forchunet Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Well Im changing the oil in my Z tomorrow for the first time. The PO didn't really give me much info on when he last changed the oil or what he used so I figured I might as well start fresh. My Z is a 78 and it's currently at 199K miles. I went ahead and bought 5 quarts of 10w30 Castrol Synthetic along with a quart of ATF to flush out the engine. I plan to add the ATF, change the oil filter with a generic one, run the engine for 5 minutes, drain oil, change filter with Mobil 1 filter, add the Castrol and call it a day. Does anybody see any glaring problems with what I have proposed. I read previous topics on this and everybody said to do something similar. Should I be using high mileage oil especially since Im nearing 200k? Lady at the store said I might want to go that route but when she had her back turned I asked her manager and he told me synthetic would be better.... heh. Thanks for any input whatsoever. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vintage Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 200k on an L28 is just breakin her in, haha. I wouldnt worry about using "high mileage" oil. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forchunet Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 I know don't you just love it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 I plan to add the ATF, change the oil filter with a generic one, run the engine for 5 minutes, Don't do it. Not necessary and will most likely cause some problems. Also, for a high mileage street car I would run regular oil, not synthetic. Chevron Delo 400 or Shell Rotella in 10W-30. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZZeee Posted January 10, 2009 Share Posted January 10, 2009 Use a non-synthetic with lots of zinc compound additive. It's better for flat tappet cams... but bad for cats. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
forchunet Posted January 10, 2009 Author Share Posted January 10, 2009 A little too late for the ATF. She idles lower now though. But I'll go back and buy some conventional oil... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BunnySlippers Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I would not recommend synthetic on an L series engine. Conventional oils, and a good filter, and a magnetic drain plug for good measure. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuoWing Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 How do you guys feel about Royal Purple? I know it's synthetic, and I've seen it mentioned a few times by people running it with no issues. I see it's SL classed oil so it has the Zinc additives. I'm planning on changing my oil to Royal Purple next oil change. What do you guys think? I have an 83' L28ET and it's not even at 98k miles yet. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Globerunner513 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I would not recommend synthetic on an L series engine. Conventional oils, and a good filter, and a magnetic drain plug for good measure. Im curious as to why? Synthetic oils are great, especially for high performance engines, as many L series engines are. Just wondering what your reasons are. Although like mentioned conventional oils are a good bet for engines that have seen the clock turn over a time or two. As for Royal Purple, I've heard a lot of conflicting reviews about it. It seems its an incredible oil when the engine runs perfectly. But cold/hot conditions and it likes to act up... I cant remember the reasons, but i think Supraforums had a whole thread about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
S130Z Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 As ZZZZeeee stated, a diesel engine oil is more stable for the flat tappet cams. It tends to not stress the cam lobes as much. As far as technical details go, I am not 100% sure. I think there is an ongoing thread about someone's cam getting eaten up by conventional/synthetic oils because there was not enough zinc in the mixture. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZZeee Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Synthetics still don't have the adhesion power as a conventional racing oil with "lots" of zinc compound. The former quickly drips away leaving bearing and cam surfaces relatively unprotected. I'm sure synthetics will improve in this regard in short order. ***Maybe there are products available I'm as of yet unaware?? NOTE: Modern conventional oils have less zinc additive due to issues with catalytic converters. If you run cats you'll want to look into this. Having said this, I'll be running synthetic but will have a full roller motor plus a lube pre-charging system that will be activated for a few seconds before start-up. I'll also have an ignition disable switch so I can crank the motor a about 5 seconds to evenly lube the bearings before startup. Yeah, I know I'm a bit anal-retentive. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
johnc Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 There is so much mis-information regarding engine oil that its almost impossible to make an intelligent decision. A lot of this comes form the oil company marketing BS and its just plain misleading. Over on My350Z.com they are creating a database of oil analysis results from many members running different oils under different situations. Its probably the most objective source out there: http://my350z.com/forum/engine-and-drivetrain/258663-vq-oil-analysis-and-info.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jknc90 Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 Synthetics still don't have the adhesion power as a conventional racing oil with "lots" of zinc compound. The former quickly drips away leaving bearing and cam surfaces relatively unprotected. I'm sure synthetics will improve in this regard in short order. ***Maybe there are products available I'm as of yet unaware?? If I understand correctly, Royal Purple actually creates a lubrication "film" so so speak on the internals to keep the properly lubricated. A friend of mine at work was telling me that at the Royal Purple plant they have two engines, one running I believe the proper amount of conventional oil, and the other running only a few quarts of Royal Purple and the engine with Royal Purple is lubricated better. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZZZeee Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 If I understand correctly, Royal Purple actually creates a lubrication "film" so so speak on the internals to keep the properly lubricated. A friend of mine at work was telling me that at the Royal Purple plant they have two engines, one running I believe the proper amount of conventional oil, and the other running only a few quarts of Royal Purple and the engine with Royal Purple is lubricated better. RP isn't the only synthetic with similar additives. However, everything I've read indicates that this film is too thin and the conventional oils with lots of zinc are better with flat tappet cams. Again though, my information may be outdated. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DuoWing Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 While we're on it can someone point out what the diesel engine oils are? As far as I know then the best oils to go with would be the Valvoline VR-1 series as they have a good bit more zddp content or the diesel oils. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2eighTZ4me Posted January 12, 2009 Share Posted January 12, 2009 I run Rotella in my DD 280 and my 81 Toyota pickup with 348,000 mi. on it. Nary a problem. I am breaking in my race engine with VR1 and a bottle of ZDDP Plus (from Eastwood Co.). Plan on running the VR1 and ZDDP in the race car exclusively, but for the grunts - they get the Rotella. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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