Zinc additive in the oil???? (3VZE)
02-24-2014, 02:18 PM
#41
Registered User
My point is that with the anti-wear additives like zinc, phosphorous, and titanium, they are added b/c the oil itself does not have enough fluid strength to protect and minimize metal on metal contact in high stress areas that are present in every engine without them. That's why they matter. Power engines have more high stress places with higher loads, but it's a matter of magnitude, not either/or.
And yes, wear is cumulative, but if you could slow future wear down by 50, 65, 80%+, would you? I would.
The first two owners of my rig both ran primarily synthetics, so my engine's probably ahead of the curve here, but the same principles apply to everyone. And actually, they apply anywhere you have oil -- your diffs, your tranny, your power steering, etc.
And yes, I'm a proponent of the 5vzfe swap, and asking oneself where they want to end up before sinking $ into projects. Don't pretend to have those answers for everyone, but if wanting maximum reliability from your current engine, fix your oil leaks and run synthetic asap.
And yes, wear is cumulative, but if you could slow future wear down by 50, 65, 80%+, would you? I would.
The first two owners of my rig both ran primarily synthetics, so my engine's probably ahead of the curve here, but the same principles apply to everyone. And actually, they apply anywhere you have oil -- your diffs, your tranny, your power steering, etc.
And yes, I'm a proponent of the 5vzfe swap, and asking oneself where they want to end up before sinking $ into projects. Don't pretend to have those answers for everyone, but if wanting maximum reliability from your current engine, fix your oil leaks and run synthetic asap.
Last edited by RSR; 02-24-2014 at 02:21 PM.
12-29-2022, 07:48 PM
#42
Sorry should have clarified, running synthetic in a freshly rebuilt engine is not a good idea. You want some wear in the cyl walls, bearings etc etc and synthetic just doesn't allow for that. Not to mention the typical rebuilt motor is almost always gonna have some blowby due to rings being in the process of seating. Synthetic is gonna do what it was designed to do and flow better which can cause a higher amount of burning oil within the first few hundred miles or until the rings fully seat.
12-30-2022, 08:08 AM
#43
Registered User
In my 86 22RE, I have been using Castrol GTX 10w-40 with 5000 mile oil changes. it's my daily driver (my only vehicle) street truck now 36 years old and 482,000 miles. Still does not burn even 1/2 quart of oil between changes. Will use it unitl they stop making it.
At 325,000 miles I had the leaking valve stem seals replaced. The mechanic asked me what oil and how often did I change it? I said why? He said the inside cylinder look like new with the honing marks still there.
Also used Castrol 20W-50 in my 78 Fiat 124 Spider and drove it to 165,000 miles with no engine issues. It was not a typical 'Fix It Again Tony' Fiat. The only repair was a snapped clutch cable and a new $180 convertible top in 8 years. Did the routine brakes, shocks, tires, spark plugs...etc. Sold it to get my truck.
At 325,000 miles I had the leaking valve stem seals replaced. The mechanic asked me what oil and how often did I change it? I said why? He said the inside cylinder look like new with the honing marks still there.
Also used Castrol 20W-50 in my 78 Fiat 124 Spider and drove it to 165,000 miles with no engine issues. It was not a typical 'Fix It Again Tony' Fiat. The only repair was a snapped clutch cable and a new $180 convertible top in 8 years. Did the routine brakes, shocks, tires, spark plugs...etc. Sold it to get my truck.
Last edited by JoeS; 12-31-2022 at 11:02 AM.
04-12-2024, 09:52 PM
#44
You guys crack me up. Lets talk facts for a minute and ignore what our engine builders best friends grandpappy's cousin said.
Zinc is an additive, among many others, to the oil's base stock. It is not naturally occurring and they do not refine it out. They stopped adding it in the much higher quantities for one specific reason.....catalytic converters.
Once catalytic converters were standard equipment in the 80's the smog people and manufacturers started to notice a trend. When the vehicle got older the cats were beginning to fail. The reason they were failing was because the cars were burning oil and it only happened on cars that had engines that were burning oil.
Here is the "fact" part. When the zinc in the oil burns it really gums up the cat, leading to premature failure. Since poorly functioning or missing cats leads to poor emissions a decision was made to reduce the zinc content in oil in order to reduce the risk of a poorly functioning cat.
The moral of the story is that if your vehicle isn't burning oil then it will work fine in your motor and won't effect your catalytic converter one bit. If you are burning oil you run the risk of premature cat failure after long term usage.
Because everyone is afraid of being sued the oil manufacturers are required to but a warning label on oil that has a high zinc content.
That being said, after I am done restoring my 4Runner I fully plan to run a high quality synthetic in my 22RE. There are many oils out there that still have plenty of zinc in them. Red line is the best in my opinion. It uses the best base stock and has very high zinc, moly, and phosphorus levels. It has a very strong detergent package as well. It is expensive but will last alot longer than 3,000 miles so its better in the long run.
If you care to geek out on oil, go to bobistheoilguy.com and start learning.
Zinc is an additive, among many others, to the oil's base stock. It is not naturally occurring and they do not refine it out. They stopped adding it in the much higher quantities for one specific reason.....catalytic converters.
Once catalytic converters were standard equipment in the 80's the smog people and manufacturers started to notice a trend. When the vehicle got older the cats were beginning to fail. The reason they were failing was because the cars were burning oil and it only happened on cars that had engines that were burning oil.
Here is the "fact" part. When the zinc in the oil burns it really gums up the cat, leading to premature failure. Since poorly functioning or missing cats leads to poor emissions a decision was made to reduce the zinc content in oil in order to reduce the risk of a poorly functioning cat.
The moral of the story is that if your vehicle isn't burning oil then it will work fine in your motor and won't effect your catalytic converter one bit. If you are burning oil you run the risk of premature cat failure after long term usage.
Because everyone is afraid of being sued the oil manufacturers are required to but a warning label on oil that has a high zinc content.
That being said, after I am done restoring my 4Runner I fully plan to run a high quality synthetic in my 22RE. There are many oils out there that still have plenty of zinc in them. Red line is the best in my opinion. It uses the best base stock and has very high zinc, moly, and phosphorus levels. It has a very strong detergent package as well. It is expensive but will last alot longer than 3,000 miles so its better in the long run.
If you care to geek out on oil, go to bobistheoilguy.com and start learning.
Last edited by tonyisme; 04-12-2024 at 09:55 PM.
04-13-2024, 06:59 AM
#45
YT Community Team
Funny, bitd zinc was the focus, but not in a good way. Not so much for emissions reasons, but for causing excessive oil consumption. Some big rebuilders at the national level were requiring oil analysis first before approving warranty repairs. Toyota didn't have a position on it iirc.
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