What engine oil are you using?

bollotti

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Doing oil change this weekend and looking for recommendations. Engine is a 360
 
Doing oil change this weekend and looking for recommendations. Engine is a 360

Oh boy! Another oil thread!

I use Penn Grade 20W-50 in my '66 440. The car has 85K on the clock. But I'm thinking of going to Penn Grade 15W-40. Penn Grade is a high ZDDP oil and is available from Summit.

Oh. . . And use a WIX oil filter. Summit has those too.
 
End of argument.

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Valvoline VR1 10w-40 if I can find it and a Wix filter. 10-30 or 20-50 are my other acceptable weights that are more common.

Do a search and start reading what has already been covered.
 
Valvoline VR1 10w-40 if I can find it and a Wix filter. 10-30 or 20-50 are my other acceptable weights that are more common.

Do a search and start reading what has already been covered.

What? And deny us another oil thread?!?
 
Brad Penn here and since I only drive in one climate I use straight 30 in the car with the fresh engine and straight 40 in the engine with 156k on the clock.
 
I did do a search before posting, but the vast majority seemed to be on what oil filter to use and whether to add zinc or not. Thank you for those who have replied.
 
I promise you will find as many oil opinions as you do people who argue about the moon landing being fake or not. I personally used Rotella T6, 5W-40 HD Diesel Oil for a while before switching to T4 15W-40

Study and make the best decision for yourself considering company reputation, quality etc. The factors you can decide on for sure though -

- Choose an oil that’s best for you in your climate and weather.
- One that suits how much you’ll drive the car, whether it’s a daily driver or if you barely reach 3,000 in a year let alone in 3 months.
- Pick something with a moderate to high zinc/mineral content. The more the better. Little to argue about that.

Oh and listen to @Ripinator suggestion about the Wix filter. NAPA filters are made by Wix as well so those are good.
 
I use Valvoline 15w-40w all fleet in most of mine. Still has the additive package for flat tappet cams. Shell Rotella 15w-40w is also good for the same reason. On a loosely fitted high performance engine that does not get a lot of miles, 20w-50w can be considered, but it is tough to find one with the proper additives for these older engines.

Dave
 
Small block with a lot of miles, main guideline would be cheap oil, filter is a toss up Wix makes very good filters but good damn they are proud ($$$$$) of them. Hastings and Baldwin are a little more reasonable.
I use Penn Grade 20w50 racing oil I don't use high volume oil pumps unless I'm using full groove mains and going over 6500 rpm. I do put a lock washer in behind the spring on my standard oil pumps.
Allow ample warm time before driving so filter can come off bypass with the thick oil.
 
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I use the Classic Car Oil that I posted earlier 15W40 and Mopar M0-090 oil filters.
 
Brad Penn here and since I only drive in one climate I use straight 30 in the car with the fresh engine and straight 40 in the engine with 156k on the clock.

IMHO Brad Penn is the ONLY oil you should be using on an original motor or one without hardened valve seats. You must have ZDDP in the oil as our engines were designed to have it as well as lead in the gasoline (which I also advocate adding now and then). As to what weight to use it depends on the temperatures that car will be driven in and the condition and mileage on the engine. 15W-40 is a nice compromise.

NAPA Gold filters are made by Wix and you can buy them by the case from NAPA. There is also someone on Moparts.org that sells Wix filters in bulk. If you have a highly modified engine or do any racing, spend the extra coin for the R (racing) rated filter. The input hear comes from a Master Mechanic with 30 years experience with MOPARS and with racing MOPARS.
 
Considering how long it's been since a 360 was in a Chrysler vehicle, I'm suspecting it's got some miles on it and that it's reasonably stock? IF you're in FL, normal 10W-30, 10W-40, or 30 would probably be good. If "chasing zddp", then a diesel-spec oil can do that, which would mean Delo 400 or Rotella T in 15W-40 (dino) or 5W-40 in their synthetic variations. EITHER of these should be available most anywhere, by observation.

Check www.bobistheoilguy.com for "Virgin Oil Analysis" to see postings of oil analysis, as to additive levels (zddp, calcium, etc.).

When I bought my new Brand X car in '77, after about 3000 miles, it was 1 qt down for the second time, so I was suspecting "an oil consumer". I put Castrol GTX 20W-50 in it and the consumption went to 1/2 qt down at 4000 miles. Everything felt fine, performance wise. When it was removed at 625K miles, replaced with a larger small block engine, I told the mechanic that oil choice for break-in was his. He, being an old drag racer, chose 30 Valvoline. After about 6K miles, I went back to the GTX 20W-50 and the throttle response felt a bit dull, in comparison. I ran that for a few thousand miles and then changed to 10W-40. The throttle response got sharper and more responsive, so the thicker oil was taking more power to pump. Then went to RotellaT 5W-40 and everything stayed the same.

Even the diesel oil has lower zddp than in prior versions, BUT it's still about 1200ppm (down from up to 1600ppm), so that's still plenty. LOTS of moving parts in those diesel engine valve trains! From the oil analysis reports, the "SL" ratings had 1000ppm of zddp, with the later "SM" and "SN" going down to about 800ppm range. So the current diesel-spec oils in the particular viscosities still have plenty of zddp in them.

As the oil blend stocks have improved since the first "wide viscosity" 10W-50 oils of 1969, the need for the thicker viscosities for "protection" has decreased markedly. Especially in the synthetics. Which is where the diesel-spec viscosities (15W-40 and 5W-40 syn) seem to fit nicely.

When I started using Castrol GTX 20W-50 in my '70 DH43N, that oil was mainly used in motorcycles, so finding it was a task. I'd buy it by the case until it came to be carried by more places, circa 1975+, so I know how much of a chore that might be. Whatever you decide on, having ready access to it can be important, PLUS a good price.

As for filters, rather than get a filter from the local Chrysler dealer, we'd get a Motorcraft FL-1A, which was readily available, pretty much everywhere. WIX is fine, too. Might shop for them online or via RockAuto, too, as you'll probably have more lead time in getting a filter than if you might need a quart of oil.

From my experiences and observations,
CBODY67
 
Considering how long it's been since a 360 was in a Chrysler vehicle, I'm suspecting it's got some miles on it and that it's reasonably stock? IF you're in FL, normal 10W-30, 10W-40, or 30 would probably be good. If "chasing zddp", then a diesel-spec oil can do that, which would mean Delo 400 or Rotella T in 15W-40 (dino) or 5W-40 in their synthetic variations. EITHER of these should be available most anywhere, by observation.

Check www.bobistheoilguy.com for "Virgin Oil Analysis" to see postings of oil analysis, as to additive levels (zddp, calcium, etc.).

When I bought my new Brand X car in '77, after about 3000 miles, it was 1 qt down for the second time, so I was suspecting "an oil consumer". I put Castrol GTX 20W-50 in it and the consumption went to 1/2 qt down at 4000 miles. Everything felt fine, performance wise. When it was removed at 625K miles, replaced with a larger small block engine, I told the mechanic that oil choice for break-in was his. He, being an old drag racer, chose 30 Valvoline. After about 6K miles, I went back to the GTX 20W-50 and the throttle response felt a bit dull, in comparison. I ran that for a few thousand miles and then changed to 10W-40. The throttle response got sharper and more responsive, so the thicker oil was taking more power to pump. Then went to RotellaT 5W-40 and everything stayed the same.

Even the diesel oil has lower zddp than in prior versions, BUT it's still about 1200ppm (down from up to 1600ppm), so that's still plenty. LOTS of moving parts in those diesel engine valve trains! From the oil analysis reports, the "SL" ratings had 1000ppm of zddp, with the later "SM" and "SN" going down to about 800ppm range. So the current diesel-spec oils in the particular viscosities still have plenty of zddp in them.

As the oil blend stocks have improved since the first "wide viscosity" 10W-50 oils of 1969, the need for the thicker viscosities for "protection" has decreased markedly. Especially in the synthetics. Which is where the diesel-spec viscosities (15W-40 and 5W-40 syn) seem to fit nicely.

When I started using Castrol GTX 20W-50 in my '70 DH43N, that oil was mainly used in motorcycles, so finding it was a task. I'd buy it by the case until it came to be carried by more places, circa 1975+, so I know how much of a chore that might be. Whatever you decide on, having ready access to it can be important, PLUS a good price.

As for filters, rather than get a filter from the local Chrysler dealer, we'd get a Motorcraft FL-1A, which was readily available, pretty much everywhere. WIX is fine, too. Might shop for them online or via RockAuto, too, as you'll probably have more lead time in getting a filter than if you might need a quart of oil.

From my experiences and observations,
CBODY67

FYI, the ZDDP content in diesel motor oil was cut back significantly enough a few years ago and Shell Rotella and others are no longer a good option based on my research and recommendations from engine builders and master mechanics.
 
FYI, the ZDDP content in diesel motor oil was cut back significantly enough a few years ago and Shell Rotella and others are no longer a good option based on my research and recommendations from engine builders and master mechanics.


That's why I went to Driven. That and it's carried by the speed shop down the street.
 
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