Camshield additive, article

[fbenach]

Hello,
as some of you already know, I´m struggling with a possible camshaft/ckarkshaft problem in my bike, so, I´ve been reading stuff over the internet.
A friend of mine in Chicago, who has a small personal collection of oldies, and work on them by himself, sent me this info about oils.
It might not be new to most of you, but anyways, here is the article...

http://www.foreignpartspositively.com/Article2.htm

Have fun!!

[Barry]

The reduction of ZDDP in modern oils has been widely discussed in all the airhead forums. It is a concern for old engines and not so old engines that don't have roller cam followers. Where boundary lubrication occurs at high pressure points like cams and followers ZDDP is the last resort to prevent metal to metal contact and wear. If you can find oil that still has ZDDP in the right quantities so much the better.  

Having said that it's a concern for airheads as far as I can see the same forums are not exactly awash with stories of prematurely worn cams and pitted followers. Pitted followers yes to some degree but they were always a problem in engines. That suggests owners are still finding oil with sufficient ZDDP or they are using more modern oils and it's not quite the issue it's made out to be. I'm not sure which is the truth.

[wa1udg]

"Bob is the Oil Guy".com  "BITOG" for short is filled with good info.  Some low ZDDP oils work well for "flat tappets" anyway.  The ZDP was removed because it is hard on conveter efficiency.

[Barry]

I have long been a fan of Bob is the oil guy and the whole less is more philosophy when it comes to oil viscosity recommendations.  He doesn't have a lot to say about ZDDP but he does imply that while modern oils have much less ZDDP they are not deficient in boundary lubrication conditions because they have other additives that do the job.  

Personally I don't chase after oil containing ZDDP if it means having to use a 20W50 oil because a thinner oil suits my needs much better for all year round use.

[Justin B.]

I have been using a ZDDP additive from Eastwood...  I recently found Valvoline racing oil proudly proclaims it still has ZDDP...

Trying to decide whether or not to move this to the "Rants" section...  [smiley=whistling.gif]

[nhmaf]

The flat tappets seem to be the most susceptible to this sort of issue.   I also use a ZDDP additive, though I do not always get it in with every single oil change.   I think that it is (relatively) cheap insurance - not foolproof- but if it does help me to get 100K miles out of these old tech engines then I am for it.

The gearhead hotrodders around this area who are running their flathead V-8 engines and other old iron are also big proponents of using ZDDP additive.

The phosphorus is almost entirely gone from the current API SN reated motor oils now, to prevent the  rapid deterioration of catalytic converters.  

[fbenach]

From reading what you guys have posted in the past about oil vs. oil stuff, I kinda get the feeling 20W50 oil should be the right choice...

I always thought it had to do more with viscosity (unless you have a complete renewed engine, most of us are dealing with old inner parts)

It got my attention that Barry prefers thinner oils, it will be a new note on my list of tips from the forum... My mechanic always suggests 20W50 and really never asked him why... thanks again!!!

Take care!

[Barry]

It got my attention that Barry prefers thinner oils

Yes I use what's appropriate to my engine in our temperate English climate. Having measured the oil temperature several times I know that my biggest problem is getting the oil hot enough so I use 15W40 or 10W40.

It depends on your climate and riding conditions. In the Southern states of the USA for example the problem would be the reverse and 20W50 would be the right oil to use. I won't bore everyone with graphs and figures (I did post a graph years back) but I've done the research and I concluded that because my oil runs cool, at my normal operating temperature 15W40 or 10W40 is still thicker than 20W50 would be in hot climate.

[nhmaf]

Here in northeast USA, it is also more appropriate to use 10w40 than the 20w50 stuff.  At least half of our riding season is in average temps below 55F, and often with lows temps around the freezing mark.   Using 20w50 in those conditions is just making it harder to start, provides less lubrication, and increases your cold start oil pressure to where you are more prone to collapsing oil filters.   If you live in Phoenix or El Paso, well, thats another story.

[Barry]

OK I will bore you with some figures after all.

Take a look at this table. I recall Bob Roller in Arizona reporting oil temperatures in excess of 100 deg C. Let's say an airhead in Arizona is running a typical 20W50 and the oil temperature is 100 Deg C so the viscosity is 19 cSt

My 15W40 oil temperature if I try hard really hard on a hot day will just about reach 80 Deg C so the viscosity is 25.5 cSt   I could be using 10W40 at 23 cSt or even 5W30 at 19.4 cSt and my oil would still be thicker than the 20W50 in Arizona.

I'm not planning on using 5W30 any time soon but you get the picture that thinner oils like 10W40 and 15W40 can be used in the right climate and are vastly better for your engine in cold winter temperatures.