15w-40 too thick?
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From: Jackassville
15w-40 too thick?
Got a 1966 Ford 352FE that I just rebuilt. It is running great with 80psi of oil pressure at cold startup according to my new mechanicial gauge. I am running 10-30 at this time but during the summer it gets real hot around here and we usally run 15-40 in our motors to handle the high temps. My question is: Is 15-40 too thick a oil for summer temps in this engine? My main and rod bearing clearnces are all in the .0015 range, which is pretty tight compared to what a lot of folks run. I dont want to risk spinning a bearing or having increased wear with the thicker oil. So what do all you folks think?
Thanks
FERacing66
Thanks
FERacing66
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From: Metro Detroit (Redford)
I would not run anything thicker than 10w30 with the good oil pressure you are getting. My F150 was getting 35 psi on 5w30 so I went to 10w40 and am getting 44 psi. Good enough for me. My motorhome gets 58 psi on 10w30; good enough. Aerostar 3.0, I don't have a gauge. Just tried out some 10w40 in it and if felt like the parking brake was dragging slightly. Went back to 10w30. If you want a more robust oil to handle heat, better to run synthetic 10w30 than go thicker. IMHO.
EDIT: or if you want, run straight 30 or a mix of 10w30 and straight 30 to beef up the base oil. In a 6 qt sump 2 qts straight 30 and 4 of 10w30 probably nets you a 15w30. That ought to do it.
EDIT: or if you want, run straight 30 or a mix of 10w30 and straight 30 to beef up the base oil. In a 6 qt sump 2 qts straight 30 and 4 of 10w30 probably nets you a 15w30. That ought to do it.
Last edited by TallPaul; Feb 7, 2005 at 02:51 PM.
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From: Iowa
That sounds like a good plan. These FE's weren't designed to run a real thin oil, you'll be A-OK with 15w40 in summer. I would make sure that whatever oil you run, it's NOT SM rated, since you have a flat-tappet cam which needs the extra additives (ZDDP), which are lacking in SM. I would also avoid synthetic, since it doesn't hold it's additives as well as conventional. I think a diesel rated 10w30 in winter and a diesel rated 15w40 in summer would be perfect.
Last edited by rusty70f100; Feb 7, 2005 at 02:53 PM.
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Yep it's tight for an old V-8 . About what the 4.6 is without the worries of pushing thick oil to the top end . Rod side clearance can come into play on rebuilds but I doubt you have more than .014 so theres many oils to suit your needs .
There's some good 5w-40 fake synthetics out there for 4 bucks a quart that meet some tough VW valvetrain tests you could run year round or like Rusty suggested some HD 10w-30 would work . While it has less than 20k miles I'd personally not go the 15w-40 route even in summer. A 10w-30 like Mystik will do the job while it's young .
Whats available where you live is the big question ? Conoco HD 10w-30 Fleet Supreme or Conoco Hydroclear HD 10w-30 by chance ?
Sinclair HD 10w-30 ?
http://www.sinclairoil.com/product_d...ine%20Oils.pdf
Better yet , Citgo Ultra Life 10w-30 ? Big add pack there for certain .
There's some good 5w-40 fake synthetics out there for 4 bucks a quart that meet some tough VW valvetrain tests you could run year round or like Rusty suggested some HD 10w-30 would work . While it has less than 20k miles I'd personally not go the 15w-40 route even in summer. A 10w-30 like Mystik will do the job while it's young .
Whats available where you live is the big question ? Conoco HD 10w-30 Fleet Supreme or Conoco Hydroclear HD 10w-30 by chance ?
Sinclair HD 10w-30 ?
http://www.sinclairoil.com/product_d...ine%20Oils.pdf
Better yet , Citgo Ultra Life 10w-30 ? Big add pack there for certain .
Last edited by DOHC; Feb 7, 2005 at 03:36 PM.
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From: Jackassville
Thanks for the input, I can get Mystick easily at the local farm store in town. Its getting more and more expensive though, its up to $1.50 a quart, used to be $1.30 a quart. We already use mystick in everything on the farm so I know its good stuff. Considering the fact that my clearneces are a little tight, I think ill try both 10-30 and 15-40 in it during the summer to see which it likes best. Also will be having Oil anlaisis done to see whats going on in there. Dont think ill bother with syns, dont want to pay extra money for an oil that will give me increased wear. I guess im a little worried about 10-30 breaking down or getting too thin in the high temps as opposed too 15-40. The UOA's will be the ultimate deciding factor in which oil I decide to run. About the UOA's, what sort of contaner should I store the oil in to prevent contanmation? What is the typical cost of having it done? How long does it take after you send in the oil?
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Contact these guys . They mail you the plastic containers , fill and return . Cost is only 12.00 dollars per analysis ! An excellent deal there from a great lab 
http://www.butler-machinery.com/oil.html
http://www.butler-machinery.com/oil.html
Post Fiend
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From: Iowa
FWIW, I'm running the Mystik 15w40 in my new 390. It seems to work good, but that's only going by the fact that it has yet to blow up. I'll be doing an oil analysis when I get a few thousand on it.
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15W40 should be fine in that engine. I run 10W40 in my recently rebuilt 350. You should not be worried about the 10W30 it’s a good general purpose oil that would have no problems in the summer heat.
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From: NE Texas
It is very important to take into account your climate. I am in Texas.
I have run 15W40 Delo in everything on the place for years with GREAT results. I have come to the decision, though, that I will continue to use it in everything around here that has a flat tappet cam, but I will use thinner oil in everything that has roller cam followers.
BTW I haven't had anything with an FE engine in years. My biggest problem with them was getting the intake manifold to seal in the rear corners. In those days I had never heard of RTV. If we would have had RTV in those days, I could have sealed them every time. I weighed one of those cast iron intakes one time and it weighed almost 80 pounds. It got to a point where my method for setting one in place was:
Take the hood off.
Prep everything and use 3M trim adhesive to hold the end seals in place.
Put one foot on each shock tower and lower the manifold carefully in place.
Nowdays you could slop RTV on the ends and throw that manifold on and I'll bet it would seal every time.
Good luck,
Doc
I have run 15W40 Delo in everything on the place for years with GREAT results. I have come to the decision, though, that I will continue to use it in everything around here that has a flat tappet cam, but I will use thinner oil in everything that has roller cam followers.
BTW I haven't had anything with an FE engine in years. My biggest problem with them was getting the intake manifold to seal in the rear corners. In those days I had never heard of RTV. If we would have had RTV in those days, I could have sealed them every time. I weighed one of those cast iron intakes one time and it weighed almost 80 pounds. It got to a point where my method for setting one in place was:
Take the hood off.
Prep everything and use 3M trim adhesive to hold the end seals in place.
Put one foot on each shock tower and lower the manifold carefully in place.
Nowdays you could slop RTV on the ends and throw that manifold on and I'll bet it would seal every time.
Good luck,
Doc
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From: Jackassville
Thankfully I have no leaks so far. Before I rebuilt it, it had a external oiling system that worked quite well. It covered the engine in 3 inches of gooey, sticky, PITA to remove grease. Guess Ford figured that it would provide a blanket for the engine and help it warm up? btw, rusty I thought you were running Mystik 10w-30 in the 390?
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