Oil for High Performance Turbo Application

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T_Bortz

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Hello All,

I’ve been lurking for a while and finally decided to post.

I am looking for an oil recommendation for my 85 Merkur with a fresh rebuild.
-New Rods, pistons, cam, bearings, etc. Should be close to 500bhp.
-Roller Cam
-Car is barely driven 2000mi per year
-Many are hard miles, but no actual racing events
-Not driven in winter (no heat in the car!)
-Per the engine builder, the tolerances in the motor were made a little loose
-Car is running on pump gas, with methanol injection
-27-30psi boost
-small temp-a-cure oil cooler with -10 lines with oil thermostat

I called the engine builder and he said to use a HDEO in the 15w-40 variety

Current fill is 15-40 Delo, @75* 50psi oil pressure at startup, 30psi warmed up, car has not seen the road yet. Only idled to bring up to temp/ set idle tune.

Even thought the car only gets minimal mileage per year, it will get changed a minimum of once per year. However, price is not really a big concern for the oil.

I have been looking at Mobil 1 0w40 and Rotella T6 5w40? Open to any ideas…

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim
 
That's the 2.3L Ford Lima engine? It has a reputation for stoutness.
But 30psi boost sounds like too much. Do you have an o-ringed block and head?
Loose clearances makes me think you definitely need a 40-weight, maybe even a 50.
You said you aren't racing, but are you doing track days?
What is the longest WOT time that you subject the engine to, and how often?
Do you have an oil temperature gauge?
Since you have a roller cam, you don't necessarily need a high zddp oil.
 
Amsoil Z Rod is perfect for your application. It contains extra corrosion inhibitors for vehicles that are stored seasonally. It comes in 10w-30 and 20w-50. Mix it 50/50 if you want a 40-weight. I'd probably just use the 20w-50 straight.

T6 if you want to save some money.

Either way, change it annually in the fall before you store it.
 
Sorry, yes i should have included that info.

It is a Ford 2.3 lima block

No such thing as too much boost! I ran 30psi last year. Alcohol injection helps keep the intake temps down and having the tune a little rich to be safe helps too.

This year its an MLS gasket and studs.
 
Why would you trust this guy to build your engine but not trust his recommendation on the oil. Use a good dino 15w-40 diesel oil. Syn are way too thin because of drain off when sitting this much. Why would you want to use a 0w oil. You guys need to quit believing all the marketing hype on syn oils.
 
Originally Posted By: rideahorse
Why would you trust this guy to build your engine but not trust his recommendation on the oil. Use a good dino 15w-40 diesel oil. Syn are way too thin because of drain off when sitting this much. Why would you want to use a 0w oil. You guys need to quit believing all the marketing hype on syn oils.


Where is your information from? Drain off? Too thin? Sounds like you've been drinking the old wives' Kool-aid.

Edit: You know, I'd probably use the 15W-40 as well, because it's a cheap and will provide adequate protection. Having said that, there is no reason not to use a synthetic HDEO or Euro Xw-40.
 
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I agree- if you trusted him to build the motor................
Plus if you have issues he can't say anything about the oil you used.

Originally Posted By: barkingspider
I would go w the engine builders recommendation on motor oil
 
He did say if the oil pressure was a little low that i could use 20w-50. So maybe a 20-50 that's a little on the thin side would work as well. Like i said, i am getting 30lb of oil pressure at warm idle, so it seems good but i haven't had it out on the road and through the RPMs yet.
 
Originally Posted By: T_Bortz
Sorry again, to answer the other questions...
No track days.
10-15 sec wide open max
No oil temp gauge


The 15w40 Delo that your engine builder put in it sounds pretty well-suited for what you are doing with the car.
And if you have a problem, he can't complain about the oil choice.
 
I would either follow the engine builder with the engine builder and use an HDEO. Though I would probably lean more toward the 5w40 synthetic delo as it is a really good price at walmart. A Semisynthetic 15w40 or Dino 15w40 would probably also be great for this engine.
 
Delo 400 15W-40 LE is stout oil. It is classifiable as a semi-synthetic. It's been protecting serious turbo boosted engine for decades. We have some Cummins in truck applications that will make 36 PSI and they are on Delo. They are all hard to keep head gaskets in. They will show a slow coolant weep line at the head/block parting line eventually. But they run great and show no signs of oil related issues.

I have run Delo in my own personal turbo cars (Volvo before and Saab now) and have no issues with it.

You might want to look at Delvac 1 or Elite... Put them on your list of HDEO's for consideration... HDEO's are the oils of choice for big boosted motor. Rotella T6 is a great oil, but a little thinner that some of the other at temp.

Keeping the range spread as close as possible is the way to minimize VII's and make the oil more shear stable.

And yes, some synthetics can have drain-off issues with sitting for long periods. It is from the reduced surface tension of pure synthetic oils. Best to run semi-syns in motors that sit for long periods.

There are untold numbers of actaul race cars making track days on HDEO's all the time. They have been the hot-rodders oil choice for decades. But, you might also consider VR-1 (Silver Bottle) as a good alternative. Bottom line is I think your engine builder knows what is best and he's in tune with the big boost crowd
smile.gif
 
BMW makes a good synthetic 5w-60 for their high end turbo cars.
 
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How does an Joe Blow engine builder in the middle of Anywhere USA determine what's the best oil brand? You could use the 5W50 oil used in certain modern Ford Mustangs.
 
Originally Posted By: T_Bortz
Hello All,

I’ve been lurking for a while and finally decided to post.

I am looking for an oil recommendation for my 85 Merkur with a fresh rebuild.
-New Rods, pistons, cam, bearings, etc. Should be close to 500bhp.
-Roller Cam
-Car is barely driven 2000mi per year
-Many are hard miles, but no actual racing events
-Not driven in winter (no heat in the car!)
-Per the engine builder, the tolerances in the motor were made a little loose
-Car is running on pump gas, with methanol injection
-27-30psi boost
-small temp-a-cure oil cooler with -10 lines with oil thermostat

I called the engine builder and he said to use a HDEO in the 15w-40 variety

Current fill is 15-40 Delo, @75* 50psi oil pressure at startup, 30psi warmed up, car has not seen the road yet. Only idled to bring up to temp/ set idle tune.

Even thought the car only gets minimal mileage per year, it will get changed a minimum of once per year. However, price is not really a big concern for the oil.

I have been looking at Mobil 1 0w40 and Rotella T6 5w40? Open to any ideas…

Any recommendations would be appreciated.

Thanks,
Tim

Use the builders recommendation, there is no need for a 0W or 5W unless you are starting the engine at below freezing temps. Which you aren't going to do.
 
Originally Posted By: skyactiv
How does an Joe Blow engine builder in the middle of Anywhere USA determine what's the best oil brand? You could use the 5W50 oil used in certain modern Ford Mustangs.
If the engine builder is a good one he sees the insides of the engines he builds for the racers and knows which oils work the best.Or he reads BITOG and will be considered an expert.
 
Well, I would like welcome you to the Bitog!!! I agree you should listen to your mechanic for now and get a good feel of your new motor. Maybe then down many roads you may want to try other oils but monitor your oil pressure and yes I use a UOA as insurance at least occasionally. The Motorcraft 5w-50 is excellent oil but check if it's suited for turbos. BroLuno has stated some very good pts. Enjoy your fresh rebuild.
 
Delo 15W-40 according to VOA is on the heavy side of SAE 40. It's an excellent product and so are the price and availability. If I was going to step up from there it would be a RedLine product. I feel that SAE 40 is appropriate as the Lima has good bearing area unlike the BMWs which specify 10W-60.
 
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