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EFV-8 Club Forum / General Ford Discussion / non-detergent motor oil

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Posted By Discussion Topic: non-detergent motor oil     MICHV8 09-27-2022 @ 12:27 PM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 405 Joined: Jul 2010 I've been running non-detergent oil in my rarely driven 39 for about 12 years now and have no idea what was in it when I bought the car. It had been sitting since the late 50s. I'm contemplating an oil change and worried that detergent oil will loosen sludge and cause grief. Finding non-detergent motor oil is not easy...thoughts? Thanks. ford38v8 09-27-2022 @ 1:31 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2739 Joined: Oct 2009 Detergent oil may soften surface sludge over time, but is unlikely to dislodge chunks of sludge, which would be a concern. Detergent oil also suspends impurities for removal by a filter, while non detergent settles out impurities which then becomes sludge. The stock Ford bypass filter is very efficient at removing suspended impurities, which should be a factor in your decision. Alan carcrazy 09-27-2022 @ 2:51 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1597 Joined: Oct 2009 If your engine currently has a partial flow oil filter, you can safely go to a modern detergent motor oil. As previously noted, the oil filter will capture any particles that are set loose by the detergent oil. If your engine does not have a filter, I would go to a detergent oil and change it after 500 miles or 3 months to remove any particles that have gotten into the oil. Modern oils do not have the required amounts of zinc and phosphorous (ZDDP) required to minimize wear of the cam lobes and lifter interface surfaces. Many modern oils are of low viscosity which may cause your engine to leak and burn more oil. My recommendation is to use an SAE 30 weight detergent oil with an additive which contains the missing ZDDP ingredients. 37RAGTOPMAN 09-27-2022 @ 3:08 PM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 1942 Joined: Oct 2009 I would install the high detergent oil and drive the car, for a few miles and then check the color of the oil. see if it gets dirty quick. you can also change the oil a few times and check it or till the oil stays cleaner you can check TRACTOR SUPPLY for a non detergent oil for older tractors, hope this helps 37Ragtopman BRL 09-28-2022 @ 9:08 AM reply profile send p.m. New Member Posts: 100 Joined: Oct 2021 Hi: I think the best oil for the old stock flathead is Lucas Hot Rod & Classic SAE 10W-40 motor oil. It has the zinc additive and is the right viscosity. It is expensive but worth it. Just follow the changing/observation that 37 Ragtopman suggests and re-use the oil by filtering it. You can filter by a method such as: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z-3B2Jpt29o If you dont drive the car often, I dont think the modern detergent oils will aggressively break down any coking you may be worried about....they will just sit in the pan and possibly thin out the sludge you have in the pan. During the investigation period, a frequent oil change with inspection of what comes out on a filter paper will give you an idea of what kind of cr*p you have in the engine and how the new oil is interacting with it. You may also run a magnet across the oil pan after most of the oil is out to see if any significant metal particles come out. Changing the oil when engine is hot will also help move more sludge in the pan out. Regards, BRL wmsteed 09-28-2022 @ 9:44 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 607 Joined: Oct 2009 I am a firm believer in detergent oil in ALL Engines, except for stationary and/or garden type equipment. i used Union Oil Royal Triton, "Grape Juice", in my 36 w/59AB engine for twenty years until Union Oil quite making the RT. I switched to Castorl GTX 20/50 in all of my engines until recently. The reduction and/or elimination of zink, etc., from engine oil has prompted me to switch to Valoline Blue 10/40 or Sh*ll Rotella, both of which are high detergent diesel engine oils. I just switched my '53 Olds Rocket 88 to Lucus Hot Rod/Classic Car oil.. The Olds Rocket 88 engines that came out in 1949 had hydraulic lifters, GM insisted that high detergent oil be used in their engines starting in 1949. The myth about detergent oils being harmful to vintage engines is just that, a untrue myth. I worked in the automotive industry when I was a teenager, I saw first hand the damage that sludge did to engines, on many occasion I experienced drain oil burning the skin on my arm as the oil ran out of the pan plug hole. On many occasions we had to stick a large screw driver into the pan drain hole to get the thick smelly goo to come out of the pan.. Bill 36 5 win delx cpe supereal 10-01-2022 @ 8:53 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 6819 Joined: Oct 2009 I have used 20W-50 oil for years. If you drive in very cold weather, a lighter grade would be a better choice. Oil chemistry is always improving quality. Non detergent oil is becoming very difficult for a reason. It is not suitable for most, if any, applications. I can well remember dropping the oil pan"clean out" plate in our old Ford tractor to scr*pe out the accumulation of sludge. 1931 Flamingo 10-02-2022 @ 7:35 AM reply profile send p.m. Member Posts: 383 Joined: Nov 2019 I've been able to find non-detergent 30W at Walmart or check your local NAPA, Auto-Zone, Tractor Supply, etc. If they don't have it they can get it. Paul in CT wmsteed 10-02-2022 @ 9:10 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 607 Joined: Oct 2009 For many years we had a local Regional Group, #84 here in Ventura that I was Secretary/Treasure of for several years. I had a large building and parking lot at my business, therefore I was able to host the EFV8 monthly meetings at my facility without having to deal with the hassle of insurance, etc. Since I was the secretary of the club one of my duties was to come up with programs, etc., make the meetings interesting. One of the best programs we ever had was put on by an engineer that worked for Sh*ll Oil. The engineer started out with the explanation that over 50% of the cooling for an engine was provided by the oil within the engine, running across the hot metal, into the pan where the heat could be dissipated. One of the demonstrations the engineer used was a common electric hot plate that he set at a temp equal to the average operating temp of an engine. Starting with the lowest grade of engine oil, he would drop some onto the hot plate. The low quality non detergent oil would go up in smoke, as the engineer progressed through the higher grade oils, most would run from the hot center of the plate, towards the cooler outer edges. When the high grade modern detergent oil was dropped onto the hot center of the plate, the oil did not go up in smoke, nor did it run to the outer rim of the hot plate, it just sat on the center of the hot plate A pretty impressive demonstration as to what kind of oil should be used in an engine. Bill 36 5 win delx cpe ford38v8 10-02-2022 @ 9:35 AM reply profile send p.m. Senior Posts: 2739 Joined: Oct 2009 Bill, I like that demonstration a lot. It shows a couple of functions of modern oil, and should satisfy a few non-believers. Alan

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