Does My Car Need ZDDP Additive??

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I own a 1983 Mercury LN7 (virtually same as the more well known Ford EXP) with the 1.6 HO carbureted engine with no turbocharger. It has an overhead cam and each of its 4 cylinders has a single exhaust valve and a single intake valve.

Does my car require a ZZDP additive (assume I prefer an additive to an oil already containing ZZDP)?

If it does, which additive do you think provides the right amount of ZZDP and, if you happen to know, sells for the best price and where does it sell for that price? Or, do you instead recommend an oil that already contains the right amount of ZZDP and if so, which oil?

Thanks very much for any help.

Bob
 
Hi Bob & welcome.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your engine?

How many Mi/Km are on the engine?
Has the engine been rebuilt?
What oil(s) has this engine been using over the last 38 yrs?
How is the vehicle driven?...easy, normal, hard?

Even though oils have changed some over the decades since your engine was built, if this engine is still original, I'm going to say that you should be able to use any required grade of oil listed in the owner"s manual(even if you don't have the original owner's manual). Since the engine has most likely been properly "RUN-IN(broken in) during the days of higher levels of ZINC(ZDDP), I'd say that any modern 5W30, 10W30, 10W40(that you can buy on your favorite store shelves) would be just fine even though they all have lower levels of ZDDP.

But, please tell us more,

CB
 
I own a 1983 Mercury LN7 (virtually same as the more well known Ford EXP) with the 1.6 HO carbureted engine with no turbocharger. ....

Does my car require a ZZDP additive (assume I prefer an additive to an oil already containing ZZDP)?

Thanks very much for any help.

Bob

You got a Hemi !. (See photo of head below). Given the car has Hydraulic lash adjusters and likely a very mild cam you will be treated well with off the shelf oil in the recommended grade in the owners manual.
Enjoy that now rare car !
= Ken

CVH_Kopf3.jpg
 
I own a 1983 Mercury LN7 (virtually same as the more well known Ford EXP) with the 1.6 HO carbureted engine with no turbocharger. It has an overhead cam and each of its 4 cylinders has a single exhaust valve and a single intake valve.

Does my car require a ZZDP additive (assume I prefer an additive to an oil already containing ZZDP)?

If it does, which additive do you think provides the right amount of ZZDP and, if you happen to know, sells for the best price and where does it sell for that price? Or, do you instead recommend an oil that already contains the right amount of ZZDP and if so, which oil?

Thanks very much for any help.

Bob
And if it needed an additive the owner’s manual would tell you that it needed an additive. Does it say that?
 
What a rare beast, would love to see pics, neat car!
If it were mine, I’d run a 10W-30 HDEO in it for a bit of extra protection. Rotella T4 10w-30 would be great.
 
Careful mentioning 540rat's pseudo-science here. That blog has been a thorn in the side of tribology ever since it started.

OP, your engine doesn't need the additional ZDDP, but it wouldn't hurt either. Avoid the supplements. I second the Mobil 1 0w-40 recommendation.
Yup, agreed, M1 0w-40 is a safe bet.
 
Hi Bob & welcome.
Can you tell us a little bit more about your engine?

How many Mi/Km are on the engine?
Has the engine been rebuilt?
What oil(s) has this engine been using over the last 38 yrs?
How is the vehicle driven?...easy, normal, hard?

Even though oils have changed some over the decades since your engine was built, if this engine is still original, I'm going to say that you should be able to use any required grade of oil listed in the owner"s manual(even if you don't have the original owner's manual). Since the engine has most likely been properly "RUN-IN(broken in) during the days of higher levels of ZINC(ZDDP), I'd say that any modern 5W30, 10W30, 10W40(that you can buy on your favorite store shelves) would be just fine even though they all have lower levels of ZDDP.

But, please tell us more,

CB
Sure, here's what I know. There are about 150K miles on the car. Engine has never been rebuilt completely however I put a supposedly brand new cylinder head on it that I got on Ebay from an engine shop that went out of business maybe 10 or so years ago along with a brand new camshaft that I bought. Over the last 38 years I always used the cheapest oil I could find at Walmart or similar store, usually 10-30 or 10-40. The car is driven only about 3500 miles/year. We bought the car new in 1983.
 
Sure, here's what I know. There are about 150K miles on the car. Engine has never been rebuilt completely however I put a supposedly brand new cylinder head on it that I got on Ebay from an engine shop that went out of business maybe 10 or so years ago along with a brand new camshaft that I bought. Over the last 38 years I always used the cheapest oil I could find at Walmart or similar store, usually 10-30 or 10-40. The car is driven only about 3500 miles/year. We bought the car new in 1983.
Thanks for the response, that's an interesting story. I had to look up the car to see what they looked like back then. Yeah, I remember them. :)

I'd love to keep a daily driver(DD) for 5 decades and/or drive it forever.
Although I have a 41 yr old car that we bought brand new when my wife & I got married, it's not a DD(summer's only) and only sees ~1000K mi/yr. I've put on more miles in a summer stint, it's just not typical.
 
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You don't need a Zddp additive. Don't let anyone know, but most oils have a Z/P dosage. I've never seen an aftermarket z/p additive decrease wear in UOA data. If anything, I've seen the opposite.

I wouldn't load this monster HP engine with thick oil drag..... no 15w40 or 20w50

I would consider the 5w30's from Redline, HPL, RoyalPurple HPS, Driven, or Torco SR5.

If you're stuck on 10w40's or 10w30's, consider the motorcycle and smaller engine 4 cycle oils. Many are in the SJ/SL higher z/p levels, whether synth/blend/conventional. And, I'd take a 5w40 over a generic conventional 10w40 any day!

If on a budget and shopping locally, you really can't go wrong with the 0w40's. Euro/Dexos/SRT understand 0w40.

Answer this question, what peanut tiny oil filter did Ford put on a 1.6 decades ago?
 
It can't be... why would a 1.6 need such a monstrosity. I know already... remember working on plenty of Ford products back then...

Funny what a 1.6 today gets for a filter. That 3600 is bigger than what went on my previous Tundra 4.7
 
It can't be... why would a 1.6 need such a monstrosity. I know already... remember working on plenty of Ford products back then...

Funny what a 1.6 today gets for a filter. That 3600 is bigger than what went on my previous Tundra 4.7
My 96 year old neighbor who passed away last year had a 1986 base model ranger with the 2.0L 4 banger and I looked up the filter it takes, and it was the fram 8A size so the same as the FL-1A, Ford used bigger filters overall back them, I guess.
 
My 96 year old neighbor who passed away last year had a 1986 base model ranger with the 2.0L 4 banger and I looked up the filter it takes, and it was the fram 8A size so the same as the FL-1A, Ford used bigger filters overall back them, I guess.
Filters today are criminally undersized and at the heart of many engine woes.
Many are too small to even be an effective fuel filter!
 
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