Non-Detergent Motor Oil

[FrankWest]

Looking for quality Non detergent Motor oil in grades sae 30 and 40
I am using Valvoline sae 30 but think I should be using sae 40?

It seems that Non-detergent oil is sold by unusually producers.
Anyone ever use Amalie Oil??
Any suggestions.

[48 coupe]

Non det. hard to find in my area. Just go to a 90 wt. gear oil. I think that is about 50 wt. oil.

[Jeff/Illinois]

Originally Posted by 48 coupe

Non det. hard to find in my area. Just go to a 90 wt. gear oil. I think that is about 50 wt. oil.

That being said 'tongue in cheek' right?? I sure hope so

[TJ]

Why do you think that you need to use non-detergent oil?

[V8COOPMAN]

I wouldn't use AMALIE on a squeaky door hinge. First-hand experience many years ago..........baaaaaaaaaaad! DD

[GB SISSON]

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If you insist on non detergent oil, it's commonly used in air compressors. Not the tool oil, but for the crank case of the compressor itself. Most people under age 90 run conventional oil in these engines today. Some say if it's an old unopened engine that detergent oil can break loose sludge free which then clogs the screen or that the sludge was holding things together in there. The first part of that statement could be true.....

[1938 Woody Cape Cod]

Tractor Supply has it

[FrankWest]

I have an original engine car. The car was stored for 20 years without running.
When I purchased the car, I dropped the oil pan and it was not bad.. about and inch of sediment..that was like sand..not greasy sludge. I was told that that type of pan deposit is a result of running non-detergent oil. I got the car running and added a quart of MMO. Now I want to begin frequent oil changes to clean the engine.
Are you telling me that most of you guys running 80 year old engines use regular
bargan basement motor oil? I'm so confused.

[deuce_roadster]

The "detergent" in the oil is actually additives to combat the contaminants from the combustion chamber that leak past the rings and moisture. If you have already cleaned the pan, use any modern oil that you would consider a "detergent" oil. I wouldn't use "non detergent" in a lawn mower.

[FrankWest]

Originally Posted by deuce_roadster

The "detergent" in the oil is actually additives to combat the contaminants from the combustion chamber that leak past the rings and moisture. If you have already cleaned the pan, use any modern oil that you would consider a "detergent" oil. I wouldn't use "non detergent" in a lawn mower.

Do you run regular detergent oil in your 80 year old UN-rebuilt engine?

[Mart]

As long as you have de-sludged it, any reasonably good modern oil will be ok.

Anything from the supermarket cheapie to the most expensive one you can find will all work ok. Old engines tend to leak more than modern engines, I use that to support my likeness for oil from the cheaper end of the price scale.

Plus I'm tight.

Mart.

[51 MERC-CT]

Originally Posted by FrankWest

Do you run regular detergent oil in your 80 year old UN-rebuilt engine?

Yes, I am running detergent oil in my never rebuilt 63 year old Merc. with 110K on the odometer.
Don't know what "bargain basement oil" is?

[JSeery]

In the olden days it was fairly common to clean out an engine by running it on a kerosene and light weight oil mixture for a short time. Then drain it out and use regular oil.

[B-O-B]

Not a 4 banger but I do run 10/40 detergent oil in it. Most times I get my oil from wal-mart. They seem to have the most reasonable prices. On occasion the parts stores will run a promotion ad & I will stock up then.

[Uncle Bob]

Here we go again.

DO NOT use hypoid gear lube in a crankcase just because the viscosity may be of a similar grade to what you want to use. The extreme pressure additive contains sulfur/phosphorus which will dine on your main and rod bearings.

It is true that piston type compressor oils typically don't contain detergents, and can be had in correct viscosity grades for a motor vehicle, however they are often made from naphthenic base stocks that are less thermally stable than the parafinic base stocks that every non-synthetic crankcase oil is made from.

Crankcase oil detergent/dispersants don't act like an often advertised bathroom cleaner.......they are not "scrubbing bubbles". Their primary action is to suspend contaminants (mostly by-products of combustion as correctly noted by deuce roadster). Most dislodging of built up deposits comes from fluid movement.

Putting a "quart" of MMO in an engine would probably cause much more "detergent" like action than regular motor oil since it contains a solvent.

[Scott H in Wheaton]

Old Ford flathead oil is a lot like Chicago politics.

"Vote early and vote often"
"doesn't matter who you pick, its always the same old BS"

so change your oil often, and because these old engines have fairly loose tolerences and run kind of dirty they will work fine on just about any type of clean oil...detergent/non-detergent. single viscosity vs multi-viscosity, 30w vs 50w

[zzlegend]

Originally Posted by FrankWest

Do you run regular detergent oil in your 80 year old UN-rebuilt engine?

Yes. In all three of mine. Walmart, shell rotella 15-40. You cleaned the pan, now run detergent oil. Your sedan will thank you.

[FrankWest]

Sorry for bringing it up.
Now I remember the big argument about oils.
I was not asking, if I should use non-detergent. I was asking where to get it.
I know there are many positions on what to use.
One guy even recommended to use synthetics in his model A.
I just do not want to KILL my engine by using the wrong stuff. That's all.
One guy said something last time that really scarred me.
He use a special detergent oil to clean his engine and it clogged the engine up.
When he removed the pan..he found something that looked like black corn flakes and the oil pump screen was also clogged.

[trainguy]

Even modern "bargin basement oil" is better than the best oil available back in the 30s and 40s.

[Ronnie]

This is 2015 not 1915 Things change in the oil world.