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Jeff and Rick Help OIL DEBAT

J

jbthehut

Member
"The oil debate continues and

"The oil debate continues and it is nothing less than confusing. I respect both of your opinions and have been reading your posts for some time now. Could I get an opinion from either or both of you as to the right oil and addadive to use for the following engines.
1977 270hp 350. 2100hrs both engines have good compresion and run very smooth. Temp ranges from 160 at Idle and 170 at higher rpm's.
I would appriciate some clarification and direction, from what I have read in the past, I trust both of your opinions and advise.
JB"
 
"Not sure about Amsoil, but th

"Not sure about Amsoil, but they and Lucas make excellent products. On that 'old' an engine (like mine), you need the zinc additive that is now missing from modern oils (that are for engines with roller camshafts. Thanks yet again, enviro-fascists!) So, you need to use a quality oil AND add a zinc additive package to it. Try Lucas or Amsoil's website and ask for their advice.

I got in under the wire with last year's Shell Rotella oil, that has now been "reformulated" (meaning they screwed it up!) So I'll be doing the same thing myself at year's end.

Jeff"
 
"jb, Thanks for the kind word

"jb, Thanks for the kind words.

I'm personally not big on additives. I don't condone them, but I don't use them.

I very, very seldom see engine failure in marine engines due to lubrication problems. Most failures I see are top end failures. If a bottom end failure does occur, due to poor lubrication, it's usually due to contaminated oil from water ingestion.

I feel there are other ways to extend engine life rather than buying expensive additives. A good engine cleaner such as OMC Engine Tuner or Seafoam do far more to protect your engine by reducing carbon build-up and keeping your valves clean and your rings free.

A quality oil and filter are all you need to keep your engine lubricated. Keep the carbon off of the internals, keep the water out of it, keep quality fuel flowing properly and your motor will run forever.

Rick"
 
"Thanks a bunch to both of you

"Thanks a bunch to both of you for the advice, I can see the merit from both views. I would like to take this one step further if you are willing. Let's assume these were your engines, what would you run in them? Please be specific, as though you were going out to buy it. Jeff , these engines have hydraulic lifters, does that make a difference. I'm going to change the fluid in the velvet drives as well (borg warner), any advice here? Again, I really appriciate your help and input. Tomorrow morning I start putting back on the exchaust manifolds and heat exchangers, with a little luck I will be able to start them up again by Sunday afternoon."
 
"Rick, I really don't cons

"Rick, I really don't consider replacing something that was always a component an additive. It's pretty much accepted that flat tappets need certain anti wear compounds that aren't necessary with roller cams. I was working as a mechanic when tetra-ethyl lead was removed from gasoline. Without the lead valves would bore right through the cylinder head in no time. Valve seats had to be re-designed to accomodate the new fuels. Pretty similar to the changeover to roller cams. Stu"
 
"Rick wrote (say that fast

"Rick wrote (say that fast three times!):

"Very, very seldom see engine failure in marine engines due to lubrication problems. Most failures I see are top end failures. If a bottom end failure does occur, due to poor lubrication, it's usually due to contaminated oil from water ingestion."

Ah, my friend, but that was before the damnable Feds legislated the zinc additive (ZDDP) out of our motor oils. You WILL start seeing camshaft failures now since the ZDDP additive is gone.

I got in under the wire last year with some Shell Rotella oil that still used the additive. (It's now gone.) So, like others out there, I'm looking for a an additive package to add to the oil next oil change.

Stay tuned!

Jeff

PS: The problem has nothing to do with "hydraulic lifters:, it's the WAY the lifters are 'lifted'. Older engines use a flat tappet setup in which the tappet scraps across the cam lobe (and needs the zinc additive). More modern engines use roller tappets."
 
"Given all of this, I am guess

"Given all of this, I am guessing correctly that (while my lifter valley is OPEN ) roller tappet lifters can't just be swapped out before I get the intake manifold back on?"
 
"How the heck do you tell if i

"How the heck do you tell if it does or does not have the additive? I looked at a couple of quarts of oil on the boat which are several years old and it does not say anything about ZDDP! Assuming that todays oils do not have it, what is a good additve to use to get it and how do you tell again if an additive has it?"
 
"Boy Jeff I hope you're wr

"Boy Jeff I hope you're wrong. I hope they put something else in the oil to replace it.

If flat tappets are going to fail, what about rocker arms, push rods and other metal to metal surfaces that don't have rollers? These designs are still used on new engines even with roller cams, including most automobiles on the market."
 
"I have heard from my mechanic

"I have heard from my mechanic that diesel engine oil does still have the zinc additive in them. I used Mobil Delco synthetic that is rated for diesel AND GAS engines. So far, my engines are running 3 degrees cooler...and sound awesome!"
 
"That's Shell Rotella T--n

"That's Shell Rotella T--not the plain Rotella stuff!

"How do you tell if the oil has the additive or not?" You can't! The ~!#@$6 aren't saying.

Apparently, rocker arms are less damaged by the lack of ZDDP. Also, they're a hellova lot easier to change!

Jeff"
 
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