So general consensus as far as Rotella then? After reading the beginning of this thread I've decided to stop using Valvoline Maxlife.

I've got a bit of lifter noise developing (246,000 miles strong, so it's to be expected). I live in Iowa, so I get bastard cold winters and sweaty ***** summers.

Should I just go straight to the T6 5w-40 for year-round use? As far as I know my Jeep has never had full synthetic, but I feel like it would enjoy it, and I don't necessarily want to mess with changing weight based on seasons since the weather's unpredictable here.

Also, I go with Purolator Gold filters, and I'm pretty confident with those. Any real reason to change up at all? From what I've read they're good for Cherokees.

 

Yes you'll be fine with 5w anything year-round.

Not familiar with a Purolator Gold. NAPA Gold yes, Purolator has different brands.

 

Oh GAWD... I cant get enough of that video.. makes me want to give it a shot LOL

 

This might be the most informative thread ever, nice work Salad. On another note I absolutely hate you right now because I've spent way to many hours over the last four days reading this thread and a bunch of other links posted.

First and foremost I'm switching to that gargantuan 51549 filter, that's a no brainer. I've been running a Mopar and changing the oil every 3,000.

And second, I'm going to switch away from regular old oil to one of the options listed here. The most surprising data I read was the wear numbers on the Walmart Supertech synthetic. Much better quality than I would have imagined, it beat out many of the expensive brands.

I'll more than likely wait for T6 to go on sale and but 6 or 12 gallons and see how it works out.

Thanks again for all this useful info!

 

Also, Marvels mystery oil quieted down my engine quite nicely, took a few hundred miles but no more ticking noises.

 

This is a great thread, and I appreciate all this research. I'm almost sold on the Rotella. After reading all of it though, I 'm not sure this was ever addressed:

More people on this thread seem to be asking about the best oil for aging 4.0L engines with issues. I have the exact opposite problem. I have a brand new Golen 4.6L stroker with less than 300 miles on it. It still has the Joe Gibbs break-in oil in it.

To maintain the warranty on this motor, Golen requires that you either use a ZDDP additive or hot rod oil to keep the zinc levels up to protect the cam. My questions for Salad, since you seem more knowledgeable about the subject than just about anyone I've spoken with:

Can you see any potential problems with running a ZDDP additive with the T6? That seems like an awful lot of zinc and phosphorus being dumped in out of balance with the detergent package, but I'm told the stroker needs it. How important is that balance, and how much zinc is too much?

Can you take a look at the Joe Gibbs Driven Hot Rod Oil and give an opinion on how it compares? This is what Golen sells for their strokers for those who don't want to use the additive, and I'm really curious how it stacks up against the other synthetics, especially the Rotella T6.

I think I'm down to choosing between the Driven HR oil and the T6 with a zinc additive, so you might be able to help me decide.

 

To be honest, I would not have purchased an engine that for warranty required me to use additives or locked me into a certain brand that I may not have wanted to use. The description of that oil says "more ZDDP than PCMO". HDMO contains more ZDDP than PCMO. They may simply state that if you use HDMO your warranty will be intact.

PCMO = passenger car motor oil (like your run of the mill 5w-30/10w-30)
HDMO = heavy duty motor oil (like your Rotella 5w-40/15w-40, Delvac 5w-40/15w-40)

 

Okay. I'll pull it out and send it back.

I'm pretty sure I didn't say anything about being locked into a particular brand, and just about any stroker based on this block with a more aggressive cam and stiffer springs is going to require higher zinc and phosphorus, regardless of whether you buy a long block or build it yourself. You have to use a ZDDP additive or high zinc oil to protect the cam.

I asked specifically about the Joe Gibbs HR oil because although Golen offers it for the strokers they build, I don't really know that much about it. I have no idea whether I want to use it until I get additional information. If the Rotella appears to be a better oil with comparable zinc and phosphorus content, I think I would have a very good case for having used it should I ever need warranty work. But I can't know if the Gibbs oil is "a brand that I may not have wanted to use" until I have that information.

 

I'd ask Golen just how much zinc they require. Yes you can have too much for a street driven vehicle. If they tell you to aim for 1500 ppm ZDDP I'd use less additive with T6 than I would with, say, Valvoline conventional.

md21722 it's common to see higher lubrication requirements for modfied and higher performing engines. Stiffer valve springs on more aggressive cams increase the amount of pressure at the cam lobe. The key is "not stock".

 

I trust Chad Golen. He has never steered me wrong .

I have Joe Gibbs oil in my stroker ready for installation. Got the oil from Chad along with some other parts I needed.

 

Geez I'd better help you install that thing or it's going to gel right up...

 

It just might be in by October.......

Periodically, I pull the dipstick and smell the oil.

How many days are you gonna be here? This could be fun....

 

Hah. I'll believe it when I hear it!

Barely one day. Will be getting up for an 8.5 hour drive up to Fresno.

 

And just to clarify, The Joe Gibbs oil is recommended by Golen Engines for break-in only, not forever.

 

The Joe Gibbs break-in oil is recommended for break-in. There's no question about ever running that as my regular oil!

Joe Gibbs also makes Driven Hot Rod Oil that Golen sells for after break-in, or "forever," if you don't change brands. It's supposed to be a "street" version of his racing oil made specifically for older cars and street rods, but with an additive package that makes it suitable for street use.

That's the oil that I wanted to know how it stacks up against Rotella, not just in the zinc and phosphorus numbers, but also with regard to the other metrics as well. Is it just crappy oil with a lot of zinc added to it? I doubt it, but I really have no idea.

I think I'll go ahead and run the hot rod oil in the next fill and see how it does. I'll eventually be sending off a sample to Blackstone anyway when it's time to change it again, so I'll just wait until then to see how the numbers stack up against Rotella.