can be sure exactly what amount of additives you're getting. So I went to a ZDDP additive specificlly for flat tappet engines. Not a break in additive, but engineered to run with 5 quarts of oil and provide the protection needed from oil change to oil change. You can get it from Summit, Jegs, O'Reilly's etc. It runs about $8 a bottle and I figure that's cheap enough against the pain and cost of major repair. The aftermarket cam companies recognize the need and are getting into the market,ie Comp Cams, Isky. And belatedly, I want to say congrats to Ted and his crew on the stunning perfomance at the EMC and of course to John M. for his outstanding work on the development and manufacture of new components!!!! I want all to know that since the EMC I have been a absolute pain in the butt to all my scrubby friends spreading the y block word!!!!!!!!!! Best to All, Missouri Mike
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By ejstith - 15 Years Ago
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Just because it's "race oil" why would it be harmful to an engine? I doubt the oil knows whether it's a race engine or not.
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By charliemccraney - 15 Years Ago
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The way I understand it is race oils simply don't last as long. They offer a lot more protection for a shorter amount of time. The way I interpret VR1 is that it is a performance street oil with racing in the name to attract the guys who like to say "I'm using racing ____ in my car." My friends who do race happen to use Valvoline racing oil and it's not VR1.
I have used VR1 exclusively, for the extra flat tappet protection it offers, with the new build of the engine, using normal change intervals, and for the 10000 miles I've put on it so far, there are no signs of impending doom.
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By HT32BSX115 - 15 Years Ago
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For anyone that is interested, the following article is pretty good. It puts oil in a fairly good perspective....and it's not just someone's opinion or a marketers sales pitch.....
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/cms/
After you read it, you'll see why there's few that recommend using a non-synthetic 10W-40 oil for anything.....(except maybe lubing the squeaky door!)
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By Craig Seyfried - 15 Years Ago
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I have been using Joe Gibbs conventional Hot Rod oil 10-30 in my 56 272. For about a year and it seems to work great. It has Zinc in it for flat tappets and anti corrosive additives for vehicles that are in storage for extended periods of time. It is pricy but you get what you pay for and I figure its good. I also run the Gibbs oil in my 60 Fairlane with a FE 390 that I drag race, but I use the full synthetic 10-30W Hot Rod oil. I used to run Brad Penn which is great also but when I started using the Gibbs oil the oil pressure increased by 5LBS at idle when the engine is hot. You might want to use 20-50W in Florida during those hot summers. Andy of Mayberry
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By shakey pete - 15 Years Ago
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we used to run Ross lumber carriers in 59 and later and we ran SAE 30 wht in the summer then went to sae 20 in winter and this was Valvoline oil these engines worked really hard the engine where 292,s with a 2 barrel and stood up well my instructer in Mechanics said us a 15-40 series 3 oil thats made for diesels it,s the best oil for engines because it has to be the best to protect all loads in a deisel engine and it works great in gas engines just my thought Shakey Pete
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By lameyer - 15 Years Ago
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Thank's from me too, guy's that was some darn good info!
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By pegleg - 15 Years Ago
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There's a really excellent article on oils and the elimination (reduction) of ZDDP by Gibbs. I got a copy from Gordon Payne (Payne and Parham). If Gibbs is selling the oil, it will work.
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