oil ffor an old car

[HerkyJim]

Hi Ya'll, I'm new here and I got a question about my '72 Plymouth valiant... I inhereited this car from the folks who always kept it in the garage and serviced it regularly. Dad took it to a nearby Shell station for oil and lubes and I guess they put in whatever they had. I got it 5yr. ago and I've been using house brand oil I got at the baseexchange or walmart 10-30 and deloco or purolator filter. Last summer i started using walmart supertech 15-40 dielsel oil and di put a new filter on every other time which is about every 2 months or so. Its got 191,000 miles and it dont smoke but its down aquart after 900-1000 miles. It leaks quite abit too. I drive it to/from work every day 10 miles on the freeway. What am i doing wrong or should i be doing to keep this engine running for awhile yet. Its a 318 v8. I live near tacoma, washington Thanks

 

[Audi Junkie]

Supertech or any 15w-40 will work great in your climate. I like Mobil Delvac 1300S. Also, Hi-Mi oils are out there, if you dare.

 

[KW]

An Auto RX treatment would not hurt it and might help the oil leaks and clean up the ring pack. (Check the site sponsers for info.) The supertech 15W40 oil is a good choice though I prefer Rotella 15W40 are even better the Rotella 5W40 It sure sounds like you have a fun car to run around in!

 

[dropitby]

You may want to fix the leak first I am not sure a car that old if Auto RX will help but its worth a try.Send a e-mail to Frank see what he thinks.

 

[k1xv]

Can you see into the valve cover through an oil add hole, or something like that? Might give you an idea of varnish build up, if any. Any SL rated oil of 2004 is probably better than the best oil available in 1972. It sounds like it got regular service so it is clean inside, and I suspect the 15w-40 is the best choice among many. While the oil leak is an inconvenience, if this is a "short term" ride and the leak is getting no worse, you may want to leave well enough alone.

 

[HerkyJim]

Thanks for the replies. Im kind of leery of flushing/cleaning inside the engine because I read that you can loosen sludghe and plug up oil passage. Yes its fun to drive. Amazing car, i thought it was kind of a goofy old people car when they got it new. But it don't squaek or rattle abit and tracks staright as an arrow and tires wear evenly. Of course im past the screeching to a stop and corner on two wheels stage. and it gets 19mpg too! As far as ican tell the transmission had never been touched, but it seems like it shifts a little bit hard going into reverse. Thanks for the inputs

 

[Hemidart]

Does it have a /6? I have a 70 Dart with a 225 /6 and after much reading here I went with Delo 400 and a Mobil 1 filter.

 

[HerkyJim]

No, its a 318 v8. Wisk it was a 6 because i'd get evn better mileage. I used some delo 400 and shell rotella before i switched to walmart. Looked to me like walmart was same stuff but cheaper.

 

[toolboy62]

HerkyJim, you are right about the flushes, I have heard bad things about them. that said I did do an engine flush on my '62 Stude because it was an original 24K mile car that apparently had only been driven short trips and probably on non-detergent oil (it was parked in '68.) This was before I found BITOG so I just used whatever the parts store had. OK so far... but I think I am going to just continue using a 15W40 HDEO and hope that cleans up the rest of it. I've got leaky front and rear mains and since the front is felt and the rear is rope I don't expect them ever to stop; I'm planning on pulling the engine this winter. If it still looks sludgy inside I will probably have the block boiled and put new rings and bearings in it. In your situation whether or not you need to worry really depends on how the engine looks inside. Your oil consumption is considered acceptable by some new car mfgrs (I don't agree with it, but there you have it) so you should be OK should you choose to do nothing. How is your oil pressure? Compression? If both those are in spec and the engine is clean I would keep on keepin' on with the HDEO and not worry about it. Also for consumption, if you have bad valve seals that will not affect performance but will cause higher than normal consumption, do you have smoke under high vacuum conditions? (downhill coasting, overrun on shifts, etc?) New valve seals are an easy fix if the valve stems/guides aren't worn. good luck nate

 

[MAJA]

Sounds like you are doing everything right. I agree with KW, and say to try an Auto-RX treatment. Also maybe even try Fuel power in the gas. I am driving a 82 Ford truck, with a 351 V-8 that had sit for 5-6 years, and after a minor tuneup and getting all the old gas out, I drive it regularly. Has small oil leaks, but I do not worry about them. I did Auto-RX and continue to use Fuel power. It runs very well, idles smooth and no harshness at speed. I dont know if its the ARX or the FP, but I do no it has a less "harsh" feel to it. Good luck with a great old vehicle.