Engine Oil

The stamp on the valve cover of my engine says it uses SAE 30 oil.  I found that its hard to find this weight oil locally and ended up ordering some from Summit Racing.

One key issue here is older engines that use flat tappet cams need a higher Zinc (ZDDP) content than modern engine oil.  This is an anti-wear additive that is essential to keep your cam from being damaged.  Newer engines use roller cams which allow them to use a lower ZDDP content in the oil which is important because ZDDP is hard on catalytic converters.

I've read several online discussions and posts which suggest that oils have come a long way since some of these older engines were designed and that while SAE 30 works it is recommended you user 25w-40 (the standard 4-cycle engine oil) in your 4-cycle instead.  That is good news since 25w-40 is easier to find.

Bad news is you still need the ZDDP but there are products and additives that provide the extra Zinc which might be easier to procure than SAE 30.

While I wouldn't tell anyone to do this without doing their own research it is something I am going to try and look into more closely.

Nothing New

It has been hotter than hell in TX recently, regularly over 100 degrees out.  Once it cools off I will get back to the motor.

One interesting event we had rain last week.  I forgot about making sure the engine was covered but luckily it was.