Solid ROLLER lifter oil

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Nov 16, 2021
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18
Looking for thoughts and recommendations for the BBC in my car. Its a mild street engine, 489ci, 9.0-1. I just upgraded to a solid roller cam and aluminum heads. Previously I had a hydraulic flat tappet. I had been using conventional 10w30 Valvoline with a bottle of Lucas TB Zinc Plus. No issues whatsoever, and the cam looked beautiful when I swapped it out.
The new cam is pretty mild (by solid roller standards) 232/242, .640/.642. My lifters (Comp Endura X) are roller bearing type. The car is a weekend tire burner, I'm lucky if I get to the drag strip once or twice a year. So if you can imagine the different conditions I expose it too, weekend cruise nights, occasional rip on a nice evening after work, and a lot of sitting in the garage, I'm concerned that maybe I'm putting these lifters up to more unusual abuse than they were designed for.
Currently I have 10W40 Pennzoil dino in it. No additives. I'm not very brand loyal. Though I'm impressed how well the TB Zinc Plus worked out.
Any thoughts or real world experience is appreciated.
 
I have a 496 BBC in my 66 Chevelle. Very similar combo to yours, just a touch more compression. TH 400 w/ 4:10. When I ran a flat tappet in it I used Rotella 15W-40 with ASL Camguard added (great stuff BTW). When I freshened it with a roller cam 4 years back I now run the same Rotella 15W-40 without the Camguard. Runs perfect with no issues. Uses no oil, I change it annually. I’m not brand loyal either and have even slipped ST 15W-40 in there once. No issues.
 
Those lifters have an easy life with weekend tire burning and a mild cam.

I used to bracket race my Malibu with a solid flat tappet. I used Castrol 10W30 with added ZDDP. I shifted gears at 6500+ RPM.
There was a recent sale of Valvoline 20W50 race oil that someone posted. I bought two cases.
 
Use a Porsche A40 spec approved oil. Overkill listed two such oils. Castrol has more PAO synthetic in it percentage wise.

A Porsche 911 Turbo has 150.5 horsepower per liter so an A40 approved oil will be fine. It'd be like your engine having 1206 HP.
 
your location is important as ambient temps as well as driving habits are important + of course your budget. theres good enough oils as well as better oils at higher costs
 
Most lifter manufacturers are specifying oil within a certain centastoke because there are specific clearances in a lifter just like bearing clearances. Something in 30-40 weight should be fine unless you are having oil pressure issues.
 
your location is important as ambient temps as well as driving habits are important + of course your budget. theres good enough oils as well as better oils at higher costs
Good point. I'm on the wrong side of the Illinois/Wisconsin border. So summer months are often hot/humid and winter frequently hits single digits.
My garage is heated, but I keep it at 40F unless I'm working on something. Condensation buildup is a concern.
I just broke the bank on the upgrades. Ill dust off my wallet for oil if need be. That being said, I work for a car dealership, so I can get Mobil Delo 15w40 cheap.
 
Most lifter manufacturers are specifying oil within a certain centastoke because there are specific clearances in a lifter just like bearing clearances. Something in 30-40 weight should be fine unless you are having oil pressure issues.
Cant find specifics on Comps website. My old engine builder recommended a 10w30 or 10w40 back when it was assembled with the old flat tappet setup.
 
Looking for thoughts and recommendations for the BBC in my car. Its a mild street engine, 489ci, 9.0-1. I just upgraded to a solid roller cam and aluminum heads. Previously I had a hydraulic flat tappet. I had been using conventional 10w30 Valvoline with a bottle of Lucas TB Zinc Plus. No issues whatsoever, and the cam looked beautiful when I swapped it out.
The new cam is pretty mild (by solid roller standards) 232/242, .640/.642. My lifters (Comp Endura X) are roller bearing type. The car is a weekend tire burner, I'm lucky if I get to the drag strip once or twice a year. So if you can imagine the different conditions I expose it too, weekend cruise nights, occasional rip on a nice evening after work, and a lot of sitting in the garage, I'm concerned that maybe I'm putting these lifters up to more unusual abuse than they were designed for.
Currently I have 10W40 Pennzoil dino in it. No additives. I'm not very brand loyal. Though I'm impressed how well the TB Zinc Plus worked out.
Any thoughts or real world experience is appreciated.
I would say you would need viscosity and detergents, my rationale is simple

the cam looks like to have significant overlap and a tight lobe separation so unburned fuel (hydrocarbons) are going to be pushed into the fuel, particularly at idle or low engine speeds

any modern diesel CK 15w40 should be fine
 
I'm thinking you don't need a heavy detergent package typical in a diesel oil.

Diesel oil is liked because of one thing, higher zinc than most newer oils meant for gas engines.
Anyone who is making an oil for the lowest wear rate in a race car will not make a high TBN oil which is what semi diesel oils typically are.

Diesel engine oils in my opinion, are made cheap as possible to meet approval specs fleets are looking for. Truck company fleets want the cheapest oil that has the approval specs and you don't win the bid by making it better-more expensive than it needs to be.
 
Looking for thoughts and recommendations for the BBC in my car. Its a mild street engine, 489ci, 9.0-1. I just upgraded to a solid roller cam and aluminum heads. Previously I had a hydraulic flat tappet. I had been using conventional 10w30 Valvoline with a bottle of Lucas TB Zinc Plus. No issues whatsoever, and the cam looked beautiful when I swapped it out.
I have a 496 BBC in my 66 Chevelle. Very similar combo to yours, just a touch more compression. TH 400 w/ 4:10. When I ran a flat tappet in it I used Rotella 15W-40 with ASL Camguard added (great stuff BTW). When I freshened it with a roller cam 4 years back I now run the same Rotella 15W-40 without the Camguard. Runs perfect with no issues. Uses no oil, I change it annually. I’m not brand loyal either and have even slipped ST 15W-40 in there once. No issues.
This thread has just intrigued me.(y) I think that you two need to post some pic of these BBC & the rest of the car as well for all to see. What'd ya say? :geek:
 
I like the fact that the roller lifters have this................"EDM Oil Injection technology guarantees that the bearing assembly receives constant, pressurized oil flow via precision hole aimed at the bearings" I would ask COMP Cams what they recommend for their roller assembly's. Nice engine in a nice car by the way!!! Pictures???
 
Those lifters have an easy life with weekend tire burning and a mild cam. ….”

High rpm isn’t the nemesis of a solid roller cam, it’s the idle. The needle bearings take a beating at low rpm. The higher the clearance spec, the worse the impact. That’s essentially why they aren’t recommended for street cars.

Z
 
I would run what you have been running before, the pistons can use some on the thrust side also.
Just don't overdo it with the treat rate.
Also, try to avoid going into valve float: that hammers the rollers along with other issues.
I like you cam choice, most people over cam their cars.
 
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