STP with zddp or modern additives

Used STP in my completely worn out 283 back in the 70s.. Used my Zippo to warm it up enough to pour,and not just flow out in ripples. My hot idle oil pressure always went from damn near none to not as scary with STP. I'd try it again today in worn out engines,maybe not so much in anything in decent condition.

 

Back in the day, a friend of mine had a 55 Ford with a 390 Cadillac engine thats was completely worn out with little or no oil pressure. He drained the oil and filled the crankcase with Motor Medic which also had the consistency of honey to raise the oil pressure so he could sell it. Looks as if STP is the same snake oil. No way I'd use that junk in a normal operating engine.

 

Is Valvoline VR-1 Racing Oil a non detergent, dirt and sludge accumulating oil, not good for daily driver street motor, that you want to last for 750,000 miles?

Or do they put motor keep clean additives in it now days?

Edit Found this:

 

How about a Harley 4 speed transmission, when you shift gears on those it sounds like a .45 caliber round fired at a 1" boiler plate. And they did that when new!

Some STP in the case will stop that and make it a very smooth shifting transmission.

The build up stories , well there's more to the paraffin based oils leading to build up than STP.

If you expect a liquid rebuild you'll be disappointed.

Now " restore" oil treatment WILL get your compression up if the engine isn't too far gone.
Just like bars leak will solve some small coolant leaks, not plug a hole.

 

Zinc isn't needed in roller motors. The additive package in real racing oil is reportedly dead in 1500 miles.

 

An alternative would be to use ZDDP in the 4 oz bottle. One bottle per 5 qts of oil = at least .18% zinc level.

When I used STP, I warmed up the STP and poured it into a warm engine..mixes better. Two months ago, I poured/stirred a 10% solution of STP with 30wt oil into a jar as an experiment. I just looked at it, and I see no separation. Upon closer observation, there is a very, thin minuscule pearlescent layer on the bottom of the jar. Hardly noticeable. May be zinc? May be phosphorus.? Just stirred the solution up and it mixed right back in, as it might in an engine.

 

George X2. Zinc is not needed in roller motors. I use in my 350 Vortec Roller motor anyway as I buy the VR-1 synthetic by the case. Besides it can't hurt.

 

Jeff,
If your engine needs added Zince as a wear resistence additive and you are getting it from STP you would need to add STP with each oil change not just every once in a while.

 

Well I know a story about STP that most of the fellas on this thread are not going to like, won't go into the entire story as to not bore you too much but it ended with Mr Granitelli saying, "Well I wouldn't run it in anything that I own but it does make good assembly lube."

 

When I was growing up, when I built my first SBC (283), I used STP as an assembly lube. One can, cold assembly (could you assemble an engine hot?), left to sit for few days (school, girls, etc.) then installed and run in. No problems. Oil, STP separation enough to find individual globs in the oil pan? After running @ at least 180*, with all the trashing around of crank, rods, etc., I can not think of a better mixing bowl than a motor. I'm not calling BS on the separation of STP from oil (to the extent that individual globs can be detected in the oil pan) but I will say.....

OLD WIVES TALE WITH NO FACTUAL BASIS.

John

 

I was just researching the Valvoline site Product Data Info PDF and comparing the different oils VR-1, Durablend, Max life etc
I agree with you, VR-1 looks like good stuff. Also read they should change the name to classic car oil, it isnt a real Race only type oil

Im going to go buy some VR-1

The valvoline spec sheets dont list a any detergents in any of the oil that I could idintify. Further reading, IIUC, nitrogens would be the detergent...

I wont use STP

​

 

In 1965, I worked part time at a truck leasing outfit and changed oil in road tractors. The old man told me to put a quart of STP in when I changed the oil. Of course, the truck engine held something like 12 quarts of oil. We kept the 5 gallon bucket of STP on the stove so it would pour. When I changed oil in my 53 Chevy one December, I threw in a quart of STP and topped it off with oil.....the engine would barely turn over with the old 6 volt system.

Soooo....I pulled the drain plug to get it out of the pan. It flowed so slow, I had to leave the thing draining overnight...came back the next day and it was still draining...slowly. But they did pay at the drag races to have their decal on your car.

 

The motor in question has a flat tappet cam and I broke it in just when the zinc was being removed and has made two trips to Florida,I just want to add some for a little more protection on a long trip as I will be heading back to Florida next month.

 

No doubt this will offend someone but, STP isn't as good a lubricant as Motor oil. If you use STP and don't have a problem that's just proof you aren't at the limit of your lubrication requirements.

 

Is it a hi performance engine? As you drive you can't miss the millions of older Jeep Cherokees on the road. Every one of them has a flat tappet engine known for lasting 250,000 miles.You think the owners worry about the oil? Chevy didn't use roller tappets in SBC trucks until 96...Not that Chevys are known for long lasting cams but you think those 10's of millions of PU trucks get special oil?
Low levels of ZDDP mean something during break in but when there miles on a non performance flat tappet engine I don't believe it makes any difference.

 

Its basicly a stock motor that was supposed to have a rv cam but its slightly hotter.

 

I have decided to put a bottle of zinc additive in this motor and experiment with the STP in my 65 custom 500.

 

Brad Penn motor oils are 1500 PPMs of Zinc, and 1340 PPms of Phosphate.

I just wrote to them, and that is their prompt reply. Not like the STP corp's reply, "enough"

 

X2

I was also going to recommend Brad Penn oil

 

Where can the Brad Penn oil be purchased,do they have a retailer in Ohio.

 

Brad Penn is the product to use, go to American Refining Group. ARG, they have a locator service for local suppliers. And that is if the local marketer is giving him the names of the retailers. It is the old Kendall plant in Bradford Pa. Just so you know where the name comes from. Oh yea, STP stands for shit, tears, and piss. Thats from an old Wynns guy. Have fun with this one, I love the the HAMB

 

I have scraped plenty of both paraffin based oil buildup, and STP buildup out of engines, the former usually found more in the top end of the engine, and the STP hanging off of everything in the bottom half, not much similarity in the two.

 

ive torn down more than my share of engines. and a few that were run with stp at every oil change. ive never seen anything hangin on anything in these engines. never had to scrape anything off of them either.but i did tear down a bunch that had been running quaker state oil only. now those were a mess.as far as additives go ive never used anything until the zddp thing started a few yrs ago. now i use zddp plus in the little bottle.and i run my engines really really hard. and i can get alot of miles out of them too.stp, motor honey, wynns its all snake oil.

 

I run STP In everything i have. Always thought it was good stuff. Do i have any real proof of it? Not really. all i have had happen is i cooked a 2.8 v6 in a camaro one day, i mean litteraly cooked it, no coolant left in it. Got so hot it Siezed. After it cooled off it Loosened up, and i changed the oil, it was black and smelled burnt. Put fresh oil in it and proceded to drive it another 20k miles and then sold the car.

Was it the STP? who knows... But i think it had something to do with it.

 

Good information here ...



Jim

 

Hey now don't go a pickin' on Casite Motor Honey. If your engine is wore slap out and you need to get to work for the next month or two it is a real lifesaver.

I actually called home from a pay phone up on No Where Great Divide once, I was trying to get to San Jose for a funeral. I asked for someome to send the run truck to get me along the route. I had coughed the rings out of my engine at least 400 miles back. My closest friend in all the world said, "We are all pretty busy here. Its down hill all the way, get a can of casite motor honey, follow the instructions and you got 18 hours to get here." I made it, just barely but I made it. its good on toast too.

 

From Brad Penn Oil site:
BRAD PENN<SUP>®</SUP> Penn Grade 1<SUP>®</SUP> High Performance Oils also contain highly effective detergent and dispersant additives to guarantee exceptional engine cleanliness as well as oxidation and foam inhibitors that offer protection against thermal degradation and air entrainment.
In addition to our unique base oil cut, increased concentration of “zinc” (zinc dialkyldithiophosphate a.k.a. ZDDP) provides outstanding anti-wear/anti-scuffing protection for engines employing either ‘flat tappet’ or roller cams.

 

Summit sells it---they are in Ohio

Here ya go

2. George's Speed Shop
716 Brantly Ave.
Dayton, OH 45404
USA
George or Greg Montgomery
937-233-0353
Dealer

 

Maybe STPs PPM is a trade secret & they don't just want any Jamook to know it!!LOL
JimV