1965 Mustang 289 - Recommended oils

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I would run a good quality, high ZDDP, mineral oil.

Valvoline VR-1 10W30 or Rotella T4 15w40, depending on how thick you want to go. I tend to go thicker as a car ages, and you live in a mild climate (I believe) so 15W40 should be fine.

Also check out this recent VOA of Castrol GTX Diesel 15W40
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/5328906/
It's got 1155ppm Zinc, a TBN of 9.2 and a nice slug of Moly at 57 ppm. Plus it has passed all the modern CK4 wear tests and anti-oxidation / deposit control tests.
 
To answer the questions above:

It's the standard 289 2bbl. Average temps in the spring fall are 70/80's and our summers can get 95*+. I don't plan on driving it hard as this will mainly be a weekend cruiser. I'm sure I'll run her hard occasionally but that won't be the norm. I do plan on rebuilding at some point and probably build it with more power in mind.

I like the VR-1 oil but isn't that a full synthetic? I doubt this car has ever seen synthetic. I haven't noticed any leaks coming from any seals/gaskets either so I'm hesitant to run synthetic at this point and it cause leaks. I'll probably run a 10w-30/40 in conventional until the rebuild.

Thank you for all the suggestions and advice.
 
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This engine was designed for, and I would use, any 10w-30. Synthetic or conventional. Synthetic oil does not cause leaks. My '93 F150 was converted to synthetic at 180k miles in 2003. My '97 B2500 van was converted at 160k miles in 2010 and my 2000 4Runner at 245k miles in 2016. No leaks.
 
From 1970-1978, my dad drove a 289-powered Mustang as his DD in Canada.

He drove it hard, and drove it a lot; 18k miles a year.

I have no idea what his exact maintenance regime was, but he was a huge fan of our 'Canadian Tire' chain up here, so I'm sure it got whatever 10W-30 they offered in an OC package every 3-4k.

From what I gather, never a problem with the engine, ran like a top until rust got it at about 10 years old and 150-160k miles.

The 289 was a very good engine.
 
Simple short answer- shell Rotilla or Dello 400 CJ-4.
Perfect for older engines. Cheap. Readily available. You do not have a racing engine so don't waste $ on high cost racing oil! And older carbureted engines are "dirtier " and CJ-4 oils have lots of engine cleaning additives newer oils lack.
 
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Euro 0W-40, M1/Castrol Edge 5W-50 or Rotella T4/Delvac 1300/Delo 400 15W-40 would be my picks. You can get away with a 20W-50 too. Valvoline VR1 or M1 Racing are good picks too.

If the engine was ever rebuilt with roller lifters, then you can getaway with a modern 10W-30. You need high(1000+ppm) levels of zinc and phosphorus for that engine. Hence the Euro oils, M1/Edge 5W-50 or the diesel engine/racing stuff.
 
You don't need 1000+ ppm Zn and P if it has a stock cam, rockers, and valve springs. The factory lobes have such low intensity, and factory springs have such a weak rate, that the force generated doesn't warrant additional ZDDP than the 800 ppm API SN/SN+ limit to P.

When I had my '66 289, I ran Amsoil Z-Rod 10w-30. If I still had it today, I'd probably be using Driven GP-1 10w-30. It had an aftermarket cam though with more aggressive lobes, more spring pressure, and more lift.
 
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
You don't need 1000+ ppm Zn and P if it has a stock cam, rockers, and valve springs. The factory lobes have such low intensity, and factory springs have such a weak rate, that the force generated doesn't warrant additional ZDDP than the 800 ppm API SN/SN+ limit to P.

What about some of these SN+ oils that are dropping the zinc and phos amounts, like Magnetec, well below the 800 ppm. I'm guessing the moly ant titanium help but is it enough?
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4790192/voa-castrol-magnatec-d1g2-5w30
 
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Originally Posted by Duffyjr
Originally Posted by RDY4WAR
You don't need 1000+ ppm Zn and P if it has a stock cam, rockers, and valve springs. The factory lobes have such low intensity, and factory springs have such a weak rate, that the force generated doesn't warrant additional ZDDP than the 800 ppm API SN/SN+ limit to P.

What about some of these SN+ oils that are dropping the zinc and phos amounts, like Magnetec, well below the 800 ppm. I'm guessing the moly ant titanium help but is it enough?
https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php/topics/4790192/voa-castrol-magnatec-d1g2-5w30





Blackstone is notorious for reporting low so I wouldn't sweat that at all. I've seen reports come back on virgin samples from Blackstone that shows only ~570 ppm P and they say it looks good to go. Nevermind that the number is below the 600 ppm API minimum, Blackstone says good to go. lol They are more expensive than others, charge extra for TBN, and frequently read lower than others. Why people use them is beyond me.

Add ~10% to those numbers and you'll probably be closer to the actual numbers. Even if that report was 100% accurate, I still wouldn't be worried about it though.
 
Originally Posted by ka9mnx
Originally Posted by nthach
You need high(1000+ppm) levels of zinc and phosphorus for that engine.

Really?

It also doesn't have cats or EGR.

API SM/SN and D1 oils have an emphasis on protecting emissions control systems. However, even high ZDDP oils do meet SN specs(M1 HM 10W-30/40, and many Euro oils meeting ACEA A3/B4 also meet API SN).

Now, if the engine was say, a Toyota 22R or Nissan VG30, it won't complain with a API SN Plus oil that's also ILSAC GF-5/6 resource conserving.
 
Originally Posted by nthach
Originally Posted by ka9mnx
Originally Posted by nthach
You need high(1000+ppm) levels of zinc and phosphorus for that engine.

Really?

It also doesn't have cats or EGR.

API SM/SN and D1 oils have an emphasis on protecting emissions control systems. However, even high ZDDP oils do meet SN specs(M1 HM 10W-30/40, and many Euro oils meeting ACEA A3/B4 also meet API SN).

Now, if the engine was say, a Toyota 22R or Nissan VG30, it won't complain with a API SN Plus oil that's also ILSAC GF-5/6 resource conserving.


It's a flat tappet windsor with a broomstick cam, it isn't going to care any more than either of those engines.
 
Quaker State High Mileage Syn Blend 10W30 paired with a Fram Ultra is what I would use. Nice shot of Moly and priced right at Wally World for the 5 quart container.
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