Oil Type and Weight

Discussion in '1947-1954' started by Wolf, Feb 26, 2010.

  1. Wolf

    Wolf Member

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    All: Just looking to change my oil for the 2nd time here soon.
    1st change, just to get all the old oil out due to the truck not running before. I used regular 30 weight oreilly oil.
    This is in my 228 GMC full pressure oiler :D with oil filter, looks to be original.

    What type of oil does everybody recommend? I'm NOT looking for Mobile 1 is better then Castro or anything like that. What I want to know if I can or should run multi viscous oils with detergents in the old truck. Just curious what others are running in these old machines? Im sure there are varying opinions, but just looking for some guidance here:eek:

    Nate you said to use 5w-30 diesel oil?

    Got this question off of evans how to build an AD thread.

    Also for draining the old oil/lube out of the 4speed tranny, There are just 2 drains/fills right?
    Open up the filler nut toward the top/side and open up the bottom drain and let all the old gunk drain out. Then close up the bottom drain and then use the filler hole to fill up with oil/lube until it comes out the filler hole. Same with the rear end correct?

    Thanks guys
     
  2. Flashlight

    Flashlight Member

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    I have 10-30 Castrol in mine now and have normal pressure on my 216. Nate explained how the EPA gov't is taking zinc out of the newer oils. Better for newer motors but not golden oldies. The diesel oils still retain the zinc and he liked to use thinnish grades.
    I thinking to use 5-20 rotella or similar. My shop manual says 20 weight. I hope Nate will chime in. We have this conversation annually about this time. Patrick's uses 4 oz's ZDD additive per change And Valvoline VR 1, disregard off road use only label.

    Flashlight
     
  3. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Oil Thread !

    WHEEEEEE !!!!!! :p

    Pretty much any modern oils will work .Non detergent is crap and should be put in the shop hand pump oiler to lube door hinges etc. , NEVER in any engine

    You may use 5W-20 , 10W-30 , 10W-40 , 20W-50 , whatever you like and it'll all be good . multi-vis oils are best .

    The Diesel rating prevents the cam from wearing flat .the zinc was removed from passenger car engines as it screws up the catalytic converters , this is why oil with zinc in it is GOOD STUFF ~ it cannot be used in your old Dodge Mistake or Oldslomobile Econolux sedan .

    Dino oils are good too , if you can possibly afford synthetics , use them as they pretty much stop wear dead right where it is in the engine's life cycle ~ I have quite a few klunkers that _seriously_ need engine rebuilding but they run O.K. and since changing to fully synthetic oils , they've kept on running year after year , mile after mile.....

    Of course , you alls know to only ever HOT change the oil and always change the filter too (if so equipped) .

    Now , my Flame Suit is on , let's begin the usual ranting , screaming and cussing....

    :p

    :rolleyes:

    BTW : yes , the tranny and rear end are both re-filled to the filler hole , remember the vehicle should be level , rear ends that don't have drain plugs usualy have a centrally located derby cover bolt that you remove the (ever so slowly) drain the oil out .

    Lastly : ALWAYS remove the fill plug FIRST ! :eek: .
     
  4. Larrys 48

    Larrys 48 Member

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    Canister filter

    Should one change the canister filter at every oil change? just like you would a spin on?
     
  5. Wolf

    Wolf Member

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    thanks guys. I know these topics can be my brand is better then yours.. but thanks for keeping it clean. I will change my old 30 weight out and put in a nice multi viscous synthetic. Should i try to find some some diesel synthetic? Will go to the auto store tomorrow.

    my GMC 228 seems to be rebuilt sometime ago. Doesn't seem to use any oil at all. Drips a bit, but not too bad.

    On a side note. I drove the truck for 45 min straight at mostly 45-50MPH.. which is quick for my 3/4 ton!!! Truck still had 40psi or more oil pressure going down the road fully warm.

    Thanks again any other thoughts or suggestions.... Inputs;)

    I will change my filter too. Wix number 51001 or 51068 is my number. Will drive it around tomorrow and do a super hot oil change!!!
     
  6. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Oil Filters

    Yes ,change at every oil change or you'll contaminate the new oil with nasty , dirty old oil... :eek:

    I know some folks who simply don't understand will insist the by-pass typ filter isn't any good or doesn't need changing often but they're dead wrong .

    I'd not dump out your Dino oil if it's fresh...

    COSTCO has Chevron Delo 400 cheaply .

    Just take your time and find oil on sale and then buy a few cases of it .

    Whatever oil you buy , take the time to read the small print to ensure it is Diesel Engine rated , then make a note of the letter rating .

    Be aware that Synthetic oils ' seep ' a bit more than do old tech Dino oils so you'll see more dampness , maybe a few more drips but not to worry .

    BTW : if you don't use the same brand of oil I do , you're a bad person and your engine will soon explode ! :eek:

    :p
     
  7. dado

    dado Member

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    Well I guess that explains why I cannot win the lottery and the pile of shredded engines out back :eek:That last line made my side hurt !
     
  8. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    I ALWAYS Win The Lotto !

    Twice a week , just like clockwork in fact :) .

    I get a nifty piece of orange and white paper...... :p
     
  9. Wolf

    Wolf Member

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    Nate you are too funny. I got me some castro 10w40 diesel oil at orielly's on sale! only 8 bucks a gallon! so i got me all the rest the had only 3 gallons. Have off of work tomorrow so hopefully i can find some time to do some maint on the old truck!

    Hopefully this is the oil you use! don't want to blow the motor up.

    Wait never mind I own a GMC! Im fine!!!!
     
  10. Thunder54

    Thunder54 Member

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    Refilling your SM420 tranny

    Wolf man,

    One caution about re-filling your transmission. It is full about 1" below the filler hole (maybe just a tad fuller) when cold. If you fill it all the way up to the hole when cold, the hot expanded transmission oil will run out of your front transmission shaft. You may believe your rear engine seal is leaking.

    I learned this the hard way. Fill it just below the plug so you can feel the oil when you stick your little finger in the plug hole.

    Also when filling the transmission, do not grease the zerk on top of the universal joint ball cover. The zerk is really just an oil hole plug, not a place for grease.

    I have learned moe than a few things about my old truck the hard way.

    Enjoy
    Jim
     

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  11. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    That's Not Right

    As the full to the bottom of the filler plug is critical to have sufficient level of gear lube to flow backwards out of the output shaft's rear bearing and fill the U-Joint cavity....

    having the truck level is very important ! .

    FYI .
     
  12. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Let Me Entertain You ,

    'Cause that's all I wanna do ! :p

    I know this because I just got back from a small town ~ the Hotel room was so small , the mice were stoop shouldered ! . the town was so small , when I plugged in my Electric Razor , the Trolley stopped ! :D

    Etc.
     
  13. Wolf

    Wolf Member

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    Thunder thanks for the info. I would have tried to put grease there! Nice looking truck by the way!!!


    Thanks Nate for the entertainment too, and the info. looks like the weather is going to hold up today and be nice so Im thinkin I can get some stuff done todya!!!
     
  14. Wolf

    Wolf Member

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    Changed the oil today with my BP Castro 15W 40 Diesel oil. Also changed my transmission oil with some 80W90. Let me tell you that oil that came out was nasty!!! Looked like mud/poo. Filled it up with nice clean oil. Next is the rear end. Im sure it will need it too. Oil didn't look too bad when i was putting Zigs brakes on my truck! Had the axles out and the oil looked pretty good.

    Needless to say I'm glad I changed out the tranny oil
     
  15. willardgreen

    willardgreen Member

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    Gear Oil

    I changed the gear oil in the rear and transmission to Synthetic and the mile gasage went up from 10 to 12-mpg in my old 78 F250. It really needed changing 10-yrs ago.
     
  16. Wolf

    Wolf Member

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    I thought about synthetic, Maybe I will do that the next time I change it. But for now I just went with regular 80w90. The color and texture of the crap that came out of the tranny was really gross. I will run this oil through it for a bit, to try to cleanse it out. Then maybe I will go with synthetic!

    A plus though, the tranny seems to shift quite a bit smoother now! Now off to change that rear end lube too.

    Go figure I have a nasty cold now and the weather is coming along!!! finally up to average 50F. Feels great out just wish I did. Cant complain though haven't been sick for a year or so.
     
  17. Thunder54

    Thunder54 Member

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    Not all wrong

    :DNate,

    You are correct. However, I was partially right about not overfilling the cold tranny.

    From page 0-5 of the Chevrolet Truck Shop Manual 1954 (bottom right corner of the page) :
    "when checking lubricant level, in transmission or rear axle the unit being checked should be at operating temperature. With unit at operating temperature the lubricant should be level with the bottom of the filler plug hole. If the lubricant level is checked with the unit cold the lubricant level should be 1/2" below the filler plug hole".

    I learned this by filling my SM420 to the bottom of the hole cold, then watchung oil leak out everywhere it could til I figured our it was over filled.

    Jim :D
     

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  18. willardgreen

    willardgreen Member

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    Synthetic Oil

    I started using Synthetic oil in my car at ~50,000-mi. I used Texaco Havoline for the 1st 50k. It came out as clean as it went in every 3,000-mi. When I changed after my first Synthetic oil change, it looked like I was changing oil in a diesel engine, totally black. I change the synthetic oil every 7,000-mi and the oil is beginning to be a little cleaner and the car has 107,000- miles on it. The car gets 3 or 4-mpg better than other same model and engine. I am using Royal Purple and a K&N oil filter which cost twice as much but I go twice as far between oil changes. 90% is on interstate highways. I have n idea if it actually stops wear dead but 50-mi extra on a tank of gas saves time and money. No Joke! If your engine is full of sludge it would be a bad idea to change to synthetic as it may stop the oiling up and burn it's bearings or release dirt and gal the bearings. If clean, go for it. Nate says it stops wear dead.
    Willard Green
     
  19. vwnate1

    vwnate1 Member

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    Synthetic Oils In Old Engines

    It is true that synthetic oils are incredibly detergent and will loosen up all the old crap in your engine . howver , if you have a total sludgebomb , run it until it's blistering hot then drain the oil and change the filter, re-fill with synthetic oil and run it 50~ 100 miles then dump it out again and all the sludge will go out with it , no worries about plugging up anything , that's mostly a myth .

    You should ALWAYS do hot oil and dilter changs anyway ! .

    I use synthetic oils in most of my rigs , it improves shifting in all cases when used in the tranny .

    it also seeps & drips a bit more than does Dino oil .

    I have a 1969 Honda 90 C.C. Moto that's still running with 40,000 miles :eek: , only because of Synthetic oils IMO .
     
  20. Wolf

    Wolf Member

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    I may go with synthetic next time I do the oils. I just wanted to run some good diesel oil through to clean it out before I go that way. Ran the truck about 25 miles and got it nice and hot the other day checked the oil again and it looks nice and clean still. When i did the valve cover gasket last year I didn't see any sludge in there at all so that is good right???

    Anyways I just changed my 96T-100 with 77k miles on over to full synthetic. Truck starts up quieter and runs smoother. I also have seen a mileage increase. In high school I also changed over my firebird to full synthetic and the same thing. Also did the rear end with posi track and it went from whining a bit to dead quiet. Will change over our new car to synthetic in a year or two.
    Check out this forum
    http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php
    Lots and lots of information about oils and such.

    Thanks guys for making this thread actually helpful. This is the only place I would consider even asking this because most places turn it into a terrible pissing match about oils.
     

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