Motor Oil for Collector Cars

Motor oil – what to use, when, and why - is a surprisingly contentious topic, especially when it comes to collector cars.  I’ve seen so-called gentlemen get into fistfights over the stuff at more than one holiday party, when the effects of Mobil Synthetic Blend and Smirnoff vodka prove more than one could handle.

As New Years approaches I thought I’d share our philosophy at Robison Service, particularly as regards collector cars.

• We should begin by looking at what we want the oil to do, in a vintage vehicle
• We want an oil that has high natural strength – otherwise referred to as film strength or barrier strength.  This is the oil’s ability to prevent metal on metal wear in the moments before the oil pump begins delivering pressurized oil to the bearings.
• We want an oil that’s fairly thick at running temperature, because older engines have sloppier clearances, but not so thick as to be a drag on performance
• We want an oil with zinc additive for the metallurgy of vintage motors
• We want an oil with strong detergents to clean what are often dirty old motors
• We want an oil that’s free of waxes and compounds that form sludge in long storage and short cycle use.

There are not many oils marketed for this purpose.  The one we are using more and more is Castrol Syntec Edge 5-50 Classic Car Formula.  It’s replaced the older Castol GTX for vintage cars.   Mobil – to the best of my knowledge – does not have a comparable oil.

Readers of my columns know I’m a big believer in synthetic oils.  Their superior strength and durability are beyond dispute.  Some vintage car owners argue that durability does not matter in a car that’s driven 1,000 miles a year with annual oil changes, but the other features of synthetics DO matter. 

Synthetic oil is thinner when cold and stays thicker when hot.  That means a synthetic 5-50 is more pumpable than a conventional 20-50 on cold start, yet is actually thicker at 200 degrees when the motor is running.

  

The fact that synthetics are thinner when cold means the oil pump will begin circulating oil faster.  Engineers suggest that most wear happens in the seconds before the oil system gets up to pressure so that’s a vital benefit.

Older engines need a different set of additives than those optimized for new cars.  Syntec Classic is one of the few oils to offer vintage-tailored additives.

There are so many different grades of oil now, for so many purposes, that it’s difficult to make a choice for these older vehicles that predate the modern specifications.  We do our best, but we recognize there may be more than one answer.  The main thing we want to avoid is wrong choices that can damage engines.

What oil are you using in your collector car, and why?

What to ask before getting your next oil change

September 24, 2012

Oil changes are probably the most common automotive services - performed so frequently that consumers may often pass up the opportunity to get more for their service dollar.

With auto-makers trying to gain increased efficiency, the "ordinary" oil change is become more comprehensive. Not only are companies recommending synthetic oil, but many auto -makers are developing their own oil specifications.

"The best way for consumers to ensure that they're getting optimal protection and using a product that meets factory specs is to ask a few questions to their service provider," says Jay Buckley, an ASE-certified master mechanic and technical training manager at Fram Group.

Doing your homework by reading the owner's manual is always a plus, he notes, but simply knowing what to ask will go a long way. Here are Buckley's recommendations:

Ask what is included in the service.
Many dealers and service stations bundle several different inspections in with the oil change. It's a great time for a mechanic to inspect brakes, hoses and under-car components to help stop a small problem from becoming a big and expensive one. In most cases, these additional inspections are a bargain.

Ask if the right specification of motor oil is being used.
Oil-change facilities like to use "bulk oil," which as the name implies, is a single viscosity grade and specification of oil bought in bulk from a supplier.  It will often suffice for many motor vehicles, but certainly not all. If your car or SUV requires a specialized formula of motor oil, such as a high-efficiency 0W-20 synthetic, or a manufacturer's specification, such as GM dexos, this "standard" oil may cause problems and potential invalidate the new-car warranty.

Ask if a premium oil filter will be installed.
Often overlooked during an oil change is the quality of the oil filter. A premium filter, such as Fram UltraTM, can trap more damaging dirt from circulating through your engine. In standardized tests, this filter had double the dirt-holding capacity of the leading economy filter brands average. the ability to trap and hold harmful particles for as much as 24,000 km or 14,400 miles becomes much more important as auto-makers extend service intervals, often to just once a year.

How your mechanic handles these questions can help you determine if "YOU" trust his or her work. Not only that, but you'll become an informed consumer, more knowledgeable about protecting your automotive investment.

This is articles Courtesy of News Canada


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Better Mileage Through Synthetics

I have wanted to post about this for a while but haven't gotten around to doing so. As you I am a big believer in using synthetic fluids in vehicles. One of the benefits that I had mentioned was improved gas mileage. As evidence I offer up my 96 Jeep Cherokee with 370,XXX miles on it. 

When I acquired the vehicle last summer it has standard fluids in it. The dealership I purchased it from had changed the oil but had put in non synthetic oil. I had done some tune up work on it like changing out plugs, plug wires, distributor cap, rotor, air filter, coolant, and fuel filter but hand't gotten around to changing out any of the fluids before going pheasant hunting. When I left I topped off the tank and filled it up again after going 186 miles and put in 9.3 gallons. On the way back I put 185 miles on it and put in again 9.3 gallons. Shortly there after I manged to get around to changing the gear oil in the transmission and differentials as well as fluid in the transfer case. The engine oil is still the non synthetic fill from the dealership. This time when going deer hunting in colder weather I drove 187 and 183 miles between fill-ups and this time only put in 8.3 gallons each time. 

Those 2 gallons of gas alone come close to covering the difference in the cost between standard and synthetic fluids that I put in. With the other driving that has been done the cost of those fluids have now been easily recouped. Granted this is just anecdotal evidence but does help to support the claim of better mileage by using synthetic fluids.

When it is time to change the engine oil I should see more of an increase in mileage but I don't know how much.  Now before I change the engine oil to synthetic I will be changing the oil pan gasket and valve cover gasket as they are old and are a bit on the leaky side so that should eliminate any of the associated problems people claim are caused by synthetics.

Beat the heat

With some really oppressive heat and humidity over us here in the mid west (I know those of you down south get it worse) I have noticed a number of vehicles broken down on the side of the road. This kind of heat is just as hard on your vehicle as the bitter cold (sorry for those of you down south you can't even compete on that one). So how do you keep your vehicle running well in this kind of weather.

Coolant
If you haven't changed it recently you might want to consider doing so. A good flush and fill will go along way to ensuring that your car will stay cool and continue running. Also if you haven't checked your coolant level recently do so and fill as necessary as you will want the maximum amount of cooling capacity. If you have a vehicle that has been modified to produce more power you factory cooling system my not be able to keep up. A little trick to ensure that these vehicles stay cool is instead of using the standard 50/50 mix of antifreeze and water is to run almost 100% pure water with a product like Water Wetter to lubricate the pump (also it decreases the surface tension in the water allowing for more cooling). Granted this mix doesn't have as high of a boil over protection, but will keep your engine running much cooler since 100% water has a much better thermal transfer than a 50/50 mix of water and antifreeze.

AC
If yours isn't working as well as it use to you may just need a new cabin air filter. Changing these is similar in difficulty to changing the engine air filter but a little more expensive with the filter costing $10 to $15. If this still doesn't help you may be low in refrigerant in the AC system. Unless you know what you are doing I suggest you  take your vehicle to a professional as it is pretty easy to over fill the system and then wreck seals thus making your poorly working AC into a non working AC

Tires
Tires should always be properly inflated, especially in hot weather. Too little air and your tire will over heat and you will be suffering a blow out and have to change a tire in this crappy weather. Too much air and your tire may just burst and you will be stuck changing a tire in this crappy weather.

Battery
Heat kills batteries so if you have a battery that is old and questionable you might want to change it out before you get stuck. Also keep your battery properly charged will go along way to preventing the stresses that can prematurely kill a battery.

Oil
In addition to providing lubrication to your engine oil also helps cool it as it flows. In extreme heat you should ensure that you have the proper amount of oil so as to maximize the cooling capacity. Additionally using a synthetic oil will decrease the internal friction thus helping your engine stay cool.

Shade
If you have the opportunity to park in the shade or in a covered ramp I suggest doing so. Not only will this keep the interior of your car from becoming an oven, but it will help protect interior trim and the pain. Heat is what causes the plastic in things like dashes to dry out and crack. Also by keeping your vehicle out of the sun it helps protect the paint from UV damage thus helping the paint prevent your car from rust. If you can't park in a shaded area I highly suggest getting one of those windshield shades and cracking your side windows to keep the interior heat down.

Oil: Why you should probably be using synthetic

One thing that I am frequently asked is should I use synthetic oil or not in a vehicle. In almost every case the answer is yes. I use synthetic in all of my vehicles including the old Bronco II. Synthetic oil in general is better than non synthetic because of:

• Higher film strength
• Better resistance to oxidation
• Better cold flow properties
• Better stability at higher temperatures
• Higher detergent content
• Longer drain interval
• Lower Friction

I frequently hear two complaints against synthetic oil. The first is that it will make your vehicle leak oil or leak more oil than it currently does. The truth is it isn't the oil that makes it leak it is that it cleans out all the crap that was plugging leaks in your engine. So if you have a vehicle that is older and has dried out gaskets it will probably start leaking. It would have started leaking eventually and gaskets are cheep. The other complaint I hear is that it costs more. This is true but you can go to a longer change which usually makes to total cost per mile the same or less that that when using conventional oil. 

Why is higher film strength better?

Film strength is the force needed to push through the film of oil to have metal to metal contact. This higher this is the better protected from wear parts are

Why is better resistance to oxidation important?

Being better able to resist oxidation prevents the oil from breaking down over time. As oil oxidizes its ability to lubricate goes down as it is no longer oil. For those who don't know oxidation is just like burning, except burring is very rapid oxidation.

Why is better cold flow important?

Cold flow is the ability of something to flow like as liquid when cold. The lower temperature oil flows at the colder a vehicle can operate at. Also being able to flow better a cooler temps allows oil to circulate and flow through the engine faster on start up.

Why is better stability at higher temps important?

Heat can cause oil to break down in to other molecules. Some of these molecules could be solvents that thin the oil, some could be tars, some are gases that just escape. This is similar to what is done in oil refineries when they take crude oil and make different thing out of it.

Why is higher detergent content better?

Some may not think this is a good thing as this is what usually causes your engine to leak oil when switching to synthetics. The truth is that this will clean out the crud and crap that has built up over time. If you have seen the Ford commercial where they have the engine that is filled with black stuff that is sludge. It will build up over time and restrict oil flow or prevent oil from getting to moving metal surfaces. Higher detergent contents help clean this out. This is also the most important reason why changing oil regularly is important.

Why is a longer drain interval better?

This should be simple, you don't spend as much on oil. You also don't consume as much oil. Previously when using standard oil I would typically change oil at 2,500 miles, with synthetic I typically change it at 5,000. I have heard of some people going as much as 12,000 to 15,000 between changes but I just can't seem to force my self to go any were near that long. I have gone as much as 7,000 when I couldn't get to it for about 2 and a half weeks and it didn't look much worse than it does when I change it a 5,000.

Why is lower friction better?

Friction is the amount of energy to move one thing across another. By lowering the friction in your engine it takes less energy to move all the moving parts. This means that you get better fuel economy and also your engine produces more power. It makes your engine more efficient.

When you shouldn't use synthetic oil
There are few cases where I wouldn't recommend using synthetic oil:

• Your car already leaks oil and it leaks from engines seals not gaskets. If you use synthetic oil you will just leak even more oil.
• You have an older engine that is worn. Here you will just burn lots more oil than you already do
• You are doing an initial engine break in