• Hello Guest, welcome to the initial stages of our new platform!
    You can find some additional information about where we are in the process of migrating the board and setting up our new software here

    Thank you for being a part of our community!

Oil Viscosity Lesson Learned

lummert

lummert

Active member
Joined
Jan 11, 2008
Location
Portland IN
You can't run 10W-40 synthetic oil plus STP (Blue Bottle) oil additive in temps lower than 5*F (-15*C). The oil is too thick to pump through the engine at temps lower than that. It appears that my oil more closely resembled 15W-40 or 20W-50. I used to use the STP in the red bottle, but it's NLA. I've read that the STP in the blue bottle is twice as thick as in the red bottle.

I drained out 2 quarts of the thick stuff and replaced that with 2 quarts of same brand 0W-20. I would have just done an oil change, but the oil had less than 1k miles on it.

My car is 1988 765 w/B230FT.
 
Last edited:
That's what I run with lucas heavy duty oil stabilizer instead of STP, Thank god we don't have temps that low here or i'd be changing it 2 haha as is I can feel the difference when winter hits but lows here are like 40f :e-shrug:
 
Castrol makes a 0w-40 too. I ran it for a while before switching to JoeGibbs.
 
because snake oil?
Because denial about driving a whooped out old piston slapper?

The 0w-30 and 0w-40 synth is real nice in the very very cold. The larger variance in weights makes it more prone to break down to a degree but night and day for getting the thing started and not blowing out oil transfer tube seals, and other stuff that really doesn't like pumping clay.
 
I read a bunch of acronyms for STP when the founder died a couple weeks back, but none come to mind. Takes a man to be honest though.

Got the same rig as Lummert, and got the same cold temps. Just do 10W-30 and have a catch can. Nothing fancy dumped in anyplace ever did anything in retrospect.
 
Kjets On a Plane said:
because snake oil?
Because denial about driving a whooped out old piston slapper?

The 0w-30 and 0w-40 synth is real nice in the very very cold. The larger variance in weights makes it more prone to break down to a degree but night and day for getting the thing started and not blowing out oil transfer tube seals, and other stuff that really doesn't like pumping clay.
Click to expand...


Depends. Not nearly as much anymore with more modern oils like M1 0W-40, etc. They have extremely high VI numbers, and if it meets one of the Euro specs (A3/C3, etc.) then it's going to be much more shear stable than something thats simply ILSAC API SM or SN approved without any other certifications. Lubrizol has a fantastic tool for comparing the different certifications, but work computers won't let me show it. As soon as I find it I'll post it.


I'm currently getting the best mileage & oil consumption I've ever gotten (0 noticeable consumption on the dipstick) on my 328ti's M52. Currently 5500 miles into the OCI with no noticeable loss. Running Maxlife 10W-40, with 1 full bottle of LubroMoly MOS3 moly additive.
 
Last edited:
I use only 5w30 or 10w30 in NC winters. 10/40 or 20/50 is not a good oil weight to use in cold weather temps...........poor ol' starter motor has to grunt much too hard.....

can't remember ever using STP in winter either.
 
I change to 0-40 Mobil 1 after running 15-50 Mobil 1 for years. I like the the 0-40 much better. I do not change for summer to winter oil like some do. Seen load test on STP way back and not something to use in modern oils.
 
Redwood Chair said:
Dammit lummert why you run STP?
Click to expand...

Due to the fact that modern engine oils are formulated for use with roller cams, a flat tappet cam needs more protection. Think I'm going to investigate some Lucas oil treatment. Just need to figure out exactly which oil viscosity is needed when using ZDDP oil additives.

The other option is using some heavy duty diesel motor oil such as Shell Rotella Synthetic 5W-40 or Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40. Both are available by the gallon at my local Wally World.
 
lummert said:
Due to the fact that modern engine oils are formulated for use with roller cams, a flat tappet cam needs more protection. Think I'm going to investigate some Lucas oil treatment. Just need to figure out exactly which oil viscosity is needed when using ZDDP oil additives.

The other option is using some heavy duty diesel motor oil such as Shell Rotella Synthetic 5W-40 or Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40. Both are available by the gallon at my local Wally World.
Click to expand...

Dammit, Lummert, just run the proper weight for the temp outside, modern oil needs no snake additives
 
lummert said:
Due to the fact that modern engine oils are formulated for use with roller cams, a flat tappet cam needs more protection. Think I'm going to investigate some Lucas oil treatment. Just need to figure out exactly which oil viscosity is needed when using ZDDP oil additives.

The other option is using some heavy duty diesel motor oil such as Shell Rotella Synthetic 5W-40 or Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck 5W-40. Both are available by the gallon at my local Wally World.
Click to expand...



Lucas contains 0 additives. It's nothing more than a thickening agent. I beleive at one time STP was heavily fortified with zddp, but I don't think thats the case anymore. If you want an oil with plenty of zddp content for a euro bucket lifter system - just run a diesel oil, all of the 15W-40's and syn 5W-40's still have >1000 ppm zddp.
 
lummert said:
The other option is....
Click to expand...

Rotella T Triple 15w-40's Pour Point -30?C

Pennzoil SAE 10w-30 or 10w-40 Pour Point -42?C

Pennzoil? High Mileage Vehicle - High-mileage motor oil is specially blended for older vehicles, or vehicles with higher mileage. ...a special high mileage motor oil blend, with its unique additives and viscosity, helps reduce oil burn-off, helps in sealing oil leaks and helps improve combustion chamber sealing to help restore engine compression.

Next oil/filter change use 10w-30 Pennzoil? High Mileage Vehicle
 
The Castrol 0w40 had like 1300 each of zinc/phospherous from my UOA. My LS30 oil has about the same. Unless your a flat tappet cammed motor hots LOTS of open valve pressures, the extra zddp is not as needed as you think. Look for an oil with the additive package you want, if you start to play chemist with additives, things could get goofy and you can actually lose what you looking for.

I have used TFS zddp adder, adds quite a bit, and my oil I used for break in (not break in oil) showed it.

You should run as thin as oil as you can and still maintain good Hot oil pressure. Just because there is pressure, doesnt mean there is flow. To thick of an oil on a cold morning will show pressure on the guage, but the pump is in bypass not actully pushing all of it through the engine, so we need flow, that will give us the pressure we want.

Thicker oils are only needed when oil temps are high, imho, 20/50 should never used on the street. If you can get 25ish psi at hot idle with a Xw/30 oil, then thats all you need.
 
Ha! I learned the same lesson. Checked oil while filling up and it was a little low (NA 240). I had a bottle of STP in the trunk and decided to top off with that instead of spend too much money on a quart at the station. It was low single digits outside and it was barely pouring out of the bottle. I had to squeeze the bottle to get ANY out. No way that stuff is going in my engine. I threw the bottle away after getting a tiny amount in.
 
84B23F said:
Rotella T Triple 15w-40's Pour Point -30?C

Pennzoil SAE 10w-30 or 10w-40 Pour Point -42?C

Pennzoil? High Mileage Vehicle - High-mileage motor oil is specially blended for older vehicles, or vehicles with higher mileage. ...a special high mileage motor oil blend, with its unique additives and viscosity, helps reduce oil burn-off, helps in sealing oil leaks and helps improve combustion chamber sealing to help restore engine compression.

Next oil/filter change use 10w-30 Pennzoil? High Mileage Vehicle
Click to expand...

Pennzoil?

Surely you jest?
 
Tearing down the penzoil motors and boiling the paraffin out of the pans and trying to knock it loose after it has been in the hot wash 2 hours is always such a joy!

Lots of work with the brass brush and kerosene to finish getting that awful stuff out. No overpriced paraffin evil penzoil will be used here.

Dealer uses it with 7500mile changes. Tons of whooped out Vvt gears, clogged cvt solenoids, seized cams, plugged Pcv or sometimes tons of general blowby under 60k miles in some cases and getting ugly by 100.
 
Last edited:
Kjets On a Plane said:
Tearing down the penzoil motors and boiling the paraffin out of the pans and trying to knock it loose after it has been in the hot wash 2 hours is always such a joy!

Lots of work with the brass brush and kerosene to finish getting that awful stuff out. No overpriced paraffin evil penzoil will be used here.

Dealer uses it with 7500mile changes. Tons of whooped out Vvt gears, clogged cvt solenoids, seized cams, plugged Pcv or sometimes tons of English blowby under 60k miles in some cases and getting ugly by 100.
Click to expand...



Oh come on, that hasn't been an issue in 15+ years. PYB is one of the best dino oils you can buy today. But I'm not sure I'd run it 7500 miles though. What kind of cars are you seeing this on?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top