Blackstone Labs Report and ZDDP (1 Viewer)

[stockmax]

A friend of mine introduced me to Blackstone Labs recently as a great resource for periodic checks on the health of your engine's internal components through oil analysis. Keeps track of previous data on the same vehicle, tests for a variety of elements and it's cheap.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

Recently did an oil change on my FJ40, about 3K miles, and nearly 11 month since the last change. Admittedly I was too long in the time, but the mileage is low on that vehicle. One thing that showed up in the analysis was high Aluminum and Lead "indicating piston and bearing wear". This lead me to further investigate possible causes and ran into threads talking about the lack of Zinc leading to increased wear in these engines.

I typically will run Castrol 20/50 in the Cruiser and this time have put in some STP Zinc additive to see if that has an effect. I am planning on changing it again at the 2500 mile mark to see if there is a difference. First question is if anyone has any experience with this particular additive, or adding ZDDP in general to their oil? Second, is anyone interested in the results once that time comes?

 

[ErikinSC]

I just ordered a Shaffer 'Racing' blend that has ZDDP. Can send some info tomorrow.

 

[Weber Sarge]

I use 2 bottles of Rilsone ZDDP concentrated additive along with 5w40 diesel oil , usually Mobil 1 or Delvac's 15w40 in mine . No evidence of any noise gain or loss of compression or oil pressure in the 2yrs I've driven it , and driven it hard at that with a lot of Interstate miles . I should have an analysis done this time around , just mostly since I suspect the head gasket is getting weak after 38yrs ...
I also use the Rislone stuff in my old Wheel Horse tractors' Kohler engines , they notoriously hate the newer low-zinc oils and have a rod failure issue unless you use the additives .
Sarge

 

[Spike Strip]

Don't use the STP additives, either the Red bottle or the Blue ... The red used to be good, but now they both have very little ZDDP and IIRC, both have viscosity modifiers that you don't want. What Sarge runs is a good choice.

 

[watrob]

You just need to buy oils that have very high zinc content, Penrite produce high zinc oils for diesel & petrol engines & race engines. I use the Penrite "Classic" range for older engines, it comes in Light, Medium and Heavy, also has Sticky Additives for when the vehicles is sitting around for one week to another not being driven.

 

[Spike Strip]

That's very easy for the guy in Oz to say -- Here, in the US, Penrite (though a great oil), is hard to find and very very expensive for the high-zddp flavors. Since the OP is in S. Cal (like me), he's gonna need other options.

 

[stockmax]

Thanks guys. Curious what the viscosity modifiers would do to my 20/50 Castrol? I do think that the lack of Zinc is what is leading to my high Lead/Aluminum content in the oil analysis. No cats to worry about frying in a 76, but I do have to SMOG every 2 years, and I imagine that will involve not having any additives in the oil prior to visiting the SMOG station.

 

[Spike Strip]

You don't need to worry about zinc levels for smog test.

 

[Output Shaft]

I typically will run Castrol 20/50 in the Cruiser

Below is a superior oil to the old Castrol GTX 20/50 in so many ways:
Contains added ZDDP for older flat tappet engines..& costs almost a hundy for an oil change w/filter!!!

 

[watrob]

Put that in my engine and I would have more pressure in beach tyres.

 

[snaggletto]

I don't know what to believe, but I read somewhere that zinc additives were not a good substitute for oil that was processed with zinc during manufacturing. Considering that most additives are snake oil, it seems likely that there is some truth to it.

Furthermore, the 20w-50 oils made my oil pressure noticeably higher. I visualize this as trying to drink a thick milkshake through a straw. Maybe the wear you are seeing has something to do with the thick viscosity.and not getting lube into tighter tolerance areas. Maybe try a lighter oil and see what the analysis is before going with additives. I you want zinc, then try to find a 10w-30 or 15w40 that already has zinc content. Just my opinion.

 

[Mighty690]

Blackstone is great. More than just an analysis, they will explain results and make suggestions. In this litigious world, I admire that.
Yes, it would be great to see your future results, as the additive would show up as well, and you could compare the other measurements against it. Of course, the high readings might indicate an engine condition beyond something responding to a change in oil types!

 

[Weber Sarge]

I'd be interested to see what results come from running the Rislone for the last few years in mine with the diesel oils , maybe I should send off a sample in the spring prior to changing the oil when it's time . I'd really prefer to use oil specifically designed for the engine , but near $100 price tag per change hurts pretty bad as I put a lot of miles on this thing .
Sarge

 

[pbgbottle]

here is some info on certain oils, info is a few years old
and some info about what happens to some oils even if u add some ZDDPlus
i just skimmed this page below, but had it bookmarked from a few years ago

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35836


i use the mobile 1 , 15w50 in my boat 351W

 

[sggoat]

A friend of mine introduced me to Blackstone Labs recently as a great resource for periodic checks on the health of your engine's internal components through oil analysis. Keeps track of previous data on the same vehicle, tests for a variety of elements and it's cheap.

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

Recently did an oil change on my FJ40, about 3K miles, and nearly 11 month since the last change. Admittedly I was too long in the time, but the mileage is low on that vehicle. One thing that showed up in the analysis was high Aluminum and Lead "indicating piston and bearing wear". This lead me to further investigate possible causes and ran into threads talking about the lack of Zinc leading to increased wear in these engines.

I typically will run Castrol 20/50 in the Cruiser and this time have put in some STP Zinc additive to see if that has an effect. I am planning on changing it again at the 2500 mile mark to see if there is a difference. First question is if anyone has any experience with this particular additive, or adding ZDDP in general to their oil? Second, is anyone interested in the results once that time comes?

I would definitly be interested in the analysis results. it's been my experience in the oil industry that additives that are unblended at the refinery level are not effective. I would be very interested in your results--the oil companies could be blowing smoke here, but I don't know--

 

[Spike Strip]

I occasionally watch some of those reality-car-flip-repair shows and I just saw one where they installed a rebuilt hi-po vintage Ford something or other and did the break-in with cheap O'Reilly's 30wt and a zinc additive. Through time-lapse, their 20-min break in at about 2000 rpms gradually caused the engine to run horribly. Upon tear down, they discovered a toasted cam and a few fried lifters.

So they pull the motor, send back to rebuilder. Rebuilder says they're idiots 'cuz they have to use high-zinc break in oil cuz additives don't work. They Break in new engine with expensive (Brad Penn) breakin oil and all is good.

Moral? Dunno. It's a TV show. But are those of us using zddp additive as a crutch just fooling ourselves? I hate the idea of $100 oil change.

 

[FJ60Seth]

here is some info on certain oils, info is a few years old
and some info about what happens to some oils even if u add some ZDDPlus
i just skimmed this page below, but had it bookmarked from a few years ago

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35836


i use the mobile 1 , 15w50 in my boat 351W

I read the entire article, very informative, thanks for posting it. I'm throwing away my bottles of ZDDPlus and start running straight Delo.

 

[GA Architect]

I read the entire article, very informative, thanks for posting it. I'm throwing away my bottles of ZDDPlus and start running straight Delo.

That is what I run in mine....Delo 15W-40 with a Wix 51515