Cheaper oil?

[Merc4ever]

In my 1989 4.3 litre mercruiser I'm trying Auto Zones $3.99 a quart Kendell 20-50 racing oil because of the high price of the others. It's not synthetic but has zinc to protect against wear. Has anyone tried this brand yet?

 

[Merc4ever]

Re: Cheaper oil?

Last year I tried runing the same weight Valvoline synthetic racing oil and it ran great but I can't afford it this year.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Cheaper oil?

In my 1989 4.3 litre mercruiser I'm trying Auto Zones $3.99 a quart Kendell 20-50 racing oil because of the high price of the others. It's not synthetic but has zinc to protect against wear. Has anyone tried this brand yet?

I'm sure it's fine oil.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Cheaper oil?

If saving $20 once per year on an oil change means that much to you, then do what you have to do.

As far as the oil itself, this is the internet. Somebody will be glad to tell you that Kendall 20-50 is the only thing they've ever used and their engine runs fine. If you don't want to follow the manufacturer's recommendations, it's really pretty irrelevent what you use.

 

[Don S]

Re: Cheaper oil?

If you are looking for an awe inspiring answer for an oil question, good luck.
Here are a few links to other oil threads to help assist you in choosing
your oil.
They all come down to the same thing, people posting something like
"I use ___(Fill in the blank)___ and it works great"

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=451752

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=445976

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=436377

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=300620

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=426361

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=423766

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=357663

http://forums.iboats.com/showthread.php?t=319916

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Cheaper oil?

I wouldn't think that zinc or phosphorous additives would be a concern in an engine built after the mid 70's.

 

[Bondo]

Re: Cheaper oil?

I wouldn't think that zinc or phosphorous additives would be a concern in an engine built after the mid 70's.

Ayuh,... It's the Flat tappet cam thing,...

Roller lifters are a late 80s, or later development....

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Cheaper oil?

I was under the impression that it was also an issue with zinc and phosphorous reacting with the catalytic converter as well as wear on flat tappets and solid cam followers.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Cheaper oil?

I was under the impression that it was also an issue with zinc and phosphorous reacting with the catalytic converter as well as wear on flat tappets and solid cam followers.

Thats true. The high levels of zinc in the old school oils would shorten the life of a modern converter. That's why the oil companies have phased it out from their conventional oils. Since most modern engines are either roller lifter, or OHC the zinc really isn't needed any more like it was in the past to protect flat tapped OHV engines.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Cheaper oil?

Thanks for confirming that. Sometimes it's hard to sift through sales hype and fact.

I took a cam from an early 70's Volvo Penta AQ130C into the machinists shop a few weeks ago. He said that the cam wear was similar to what he had seen on early engines with flat lifters and that a zinc/phosphorous additive would reduce wear in that area. Luckily,I was able to find a new cam at a decent price.

 

[RogersJetboat454]

Re: Cheaper oil?

Thanks for confirming that. Sometimes it's hard to sift through sales hype and fact.

I took a cam from an early 70's Volvo Penta AQ130C into the machinists shop a few weeks ago. He said that the cam wear was similar to what he had seen on early engines with flat lifters and that a zinc/phosphorous additive would reduce wear in that area. Luckily,I was able to find a new cam at a decent price.

A short time ago, if you wanted to get an oil with a higher zinc content, you could use an oil intended for diesel engines. Those oils are now being stripped of their high pressure lubricants due to the expectations of lower diesel emissions, and the fact that the higher zinc stuff will do the same thing to exhaust particulate filters as it does to catalytic converters.

Comp Cams offers this supplement which is pricey;
http://www.summitracing.com/parts/CCA-159/

But obviously cheaper and easier to install compared to a cam and lifters.

 

[PiratePast40]

Re: Cheaper oil?

I've looked at several additives to replace the zinc and phosphorous in modern oils. Most only say that they are a zinc substitute and the actual ingredients aren't even listed. I've even seen one that advertises that it contains teflon. The only thing that I've found for my EARLY 1970's ENGINE that is NOT EQUIPPED WITH A CATALYTIC CONVERTER that I would even consider is an actual ZDDP additive. And that's only for the engine that I'm rebuilding. I don't think it makes any sense to add it to an engine that's allready broken in and has normal wear occuring.

The $10 per annual oil change does not constitute cheaper oil but I really don't think it'll break the bank. And perhaps even more important, I don't believe it'll actuall hurt anything given that the 4 ounces will not significantly dilute the oil.

 

[jopes]

Re: Cheaper oil?

I went with a roller cam upgrade on my new 350 I dropped in this spring. No need to worry about stupid zincless oils of today.

 

[Merc4ever]

Re: Cheaper oil?

I chose racing oil because it contains additional additives for increased horsepower and reduced friction on metal parts, it provides extra wear protection for high reving, high compression/horsepower engines, and include less detergents than regular conventional motor oils. We all know boats rev higher than cars so I believe that puts us in the race car catagory. 20 to 50 covers starting and those hot days on the lake (The only time I boat is when it's hot).

It's not street legal but that's no worry to boaters unless you have a catalytic converter in your boat. Phosphorus can poison a vehicle's emission system, the level of zinc is lower for current automobile motor oil. The anti-wear additive zinc's primary role is to prevent metal-to-metal contact between engine parts by forming a protective film. Despite being referred to as "zinc," the oil additive actually contains zinc and phosphorus, with phosphorus performing the anti-wear function.

Maybe our zinc anodes will get to take a break with zinc on the inside too. LOL