Older pushrod V8

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sesech1861

Joined
May 15, 2023
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Hello could I pick your brains for help choosing an oil?

I have a 2000 built ford 302 in a fox mustang. It has a mild roller cam (.490/.510 if I remember correctly). I believe about 125-150k in the motor. Haven’t had the heads off but under the valve covers is clean the the crank/piston skirts looked dang near new last time I had the oil pan off. No oil usage.

This is a strictly warm weather only car.

I’ve used royal purple 5w30 and similar oils in the past, but now I’m thinking of switching to something thicker and with more ZDDP. I was considering ZR1 or the Amsoil z-rod, or the Castrol GTX “classic” in 10w40 or 20w50.

I heard that American small blocks can use the extra viscosity of a 40 or 50 wt oil because of bearing clearances weren’t as good as modern cars.

As I said it’s a warm weather car and I plan to do auto cross with it. Since it is not my primary but rather my fun car, I don’t mind changing oil at ridiculously short intervals. Probably even more fun that way!

thanks
 
It doesn't require a high zddp content. Truth is the engine would be just fine with any regular 5w-30 given the low use. But I'd make a list of readily available Euro or diesel rated oils at Walmart and throw a dart and never lose sleep. No need to change super frequently either. I'd use regular 15w-40 if it were mine and change every 2 years or 5k. And no going more than a year without changing doesn't somehow ruin things. There are tons of oil reports with low to mild use within a year still showing great results and possibility for another 1-4 years.
 
The roller cam does reduce the need for ZDDP yes, however the pushrod set up does make valve spring pressure significantly higher than OHC systems. The valve springs are also much stouter than the stock ones. The ramp rate of the cam lobes should also be considered.
 
sesech1861 said:
Hello could I pick your brains for help choosing an oil?

I have a 2000 built ford 302 in a fox mustang. It has a mild roller cam (.490/.510 if I remember correctly). I believe about 125-150k in the motor. Haven’t had the heads off but under the valve covers is clean the the crank/piston skirts looked dang near new last time I had the oil pan off. No oil usage.

This is a strictly warm weather only car.

I’ve used royal purple 5w30 and similar oils in the past, but now I’m thinking of switching to something thicker and with more ZDDP. I was considering ZR1 or the Amsoil z-rod, or the Castrol GTX “classic” in 10w40 or 20w50.

I heard that American small blocks can use the extra viscosity of a 40 or 50 wt oil because of bearing clearances weren’t as good as modern cars.

As I said it’s a warm weather car and I plan to do auto cross with it. Since it is not my primary but rather my fun car, I don’t mind changing oil at ridiculously short intervals. Probably even more fun that way!

thanks
Click to expand...
I've had fantastic service from M1 FS 0W-40 in this exact application. The Windsor has an excellent oiling system and the roller cam doesn't require any extra ZDDP, a Euro 0W-40/5W-40 is more than enough for this engine.
 
This engine was a combination of a stock shortblock a buddy of mine and I picked up for a car he bought with a nuked engine and some donor parts. IIRC, it had been run on AMSOIL or similar prior, had lower km on it. It received a number of performance parts from the dead engine including a custom camshaft (around .530/.540 IIRC) and a set of TFS heads. Ultimately, it was run in three different cars, both fuel injected and carbureted, depending on the car, and always on M1 0W-40:
NateStang302120K.jpg

nateengine02.jpg
 
I'll throw my hat into this ring and suggest good old Quaker State synthetic 5W-30. I don't think you're going to find any magic elixir nor do I think this engine setup requires one. Did you upgrade the pushrods? Do you expect to be turning uber high RPM with this engine?

No, I'd use the QS synthetic from the Mart. When you start turning 10,000 RPM and have a valve train designed for it then I'd look for something a bit more exotic.
 
There's no reason to go to a more viscous oil nor is there a need for more ZDDP. Royal Purple is okay though their standard synthetic is basically just a knockoff of Valvoline with some purple dye in it. That dye has been responsible for many engine internals looking like they pureed Barney's corpse. Exhibit A...

279956717_1421945688256441_3366390756405569611_n.webp


Mobil 1 FS Euro 0W-40 would be a good choice. A 5W-30 oil meeting A3/B4 would also work well. I would look at A3/B4 oils or better as I feel the API sets the bar too low. If you don't mind spending a little more, High Performance Lubricants PCMO 5W-30 would be a top shelf option.
 
It's a blanket answer but I used to run it in my LSX engines and almost everything else too. Mobil 1 0w40 Euro. I felt like a gave a good balance of cold start flow and slightly thicker than a Xw30 when I'd get it a bit hot.
 
I would run a euro rated (ACEA A3/B4), name brand (Castrol Edge, M1, Pennzoil Platinum Euro) 40 grade synthetic (0W40 or 5W40) oil.

If I wanted more, I would also select one that carries the Porsche A40 spec.
 
My Pontiac 455 with a small solid roller cam has always had a steady diet of whatever 10W-40 oil I pick out at Walmart. Currently Castrol semi/syn, IIRC. It doesn't see but 2-3 thousand miles a year and gets changed about once a year. Dino oil, semi syn or full conventional, it hasn't seemed to matter. Baldwin filter. The 10W-40 selection is smaller than it once was.
 
Why do you want to go thicker? What is your oil pressure with 5W30? I'd worry more about pressure than what cam I had.
 
OVERKILL said:
This engine was a combination of a stock shortblock a buddy of mine and I picked up for a car he bought with a nuked engine and some donor parts. IIRC, it had been run on AMSOIL or similar prior, had lower km on it. It received a number of performance parts from the dead engine including a custom camshaft (around .530/.540 IIRC) and a set of TFS heads. Ultimately, it was run in three different cars, both fuel injected and carbureted, depending on the car, and always on M1 0W-40:
View attachment 156192
View attachment 156193
Click to expand...
That engine looks terrible. You should send it to me so I can test it in my Grand Marquis.
 
ka9mnx said:
Quaker State Euro 5w-40? It has Porsche A40 spec ;)
Click to expand...
I always assumed that Quaker State Euro, Shell Helix Ultra and Pennzoil Platinum Euro were all pretty much the same (or very similar) full synthetic 5W-40 A3/B4 oils. All SOPUS / Royal Dutch Shell products.

All very good stuff, I'm using the Helix Ultra with Porsche A40 right now in my Nissan with QR25DE engine. I find I get less oil consumption when I run 40 grades with this engine.

BTW another one that works well in this engine (lowers oil consumption) is Castrol GTX 15W-40 UltraClean, a semi-synthetic that is A3/B3 rated. I would recommend it for the OP, but I don't think you get it in North America. If I lived there, I would be keen to try Shell Rotella 15W-40 T4 instead. The rotella has lots of ZDDP, and still very popular as a motorcycle oil (JASO MA / MA2) even though it's mostly marketed as a diesel engine oil (HDEO). It was mixed fleet (diesel and gas) until the recent round of API rules stopped that high ZDDP mixed fleet loophole for gasoline engines.
 
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