oil

i just went down and got some oil for my soild lifter beastie. the counter guy tells me i need an oil with an SM rating and to add a zinc aditive to it.( i have been having cam and lifter problems) he then tells me that the fed is changing the rating on oil from an SM to an SN and that you can not put the zinc in the SN oil. what do you think? i just want something to work with my solid lifter cam, i've went through 3 sets all ready

 

Get a good ZDDP additive.
Apparently, the Feds hate old cars and we must save them!

 

Do a search here on this site ... plenty of posts regarding oil/zinc/cams.

 

i know their's plenty of info on here but, what the parts guy said is that the sm oil is going away. and that the zddp won't work in the new sm oil thats taking the place of the sm oil. i just wanted to know if i should believe him or not. i'm old school and use to think oil was oil but i'm learning differant after several cam replacements

 

Heres a good article especially the last paragraph:

http://www.aa1car.com/library/api_motor_oil_cl***ifications.htm

 

www.bobistheoilguy.com - all you need to know and a whole lot more....

 

Wow, pretty knowledgeable for a counter guy.

 

I was going to say the same thing. Around here you're lucky to get a counter guy that can even read. I am embarrased to say that but it is the truth.

Someone once said not to worry about tomorrow that today had enough problems of its own. OK that's a paraphrase but in my experience I have found it to be true.

 

The counter guy may be smarter that the average one, but I wouldn't believe his **** about the additive not working with a certain rating of oil. The SN rated oil won't dissolve the zinc in the additive. Use it.

Parts store story: Yesterday I was helping a buddy get a freshly rebuilt Mopar 360 running. It had an electronic distributor in it, but we didn't have a module to connect, so called a couple of auto parts stores. First store we called (I won't say what store, but you'd think they'd be popular in Ireland) I told the guy that I needed an ignition module from a mid-70's Mopar, really didn't care what it was from.

He asked "a Pontiac?"

no, a Mopar.

"Oldsmobile?"

No a Mopar, you know, Dodge, Chrysler, Plymouth

"Oh, OK"

tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock, tick, tock.......................

"We don't have one."

So I called Jennifer at NAPA. The girl said, no problem, got a shelf full of 'em.

 

I tried to buy ZDDP locally, I went to every possible place. they all thought i was nuts with some kind of anti gov. conspiracy. this guy is at least part right