Another rounded cam lobe reminder

Just a reminder to consider your engine lubricant if you have a flat tappet cam. When recently visiting a friend with a 302 SBF in a 55 F100, he says check this out - showed me his cam with one lobe wiped out. He had never heard of the ZDDP problem and new formulated oils. I sent him to www.ZDDPlus.com because this site explains the problem better than I ever could. They are the last vendor listed on the Alliance Vendor list here, they are good people!

 

Remind your friend, if he didn't tear down the engine, that metal is still in the engine. It didn't burn up and didn't go out the tail pipe. Oil filters are cheap, change the filter often for a while. If he doesn't have a magnetic drain plug, get one ASAP. Before installing the new plug, I would drain the oil. Then with a big magnet, drag it acrooss the outside of the bottom of the oil pan and see if particles folow the magnet out toward the opening for the drain plug. Then stick a long thin magnet into the opening for the drain plug and see what you can fish out if anything. Just some cheap advice and friendly suggestions, best of luck, TR

 

Good point - I will see him tomorrow. As much as this subject has been flogged here, it still amazes me that so many hotrodders have never heard of the reformulated oils - which is why I brought it up again. Anybody with some decent valve spring pressures and a flat tappet cam need to take precaution. I personally ruined 2 cams before realizing what was going on.

 

I've told guys about using Rislone or any ZZDP additive and they say, well why don't the new engines wear the cams out than ? Maybe because they have roller cams. Am I right ?

 

I use Valvoline Premium Blue. It's supposed to have ZZDP in it still.

 

Brad Penn oil (aka: the Green Oil) has zinc already in it.

 

I use supreme 7000 synthetic Schaeffer oil in my car. It is also green and has the zinc in it.

http://www.schaefferoil.com/supreme-7000-engine-oil.html

 

I still have some old STP w/ zinc in it from when I sold chemicals off a truck, I noticed the new stuff zinc free.

 

Isn't this the same as old Kendall oil?

 

I also highly recommend Brad Penn Oil. You have to buy the Penn Grade #1 to get the zinc in the oil. They also sell conventional oils that don't have it and are cheaper. Brad Penn bought out Kendall so its one of the oldest refineries in the country, proven for decades! Made in the USA Bradford Pennsylvania. Rusty

 

I put Lucaus Break in oil with my oil Change
I called them & they told me so many onces
with oil Changes!

I don't know if I spelled the Name right
but you know what it is

Just my 3.5 cents

 

Does the diesel oil (Rotella T and Delo 400) still have the zinc in it?

 

Yes....you are correct. Flat tappet cams need the zinc compound as a lubrucant for the stresses created by the tappet sliding over the cam lobes. The newer emgines with roller cams do not experience this.....because they do not slide. As an aside......the car makers went to roller cams in order to accommodate the reduction in zinc compounds......the old formulation caused premature failure of catalitic converters.

 

Just My Opinion.....

Any engine oil with a "Star Burst" on the label does not have the required amount of Zinc Phosphate for a flat tappet cam. These engine oils are for new p***enger cars, with roller cams, etc....

Diesel Engine oil does not have the Star Burst label, however; you must look at the back label to ensure the oil is rated CI-4 or CJ-4 (1,200 parts per million of Zinc Phosphate) hence Shell Rotella.... Most diesel oils do not have the required rating for flat tappet cams, due to the new emission standards for diesel motors.

I use Shell Rotella with a bottle of Comp Cams, Break In Lube to be on the safe side as some day, without our knowledge; Shell will remove the CI or CJ rating.....

 

They're starting to remove zinc from diesel oil as well. It's a ****in' government thing.

 

They have reduced from what it used to be, best to use something mentioned. We have Alliance vendors that sell Brad Penn and Joe Gibbs is on the list as well.

 

Lucas makes a high zinc break in oil too.

 

Very few diesel engine oils now have a " CI " or " CJ " engine oil rating !!!

 

And that's just part of the story! Remember not too many years ago when all the spark plug manufacturers were pushing their "copper core" spark plugs? After a while the copper electrodes began to naturally erode with usage and it was discovered that the traces of copper in the exhaust were also fouling the catalyst material in the converters much like the zinc does. So the copper plugs got phased out and replaced by the platinum plugs. Now as the platinum tip erodes it doesn't have any ill effects on the platinum that's already being used in the converter.

Damn...I wish I was smart enough to figure out this kind of stuff!

 

Link no workee unless you sign up/join at that site

 

It does. So does VR 1 20/50

 

100% correct, Brad Penn is the way to go.

 

What are you talking about? I just bought some Blue bottle STP, and on the front of the bottle it says: "contains ZZDP anti-wear agents".

Email the address on the STP bottle if you have any questions.

www.stp.com

 

I pulled my cam which I put 100K+ miles on . it was 14 yrs old when I bought it so don't know how many miles actually on it. The lobe surfaces were a bit degraded and worn .010" - .015". Don't know if that's excessive but I'm going to run Hi-zinc oil from now on to be safe. Have enough Brad Penn oil for 2 oil changed and then maybe Amsoil Z-rod Hi-zinc.

 

Here is a pic of the rounded off lobe - 3rd lobe from the dist gear. It destroyed the lifter too.

 

You were right. The metal from the cam and lifter wiped out the crank bearing surfaces. He drove it quite a distance after the noisy lifter.