oils for a classic engine (zinc )

[440Magnum]

Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
Would the 5.7L TBI V8 in my dads 94 Chevy Silverado C1500 have roller lifters? I've been operating under the assumption that it has flat tappets, so if that isn't the case it will simplify things for me.


Well, I'm least familiar with Chevy engines of the Big 3. I'm pretty sure the high-performance versions had rollers in '94, but I just looked up your engine on Napaonline.com, searched for replacement valve lifters... and lo and behold the picture they show is a flat tappet. That alone wouldn't be conclusive (NAPA sometimes puts the wrong picture on a part or uses "stock" pictures) but I saw another response that late 90s Chevy trucks didn't have rollers. I don't know when the truck 350 finally changed over, if it ever did before getting replaced by the later generation smallblocks.

Frankly I'm amazed that Chevrolet lagged that far on the truck 350. The 84 Cadillac my folks owned years ago had rollers in its [censored] little HT4100, so I ASSumed that GM went to rollers corporate-wide about then. I remember from the 80s that a big motivator was fuel savings- it takes a few horsepower to drive a flat-tappet cam in a v8 at high speed, and much less to drive a roller cam.

 

[shanker]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
Would the 5.7L TBI V8 in my dads 94 Chevy Silverado C1500 have roller lifters? I've been operating under the assumption that it has flat tappets, so if that isn't the case it will simplify things for me.
I did an intake gasket on a late 90's truck with a 350 and it did not have rollers.


I'm fairly sure that GM used roller lifters in the TBI trucks, my 91 w/ a 4.3 V6 has roller lifters

 

[PT1]

Try Brad Penn high performance at http://www.bradpennracing.com

 

[Hokiefyd]

The Oldsmobile 307 V8 went to roller lifters in 1985/1986. I'm highly surprised that the Corporate 5.7L has hydraulic flat lifters as recent as the late 1990s. The Corporate 3800 engine has had roller lifters since the 1980s I believe.

However, sure enough, I look up a camshaft lifter kit for a '94 K1500 on Rock Auto and all kits include the phrase: "Contains Original Equipment Design Hydraulic Flat Lifters".

Looking up the same part for a '99 K1500, and it says: "Chevrolet engine; Hyd. rlr."

I'd say that any LS-series engine has roller lifters. When did they start using the LSx engines in the trucks? By '98 for sure, yes?

 

[chevrofreak]

I guess I'd better get some kind of additive with a lot of zinc to put in his engine. I was going to just buy a bunch of Rotella T 10W-30, but that's rare as heck around here, and I already have about 40 quarts of various brands of SM 10W-30 I need to use.

 

[demarpaint]

Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
I guess I'd better get some kind of additive with a lot of zinc to put in his engine. I was going to just buy a bunch of Rotella T 10W-30, but that's rare as heck around here, and I already have about 40 quarts of various brands of SM 10W-30 I need to use.


If you're looking for an additive, Redline Break In Oil Additive is the ticket. Give them a call and they will tell you how much to add etc. Good stuff, good company to deal with.

 

[chevrofreak]

That's probably what I'll end up doing.

 

[demarpaint]

At least you'll know you have plenty of ZDDP.

 

[Rob_Roy]

Originally Posted By: chevrofreak
I guess I'd better get some kind of additive with a lot of zinc to put in his engine. I was going to just buy a bunch of Rotella T 10W-30, but that's rare as heck around here, and I already have about 40 quarts of various brands of SM 10W-30 I need to use.


There is no need for an additive if his engine is stock. TBI 350's have very weak valve springs and a very conservative cam profile, an SM rated 10w30 should hold up just fine. My dad has a '94 Suburban with a TBI 350, it has lived on conventional 5w30 and 10w30 for 210,000 miles; still runs great