I'm running a straight sae 20 non detergent oil in my 52 8N. With colder weather coming what would be good to use. I've heard rotella 15w 40? Isn't that for diesels? I'm in northern Illinois. What's the best engine oil choice?
 
See tip # 6. Dump that oil now before you do any more damage to your engine. Rotella 15w40 will be fine. So would any multi-vis detergent oil.
75 Tips
 
The original N-Series Oil Spec was SAE 20 in cold temps, SAE 30 in mild/warmer temps. There was no 'detergent' oil made back then. The non-detergent oil made today, if you can even find it, is not the same. I was told by an industry engineer once that they make the non-detergent oil now out of recycled oil. The replies so far are good advice -you don't need that SAE 20 non-detergent oil. 1-W30 is fine, and many use the Rotella because it seems to cover a broad range of temps and models. I use plain SAE 30 detergent in my N's, but that is me. I live in Michigan where winters last 6-9 months and don't have any problems with starting and running. Just go the archives here and search out 'oil' or Rotella and get a multitude of replies...


TPD
 
Okay well that makes me feel a little better. I used the sae 20 because I looked it up in the owners manual and that is what it specified. I think I'm still going to change the oil to get something a little thicker for the old engine and compression purposes. I will research those old posts as well.
 
(quoted from post at 07:40:38 09/18/17) Okay well that makes me feel a little better. I used the sae 20 because I looked it up in the owners manual and that is what it specified. I think I'm still going to change the oil to get something a little thicker for the old engine and compression purposes. I will research those old posts as well.

A modern SAE 10W30 multi-grade covers the full range of temperature and viscosity combinations specified in the Ford 8N owner's manual.

TOH
 

You might not get any engine protection on a cold startup in really cold weather using the SAE30. Unless you use an engine heater to warm up the block. Why take a chance on premature engine wear when there are plenty of good multi weight oils you can purchase.
 
What???, no detergent back then!! I'm sorry but that is just another huge myth. In N tractor days everyone used detergent oil in newer vehicles, if they owned and drove an old clunker that smoked and drank oil like a fish drinks water it was different. If they could not afford to fix their engine they likely opted to buy non-detergent oil right out of a drum at the local station and sold out of tall spouted glass bottles for $.10 a quart. Other myths are Ford Tractor speced SMO GL1 for N's hydraulics and gears, not true except as for a war time alternate likewise was 50w motor oil. Other myths about lubes is that there were no multigrade or synthetic lube oil back then when in fact in the late 30's or early 40's they both were available.
 
I don't know where you were getting detergent oil and multi-vis back in the '30s and early '40s. Where I lived both came in about the same time in the early '50s. Esso had it's uniflo which was both. I put that in my 860 in 1956 that spring when I got it
 
Are you also inferring there was no detergent motor oil in the 30's and early 40's, if so very incorrect. And, yes there were such oils as multi-vis and synthetic dating back to the 30's, I did not say I was getting it did I? Sure I recall the big push on by the oil company promoting multi-vis in the 50's. Our neighbors were Phillip's distributors and I probably still have a can of early 66 "Trop-Artic" on my shelf. I collect petrolina, and gas pumps, that's where my handle originated.
 
Detergent oil came out in about 1949, when Cadillac and Oldsmobile introduced their new OHV V8s that used hydraulic lifters, and the lifters would get plugged and fail to work if you didn't use detergent oil. Also, the cam and lifters wouldn't receive adequate lubrication with non-detergent oil. The GM engine warranty was voided if you used non-detergent oil.

At that time Tom McCahill wrote the monthly car column in Popular Mechanics magazine. Now Tom always thought he knew a lot more about cars than he actually did, and he thought that good old non-detergent oil would work just fine in the new GM V8s. Several times he made his usual strong (know-nothing but highly alliterative) statements supporting his opinion in the magazine. Some of his readers used non-detergent oils on his recommendation, flattened their camshafts, and GM would not repair the engines under warranty. There was something of a kerfuffle about it in the automotive trade press at the time.
 
grab a store brand full syn 10w30 and you should be more than set for ice and fire.

I live in the south and will use that or 15w40 ( or 5w40 full syn on my bigger diesels ).

I'm running full syn in my generator, air compressor, lawnmower, my larger diesel trucks, and a couple of tractors. an 850 and a
950.

They all run fine with no extra leaks.
 
quick google ck says 1955 Chevy first car to recommend multi vis oil. Was taught in auto shop in 1970 filter was needed with hydraulic lifters.
 
(quoted from post at 18:15:44 09/19/17) quick google ck says 1955 Chevy first car to recommend multi vis oil. Was taught in auto shop in 1970 filter was needed with hydraulic lifters.

Mobil/Exxon website claims they were first to market with Standard Oil's multi-grade Uniflow introduced in 1952. I'm sure that technology was at least 10 years old at that time.

I can not find a date for detergent oils but they re synonymous with oil filtration. Without a filter detergents have no useful purpose. The main historical reason they have not been used in small engines.

TOH
 

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