Diesel oil - Zinc content

I figured I'd post this here just as a helpful tool, since most dwellers on here are flat tappet engine guys...

Most people know about how the newest CJ-4 / SM standards of oil now have insanely low Zddp (Zinc dithiophosphate) ratings, mandated by the government to increase the life of catalytic converters on newer vehicles, which are all roller engines now. Up until a recently, most popular diesel oils (Rotella, Delvac) contained considerable amounts of Zinc and worked great as a substitute. Not no more. I work for a parts chain and talk to a ton of machine shops. As of now, there are ZERO diesel oils on the market with an acceptable amount of Zinc in them for a flat tappet engine. This has changed in the last two years. Below is some information from a few years ago, but even things have changed since then. My suggestion (unless at some point you like changing your cam out) is to either run Zddp additive, or go with a racing oil that is not rated for street use, simply because the zinc content can jack up a new converter.

Look below...this will give you some background and also tell you what oils to use or not use.

Many camshaft manufacturers recommend the use of diesel oils, many even name Shell Rotella T (CI-4 forumulation) as their preferred engine oil, along with some form of Zn and P additive, such as GM EOS. The only mention I have seen as to a reason not to use a diesel oil would be the lack of friction modifiers in diesel oils vs car oils or the fact that they may contain more of the Aryl ZDP rather than the Alkyl ZDP, but on the other side of the fence, usually friction modifiers are typically only used in very low viscosity motor oils that don't have the levels of Zn and P we are looking for.
The newest CJ-4 formulations are now limited in the amounts of Zn and P allowed, compared to the CI-4 forumations most users are familar with. I would recommend adding GM EOS to these newest CJ-4 oils as well because of this or keep to using CI-4 or CI-4 Plus oils instead. If the oil says CJ-4 even if it also lists CI-4 or CI-4+, more than likely it conforms to the new, lower levels. Thankfully, many petroleum companies have realized the need for two products, a separate CI-4 and a new CJ-4. Chevron Delo 400 is one such oil, easily found in most FLAPS. Just make sure to read the label!
Additionally, CI-4 diesel motor oils tend to have more detergents, and it has been determined in the SAE paper "Oil Development for Nascar" that overly detergent motor oils can block or "clean" the anti-wear films off of engine parts. Since low detergent packages increase the effectiveness of film formation, racing oils tend to have less agressive detergent packages, which is another reason many be to consider a racing oil versus a diesel oil for your engine.
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What motor oils had the 0.12% levels of zinc and phosphorus recommended?
The current API standard is SM, and calls for 0.06-0.08% Zn and P. The new CJ-4 standard which supercedes CI-4 calls for no more than 0.1% P. Some of these reformulations have new zinc-free anti-wear additives, but we still think a target of 0.12% is ideal for Zn and P levels as documented by the 1977 SAE Journal paper titled "Cam and Lifter Wear as Affected by Engine Oil ZDP Concentration and Type", which evaluated the performance of these oils in various fleets around the country over the span of many years.

Name/Vis/P(ppm)/Zn(ppm)/B(ppm)/Detergents(ppm)/API/Date/Type/Source

Amerilube/10w50/1254/1115/3001/SL/04/07/SYN/Blackstone
Amsoil AFL Euro 5w40 701 804 50 1452 SL 11/06 SYN Staveley
Amsoil HDEO 5w40 794 1081 2276 CJ-4 11/06 SYN Staveley
Amsoil Series 2000Racing20w50 1014 1123 12 3209 SM 02/07 SYN Blackstone
Amsoil V-Twin/MC 20w50 1193 1281 3564 SJ 11/05 SYN Staveley
Amsoil XL-7500 5w20 434 532 165 1601 SL 08/06 SEMI Blackstone
Amsoil XL-7500 5w20 334 1096 209 3061 SL 06/06 SEMI Staveley
Castrol Act Evo 20w50 765 1126 1724 SG 05/06 DINO Staveley
Castrol GPS 4STK MC2 20w50 767 1133 1544 SG 05/06 SYN Staveley
Castrol GTX 20w50 1157 1422 1848 SM 11/05 DINO Staveley
Castrol GTX High Mile 20w50 1248 1382 1848 SM 06/06 DINO Staveley
Castrol Syntec 5w40 786 918 1979 SL 09/06 SYN Blackstone
Castrol Syntec 5w50 921 914 58 2628 SM 11/05 SYN Staveley
Castrol Syntec Blend 20w50 937 916 1197 SM 03/07 SEMI Staveley
Castrol Tection Extra 15w40 965 1094 46 2461 CI-4 3/07 DINO Blackstone
Castrol TWS 10w60 425 1294 111 2383 SJ 06/06 SYN Staveley
Chevron Delo 400 15w40 1191 1622 3668 CI-4 06/06 DINO Staveley
Delvac 1 5w40 1390 1803 76 2583 CI-4 11/05 SYN Staveley
Delvac 1300 Super 15w40 1380 1702 78 2388 CI-4 11/05 DINO Staveley
Elf 505.01 VW 5w40 584 1092 2691 SL 05/06 SYN Staveley
Exxon Av Break-in oil 20w50 1 4 23 N/A 11/05 DINO Staveley
Exxon Av Oil 20w50 702 32 33 N/A 11/05 SEMI Staveley
Exxon Superflow 20w50 717 848 96 2650 SM 06/06 DINO Staveley
Ford Motorcraft 5w20 545 848 298 2005 SM 01/07 SEMI Staveley
Harley Davidson Syn3 20w50 1081 1182 264 1482 SG 11/05 SYN Staveley
Havoline 20w50 425 494 87 1049 SM 03/07 DINO Blackstone
Joe Gibbs Racing XP5 20w50 920 1231 504 SG 04/07 SEMI Blackstone
Kendal GT (Vintage) 20W50 1229 1415 2408 SE 11/05 DINO Blackstone
Kendall GT 20w50 904 1233 2885 SM 06/06 DINO Staveley
Kendall GT 10w30 582 872 278 1416 SM 11/05 SEMI Staveley
Kendall GT 10w40 598 897 282 1565 SM 11/05 SEMI Staveley
Lucas Hi Perf. Motor Oil 20w50 386 460 214 1079 SM 02/07 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 0w40 761 876 167 2630 SM 03/07 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 0w40 796 907 178 2650 SM 03/07 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 0w40 808 976 185 3256 SL 04/03 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 0w40 706 834 148 2246 SM 02/05 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 15w50 952 1030 41 2175 SM 03/07 SYN Staveley
Mobil 1 EP 15w50 1193 1376 228 2970 SL 04/07 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 EP 15w50 1062 1279 79 2485 SM 04/07 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 EP 15w50 906 1024 72 2071 SM 01/06 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 EP 15w50 1315 1428 226 2593 SL 11/05 SYN Staveley
Mobil 1 mx4t 10w40 1277 1460 188 2025 SG 03/07 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 mx4t 10w40 1411 1623 188 2248 SG 04/07 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 R 0w30 1399 1536 178 3051 SG 02/04 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 Super Syn 15w50 1343 1390 205 2601 SL 11/05 SYN Staveley
Mobil 1 Truck & SUV 5w40 1034 1247 51 2826 CI-4 04/07 SYN Blackstone
Mobil 1 V Twin 20w50 1329 1949 204 2130 SG 11/05 SYN Staveley
Mobil 5k Clean 10w40 660 1028 2895 SM 06/06 DINO Staveley
Mobil High Mile 10w40 527 1021 2844 SM 06/06 DINO Staveley
Motul 300V Competition 5w40 1317 1409 19 3273 SH 04/05 SYN Blackstone
Motul 300V Competition 15w50 1139 1130 20 2410 SH 05/05 SYN Blackstone
Motul 505.01 VW 5w40 973 1226 2830 SL 05/06 SYN Staveley
Motul Competition 15w50 1148 1327 11 2723 SH 05/06 SYN Staveley
Motul Tekma Mega 15w40 1220 1737 145 3469 CI-4 05/06 DINO Staveley
Mystik 15w40 1130 1224 3104 CI-4 03/07 DINO Staveley
Mystik 10w50 700 799 2003 CI-4 03/07 SEMI Blackstone
Penn Grade 1 Racing 20w50 664 852 2094 SJ 04/07 SEMI Blackstone
Penn Grade 1 Racing 20w50 801 1058 2827 SJ 06/06 SEMI Staveley
Pennzoil 20w50 501 800 223 2062 SM 01/07 DINO Staveley
Quaker State Q Full Syn 5w50 923 908 1917 SM 11/05 SYN Staveley
Redline 15w50 924 1004 27 2287 SM 02/07 SYN Blackstone
Redline 10w40 1440 1872 3039 SL 11/05 SYN Staveley
Rotella 15w40 843 946 26 1881 CJ-4 03/07 DINO Blackstone
Rotella 15w40 996 1130 32 2054 CJ-4 04/07 DINO Staveley
Rotella 15w40 1278 1555 2946 CI-4 11/05 DINO Staveley
Rotella 5w40 1397 1552 2921 CI-4 11/05 SYN Staveley
Royal Purple 20w50 668 763 2034 SJ 02/07 SYN Blackstone
Royal Purple 20w50 1290 1337 3295 SJ 11/05 SYN Staveley
Royal Purple Max Cycle 10w40 4085 1222 2599 SJ 07/05 SYN Blackstone
Royal Purple Max Cycle 20w50 3179 1030 2142 SJ 04/07 SYN Blackstone
Royal Purple Max Cycle 20w50 3907 1458 2478 SJ 11/05 SYN Staveley
Royal Purple Racing 51 20w50 1285 1417 2639 SJ 11/05 SYN Staveley
Royal Purple XPR 10w40 1034 1741 2709 SJ 12/06 SYN Blackstone
Schaeffer 7000 Supreme 20w50 1249 1626 2451 SL 06/06 SEMI Staveley
Schaeffer 9000 Supreme 5w40 1113 1315 10 3126 SL 07/05 SYN Blackstone
Swepco 306 15w40 763 895 92 1732 CI-4 03/07 DINO Blackstone
Swepco 306 15w40 1238 1476 128 2464 CI-4 04/07 DINO Staveley
Torco SR-1 20w50 363 412 759 SG 03/07 SYN Blackstone
Torco SR-5 20w50 1072 830 10 1481 SG 02/07 SYN Blackstone
Torco T-4SR 20w50 1059 969 1293 SG 05/06 SYN Staveley
Torco TR-1 20w50 670 571 958 SG 03/07 SYN Blackstone
Torco V Series ST 20w50 1030 1286 2231 SG 05/06 SEMI Staveley
Valvoline All Fleet Plus 15w40 1110 1232 3559 CI-4 10/06 DINO Staveley
Valvoline Durablend 20w50 566 732 13 2606 SM 06/06 SEMI Staveley
Valvoline Max Life 20w50 691 879 17 2170 SM 11/05 DINO Staveley
Valvoline Prem. Blue 15w40 1314 1838 158 4329 CI-4 06/06 DINO Staveley
Valvoline Synpower 20w50 605 689 1786 SM 03/07 SYN Blackstone
Valvoline VR1 20w50 1085 1293 17 2242 SL 11/05 DINO Staveley
Valvoline VR-1 NSL 20w50 835 976 10 819 SL 03/07 DINO Blackstone
Valvoline VR-1 NSL 20w50 842 962 11 838 SL 03/07 SYN Blackstone
Bardahl No Leak/Smoke 53 4 0 11/05 O/A Staveley
Boron Motor Silk 116 0 05/06 O/A Staveley
CD-2 Maxx Detergent 1 7 2416 11/05 O/A Staveley
CMW Racing Concentrate 2292 1147 358 06/06 O/A Staveley
GM Cam Lifter Prelube 5710 5876 29004 01/07 O/A Blackstone
GM EOS Assembly Lube 5762 6221 8265 01/07 O/A Blackstone
Lucas Oil Stabilizer 36 13 0 01/07 O/A Staveley
Power Service Oil Extender 3567 4945 6394 11/05 O/A Staveley
Schaeffer Micron Moly 110 5 0 08/06 O/A Staveley
STP Blue 1704 2436 88 11/05 O/A Staveley
STP Red 2115 3932 901 11/05 O/A Staveley
Valvoline Max Life Protect 537 768 22 3871 11/05 O/A Staveley
Valvoline Synpower 356 551 650 11/05 O/A Staveley

 

Thanks for the info!
Posted via Mobile Device

 

O'Riellys autoparts carries a oil with required higher Zinc content.. It is called break in oil.. I believe it is branded COMP Cam?

 

Royal Purple makes a break-in oil available too, but I have yet to see the actual testing results on the Zinc content. I'd imagine it's high. RP uses a lot of Zinc in their stuff.

 

Yup, used it, good stuff. Pretty sure Napa can get it also.

 

It does...it's on the list above, but keep in mind, you want an oil with roughly 1000-1400ppm of zinc or more. STP's 1/2 quart bottle has 1700ppm..if you use an oil that currently only has 600ppm of zinc in 5 quarts, plus a half quart of 1700ppm STP, you're really not adding that much more zinc to the equation. You're only increasing your overall zinc to 854ppm in 5.5 quarts. If you ran 4 quarts of 600ppm oil and 2 bottles of STP, you'd be over 1100, which would put you right where you need to be. Just food for thought. Also, STP red has a TON more (2100) than the blue...but the blue is much more common.

 

um, er, do the early v6's have flat tappets? I run Mobil I in my 1980 Porsche 924 Turbo, which I know has flat tappets.

 

Valvoline vr1 is on sale right now at autozone. I just stocked up and bought 25 qts for my porsche. saved 50$

 

Are you in the lubricant industry,just wondering ?

 

I hate to get into these oil discussions because there tends to be a lot emotion connected with the oil we choose to run. I am also not an oil engineer.

With all that being said, I used to spend a lot to time over Rubicon Owners Forum and there have been many spirited discussions on which oil is best. Member DoctorD is a very knowledgeable person who has done the research and gone beyond to understand the various ratings that we see on the oil bottles, but never understand or usually pay any attention to.

In his post, DoctorD describes the various ratings and what makes good flat tappet oil. He also discussed European ratings and what they mean for flat tappet cams.

Here is link to one of his write ups and discussions:

http://www.rubiconownersforum.com/phpbb3/viewtopic.php?f=23&t=49257&hilit=oil+killing+my



Here is link to the European ACEA Oil Analysis specs:

http://www.acea.be/images/uploads/pub/070308_ACEA_sequences_2007_LD_and_HD.pdf

Some interesting reading.....it took me several times of reading his discussion and the specs before I understood his point. I am a believer that any oil that has an ACEA A1/B1 A5/B5 oil is good for a flat tappet cam as well as the A3/B3, which he states is even better. I am using Mobile 1 Extended Performance in my flat tappet motors as well as my roller motors.

It worth the time to read and consider......

 

How do the synthetics factor into this, I know that most synthetics have a very high film strength which is basically a measure of the force required to break the oil film and allow metal to metal contact. Zinc in conventional oils is what basically does that job (i think?)..

 

heres where i get my info. 80 pages to add to the confusion http://forums.pelicanparts.com/pors...motor-oil-thread-why-we-hate-cj4-sm-oils.html

 

I'm in auto parts in general.