Oil

[dave6pack]

What would be the best motor oil for my engine setup.


70 440 with MP 4.15 crank, eagle H beam rods, ross 12. 1 pistons
edelbrock heads ,Hughes cam 540 lift, roller tip rockers. makes 496 ci

I hear straight 40w is the way to go.

[Doug Wilson]

Dave - It depends on the clearances and use of the engine. First, you should ask the machinist who did your engine for his recommendation.

If it's a race only engine, it would probably have looser clearances, aand need a higher viscosity oil. For a street engine, with tight clearances, a lower viscosity would usually be called for.

A lot of racers here use a high detergent 20-50 race oil - like Valvoline or Castrol.

[1972roadrunner]

i use valvoline strait 50 in my 340... street and race...either that or havoline 20W-50...

[dirty dan]

I would agree with Doug`s recomondations. If your engine is fresh and or that info is avilable. If not I would run the 20-50 castrol for summer and 10-40 for winter use. This combo has a good track record in my book. happy trails dirty dan

[Duffys Ramcharger]

I use Shell Retella T 15w40 motor oil, which is a high detergent motor oil (if they use this stuff in tractor trucks, it can't hurt a gas engine), and I add 20-25 percent of murreys oil stabilzer(1 qt on a 4qt system). I did this on my 98 Dakota R/T and got almost 2mpg better and ran alot better. I now have an 89 Ramcharger with a 318 with 150,000 miles on it and it does'nt use any oil between changes. I change my oil every 3,000 miles when the oil starts turning black.

[ttraut@unlockit]

Seems like everyone's in agreement - 20W-50 is the oil to use as a default. I have 383 (unknown mileage) and have been using 10W-40. Why are you all suggesting 20W-50?

Curious non-techie....

Terry

[1972roadrunner]

Originally posted by ttraut@unlockit
Why are you all suggesting 20W-50?

Curious non-techie....

Terry

In MY Opinion, i think the 20W-50 is harder to destroy, just because its thicker... it won't thin as much as the 10W-40 when it gets hot. when i first rebuilt my engine, water got into the oilpan due to a faulty gasket behind the timing gear cover and really "goobered" up my oil. it was nasty...it wouldn't drain neither, i had to pull the pan and SCRAPE the SLUDGE out... it was all up in my valve covers too...good thing the J heads have big hole in them, otherwise it could have clogged... luckily, there was no metal, but we had to run about 4 gallons of solvent, which isn't cheap, through the motor to clean it out. then we ran 10W-40 for one night, just to get all the goobers out. thats how my Int. lifter on #2 failed....a goober clogged the lifter, and it ticked away, destroying my cam...

that was the only time we ran 10W-40 through my engine, just to clean it out. currently, i'm using strait 50...i'd rather not chance it. better safe than sorry!

[440cj]

First of all, I am NOT an oil salesman. However, when I got my cam from Hughes there was this flyer inside that said in so many words:
...today's motor oils all have reduced zinc and phosporous content, 40% or more, to accomodate reduced deposits in catalytic convertors and oxygen sensors. Removal of these elements accelerates wear significantly on high-stress areas of your engine such as piston pins, lifter surfaces, rocker arm/pushrod area as well as various other hi-temp/hi-pressure areas (bearings, etc.). The ONLY oil products in today's market that have NOT reduced these elements are Redline oil and Lucas oil additive.

I don't want to open a can o' worms but I also don't want to take any chances on my freshly rebuilt 360, I didn't on my 383, and sure don't think a couple of extra dollars spent in lubrication is a bad idea for anyone. I will find my copy of the flyer and mail it to anyone who wants it if interested. Gee, a real "tip of the day" . Where did that come from?? Hope this helps... 440cj