No

 

The GM engineers are looking into asking for more zinc in current oil formulations due to the number of failures that occur while under extended warranty on roller cams.

Zinc reduces wear on all metal to metal contact points such as the rings and oil pump. It can only prolong the life of the engine not hurt it.

Big Dave

 

The problem is zinc does not work well with some detergent oil formulas.

540RAT is a poster who tests oils and found Lucas synthetic with zinc to give the highest psi protection.

I think he posted in the "Performance" forum last time.

Lucas 10W-30 synthetic :

http://www.summitracing.com/parts/luc-10611-1/overview/

If you spend $100 it's free shipping.

 

Have had great results with Mobil1 full synthetic, as well as Valvoline VR1 10/30-10/40 non synthetic oils.

 

I do not like to add any additive to my oil. Find the correct oil for your application. I was using Brad Penn, I just switched back to Valvoline VR1 10W30 conventional oil Silver bottle).

 

i do not like to add any additive to my oil. Find the correct oil for your application. I was using brad penn, i just switched back to valvoline vr1 10w30 conventional oil silver bottle).

x2

 

Ditto that. Additives poured in by the consumer upset the balance of additives the the oil producer put in the oil at the refinery. Find the right oil. You only have to change it once a year (if even that) unless you're daily driving your Camaro.

 

I agree with the posts above, additives added to your oil may or may not be compatible with your oil. Find an oil with the additive package that works best for your application. I am also running a 383 stroker with aluminum heads and roller cam and have had very good results with Rotella T6 full synthetic which contains higher levels of ZDDP than most motor oils on the market these days.

 

The reason we have to buy oils "for racing only" is because zddp and phosphorous levels that protect tend to foul catalytic converters.

So Valvoline VR1 and Lucas synthetic are two of the "racing only" that work well.

I also know a few people running Mobil 1 with low levels of zddp that are fine.

I guess it depends if using zddp helps you sleep better.

 

"For Racing Only" oil will NOT hold up to a 3,000 mile oil change interval as well. "Not legal for street use" usually means the oil could/will damage catalytic converters. You have to read the bottle carefully these days.

 

Diesel oils have had the ZDDP reduced also. Diesels use catalytic converters with Diesel Fluid to control issues. ZDDP has the same effect on those cats as automotive cats.

As much as I don't like the anonymity of 540RAT, his latest test has pointed out the fallacy of high ZDDP oils preventing cam wear. Oil manufacturers have turned to other additives to replace the ZDDP. Have your cam nitrided. It will survive any oil. Nitriding is added insurance but not necessary if you use a good motor oil.

 

I use Shell Rotella 15w-40 with a bottle of the OLD EOS. And then after a few fills of that, I switch with Castrol GTX 10w-40 with a bottle of EOS. Both are conventional oils. I don't like using diesel oil for too long cause of the high detergents in it. And yes, I am running a roller.

 

Amsoil z-rod oil has zinc

 

Currently using Amsoil Z-Rod, no complaints.

 

Thanks guys. I have a case of VR-1 and 10 qts of Rottela (and a 7 qt pan). Thinking I'll use up the VR1 first. As far as driving, guessing 300 miles or so per month.

I told Hagerty's 5-5k per year.

 

Here is a good chart to compare oils.

 

I recall Giibbs was at the low end of the spectrum when evacuated against other oils.

This chart was produced by JG.

 

Changing oil before 5,000 miles is wasting money. Chrylser did a study on NY taxi cabs with Slant Six engines back in the 70's. The cataloged the oil changes and the wear seen in engines when they needed to be rebuilt (BTW, million mile motors were allegedly replaced free. Don't know if they ever replaced one or not). 3,000 miles was found to be too soon as the oil's additive package was still present in enough quantities to still work. 6,000 miles was when the oil really started to deteriorate. 5,000 was determined to be the sweet spot. Nowadays, modern cars have oil life monitors that will count down based on how long the engine is operated and what temp it got to on each trip. On short trips where the engine doesn't get up to temp or stays there only a short time, the condensation in the crank case does not get burned off and dilutes the additive package in the oil, shortening its life. This is why you'll see vehicles driven more than 10 minutes between shutdown or at highway speeds go so much longer on oil change intervals than those that don't when going by the oil change monitor.

 

The GM engineers are looking into asking for more zinc in current oil formulations due to the number of failures that occur while under

I had one fail on my 08 Chevy Silverado. The tech said is was cheep Chinese castings causing the failures.

I also know a few people running Mobil 1 with low levels of zddp that are fine.

I use Mobil 1 in everything.(20/50 in the 68 and what is called for in everything else)

 

I had one fail on my 08 Chevy Silverado. The tech said is was cheep Chinese castings causing the failures.

Pish Posh!!!! No such thing as bad Chinese steel. Just a rumor.

 

Break in oil out...it was quite clean. I expected it to be at least a little dirty. I filled it with VR-1 and a K&N filter. Not sure if the filter was worth extra money as I can buy three AC's for the price of the K&N. Thoughts?

 

I've read the AC filters are now being manufactured offshore and are of questionable quality so I wouldn't run them myself. I run NAPA Gold filters which are manufactured by Wix, a top quality filter. K&N filters are as much hype as anything else so not something I'll ever use.

 

I did almost the same thing. I used Comp Cams break in oil with a Purolator oil filter for about 500 miles. When I dumped the break in oil I noticed some sludge on the oil drain plug. Thinking back I wished I had used some Rislone before dumping the break in oil. If the sludge clinged to the oil drain plug I wonder what the pickup screen looks like ??? I am using Valvoline VR1 20W-50 Racing Oil with a Napa Gold oil filter. The way I am thinking maybe the heavy oil will cushion the mechanical roller lifters from beating the camshaft. Also more of a cushion of oil for the main and rod bearings.

 

I can't believe after 20 years of this oil brouhaha, people still are still wondering what oils to use. All oils made today are backwards compatible to be used in all engines. Its just that simple. Now, if you don't want to believe it, fine. Put in the oil that the manufacturers do now. They warranty their engines for 100,000 miles! They are not in the business of losing money on warranty claims so its a safe bet that the oil they use, especially if you have a roller cam, will suffice for your 3,000-5,000 mile cruiser. You don't want to do that because you have a flat cam and you just don't believe today's oils are backward compatible enough, pay the price for the Brad Penn, Gibbs, Amsoil, Royal Purple, or Mobil One oils. The solutions are out there and they are well known. Now people have to stop wringing their hands over it, trying to be smarter than everybody else and mixing their own concoctions, and use the oils listed.

Millions of camshafts are produced every year, do people think that every one of them is going to be manufactured correctly, especially out of what is becoming more questionable material these days. Simple statistics say a bad camshaft is going to happen to somebody. How many engines spin a bearing? Throw a rod? Overheat and crack a head? Camshafts are a wear item and aside from the occasional statistical flyer, I believe most cam failures are caused by improper break in procedures. Said it before and I'll say it again, you're putting in a new camshaft, pay the $60 bucks and order it nitrided. Cheap insurance.

As to oil filters, a study was done over 20 years ago by a fellow who cut them apart, detailed how they were constructed, what they flowed, how many pleats were in the filter element, what the element was made of, etc.
Long story short, use Wix or Napa Gold and Silver filters. Wix makes the Napa Gold and Silver filters. Readily available anywhere across the country. Fram was the worst filter you could put on your engine. Google "oil filter test" or search for it on Hotrodders Bulletin Board.

 

I have been running rotella 15-40 in my motor since built on the recommendation of the builder who builds a lot of these in a big shop. 383 stroker w/roller. A friend of mine said he had good luck with delo 15-40. I mentioned this to a guy at the local speed shop and he said the oil is the same in both brands and made by the same people? Chevron and shell the same? Not sure who to believe anymore. My motor was built with all the good stuff, always had lots of oil pressure, no funny performance. Oil comes out generally clean like it should. I change oil once during the summer. (Only time the car is driven) and the oil is changed for winter shut down. As much as I am bad for it like everyone else, I think we are all a little too obsessed....... Oh well

 

What manufacturers have the most failures? I think the biggest problem is the
Quality of the steel used to manuf. the cam. I also think you need a sufficient
Amount of zinc in your oil. I recently found out about this particular Kendall
Oil, which I just changed oil to in my 69 Z. It is Kendall 1057267 GT-1 high
Performance 20/50 with liquid titanium, with added zinc for racing purposes.
This ONLY comes in 20/50 wt. when googling this oil,it says that BRAD PENN
Oil is the older version of this oil. This sounds like pretty good oil with the
Right additives. I 'll find out. I bought mine for $ 4.49 / qt. amazon has
It for $ 45.00 case of 12. Has anyone used this oil before? Any comments?

 

Not so much the quality of the steel as it is the quality of the heat treat the steel received. Too soft, not enough penetration. It ain't the old days of manufacturing.

"Liquid titanium"??? Marketing. Pure and simple. Titanium in parts for two reasons....strength and light weight. Titanium is not lubricious at all and is a bear to machine. Don't fall for the marketing. If you have a flat tappet cam, the oils to use are easy to find and have been gone over and over for the last 20 years.

 

I also believe a lot of the failures are blamed on the oil and steel when in reality they are the result of the build quality of the engine itself.

 

Nope


Comp cams seem to get a lot blame for failures and so do oils.
My one and only ever comp camshaft purchase got sealed power lifters, comp cam lube and the rest of the motor got lubriplate. No "priming tool" as the actual distributor and cranking the engine fills the oil galleries. I used Valvoline 10-30 All-Climate oil for years without any failures.