There have been some cases of ****py parts, especially lifters, that I have seen for Nailheads. Still relevant. AS of 2017 Rotella T4 that is ONLY rated as CK-4 (or even CJ-4 if you find the early bottles) will have ZDDP levels around 1100-1200. My understanding is that it has been reduced again more since then but I am not seeing definitive answers.
There are still a lot of oils made with zinc in them, and especially for older flat tappet engines. And most of them are not priced any higher than any of the modern name brand oils. I can't understand why anyone would buy non zinc oil at the going price, and then buy zinc additive to it? Why spend the extra when you could just buy oil with zinc in it still?
That was once true, but there's plenty of data showing Rotella no longer has as much zinc as it used to have. They lowered the level in recent years because even diesels have EPA mandated pollution devices that can be plugged up if the oil has much zinc.
I used to use the Lucas ZDDP additive, but it was $15 a pint bottle, now I switched to Castrol GTX cl***ic oil, its super cheap too.
As far as I know, the laws of physics haven't changed in the last 10 years, and a lot of folks still buy those ZDDP additives and put them in their oil.
The irrisistable urger to tinker, too much use of google and a distrust of modern technology. I have a lot of things i pay attention to when i maintain my car, worrying about the chemical composition of modern multigrade fully synthetic motor oil is not one of them.
The P limit that limits the amount of ZDDP additive has not changed since the CJ-4 spec, and the then and current 1200 ppm P limit is no more than 100 ppm less than what was typical before their there was a limit. Some CK-4 oils have considerably less than 1200 ppm P because they contain newly developed-Boron based anti wear additives, but the spec sheets don't usually list Boron concentration. So I guess it's pretty save to say, that Rotella is still a good choice - in all the specs sheets I was able to find they still list 1200 ppm of ZDDP. And remember that the C-category wear test suite has not changed recently, so there's more than just ZDDP to p*** all the wear tests.
I wish I had a way to include the ZDDP information from the Studebaker Drivers Club Dec 22 issue of Turning Wheels magazine. A study by an oils laboratory and SAE member indicates that adding ZDDP to oils such as O'Reilly house brand conventional, Motorcraft 5w30 synthetic, Royal Purple 5w30 synthetic, Lucas 5w30 conventional, and Motorcraft 5w30 conventional actually lowers the wear protection up to 44%. Advice is use oils such as Valvoline VR1 or others made for flat tappet engines. They are readily available. Also don't use Diesel oils.
Now I know not to use Penzoil at all. The detergents/additives for diesel are different than for gas engines. Even Shell talks about it and how there are far more in diesel oil. "An important element in meeting or exceeding the standard requirements of both oils is the additive package. It represents 15 to 25 percent of a gallon of oil, with the balance being high-quality base oil. This is higher than the additive levels in p***enger-car motor oils designed for gasoline engines." So you keep using diesel oil.
It's not that complicated really. If you are building a new engine and starting it up you want fixed viscosity breakin oil. If you're later use is strictly racing it would likely require an oil for heavy duty racing use. But I think the vast majority of vehicles will be just fine with almost any oil that is for cl***ic cars and says it has zinc in it. Unless it's been upgraded to a roller cam, where you really don't need the higher zinc, and those roller engines like a When did Pennzoil post this reply? At one time Rotella was the go to for older engines, but these days Rotella specs have changed, and the company has reduced zinc levels in Rotella, so it's not a good choice anymore. I see no reason to use Rotella or any diesel oils when there's a number of choices on the market that are specifically made for flat tappet engines, and aren't any more costly.
It was the Penzoil Q&A with the American Petroleum Ins***ute last December. As I said before, yes the specs have changed but there is still 1200 ppm ZDDP in there. How much ppm does your oil have?
Rotella T4 has not changed since it’s introduction, it is still the best deal for older cars. No matter where you look (hot rod, restorers, trucks or tractors) it is the go to oil for older vehicles. I’m sure there are specialty oils that work just as well but cost way more. I paid $16 for a gallon last month. The only one close was Castrol cl***ic at $24 but it only comes in 20w-50. I’m a retired cheap ******* so unless I start having problems (none so far in 10 years of use) or someone can justify me spending $50-80 for an oil change I’ll stick to Rotella. Spring must be close. The oil conspiracy bush is starting to bloom.
There is such a thing as too much zinc or zddp. Shell Rotella is as you say around 1200, but both Lucas and VR-1 that I use have 1600 ppm and 1500 ppm. I think anything over this is likely going to eventually create sludge build up in an engine.
I'm an old retired cheapskate too. But I wont skimp on engine oil, or anything critical. It costs me $30 for 6 qts. of VR-1, and it's not worth saving a few bucks to me to use something less.
It’s all good, we use things that we have experience with. The oil debate has been around a lot longer than I have and I should have stayed in the stands.
Widely reported that CI is the old oil rating. CJ & up is the new formulation the same way SL is the old oil for gas engines & SM & up is the reformulated...
I was told by a rep. from Shell that T4 still contains the recommended 1200 zddp. That was a few years ago. I’ll see what they have to say and report back.
As ad add on to my above comment. At the time all this "zinc in oil" stuff started it was also stated that EOS & STP had also been reformulated. Seems the old formulations used in modern cars increases emissions...
There have been numerous warnings about the new oils with SM ratings, and not to use these SM oils in older flat tappet engines.
I stand corrected. Rotella T4 15w40 has changed, it’s now a synthetic blend. After getting the run around with 3 different emails asking if it is still good for flat tappets and the ZDDP count, I can only ***ume it’s not. As of today they have not answered my question. Where as before (old T4) I got a reply right away.
Nothing gets added to oil that was not put into it in the factory that made it. Use the oil that has the correct specification as it exists in the bottle. Everything in my fleet without a catalytic converter, and everything that I have built, or will build has Valvoline VR-1 in it.
It’s Lucas Hot Rod 10-30 oil for me with Wix filters. Any non racing hot rod or vintage engine oil now available has been formulated for flat tappet engines whether hydraulic or solid lifters. I change once a year in my cars not driven enough.
Valvoline does not recommend it for anything but racing. https://www.valvoline.com/en/racing-oil-faq/ “The Valvoline VR1 Racing and other racing oils not intended for p***enger vehicles contain additional additives for increased horsepower and reduced friction on metal parts, provide extra wear protection for high compression/higher horsepower engines, and include fewer detergents than regular conventional motor oils.” I have seen other reports where it is ok to use in everyday cars but the oil change intervals were low. 500 mi seems to be the common interval.
This is a disclaimer intended to shield them from anyone making the claim that their sensors and/or catalytic converters were ruined by using it on the street. Our vehicles are an almost immeasurable fraction of what is on today's roads. The average age of a car or light truck out there today is 12. All of those have closed-loop EFI, and catalytic converters. I change mine every 5,000 miles, or annually, whichever comes first. Same for customers. There has never been an issue.
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