Oil for a newly built 2f (1 Viewer)

[YangFJ40]

Well I should be getting my motor put back together by Monday. For oil a machinist for Man a fre told me to put VR1 valvoline which is high in zinc for break in. But it turns out they do not make a 5w-20 oil. Are there any other oils that have zinc additives in them or should I just get an ordinary oil and put in the Lucas zinc additive?

 

[love2fly]

You are on track with the thought of the zinc additive.
I have about 2,000 miles on my 2F rebuild and my start up oil was straight 30W auto oil with the proper amount of a zinc additive. I used 30W non detergent for two reasons, I wanted a thick oil to help keep the metal to metal well protected and the zinc additive will mix and hold better (new oil pump). The other reason was I was going to do an oil/filter change in about 50-100 mile depending on what things looked like and sounded like while braking in. I use a zinc additive at every oil change with my 20/50 Castrol oil.
Just did a bore scope check and the cylinder walls look just as expected with the ring break-in, nice. I think the zinc on the older cars is a must.
Also make sure that your assembly lube has a bit of zinc in it to help with the brake-in (keep your hands gloved when using zinc).
Good luck

 

[sggoat]

Based on my limited knowledge after spending some time at a Sunoco Refinery, and Chevron, additive packages are only effective if blended with the virgin oil at high temps and pressures(>350 deg F and >3 atm of pressure--sometimes, even higher) to achieve the proper molecular bonds required to make them viable in an internal combustion engine(dsl or gas){antioxidants/wear inhibitors/etc.}. The stuff you can buy off the shelf at any auto store is essentially snake oil. At the very least(thankfully) the stuff won't actually hurt the engine
My .02

 

[Healey]

I use the VR1 in the 40 and the Healey. 20W-50. Don't run either vehicle in cold weather, so the heavier weight is fine for me.
The old design, flat tappet cam engines apparently need the added zinc for hi pressure contact surface wear protection. I also added ZDDP (zinc) additive for the engine break-in, on both engines this year. Belt and suspenders.
Both of these engines are essentially tractor engines, so they will probably be ok. But, doesn't hurt to take precautions. Oil looks good to the eye when I change it.

 

[YangFJ40]

Okay so I will be running in about 30 degrees the lowest during the winter as I hunt alot. So what do you mudders think about running 30 SAE (thinnest they make)

 

[Josie'sLandCruiser]

Hi all,

Use a quality brand 20W50 motor oil. It is fine at 30*F (it is recommended by a noted Alaskan Land Cruiser mechanic.)

Good luck on the re-built engine!

Alan

 

[DougAustinTx]

I have been using Shell Rotella as it claims to have higher levels of zinc, then add a bottle of ZDDP at each oil change. No idea if it really helps, but my engine doesn't use any oil between oil changes, so I'm happy.

 

[mtn2roady]

Just fired up my engine after 18 months of sitting, it had less than 3k on a fresh rebuild now I've serious blue smoke blow by and never had blue smoke before. I just used 10w 40 the last 3k. Will be doing a compression test this weekend and hoping for the best. Good luck, sounds like it will turnout awesome

 

[AlaskanWheeler]

@mtn2roady I would poor some Marvels or the like down your spark plugs holes, let that sit for a day; maybe free up your rings.

 

[Spike Strip]

Why a 5w-20? That same machinist had me use a bottle of GM E.O.S. and change the oil after 50 miles, then 100 miles then 500... I used 15w-40 Rotella. Any good break-in additive should do.

Brad Penn makes a 30w break-in oil with high levels of ZDDP, also Red line makes a good additive. I hate any thing 'Lucas' just on principle since I used to own a POS Triumph Spitfire, back in the day...

 

[NE78FJ40]

A guy that is helping get me engine up and running swears by Brad Penn break in oil. You can order it from summit racing.

 

[sggoat]

Based on my limited knowledge after spending some time at a Sunoco Refinery, and Chevron, additive packages are only effective if blended with the virgin oil at high temps and pressures(>350 deg F and >3 atm of pressure--sometimes, even higher) to achieve the proper molecular bonds required to make them viable in an internal combustion engine(dsl or gas){antioxidants/wear inhibitors/etc.}. The stuff you can buy off the shelf at any auto store is essentially snake oil. At the very least(thankfully) the stuff won't actually hurt the engine
My .02

My previous post was based primarily on the opinions for the guys in the oil blending floor. I began to question these as I read more on the forum. After doing some more research, it turns out that if you "imbalance" the formulated additive package already in the oil, you could indeed damage the engine(such as adding more anti-oxidants to oil that already has that package in it). What happens is the total package now becomes skewed--in one direction or another(depending on the additive you put in). For example: adding extra phosphorus may foul up the rust inhibitor, eventually leading to ---rust.
There are some really good articles on this on the Noria Corp website:
http://pkr.noria.com/rpm/issues/2014-10-16.html
At least these folks don't seem to have a vested interest in selling any particular brand, so I would guess their research is a little bit less biased.
Sounds like the 'break-in' oil is viable option, though.

 

[GA Architect]

FWIW.......Let me first clarify, as long as you are confident in your oil, oil filter and any additive, that is all that matters. To each, their own.

OK, here ya go:
Want a cheap off the shelf oil with a good bit of ZDDP? Here ya go: http://www.pqiamerica.com/May 2013/chevrondelo.htm You can get it at Wally-World for a song!

If you want to do some additional reading to see which oil has the goods you want, here's a good site: http://www.pqiamerica.com/samplesummaryHDEO2.htm