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Actually Ford recommended using SAE 40 when the outside temperature is consistently above +90 F according to the maintenance section of my 1970 Ford Thunderbird Operating Features Pamphlet :
However - in the 39 years that I resided in Alaska..... During the summer months, still to this day - all I run is straight weight Valvoline Racing Oil SAE 30 or SAE 40 in all my rigs when the outside temperature is consistently above +50 F here in Alaska with no problems or engine wear -
Winter months here in Alaska I only run Valvoline 10w30 semi synthetic as it is below freezing in my region for a solid 6 months of the year....even at -50 or -60 below F, you cant convince me to run any 5w grade for any of my old overhead V8 or slant 6 engines as i tried that once and before I knew it I was two quarts low already with increased engine noises I didn't care for.....too thin for my liking.
Being raised in Los Angeles and Southern California/Southern Nevada desert regions (very hot climate) which was 40+ years ago and beyond, the only motor oil that was ever used in all of our family vehicles and motorcycles in the hey day 'year round' was Valvoline Racing Oil (SAE 30 in the winter months), SAE 40 or (SAE 50 mid summer)....never had a mishap then nor 40 years+ later.
Never had a problem with any of my rebuilt or original engines as all of them still run strong with adequate oil pressure....
My 5 rebuilt engines -429 Ford- -225 slant 6 Dodge-(X2) -390 Ford- -460 Ford- ....the rebuilt 429 and two slant 6's have exceeded well over the 100,000 mile mark.... The four times interval each when I adjusted valves on the two slant 6's (solid lift), both engines matched a total of one quarter turn combined thus far for each rocker arm (one sixteenth turn at every 25000th mile interval period)
Although it was well pointed out about low detergent properties and low calcium levels with the Valvoline VR1, it is still adequate for street use just like it was back then - it's the SAME conventional blend and formula from over 40 + years ago.......
In comparison to full synthetic racing oils....I wont touch or use that stuff in my rigs.
Current 2021 distributed VR1 oil label shows exceeds API service SL and all preceding API gasoline categories (which means for use in current vehicle models 2001 or older) with a footnote of : high zinc formula - may not be suitable for certain emissions systems.
Old 1987 Valvoline racing formula round can oil label shows exceeds new car and light truck warranty of US, Japanese, and European manufacturers [API service SF - [b]OBSOLETE] (service SF which means - CAUTION: Not suitable for use in most gasoline-powered automotive engines built after 1988. May not provide adequate protection against build-up of engine sludge).
All the oil brands along with today's engine designs, foundry metal composition parts and materials, tighter tolerances and clearances have changed over the years in comparison of the American overhead flat tappet I6-L6-V8 or what have you, each manufacturer has their own recommended brand, grade, and warranty guidelines etc.....
As yeah straight weight oil is old - not popular - or no longer needed is no more than just an opinion to me, as even FOMOCO states in the vehicles of our era that we run to this day have a guideline (as you all can see in the maintenance section of the Operating Features Pamphlet I posted above) - both straight weight and multi viscosity weight is recommended to use.....
I guess with all this oil discussion here - the real question would be : what are the exact properties that pertain and contain in Ford oil specification ESE-MC2-101-B that is recommended by Ford ?
The oil change interval shows oil and filter change at 6000 miles or 6 months, which ever is first - but I have yet to see anyone on this topic state they only run this oil specification in their engine, or whatever their owners manual says to run.
So, many of us have our own preferences of what oil to use and that is fine - one thing we can all agree on is were still operating our old dinosaur engines, I just choose to still continue to run straight weight Valvoline racing oil during the summer months for going on 40 years and no one is going to convince me it's no good, it's wrong etc...Ford doesn't say it's wrong nor does any API service classification over the years ever said it's wrong either - I know all my engine results in a 40 year span that are long lasting and still in operation - that's all that matters to me.
The diesel grade oils have great properties and many of you here use it for your Ford engines and that is fine too - perhaps better than anything else in the market because of all the properties that are pointed out.
Even with all this posted, the one habit I always done with all my engines was change oil and filter OFTEN, and never leave straight weight oil sit in the oil pan during the winter when parked for the season as I was still learning how to adapt and my rigs adapting to the sub arctic climate and made that mistake once.
Winter season I change oil between 1500 to 2500 miles with the 10w30 multi viscosity grade, and summertime with straight weights changing oil 2000 to 3000 miles - unless cruising in my camper in Canada on yearly vacations or extended long travel current road trips it might stretch to 3500 to 4200 mile intervals or so.....when my oil changes color to a light to medium brown, its out of the oil pan and fresh oil is back in it with a new filter (all 9 of my rigs use a FL-1A)
The reason 'I LIKE' straight weight oil in the warmer summer months is because it doesn't seem to expand or contract as much in comparison to multi viscosity which I only use in the winter - but that is just 'MY OPINION' for an older overhead V8 design and it's worked for me for 40 + years and the Ford manual even says it's recommended on the guideline.
My grandfather was a Valvoline diehard and taught me a lot that I inherited....pointing out Valvoline doesn't leave a residue on your engine parts compared to Pennzoil (back in the day) when it would coat residue on the engine parts and surfaces and hold more heat that you don't need.....and I was also told the Pennsylvania crude has a higher carbon content because of the coal deposits in the region.
Bought a spare parts car off a taxi driver just for the 225 engine in order to rebuild it and swap it into my 72 Dart, took the engine apart and it was all residue surfaces everywhere, went to the machine shop dropping off the engine and the owner first thing says to me - I see you been running Pennzoil or Chevron oil in that motor....since when did you stop using Valvoline ?....I had to bring the oil pan to the machine shop because I could not scrub the black off the oil pan surfaces - and even after a boil out, the black was still caked on the surface, but better than what I could do with diesel fuel and solvent to try to clean it.
I will recommend to anyone never use Chevron or Pennzoil after seeing and going thru that.
I will also close a note for the thread starter : You have my blessing on choosing the straight 40 Valvoline Racing Oil for your 460 during summer use - we both have something in common.
that’s why I like the 40- I feel it stands up to the heat better especially with how these 460s run on the hotter side
I might run a 20w50 or a 15w40, and maybe 10w30, but I absolutely am not going to run a straight 40 weight oil. If I thought that was in my '77 truck, I'd be changing it yesterday Every start up is gonna have that oil pump working to get that molasses flowing. Start up is when maximum wear occurs anyway.
I do have a few jugs of Dello LE 15W40 I'm gonna use in the '77. I've run a lot of 20W50s over the years prior to these new erra engines. I saw a friend once change oil using a 40 weight straight oil, blew that filter wide open.
I might run a 20w50 or a 15w40, and maybe 10w30, but I absolutely am not going to run a straight 40 weight oil. If I thought that was in my '77 truck, I'd be changing it yesterday Every start up is gonna have that oil pump working to get that molasses flowing. Start up is when maximum wear occurs anyway.
EXACTLY, and that is why the 5W-X0 syns have a huge advantage, that thinner viscosity when cold gets the oil to the places it needs to be much faster at startup.. A big reason why modern engines last 3 and 4 and even 5 times longer than they did in the '70s (along with better fuel and control). It's not really better materials or even tighter tolerances, it is mostly due to better lubricants and more precise control of better fuels.
EXACTLY, and that is why the 5W-X0 syns have a huge advantage, that thinner viscosity when cold gets the oil to the places it needs to be much faster at startup.. A big reason why modern engines last 3 and 4 and even 5 times longer than they did in the '70s (along with better fuel and control). It's not really better materials or even tighter tolerances, it is mostly due to better lubricants and more precise control of better fuels.
I disagree with you there, The Ford 302, 351, 460, Dodge Magnum small block engines, small block GM v8s, and the Jeep 4.0 are all cast Iron pushrod engines that date back to the 60s, and they all will last far longer than most of the newer OHC aluminum head engines. As long as you change the oil regularly and don't overheat them it is common for the old cast Iron engines to last 200-300K or more, your lucky to get 150K out of many of the newer ones and Ford, Chrysler and GM are all having issues with oil consumption on many of their newer engines, 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles is unacceptable but many dealers tell people that's normal.
Ford recommended a 5w-20 for this engine which was way too light the engine was never run with a 5W20, Ford changed this specification several years later to 5W-30.
This engine got Mobil 1 from day one with Oil weights ranging from 5W-30 to 5W-40 depending on the season. If the 0W-40's had been available at the time it would have gotten that full time instead.
Up here on the 54th parallel, we often see 5W20, 5W30, even 0W20 on the shelves.
Mobil 1 is readily available, as well as Castrol, Shell and Motomaster (Shell)...along with Shell diesel oils.
I'm leaning toward Mobil 1 but yeah, if I were living in the Mojave desert, I'd be running the thicker stuff.
Edit: I change oil and filter twice a year--spring and fall--when I change to summer tires or winter tires.
Better check my location again, I'll trade ya winter weather in a heartbeat.
And just cause you are in more northerly clime does not magically mean your engine oil is less loaded and you can run a lighter oil. That is the number one mistake people make. Thinking cause they live in cooler climes they can run lighter oil. Really is your engine any less loaded than one running down south? If anything it may be more loaded, cause in instead of gliding along on bare pavement you may be pushing through snow ...
Temp has NO bearing on the weight of the oil your engine needs.
Temp has a bearing on the cold viscosity or W/winter viscosity of the oil your engine needs.
The first number is the viscosity of the oil at 0°F/ -17.8° C hence the W for Winter viscosity
The second number is the oil viscosity at 100°C/212°F basically just below engine oil op temp. Also the higher the second number the higher the load-carrying capacity of the motor oil.
If your engine needs a 40 weight oil to ensure proper lubrication and to keep parts from kissing each other when loaded why would that change when the temps drop? Guess what it will not.
Now with the synthetic multi grades, you can run that 40 weight year-round without having to worry about start-up oil starvation in the winter, as you did in the past with heavier weight oils.
With things like 0W 40 that is good down -31°F/ -35°C and up to 104°F/ 40°C it is a year-round 40 weight for basically anyone that sees winter.
And really once you get down to those temps you will likely be running an engine heating aid and oil temps will be above that point at start up regardless.
So just cause you live in a more northerly clime does not mean your engine somehow magically can get by with a lighter oil.
For these trucks, 5W-40 is about ideal for almost all of us plus there is a large selection of oils in this viscosity with more than adequate ZDDP especially in the multi fleet/diesel oils. The 2 best in my opinion are the Rotella T6 and Mobil 1 Turbo Diesel Truck both in 5W-40. Taking the 40 weight over the 30 weights offers more load capacity. And really the 30 weight oils are the absolute minimum and are not really adequate for any sort of load.
I disagree with you there, The Ford 302, 351, 460, Dodge Magnum small block engines, small block GM v8s, and the Jeep 4.0 are all cast Iron pushrod engines that date back to the 60s, and they all will last far longer than most of the newer OHC aluminum head engines. As long as you change the oil regularly and don't overheat them it is common for the old cast Iron engines to last 200-300K or more, your lucky to get 150K out of many of the newer ones and Ford, Chrysler and GM are all having issues with oil consumption on many of their newer engines, 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles is unacceptable but many dealers tell people that's normal.
What a load of BS that is. 100k Miles out of ANY engine back in 60's and 70's was very good, most were done by 80k and were sucking oil. Apparently, you never lived in the era. And FYI the 600k plus example above was one of those newer "OHC aluminum head engines" that only last "150K miles".
And everybody is having issues with oil consumption with the new lower tension piston rings to increase fuel economy being pushed by CAFE this is a technical issue that will be resolved in time and will result in even longer-lasting motors..
And if you think the big 3 and AMC not crank out oil guzzlers from day one back in the day you are kidding yourself.
You really do not have a clue what you are talking about.
What a load of BS that is. 100k Miles out of ANY engine back in 60's and 70's was very good, most were done by 80k and were sucking oil. Apparently, you never lived in the era. And FYI the 600k plus example above was one of those newer "OHC aluminum head engines" that only last "150K miles".
And everybody is having issues with oil consumption with the new lower tension piston rings to increase fuel economy being pushed by CAFE this is a technical issue that will be resolved in time and will result in even longer-lasting motors..
And if you think the big 3 and AMC not crank out oil guzzlers from day one back in the day you are kidding yourself.
You really do not have a clue what you are talking about.
LOL I have seen plenty of the engines I have mentioned with well over 200K some with 400K on them that are still running great, not from the 70s but late 80s and 90s. I have a Jeep 4.0 with 250K on it that still has excellent compression and burns no measurable amount oil between oil changes, same goes for the 5.9 Magnum I have along with countless other Chevy, Ford, and Chrysler small blocks I have worked on. Those engines are far more reliable than the garbage they build today.
LOL I have seen plenty of the engines I have mentioned with well over 200K some with 400K on them that are still running great, not from the 70s but late 80s and 90s. I have a Jeep 4.0 with 250K on it that still has excellent compression and burns no measurable amount oil between oil changes, same goes for the 5.9 Magnum I have along with countless other Chevy, Ford, and Chrysler small blocks I have worked on. Those engines are far more reliable than the garbage they build today.
Not sure what you are going on about, 400K is the average life span of modern engines with proper regular maintenance there is nothing special about that kind of longevity at all. Your line of thinking is about 3 1/2 decades out of date...
Not sure what you are going on about, 400K is the average life span of modern engines with proper regular maintenance there is nothing special about that kind of longevity at all. Your line of thinking is about 3 1/2 decades out of date...
Not at all, most of the engines Ford, GM and Chrysler has made in the past 20 years with the exception of a few are garbage, throw away engines that aren't designed to last much longer than the warranty period. They are difficult to rebuild, expensive to get parts for, many have plastic intake manifolds, thermostat housings, oil filter housings, and other critical components that crack due to the heat and vibration, the overhead cam valve train components wear out quicker, and often times the aluminum heads and even the blocks on some engines get so warped due to heat that you can't even reuse them. Then there is the electronics which is a whole other can of worms, 90s EFI vehicles had one simple computer to run the engine that rarely had issues, and if it did they were easy and relativity cheap to replace compared to what you have now, many newer vehicles have multiple computers and modules to control the engine and drive train and several are plagued with both hardware and software issues, not to mention they can cost anywhere from several hundred to a couple thousand to replace. They aren't designed with longevity and serviceability in mind at all, after working on them on a day to day basis I can tell you without a doubt that the old cast iron push rod EFI engines are by far superior to most modern designs when it comes to reliability.
I disagree with you there, The Ford 302, 351, 460, Dodge Magnum small block engines, small block GM v8s, and the Jeep 4.0 are all cast Iron pushrod engines that date back to the 60s, and they all will last far longer than most of the newer OHC aluminum head engines. As long as you change the oil regularly and don't overheat them it is common for the old cast Iron engines to last 200-300K or more, your lucky to get 150K out of many of the newer ones and Ford, Chrysler and GM are all having issues with oil consumption on many of their newer engines, 1 quart of oil every 1000 miles is unacceptable but many dealers tell people that's normal.
really? I’ve probably only ever owned one vehicle out of 30 that had less than 150k on it; yet I’ve kept more of the post 70s running....
