What motor oil do you use for a 1970 IIA?

[IIA]

The Haynes book says SAE 10W/40 to 20W/50 and API SE or SF. I've been using Accel 10W/40 SF from Walmart which says "for model years 1988 and earlier" BUT after recently reading-up on oil, I've learned that SF is considered obsolete and the fact that the bottle doesn't have an API Certified seal means I should be wary.

What do people recommend? What's RN say? - Thanks

-Andy

Oh, and sorry if this is a duplicate post. It seems like a simple question but the search engine for the forum wouldn't search the word "oil" - at least not for me

[TedW]

IMHO you can't possibly ask too many questions about 1970 IIA's.

Where do you live? I'm in Maine and use Castrol 5w40 Syntec year round. I have a brandy new engine, so I'm fussy. Also, I appreciate the easy cold starts.

Otherwise, I'd follow the manual and tailor the choice to my environment.

[IIA]

I'm in the DC area. The weather ranges from the 20s to the 90s. Sometimes, it seems, in the same day. It's been starting pretty easily regardless of the weather, as long as I give it enough choke. The engine is definitely not new.

[bpj911]

oil

Most anything will work of course but you are certainly using the bottom of the barrel with that Accel oil. Just get some 10W30 whatever. havoline, pennzoil, whatever will be fine. I use 15W40 Delo 400

[gudjeon]

The lowest API rating you can buy off the shelf is miles beyond what this motor had originally, so any decent stuff will do. I have run the Wal-Mart brand of 15w40 with good luck and a 10w40 for winter. I have settled on a 0w50 which is an excellent in uber cold weather with no plug in. As for those who claim new oils are no good because of the lack of Zinc anti-wear additive, then check out how the cam followers wear on any old 2 litre. I get temps from -30 to +30c and the 0w50 or 5w40 works all around. I am not a big fan of full synthetics, but this works for me changing it once a year.

[jac04]

IMO, a good quality 10W-40 is usually an excellent choice for all-around use. As TedW stated, you can adjust your oil selection based on environment (and if you want to spend the time researching viscosities, pour points, viscosity index, etc.). Turner recommended 10W-40 Castrol GTX for my new long block.

The whole zinc/zddp additive thing is usually a concern only for flat-tappet engines.

[siii8873]

IMO , IMHO ? I'm not up on this lingo. What do they mean?

[TedW]

IMO , IMHO ? I'm not up on this lingo. What do they mean?

IMO: In my opinion
IMHO: In my humble opinion

Using them is a way to present an opinion with a touch of humility.

[LaneRover]

IMO: In my opinion
IMHO: In my humble opinion

Using them is way to present an opinion with a touch of humility.

and without wasting time on your humility

[yorker]

this is getting a little old now but still has some good basic info:

http://micapeak.com/info/oiled.html

I use Shell Rotella, either 15w40 or t6 depending what I happen to be using it in. It is a good oil, pretty cheap, and is available everywhere in handy 1 gallon jugs.

[luckyjoe]

A lot of good info here. Being that the 2.25 is a rather dated design, it has been my experience that a good 25W50 is closest to what would have been available 40-50 years ago. I've run it year-round for the past 10 years. I have a nice tight 2.25p, but wouldn't run anything 5Wxx or 10Wxx in it.

This year was the coldest Winter we've seen in a while, and although 25W50 is considered thick, I had no trouble hand turning the engine the few cold mornings I tried it - granted, we don't see much below -5F.

I have been eyeing the Rotella 15w40 though, and may try it next change.

Tom P.

[TedW]

A lot of good info here. Being that the 2.25 is a rather dated design, it has been my experience that a good 25W50 is closest to what would have been available 40-50 years ago. I've run it year-round for the past 10 years. I have a nice tight 2.25p, but wouldn't run anything 5Wxx or 10Wxx in it.

This is always an interesting discussion, and reasonable people can disagree on what's best for our sleds.

That said, Jac04 tells us that Turner recommends 10W40 for his new long block.
I'd say that their opinion carries some weight. After all, in addition to really understanding these engines it seems to me that they have a strong economic interest in having them last.

[jac04]

I have a nice tight 2.25p, but wouldn't run anything 5Wxx or 10Wxx in it.

Any particular reason? There are certainly many 5Wxx or 10Wxx oils that provide excellent low temperature pumpability while maintaining more than adequate high temperature viscosity. When an engineer selects an oil, he/she determines the viscosity required for actual operating conditions (higher temperature in our case). Unfortunately, as oil cools it becomes more viscous. This "excess" viscosity does no good, hence the use of multiweight oils. The ideal oil would have a single viscosity independent of temperature, but that just isn't possible.

[I Leak Oil]

I've used various brands of 10W40 for 14 years now. Hasn't exploded, disintigrated or failed yet. Just put something slippery in it and move on. It's not a Ferrari.

[stonefox]

I personally make my own from an old family recipe:

2 parts canola oil
1 part seasame oil
4 parts yak fat -hard to get these days so you can sudstitute Muskox fat(good for cold starts)