The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Is this OK oil?

I hope this is in the correct area. A good friend of mine told me to use Shell Rotella oil in my 1955 235 stock 6 cylinder, as it was most like oil of old.

With that information, I purchased some only to find out when home I purchased some for a DIESEL.

What does this matter?

What's the difference?

Should I use it?

Was my friends information/suggestion good information?

Thanks

Yes, your friend was correct.

I use Shell Rotella T4 15w-40 in many of my vehicles. I initial;ly chose it because of its higher zinc content. That zinc content has since been reduced by Shell but it has a little more than other conventional oils.

The higher weight is the main advantage for old engines with greater tolerances between the moving parts.

What weight oil did you buy? The weight is the most inportant thing to be correct for these engines.

Typically diesel oil is specced to have a higher shear stability. Using it is a gas engine (as long as it is the correct weight) is not a problem, it it just typically unnecessary and costs more.

I use 15W-40 in everything on our place- - - -cars, trucks, tractors, lawn mowers, generators, a pressure washer, even my Harley soft tail. The "Traveler" brand from Tractor Supply in the 5 gallon pail is a bargain. No problems yet.
Jerry

T4 15w40 is what I purchased thinking the thicker would be better and it won't see any cold weather use.

Cold weather isn't a problem- - - -it flows like a 15 weight when cold, and lubricates like a 40 weight when hot. The physical thickness of the oil doesn't change with temperature.
Jerry

Yup another vote for T4 here. I use it in everything on the farm except the '04 silverado and generators which get 30wt. Easy to buy in bulk and I add just a squirt of Lucas ZDDP additive for the flat tappet engines since shell cut back the overall ZDDP. Zero problems and the older gas engines run smoother and quieter on it.

I know lots like using the diesel oil but its probably not the best to use.

https://www.motortrend.com/how-to/diesel-oil-in-gasoline-engine/


There are quite a few alternatives. Correct engine oils for automotive applications, with the correct amount of zinc and phosphorous. I myself like Penn Grade 1. Penn Grade 1 is the renamed Bradpenn oil when DA Lubricants purchased the brand. Bradpenn oil is the old Kendal 1 green oil that many of us used years ago. Same refinery, same PA crude oil stock as its base, a synthetic additive package with the correct ZDDP. Its still made in Bradford, Pennsylvania, still green and still clings onto the parts. I like it for a lot of reasons, but one of them is the stuff is still coating my rocker arm assembly after the motor has been sitting all winter. That and I am fairly hard on my motors, no failures of any kind using the Penngrade 1 brake in oil, or the 10W30 I have always used in my 235/261 motors.

Just an alternative view.

The only race engine failure I could probably blame on poor lubrication happened running the old green Kendall GT-1 oil. Flaky, erratic oil pressure, and scored bearings, even with proper clearances everywhere and a high volume oil pump.
Jerry

That's not necessarily true. That article talks about diesel engines running at lower speeds than gas engines, but that really wouldn't apply to a Light Truck Diesels, like currently used by Ford, RAM, and GM. Redline is typically in the 3000-3500 RPM range. A Stovebolt engine would be literally screaming at that speed, if it could even get there (at least in stock trim.)
Most diesel rated oils are now rated CK-4/SN, with the SN rating for gasoline engines. (S is for Spark Ignition) [on edit] Apparently none of Shell's Rotella diesel oils meet API SN specs. But all of Chevron's DELO products are rated SN. Even Wal-Mart's store brand 15-40 diesel oil does.

Jerry, a sample size of one is fairly weak evidence to blame it on the oil. Did every engine you used that oil in fail? Scoring of bearings is likely from oil contamination rather than lubricant failure.

Yes, anecdotal information is suspect, but several other engine builders in my area also stopped using Kendall at around the same time after similar problems. It doesn't take many catastrophic failures of engines costing $15K each to make a builder unwilling to risk his reputation over brand loyalty. Most of us switched to Valvoline, and the problems disappeared. A 38 pound billet King's crankshaft alone for a small block Chevy V8 cost $5500.00 back then. By the time tool steel rods, pistons, and zero gap rings got factored in, the rotating assembly alone was around $10K.
Jerry

Kendall probably had a contaminated batch but I agree, who wants to take a chance after just one oil related failure?

And don't forget about Classic Car Club of America's oil which has a very high zinc content specifically for old engines. 15w-40 with 1600ppm zinc content. Somebody on this forum actually called Shell and they told him the level was about 1100 ppm or something like that.

https://inrccca.org/product/classic-car-motor-oil/

Otto,

Nearly all the diesel oils had zinc and phosphorus reduced a few years back. It corresponded with the switch from CJ-4 to CK-4. CJ-4 used to have higher zinc content. Maybe CCCA got hold of some of the older spec oil.

That's no classic car motor in the link. Not sure when serpentine belts came out, but probably not till after 1950 or so.

CCCA has that oil produced especially for collector vehicles. It isn't diesel oil or NOS stuff. It was engineered with the high zinc level as a prerequisite. They have it produced for them by a reputable oil company according to CCCA's specs. I think they've been making it for at least 10 years.

As it turns out, they are also the manufacturer of the PennGrade products discussed earlier.

Here's the company that manufactures it.

https://www.dalube.com/


SAE Viscosity Grade
15W-40

Viscosity
@ 100 °C, cSt = 15.0
@ 40°C, cSt = 112

Viscosity Index
136

Cold Cranking Viscosity
ASTM D5293 (SAE Grade Maximum: 15W- = 7,000)
@ -20°C, cP = 6,600

Cold Pumping Viscosity
ASTM D4684 (SAE Grade Maximum: All Grades = 60,000 cP)
@ -25°C, cP = Less Than 20,000

Borderline Pumping Temperature
ASTM D3829
Maximum -4°F, -20°C
High Temperature/High Shear Viscosity Stability
@ 150°C, TBS, cP = 3.9

Flash Point, COC, °F(°C)
430 (221)

Gravity, API
27.6

Sulfated Ash, Wt. %
1.5

Total Base Number
11 ASTM D2896

Zinc (ppm)
1,600

I will refrain from offering my oil opinion, but I’d encourage anyone who wants to “geek out” on the topic to watch anything you can find from Lake Speed, Jr on YouTube.

Additives interact with one another and you can’t just look at ZDDP levels alone.

1955firstseries Should work for you,even in your colder climate,klhansen uses it clear up in Alaska. I would help it a little with zinc additive (I do) to protect that expensive hard to change cam. Maybe your truck sleeps in where it is warmer. Once got a lesson on crazy oil pressure in a 540 chevy truck pulling engine,turned out our machine shop's sloppy align-bore work left the rear main cap leaking oil internally right out in the way of the 8'000 rpm crankshaft making it foam. O-ringed the leak,that nitro Merlin block is headed for season 12 this summer. Any erratic oil pressure is often related to foaming oil. I have used 5w30 here in cold/hot Il. since 93 haven't lost a bearing,no oil users, just lately started using 0w20 as instructed by warrenty. Use zinc additive in flat tappet engines as I said some are 50 yrs. old one is 75.