You are correct with regard to roller cams. There is an excellent article in
the August 30th issue of Old Cars Weekly titled New oils and old cars. Look at
the front of the oil container for the SAE donut. The current oils are API
service rated SM and this is the problem oil. SL and earlier oils were backward
compatatible and could be used in earlier vehicles. The article said to also
avoid any oils that say "Energy Conserving". The article further stated that
you can use SM-type oil by adding 1/2 ounce of General Motors EOS (engine oil
supplement) for each quart of SM=type oil to improve anti-wear characteristics.
It also said don't add more EOS as to much is not good either.
- Original Message -
From: Rick Schaefer
Sent: Sunday, September 09, 2007 8:32 PM
To: The Chevelle Mailing List
Subject: Re: [Chevelle-list] What oil to use.
Interesting & educational. Seems like all references were to flat tappets,
so am I correct in assuming this does not effect roller cams? Are all/most new
cars roller cammed?
On 9/9/07, Daniel Solomon <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
There was a good article on this in June 07's Hot Rod magazine. As of 2006
Shell Rotella T oils still had the ZDDP but there are plans to phase it out of
this as well.
Best news in the article was that Quaker State's line of Q Racing synthetic
oils are formulated with all the necessary anti friction additives to keep our
engines alive. We just have to find out where they sell it.
Another option was to add a 4 oz bottle of GM camshaft and lifter pre-lube with
each oil change of API SM/GF-4 street oil. The GM part number is 12345501. It
will put back in the additives to save our flat tappets.
Dan Solomon
For those out there that won't stand behind our Troops...
They are always welcome to stand in front of them!
http://www.freewebs.com/chevelles1970/
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
To: chevelle-list@chevelles.net
Date: Sun, 9 Sep 2007 07:04:13 -0400
Subject: [Chevelle-list] What oil to use.
I just ran across this article and found it interesting. Thought I'd pass it
on. It's a little long but worth the read.
OIL IS KILLING OUR CARS!
By: Keith Ansell, Foreign Parts Positively, Inc.
About a year ago I read about the reduction of zinc dithiophosphate (ZDDP) in
the oils supplied with API approval that could affect sliding and high pressure
(EP) friction in our cars. The reduction of these chemicals in supplied oil was
based on the fact that zinc, manganese and/or phosphates reduce the
effectiveness and eventually damage catalytic converters and introduce minute
amounts of pollutants into our atmosphere.
A month or so ago I had a member of the Columbia Gorge MG Club bring a totally
failed camshaft and lifters back to me that had only 900 miles on them!! I
immediately contacted the camshaft regrinder and asked how this could happen.
They were well aware of this problem as they were starting to have many
failures of this type. In the past, the lack of a molybdenum disulfide camshaft
assembly lubricant, at assembly, was about the only thing that could create
this type of problem. My customer has assembled many engines and had lubricated
the camshaft properly and followed correct break in procedures.
This got me on the phone to Delta Camshaft, one of our major suppliers. Then
the bad news came out: It's today's "modern" API (American Petroleum Industry)
approved oils that are killing our engines.
Next call: To another major camshaft supplier, both stock and performance
(Crane). They now have an additive for whatever oil you are using during
break-in so that the camshaft and lifters won't fail in an unreasonably short
period of time. They also suggest using a diesel rated oil on flat tappet
engines.
Next call: To a racing oil manufacturer that we use for the race cars
(Redline). Their response: "We are well aware of the problem and we still use
the correct amounts of those additives in our products". They continued to tell
me they are not producing API approved oils so they don't have to test and
comply. Their oils were NOT the "new, improved and approved" ones that destroy
flat tappet engines! "We just build the best lubricants possible". Sounds
stupid, doesn't it, New-Approved but inferior products, but it seems to be true
for our cars. To top this off: Our representative from a major supplier of
performance and street engine parts (EPWI) stopped by to "warn us" of the
problem of the NEW oils on flat tappet engines. This was a call that the
representative was making only because of this problem to warn their engine
builders! "The reduction of the zinc, manganese and phosphates are causing very
early destruction of cams and followers". They are recommending that, for now
at least, there must be a proper oil additive put
in the first oil used on new engines, beyond the liberal use of molydisulfide
assembly lube. They have been told that the first oil
