RE:Motor Oil For Older Engines

[Guynn <amx69@xxxxxxxxxx>]

Bruce,

I agree to a lot of your opinion here, but not all. This oil 
[distributor/cam gear wear] problem that has come about over the past 
few years seems to happen for no good reason except posibily the oil 
ingrediants The AMC hobby has replaceable gears, but not every other 
type engine does. Some do, some don't. However we AMCers are more 
attuned to the gear issue because we do have some problems with these 
parts. In most every case it comes back to improper assembly or 
improperly machined parts. At least that was the ''old days'' Now we 
have failures on anything from a fresh engine, new or used matched gears 
all the way to suddenly eating gears out of 40,000 mile engines that 
have been treated to the same ''brand'' oil their entire life. And with 
frequent oil changes.  The cam gear and distributor gear on every type 
engine is a very high pressure situation. Ford & Chevy engines have had 
failuers hear over the past few years as well. To the point the 
aftermarket is no offering many high end race cams for Chevys that are 
two piece. The rear cam journal presses on after the gear is installed, 
thus making the gear replacable should it fail. Nascar teams are using 
this type cam now. For Ford the aftermarket has developed Steel gears. 
Only those steel gears made for each other should be run together as the 
steel will eat up softer cast gears.

I also agree to comments about GM E.O.S. Some will tell you it is just 
STP in a GM can. It is not. Are you folks aware AMC had the same thing. 
It was simply called Engine Oil Aditive. The old jugs I have are plastic 
bottles but at one time they packaged it is a can.

One other thing about oils is that the average Joe thinks that every 
time they change the rating, I.E. SG, SE,S-whatever, that does not mean 
the oil is better than the oil it is rated after, it only means it is a 
different formulation. Just because it is newer does not mean it is better.

Another issue with ''new iol'' is seals. Many of the new oils are 
totally incompatable with some earlier gaskets and seals. Some older 
engine start to hemerage oil when swapped to this later oil. In some 
cases even the factories get bit on this, they will eat a lot of 
warrenty repairs before they get a seal formulation redeveloped to seal 
at certain times. There have been recalls done because of gasket failure 
and fiires on antos.

I believe the whole point to this discussion should be to wake AMCers up 
to the fact that what they are using, and have used forever for Oil is 
not what they thought it was. I think it should serve to get folks to 
pay a little attention to what they buy for lubricants.

You mention Kerosine could most likely serve as a lubricant. I believe 
so. Water served before some oils did. Water is indeed a lubricant. It 
was used so in early forms of power transfer, i.e. engines, or tools 
doing work.I imagine any liquid would work up to a point. One of the 
greatest quality of oil is HEAT TRANSFER. That has no bearing whatsoever 
one how slick the oil is.

Another topic in conjunction with this is Oil Filters. Man you can be 
sold the junkiest stuff out there and it, the junk filter can indeed 
cost you an engine. You can have the best oil available in every aspect 
and use junk for an oil filter and burn it down. They jubnk runs the 
course from : Doesn't filter worth a damn, to, way to much pressure drop 
to flow the quantity of oil needed, and to the by-pass system in the oil 
filter so crappy it alows a constant supply of oil to bypass the filter 
constantly.

So, in my opinion you need to pay attention to what you buy in the way 
of oil and filters. Research and Buy the Good Stuff! Like the old 
comercial where the old mechanic said  '' Pay me now, or pay me later.''

Problem is, we AMCers have a finite number of engines available, if we 
burn 'em all up with , we won't have any left to use.I know some folks, 
and this it ''litteraly'' not ''theoritical'' It Happened, that in the 
last year have burned down 3 AMC engines EACH, and have not succedded in 
getting one up and productive for their project. That is NINE , get it 9 
AMC 360 & 401s that we no longer have at our disposal. That is 9 I know 
about in my limited AMC world. How many Jeepers, which there are 
millions of compared to AMC car guys, have also burned down engines over 
sorry oil, sorry filters, when they ''thought'' they were byuing good 
stuff??  You CANNOT rely on Advertising on T. V. to buy oil filters. 
Same with Oil.

Do some research, find out what your car can LIVE with and use it. Don't 
worry about the advertising you see. Worry about what keeps your 35 year 
old car going without wear problems. That 35 year old engine was not 
designed, clearence wise, or metalurgy wise to survive on oil that 
''does not foul convertors.''

Regards,

Randy Guynn