Oil for 408 Ford V8

Joined
Jan 23, 2003
Messages
882
Location
ON, Canada
I have Ford 408 (Cleveland not Windsor). It has a roller cam and roller rockers. The engine only has about 2000 miles on since it was built. I have run it Pennzoil Dino 10w30 since it was broken built.

I'd like to move up to a higher end oil. The car is street driven only but sees some aggressive driving. It sees maybe 500 to 800 miles per year and is stored in a climate control garage. I typically change the oil annually. It is stored got about 6 months and only get driven in fair weather.

I was thinking of using VR1 or Amsoil Z-Rod since they seem to be well liked by most. However, since have a roller motor, I am not sure I need all that ZDDP.

Any thoughts on which I should use, and why?
 
Just about any euro or hdeo oil will do. Even a 0/5w-30 euro would be good on the colder part of the year. During the warmer part a euro 40 or hdeo is fine. It's a roller setup so you could run a regular oil and be just fine but for only a few bucks more I'd upgrade since there's no downside.

I run either hdeo or euro 40 in my gas trucks. In 25f weather they start just fine. I just drive them a little softly until the temp gauge starts to rise.
 
I run either hdeo or euro 40 in my gas trucks. In 25f weather they start just fine. I just drive them a little softly until the temp gauge starts to rise.
I have QS Euro 5W40 in the sump of my trailblazer (4.2 i6) right now, I have a 4 year old Everstart Value group 75 battery in it , I had it tested at walmart and it was just under 400 CCA.(rated at 550) but my car still managed to turn over when it was -10 with the high windchills that probably had everything on the car cooled to well below zero and the fan clutch was still stuck on for the first moment the car ran.
 
I have QS Euro 5W40 in the sump of my trailblazer (4.2 i6) right now, I have a 4 year old Everstart Value group 75 battery in it , I had it tested at walmart and it was just under 400 CCA.(rated at 550) but my car still managed to turn over when it was -10 with the high windchills that probably had everything on the car cooled to well below zero and the fan clutch was still stuck on for the first moment the car ran.
Dang. I have no issue starting at my temps. I once stared my suv at -12f in a mountain resort in california and it only struggled a little but it had 5w-30. Oil pressure at idle was almost 55 so i thought that was bad.
 
I'd rather stick with a 30wt oil as the engine is built with tight clearances and makes lots of oil pressure even with a standard oil pump. I think going up to a 40wt might make too much oil pressure. My engine builder recommended sticking with a 5w30 or 10w30.
 
I don't think you could go wrong with Mobil 1 0W40 or 5W40. You could easily extend the OCI to three years with a good filter, two years if you suffer from OCD, as long as the last drive gets the oil up to operating temperature for about 30 minutes before you park it.
Yes, I do suffer from OCD when it comes to this engine. It almost always gets run for 30 minutes minimum when I drive it.
 
I have Ford 408 (Cleveland not Windsor). It has a roller cam and roller rockers. The engine only has about 2000 miles on since it was built. I have run it Pennzoil Dino 10w30 since it was broken built.

I'd like to move up to a higher end oil. The car is street driven only but sees some aggressive driving. It sees maybe 500 to 800 miles per year and is stored in a climate control garage. I typically change the oil annually. It is stored got about 6 months and only get driven in fair weather.

I was thinking of using VR1 or Amsoil Z-Rod since they seem to be well liked by most. However, since have a roller motor, I am not sure I need all that ZDDP.

Any thoughts on which I should use, and why?
OTS? M1 0W-40
Not OTS? @High Performance Lubricants new monograde Euro 5W-30 I think would be pretty hard to beat.
 
I'd rather stick with a 30wt oil as the engine is built with tight clearances and makes lots of oil pressure even with a standard oil pump. I think going up to a 40wt might make too much oil pressure. My engine builder recommended sticking with a 5w30 or 10w30.
I'd use any off the shelf 30 grade euro oil year round. I don't know what's off the shelf in Ontario but any US Walmart has Castrol and Pennzoil in euro 30 grades. But the difference is smaller than it seems. Pennzoil platinum euro l 5w-30 is 12.1 cst kv100, Their euro 0w-40 is 13.0 cst kv100. Both of which are average in the euro category. But 40 grade hdeo's on average hit 14.5-15.5 cst kv100. And regular 10w-40 are usually a little bit thicker on average at about 14.5-16 cst kv100.
 
Yes, I do suffer from OCD when it comes to this engine. It almost always gets run for 30 minutes minimum when I drive it.
Your (400M ?) Cleveland isn't a SBC and works best with high oil pressure. For cold starts down to -25C, Petro-Can Duron 10W40 CK4/SN, not the E6.
P 1200
Zn 1350
HTHS >4.1

PC learned the hard way to under report their HTHS. With tort laws the way they are, nobody will take an oil company to court over a 2% loss in fuel economy, but a million dollar engine that squeeks to a stop in the middle of swamp with black rod bearings is another story.
 
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I'd rather stick with a 30wt oil as the engine is built with tight clearances and makes lots of oil pressure even with a standard oil pump. I think going up to a 40wt might make too much oil pressure. My engine builder recommended sticking with a 5w30 or 10w30.
Then I'd use ESP 5W30, another great choice imo.
 

I vote for the higher HTHS oils in the link above. If you want to stick with a 5w30, petrocanada has you covered. They even have a 0w30, 0w40 and 5w40 too.

Any oiling system mods? external lines? flow restrictors? how tight?
PC Duron LD is another option...
40C 85
100C 12.4
150c >3.6
P 800
ZN 870
CK-4/SN

Delo 10w30 Syn technology looks about the same.
I wouldn't be suprised if PC uses the same Oronite add pack.
The PC group III capable lube plant built in the late 1990s with tax dollars was/is Chevron's spoilt red headed stepchild.

edit; Engines that require high oil pressure, but can get by on normal HTHS can benefit from VMs or VIIs as they like to be called on BITOG.

See Solarent's thread in the white papers and technical section "VIIs are not bad". She( ?) hits the nail on the head.
 
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Thank you for all the feedback. A few comments. This car does not see anywhere near freezing temperatures, so cold weather pump-ability is not an issue. There were oil system mods, specifically special cam bearings and a few other oil restriction mods that help to reduce oil to the cam/lifters and prioritize the oiling of the mains. I don't know what the clearances are specifically, but they are on the tight side. My cold oil and hot oil pressure is on the high side of the normal operating range as per Ford's specs. This is why I didn't want to go much thicker on the oil.

Reading the specs on the Mobil 1 0W40 shows that it's CST at 100C is on the lower side for a 40WT, so maybe I could use it. How does the Mobil 1 ESP 5W30 compare to the 0W40? The performance lubricants stuff looks good, just not sure on the availability to Canada. Petro Canada seems to have some good oil, but not sure if I can get it as its not at retailers.

And now that you guys have offered your recommendations, I have to ask why these particular oils? What about them makes them ideal for the my engine? I also assume that Amsoil V-Rod and Vavoline VR-1 are not good choices since no one offered any commentary on them?
 
Thank you for all the feedback. A few comments. This car does not see anywhere near freezing temperatures, so cold weather pump-ability is not an issue. There were oil system mods, specifically special cam bearings and a few other oil restriction mods that help to reduce oil to the cam/lifters and prioritize the oiling of the mains. I don't know what the clearances are specifically, but they are on the tight side. My cold oil and hot oil pressure is on the high side of the normal operating range as per Ford's specs. This is why I didn't want to go much thicker on the oil.

Reading the specs on the Mobil 1 0W40 shows that it's CST at 100C is on the lower side for a 40WT, so maybe I could use it. How does the Mobil 1 ESP 5W30 compare to the 0W40? The performance lubricants stuff looks good, just not sure on the availability to Canada. Petro Canada seems to have some good oil, but not sure if I can get it as its not at retailers.

And now that you guys have offered your recommendations, I have to ask why these particular oils? What about them makes them ideal for the my engine? I also assume that Amsoil V-Rod and Vavoline VR-1 are not good choices since no one offered any commentary on them?
M1 0W-40 has a healthy full-SAPS additive package, the ESP oil has reduced phosphorous to be compliant with GPF/DPF use. Both are good oils but I tend to gravitate toward the full-SAPS product in anything that doesn't have a GPF/DPF.

I don't think you need the super high levels of additives you'd find in VR-1 or V-Rod given you have a roller cam. Even a full-SAPS Euro oil is typically overkill for most FT sticks.
 
I'd rather stick with a 30wt oil as the engine is built with tight clearances and makes lots of oil pressure even with a standard oil pump. I think going up to a 40wt might make too much oil pressure. My engine builder recommended sticking with a 5w30 or 10w30.
I don't think you said if you roller lifters are solid or hydraulic. Some aftermarket lifter manufacturers recommend nothing heavier than a grade 30 for their hydraulic rollers to work properly. If I were looking for a top shelf lube, I'd try the HPL monograde 5W-30 Overkill linked in post #8.
 
Thanks for the replies. The more and more I read about the Mobil 1 0W40, the more I like it. It has a good additive package and a high HTHS. That is probably important as the Ford 335 series engines aren't known for great oiling at the mains. I also like that is readily available locally. So I may give it a shot. I saw some old posts from Overkill too that said he used it with success on Windsor based engines.

As for the lifters, they are hydraulic rollers for a HO 5.0L. They are aftermarket versions though, I believe Gaterman 1014s.
 
I have Ford 408 (Cleveland not Windsor). It has a roller cam and roller rockers. The engine only has about 2000 miles on since it was built. I have run it Pennzoil Dino 10w30 since it was broken built.

I'd like to move up to a higher end oil. The car is street driven only but sees some aggressive driving. It sees maybe 500 to 800 miles per year and is stored in a climate control garage. I typically change the oil annually. It is stored got about 6 months and only get driven in fair weather.

I was thinking of using VR1 or Amsoil Z-Rod since they seem to be well liked by most. However, since have a roller motor, I am not sure I need all that ZDDP.

Any thoughts on which I should use, and why?
I recently rebuilt a ford fe which is flat tappet, and after break in went to 10/40 with one bottle of rislone zinc seems to do good, I don't drive it agressive though. If it is all roller I don't think you would need the high zinc oils. Being you only drive few hundred miles a year probably stay with 10/30 or 10/40 Dino
 
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