<VV> Quaker State "Defy" Oil

[Bryan Blackwell]

Correct, I'm not talking about this oil, I'm referring to the introduction of the low ZDDP SM oils.  These failures occurred following a standard break in process and the general consensus was that the oil was to blame, not a problem with the parts or process.  I thought this was a pretty well known issue.

The fact is that the ZDDP levels are lower for oils marked "Energy Conserving" than in the past.  That's because there aren't any flat tappet pushrod engines made anymore for passenger vehicles, and the zinc is bad for the catalytic convertors.  Non-"Energy Conserving" oils have more freedom, but still *may* contain lower levels of this anti-wear additive.  Generally speaking pre-SM oils contained about 1200 ppm of ZDDP, and we know that level worked well, so that's what I look for.

The only real question as I see it is how much of a concern this is for an already broken in engine.  Certainly it's going to be less of a problem in a two carb engine that isn't driven hard, but I have no desire to experiment on my own engines.

--Bryan

On Jul 11, 2012, at 11:49 PM, Mark Durham wrote:

> Bryan, just to. Clear up any misunderstanding, you are not saying those
> three cams wear on this new on the market oil, are you? You are just
> saying you know three people that had cam failures, Right?
> The cam failures I have read about normally end up being a grind issue
> more than a lack of lubrication, most people are aware that they need
> to use the zinc paste prelube, etc, but galling happens anyway because
> of an inconsistent finish on the cam or lifter faces that we cannot see
> and the additional prelube is incapable of compensating for. Mark Durham