Best oil for V8
 

I drive the car about 12 times a summer I change the oil way to much but looking for suggestions????

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Let me start.... Kind of a running joke about 'which motor oil?' questions here. The general mood is anything is better than the old non-detergent, sludge forming oils that were available when our flatheads were built. Since you asked, I like a 15-40 dinosaur oil meant for diesel applications. I also run no filter in my system and change often. My driving is very rural and slow. My .02

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Me too, 15/40 diesel oil. The cheaper the better.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

My choice. You can get it at Walmart.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Whatever excellent name-brand 10W-30 happens to be on sale. Even the true oil industry scientists have not been able to come to a consensus on this topic. Add in a cup of Marvel for added peace of mind and tomorrow's topic for a spirited coffee shop argument.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Every one has their own opinions about oil. I run Valvoline conventional 10-40 in my Yblocks on advice of a well known Yblock engine builder who says there is enough ZDDP (zinc compound) in that oil. I have heard that some brands of diesel oil say Do Not Use in Gasoline Engines or something to that effect on their can..

Re: Best oil for V8
 

any good quaility modern oil but as for the viscosity that will depend on your area climate [what works in alaska wont work in mexico ]

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Valvoline VR-1 20-50. Recommended by my builder, so I'll go with it.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

0-20w Walmart synthetic. 20psi cold. 20psi warming up. 20psi hot. Early 38 21-studder. Have also been using it in my 300K 413 & 05 Escape daily driver for the last 3 yrs.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Mine too, but with my old engine I wasn’t sure what was used before and I didn’t know the condition of things. So I used a non detergent oil to be safe, until I could find more about the engine’s condition how clean it was or wasn’t.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Exactly what I use!

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Because the sulfur and other anti-wear additives have been removed from most oils. I use the Delo 15W-40 "diesel" oil in all my collector cars, flatheads and Mustangs. They cannot remove the additives from the diesel oil because of the extreme pressure the bearings have on them. You need those additives for your flat tappet camshaft. I was fleet mechanic for 30-years at the phone company They kept their vehicles for over 15-years and some for over 300K miles The oil we used was Delo 15W-40. We used it in cars, we used it in heavy trucks, didn't matter what the underhold label called for it got Delo 15W-40 and we never lost and engine from wear. Hundreds and hundreds of engines. We lost a few from them running completely out of Delo 15W-40. Usually, the vehicles fell apart before the engines wore out. In 30-years I only saw one camshaft lobe go flat and that was on a Chevy and they were known for that. That is some good oil.

Non-detergent oil was/is made for engines without an oil filter so the dirt will settle to the bottom of the oil pan and not continue to circulate in the oil. It is almost impossible to find anymore, except in the garden section because small engines like lawn mowers still recommend using a non-detergent oil. Detergent oil keeps the dirt suspended in the oil so the filter can remove it. Since a lot of flatheads never had oil filters non-detergent oils was what they used. If you don't have an oil filter, just use the modern oil and change in when it starts to get a little dirty rather than waiting until it's really dirty.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

[QUOTE=Flathead Fever;2232151]Because the sulfur and other anti-wear additives have been removed from most oils. I use the Delo 15W-40 "diesel" oil in all my collector cars, flatheads and Mustangs. They cannot remove the additives from the diesel oil because of the extreme pressure the bearings have on them. You need those additives for your flat tappet camshaft.....

This is the first time I have heard a solid reason to use diesel oil in an old car.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

VR-1 is racing motor oil with higher zinc content which is good for flat tappet engines, especially during break-in. I used that for the break-in and the first change after that. The downside is that it is low detergent, which could eventually lead to some sludge build up. So now I put in one quart of VR-1 20-50 and four quarts of whatever name brand of 10W-30 detergent oil is on sale. My engine does not have an oil filter so I change about every 1500 miles.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

"I was fleet mechanic for 30-years at the phone company They kept their vehicles for over 15-years and some for over 300K miles"

Our local phone company (C&P Telephone, part of AT&T) kept their vehicles in top notch condition, probably the best maintained fleet I was aware of. They seemed to have it down to a science.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

For what it's worth, NAPA sells 30w non-detergent for $7.99/quart.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

I saw a test done on 'Non Detergent' oil. They sent it off for a test and found that it had basically NO ADDITIVE PACKAGE. It was just straight base oil without any anti-wear additives. It's the absolutely worst oil to put in any engine... anywhere. NEVER use this stuff in anything.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

Video of an oil expert commenting on non-detergent oil, and the analysis from sending it to a lab. Just over 2 minutes long.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yeiZK3XX6JM

Re: Best oil for V8
 

What's the truth to the old saying that you should not use a detergent oil on an engine that you don't know the condition of i.e. sludge, deposits, etc.



Some people say it can loosen up the deposits and clog passages.

Re: Best oil for V8
 

I don't give it one bit of credibility. Get all of the crap out of an old engine that you can. All detergent does is keep crap in suspension, so change the oil regularly. If it has that much sludge, it's a candidate for a rebuild anyway.

Pull the pan and the intake and clean it up and flush it with kerosene etc. if you really care about saving an engine. We've all seen the pictures of engines where the crud in the pan completely surrounds the oil pickup. Get rid of it first!