Zinc Oil For Older Cars

Thanks to hugh ashburn for asking on our facebook page about using high zinc oil in older engines.

Zinc oil for older cars.

Zinc acts as a friction inhibitor and research suggests that older engines using flat tappet lifters in the engine pretty much any v6 or v8 older than 1988 need to have zinc present in the engine oil in order to keep the camshaft and lifters from wearing prematurely. This means that not all current oils are appropriate for antique autos or even for those. The automotive community continues to debate whether switching to synthetic oil in older cars is beneficial or risky. Zinc zddp and zdtp is especially useful for cars with flat tappet camshafts which means a lot of classic cars hot rods and older muscle cars need zinc more than other cars.

When it comes to older engines and classic cars high zinc content is a must and some oil manufacturers even sell special engine oil that comes with elevated zdtp or zddp zinc dialkyl dithiophosphates content. Read on for details. What is high zinc. Ilsac multi viscosity oils that are rated sm even feature special additives used for older engines that experts recommend for use in.

There is no guarantee that a quart or two of older oils sj or sl or even a specially formulated high zddp content oil will homogenize with sm oils to produce the correct or desired level of zinc phosphorus for older engines. Regardless if you are purchasing off the shelf oil for your classic car ilsac multi viscosity oils rated sm or cj 4 should have stated zinc and phosphorus additive supplements for use in older engines or an additional separate additive should be purchased and used with the new oil. This mono grade oil can also be used in most types of manually operated gearboxes. In classic car and hot rod engines use a high zinc motor oil all the time.

Chances are your classic car needs zinc oil additive to stay running strong. Higher zinc levels in oil typically are for performance cars on the whole. In general synthetic motor oil offers owners of newer cars trucks and suvs multiple benefits from extending component life to reducing cost of routine maintenance if you have heard about the benefits of synthetic motor oil in vehicles you may be inclined to switch. Specifically should you use a motor oil with zddp additives only during engine break in or throughout the engine s lifespan.

Then there is the question of mixing high zinc phosphorus content oils with sm to give necessary protection. While the formulations of modern oils have changed along with the innovations that keep the automotive industry moving forward your older car s specific lubrication requirements were frozen in time the day it was built.