The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop Some thoughts on engine oil provided by .... Walmart!

Found this interesting. www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8tpRxQLqU0. Not very applicable unless one is using their truck as a daily driver and they push it a bit but someone might find the info useful for their modern ride...

What a neat surprise that it's by Walmart. "Which motor oil performs better under extreme conditions? Discover the myth busting results of our head-to-head test of the WALMART brand synthetic motor oil versus a name brand conventional motor oil!" Anxious to hear what others think.

Not surprising that a "cheap" synthetic did better than a name brand conventional oil. Synthetics of any brand should be expected to perform better than any conventional oil.

I imagine that Walmart, like all big stores issues a call for bids for supply of oil. The lowest bidder will supply the oil with the Walmart label on it. So, results may vary.

As far as I know, Walmart has always used Warren Oil as a supplier. At least every time I've looked at a jug of their oil, that's what it says.

I'm still skeptical about modern oils without the zinc additive. The fellow holds up a camshaft and says that the synthetic oils can be used for flat-tappet cams but he doesn't say with what additive package. When I pulled apart my 235 that had a Crower Hi-lift cam, it did show some visible wear after ~100,000 miles. I had been using RPM DELO 15-40 and Valvoline 20-50 before that. I got DELO in 5-gallon pails and used it until they cut the additive package to accommodate trap oxydizers. Since then I have used Valvoline VR1 20-50 then Rotella T 15-40 with an added dose of ZDDP additive. We'll see how that works out. I have also used Costco's Diesel API CK 15-40 but the oil consumption is higher with that by about 40%. The VR1 also showed higher oil consumption.

Oil temperature stability is important to me as I regularly see 250 degrees F for maybe 1/2 hour to an hour at a time on hills and a steady-state 210F (think Ogden, UT to Laramie, WY on I-80 eastbound).

I need to have a 5,000 mi drain interval as that's typically how long my round trips are. I haven''t changed oil on the road, though I do grease the chassis when I get the chance.

Kevin is right. Warren makes their oil and has done so for a long time. It's the Sam's Club gasoline that's hit or miss.

Tommy, the CCCA has high ZDDP oil made especially for antique cars.

Classic Car Motor Oil 1600ppm ZDDP

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

I'm working with a pretty well known cam grinder on a project to make roller cams for stovebolt engines. They say it requires a forged steel core to run with rollers, which just happens to be what every 216 and spray oiler 235 runs. Rollers will eliminate any concerns about flat tappets and special oils, and it's also possible to use a quicker rate of lift with a roller lifter. By pressing sleeves onto the 216 cam bearing journals, they can be made to work in a 235 or 261 engine.
Jerry

This is an interesting site to check on the composition of motor oils and it is pretty extensive - https://pqia.org/passenger-car-motor-oil/

My family over the decades have used a number of different brands of motor oil (Dad started driving in the mid-1930's).

I personally believe the oil change frequency to be more important than the brand, as long as it is a name brand (the video did NOT change my opinion on name brands).

We have only had one engine failure which MIGHT be attributed to motor oil: one import died at slightly more than 200,000 miles because of a fiber timing gear failure.

I have one example of a shop truck that went to the salvage yard after 440,000 plus miles with the cylinder head never removed because it had rusted out the third time because of the poor drivers in Missouri needing salt and cinders in the winter. The daily drivers are going to rust out before engine wear is a concern.

In 1979, I special-ordered an American-made vehicle with a factory turbocharger. The automobile magazines (no internet yet) had varying opinions on what oil I should use. Not being one to overly trust the magazine writers, I got on the telephone EARLY on a Tuesday morning, and called the manfacturer. I talked to a number (3 or 4 ) very polite individuals who tried to transfer me to someone who could answer the question. After maybe the 4th transfer, a gentleman answered, and stated "I am cccccccc and I designed the engine which you are asking about, how can I help you?" I explained about the opinion differences, and he laughed. He then explained to me that the turbo used engine crankcase oil for lubrication and the turbo could spin up to 30,000 RPM. He went further and told me to look at API specifications for any oil. It should pass a certain "S" figure (at the time SF) but NOT pass a certain "C" figure (the "C" for a heavy-duty engine). Why, because the oil designed for the heavy-duty engine would froth at the higher RPM's. I then thanked him and asked if he had a specific recommendation, and he said no. ANY oil that met/did not meet the given specifications would work; but the manufacturer sold oil that was what they used, and he personally used. He also told me with a turbo, ALWAYS wait 30 seconds at idle for the turbo to spin down before shutting down the engine; else the engine oil pressure would go to zero, and the turbo would burn out its bearings prematurely. I still have that vehicle.

I have used that oil in ALL of my passenger vehicles and trucks since with one exception.

At one time in my life, 3 of the family drove 30 plus miles to work each way daily. We haven't had much cold weather in the last few years, but at that time SOMETHING had to start so we could jump the other vehicles. During the winters, I ran Mobil 1 in one vehicle. It never failed to start on the first or second revolution, even at 15 below.

Apologies for being wordy. I did throughly enjoy the video, but different applications may require different oils.

Jon