It's time for another oil change on the Valiant, so I visited the local auto parts store to get the latest news about oil for old cars. Yep, blank looks all around. Then I called the local Dodge dealer and asked the same question. After a long pause, the service writer said he had no idea what I should use, so I reviewed the old threads to remind myself what was discussed a year or so ago.

I don't think anything was clearly established, except perhaps the grade that should be used....10-40 bad...5-30 good...15-50 okay for worn engines...or maybe I misunderstood even that. Also sounds like there are no good additives that we can combine with new oils.

In the year that's passed since we last visited this issue, has anyone discovered any more information about oils for old cars, or found a readily available product that fills the bill?

What are your ambient temperatures, how many miles are on the engine, and what kind of driving do you do?

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Mostly in the 90's when I drive...sometimes as high as 100F.

Unsure about mileage, but it's either 140,000 or 240,000, and it still gets nearly 2,000 miles to a quart of oil. I change at 3,000 miles and have to add one quart between changes. It still holds 40lb at cruise and about 20 at idle.

I don't drive it hard and it's mostly short trips in a small town. Once in a while I let it wind out in the lower gears, but nothing over about 4000 rpms.

I'd pick a good brand of 10w30 or 15w40 (probably synthetic), use a NAPA Gold 1806 filter, and change at 6,000 miles.

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Too many people who were born on third base actually believe they've hit a triple.

hi sages- been around the barn many times with oil discussions. heres my take. for many years first in bad winters nj to fla where we rarely see temps below 50, i have been using regular 10 30 oil which is now rated sl or sm. change oil at 4-5k with filter. rarely add oil between changes. mostly around town driving with the occassional run at 65. seems to work fine . use the sm 10 30 in the old sl6s, the saturn L 4cyl., the buick v6(88) and the 2000 sebring v6. all have over 100k. key seems to be that 10 30 rated at sl or sm for new cars is the best choice. i know many will disagree, but brand name doesnt seem to make a difference. big range of price here between name brands(pennzoil and valvoline) vs store brands. often up to $2 a quart difference. more than one vendor has told me that store brand oils are made by the majors any way (the name valvoline always pops up) and rebranded with the store name. never used synthetics. interested in your takes on my observations. regards bob f

Bob
I guess I would have to agree with you. 10-30 has been my friend for years. I have never had a oil related (as far as weight or brand) problem that I know of.
I switched to full Synthetic about 10 years ago and still use it on ALL my new mills. I even use it on break in. No problems at all. No problems with rings sealing. When I have torn these engines down for changes there has been LESS noticeable wear with the full synthetic oil. (albeit not much difference).
My observations,
Frank

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Scrapple: Because a mind is a terrible thing to waste.
73 Duster - Race Car
66 Dart Wagon - DD
178" FED
82 D150
All Slant powered

i use high mileage valvoline 10-30 synthetic in my 82 d-100.when i first acquired it there was some smoke at startup.i did an oil change with the valvoline hi-mileage and a baldwin large filter that the p.o. had tossed in with the truck.in about 3 weeks the smoke at startup went away. my 2 cents

I've researched engine oil for an article I wrote for the ACCCC web site and found heavy duty engine oils (HDEOs) offer the best protection for older engines. The main difference is that API Starburst oils have friction modifiers for improved fuel economy (1-2%) over HDEOs. HDEOs have better anti-wear and detergency properties but, really, any SM-rated oil will work fine in a slant six. I'm planning use a 0W-30 (Esso XD-3 Extra or PetroCanada Duron) in my cars (old and new).

For more information, you can read: Engine Oil article.