Torco sells both additives and oils with high ZDDP as well as their MPZ.

New oils suck mainly because the EPA mandated lower levels of ZDDP due to the possible damage to catalytic converters. Even though there's never EVER been 1 single documented case of cat failure due to ZDDP....but it is the government.

 

I don't about all that. But I use Motorcraft 10-30 Syn. blend in my 65 FSTBK no problems. I also use motorcraft or Autolite oil filters.

 

Its all about money. The good ole "EPA" as of 2004 (or so) required the auto manufactures to increase the converter warranty from 50 to 120k. The ZDDP coats the elements in the converter that actually does the reaction and shortens its life. The converter stops working and the emissions increase to the point of not being able to pass costing the manufactute hundreds of bucks to replace (look at their scrap price). So the simple fix was to change the requirments of the oil to be used in their engines. ZDDP was first used in oil as an anti-oxidant but was quickly learned that it had excellent antiwear properties in overhead valves and FTC's and such. Some diesel oils may still contain enough zinc to prevent FTC wear but an additive may be a better choice.

 

1971mach1, you would not run straight break-in oil after break in. You might however use something like CompCam's additive in both break-in and normal running if you have a flat tappet cam in order to get the lubrication you need.

MBDiagMan, I like Delo oil too. I run it in my less radical FTC engines.

plainsman1876, the increased ZDDP levels help in break-in but will also help in longevity. The real danger in running the newer oil is early in the cam's life. So, yes you may not see a noticeable problem if you run low ZDDP level oils in an engine that has already a good number of miles on it but you will have more wear than if you ran an oil like VR1. You will also be playing Russian Roulette if you run a new type oil with a brand new flat tappet cam. Many many many people have trashed these cams due to this issue...some on this forum. It is no joke. The issue is greater in flat tappet cams, during break-in, and with cams with a more radical ramp. It is just too easy to run an oil like Delo that is at least higher in ZDDP if not run a race oil like VR1 that has the full complement in it.

That is why I run Delo in my FTC Chevy small blocks in the Bertram, in my 351W in my '88 Bronco, and VR1 in my more radical 383W in my '69 Mach1. I either do not have cats on these engines or do not care how long they last, but I do care how long the engines last.

What is more expensive, running oil with higher levels of ZDDP and maybe replacing the cat converter every 100k or tearing down the motor to clean it up and replacing the cam whose lobes rounded off? It is a no brainer for me.

 

Diesel oils (Rotella T, Delo 400E, Tection, etc) no longer have the needed amount of zinc and haven't for quite a while now. The new CJ-4 diesel spec limits most street-legal diesel oils to about 800ppm zinc. Oils like VR-1 have 1200+ppm.

 

Star, I thought the Delo 400 oil was up in the 1100-1200 range? You are right that it is a CJ-4 level oil. The spec sheets gives both zinc and phosphorous in % wt (.114-.116%phosphorous and .127zinc). This equate to about 1100-1200ppm. The Delo 400LE is less and is closer to 1000ppm according to the datasheets. From my reading, 1000-1100ppm of ZDDP is sufficient to protect your broken in FTC motor. This may not be enough to season or break in a cam and lifters, which is why break-in oil is a good idea. I would think 800ppm is dangerously low. Funny how Quaker State, Castrol, Pennzoil, Motorcraft, etc do not list what their levels are in their product data sheets. Hummmmm

https://cglapps.chevron.com/msdspds/...&docFormat=PDF
https://cglapps.chevron.com/msdspds/...&docFormat=PDF

 

Yes the Delo has come down to about 800 in about the last year. That is why I said that I run only about a half bottle of Comp Break In with it after the initial break in, up to about 20,000 miles then go to straight Delo after that.

Yes, too much ZDDP will cause sludging problems, and that's why the Delo. The diesel oils have lots of detergent to handle soot dispersal. This stuff, if changed on a reasonable interval will keep your gas engine SQUEAKY clean, ZDDP additive or not. Running one of the non diesel oils with the additive does present a risk of sludging.

IMHO, the catalytic converter damage reason given by the oil companies is nothing but an excuse to leave it out for more profit and maybe ease their conscience with justification. An engine that doesn't use oil will not spoil a cat.

So to summarize MY approach to the problem:

Fresh engine break in = Chevron Delo and one container of Comp Cams Break In oil.
Subsequent oil changes up until 20,000 miles = Delo and 1/2 can Comp Break In.
After 20,000 miles = Delo only.

This weekend I hope to fire off a fresh 289 I'm building and the recipe above is the oil diet it will get.

 

I believe that I killed my cam (351c) during break in as I used Castrol. Wiped a lobe right off the bat and had to pull the motor for a complete inspection and cam replacement. Will NEVER make that mistake again.

 

Ok but what about the 15-40 disel oil made by Motorcraft, would that work. I like using Motorcraft would love to stay with it

 

The industry is taking ZDDP out of all auto diesel oil because they're putting cat converters on diesel cars too. Not sure why Motorcraft would be different.
Why risk damaging your engine when Valvoline VR1 has the zinc without additives.

I loved Castrol GTX too, but sad to say, the world has changed.