83 zxt

I just pulled my z out of a barn where it has been sitting for about two years. I haven't tried turning it over yet because I want to put fresh oil in it first. My problem is that I can't remember what grade of oil it requires. I know it's kind of a stupid question, but if anyone can help me out Iwould greatly appreciate it. Yhank you. By the way it is an 83 280zx turbo

snwbrderphat540

older car you can go heavier weight, but for a universal oil go 10W-30

thxone

My '82 says 10w-30 right on the factory filler cap on the valve cover.

z-hag

hay, boyZ-----there is a whole different world between the original car with n0o miles on it and this machine you have found with 980skidrillion miles on it....not to mention having been left out in the unforgiving world of non-op for xnumber of years--multiply the story times 5 and you get reality?????

i find the best thing to do with old sportscars is to empty the oil prior to starting the car. fill with the appropriate number of 20-50 grade racing oil. use kendall. then drive very carefully for the first 1000 miles---just like breaking in a new engine-----then change the oil and filter--evaluate yer needs--car will tell you ..........but use 20-50 racing or high mileage oil--use kendall if you can get it----castrol high mileage or racing if yu cannot.....have fun and good luck. i learned from race car teams i worked with for many years...........this works...........

iluvJDM

now that were on oil changing on a car that hasn't run in a while...i just started to daily my z again after 8 months...i want to change the oil but i need to know what size socket the oil plug is...the biggest socket i have is a 20mm and it didn't fit on it my oil is black! i need to know the size!

snwbrderphat540

i think mine was like a 22. they are big *** drain plugs.

Z_six

20w-50 is too thick in my opinion, useless unless you race your car. Use a good Heavy Duty Diesel Oil, like Shell Rotella or Chevron Delo. 15-40 is the grade, damn near perfect weight for the engine and has a way better additive package than a normal motor oil. I use Rotella in my Z, with an oversize filter I can hold 5.5 quarts. I plan on switching to 5w-30 or 0w-30 soon though, to save alittle gas and to save my engine when I have a cold start. If you plan on storing that car again, I highly recommend putting in Rotella or Delo because of its sticking ability and its high TBN (Total base number, the higher the TBN the better ability the oil has against fighting acids that form in the engine) It would also be wise to use a good filter to trap contaminants that have formed in the engine while it sat, anything but a Fram orange can. About that drain plug, I can't quite remember the size of mine, I changed my oil about 2 months ago, but it seems to me it was something like a 22mm.

RodMoyes

Agreed. 20W50 is WAY TOO THICK. I run 5W20 with no problems on a motor with 251K Miles. 20W50 is SO THICK, it will not get into all of the places it needs to, and is making the motor work too hard.

Also, KENDALL is some incredibly ****-TY stuff.

Valvoline
Castrol
or NOTHING


Rod.

thxone

This is copied straight from the 280zx Owners Manual Model S130 Series (1979) but will be the same for all years as oil viscosities are the same (they don't change from year to year, 20W-50 will always be 20W-50). So basically choose the oil for the air temp in the area you live at that time...be it winter, summer, spring or fall. Oh, and the "W" does not stand for "weight" it stands for "Winter"

Z_six

You must remember that back then oil was not very "tough". Even a 20w-50 would shear down to a 10w-40 or thinner after little use. They just wanted to make sure that when it did thin out, that it was still appropriate for the engine. With todays oils, especially the synthetic kind, the use of even 5w-30 or lighter can be just as strong as a 20w-50 and save you gas as well. Who said the W stood for weight? I applaude the use of 5w-20 in an old Z, goes to show that thicker is not always better. I would love to see a UOA (used oil analysis) on that Z. Gives me confidence to try it in mine! If I didn't live in Phoenix I would be using it already, for needed film strength in the stress of the heat around here, I think I'll go for a 30 weight multigrade.

Z_six

BTW, Valvoline and Castrol may not be as good as you think, I'd rate them on par with Kendall in every UOA I've seen. Kendall is made by ConocoPhillips,who has their own basestocks. Castrol buys their basestocks from many suppliers, they don't have their own, and Valvoline is run by Ashland, who also buys their basestocks from many different suppliers. Based on that alone I'd say that Kendall would have better quality control. But really any conventional oil with proper OCI's would keep any engine in good shape. And yes, think of 20w-50 on a cold morning trying to flow, your oil filter would go into bypass immediately and stay that way for quite some time, letting dirt and contaminants left unfiltered. Also, your engine would be running without an oil supply for much longer than it should, letting wear accelerate on every start up. There is a very good argument that oil flow is much better than pressure. What really counts is flow, not pressure.

snwbrderphat540

Mobile 1 is where its at for motor oil, must be some reason they are the number one oil cars roll off the show room floor filled with, and not **** companies im talking about porsche and the likes of higher end cars. castrol sucks i think, valvoline i wouldnt use,

Ryan280

If not many of you know yes W means winter and any oil with a W means there is a rubber additive. That said that is what causes sludge especially when it is left for too long the rubber starts to separate. With the 30 or 40s there is none of that additive. Also there is very little difference with one oil or another. They all have to pass the same standards and they all use the minimum additives to pass the SAE. Yes all syn are better than conventional oils but it is the additive package that is most important. I spent 2 weeks in a lab studying all the oils etc that go into cars and one of the tests was on engine oil. So bottom line I only use 30 sae or Mobile 1 40.

z-hag

the racing teams i was affiliated with for many years as well as the professional consultant with whom i was forced to consult over many years are my sources for the basis of using 20-50. the older the engine becomes, the more clearance (blowby) between the rings and the cylinder walls, the thicker the oil must be to prevent increased oil loss and scoring of the cylinders from over thinning in a hot engine.... the heavier weight is not that significant in california or other places we live that remain mostly warm all year around...in fact it is needed.... in upstate new york, in the summer, one weight oil is used, in the winter, a different weight needs to be used--but each individual to his own--my cars--performance cars and work vehicles--are able to last a very long time because of my diligence. new engines and rebuilds get synthetic oil. older engines and pre restores get traditional oil, 20-50 weight. detroit iron, pre restore, and older vws get 30 weight. oil is not sold without an sae rating. i get 300k miles on my engines before final failure from old age. i add no mods nor do i restrict the flow of air--no back pressure, no too thin oil so the cylinders score--no thank you. but we each have our own tastes--mine are based on over 4 million miles of driving and maintaining my own cars for most of my life----my dad is a petroleum chemicals engineer. ....i learned from him and from race team crew chiefs and mechanix.....
i am also opinionated on brakes and tires... ...we can do that another time!!!! SAE=society of automotive engineers--my dad was a member......

Z_six

What you are talking about is Viscosity Index Improvers or VII's, they just help with the multigrade aspect of an oil. A good synthetic oil uses little or no VII because its synthetic basestock naturally has a good viscosity index. A straightweight just has less shearing because it has no VII's, thus stays "in grade" however, you are sacrificing ALOT on cold start up.

Z_six

Sounds to me like he was just stuck in old fashioned ways. And racing situations are much different than a street car, so I have no idea how a racing teams advice would have any real bearing on the subject. You are correct that you lose clearance over time, but not so much that you should have to go with a 20w-50. Also, 300k isn't very long for an engine to last really, was that due to mechanical failure? I am guessing you mean vehicle failure, such as rust. You shouldn't have engine failure given proper maintenance at 300k.

BTW, I recommend this reading to everyone

http://63.240.161.99/motoroil/

Very good explanation of oils and so forth, you may have to read it more than once to realize everything that is stated.

83 zxt

thank you all. I went in the middle to be safe and used 10-40. It still won't start but atleast it has fresh oil.

z-hag

good luck, sweetie--the mix of knowledge between the old sae info and what racing teams do is not that far different--the racing teams do extensive research and development and give their info to the automotive folks--they worked hand in hand to get the quality of equipment and fluids we know today-----i use what i have lwearned combined with common sense and climate to develop my longevity factor and i aim for longest durability factor possible.....rod is smart--he knows a lot--the only thing i question, truly, is the use of 5 weight oil in a warm climate--too thin-----but i will stand on my 20-50 anyday------especially for use in older worn engines----my cars dop last quite some time-------i had 600k miles on a shity luv truk, and 244k miles so far on piglet/phoenix------it does work----we each get into tha habit and practice we each individually find most effective, and the subject matter is more than objective--it is subjective, as well......personal preference rules--have fun!!!!!! find what you like and go with it-----

Z_six

Haha, its not as thin as a 5 weight. It's just thin on start up, which is GOOD. Once warm, it is a 20 weight. You need to read up, you cannot look at the first number of the grade and assume the oil to be that thin. The oil is thicker at startup than it is when warm, a 5w-20 is about 50cst when cold, and 9 cst when warm. For comparison, a 20w-50 is typically 120 cst when cold and 18 cst when warm. BIG difference, 20w-50 on start up is like honey, and stays that way for some time. 5w-20 starts up thin and immediately gets to oil passages and so forth, making start up protection much better. I wouldn't say that the Z engines were designed for 5w-20 though, so tolerances may be much more loose, especially after many miles. But, if 5w-20 is working great for him, than more power to him. I'd say he should even go for the gusto and use 0w-20, even better start up protection. What makes me laugh about this whole thing, is that people assume that the first number indicates its final weight when warm, IT DOESNT. Read up on how to identify thickness of an oil by reading product data sheets, go to any oil website and they all have them. They will say cst at 40 degrees Celsius and 0 degrees celsius. 20w-50 is basically obsolete in any vehicle, any vehicle can run off a thinner oil, even diesels just run 15-40 or 5w-40 and think of the amount of power they make. Racing teams are doing R&D on oils that will benefit THEM, not the daily drivers out in the world. Sure a 20w-50 will do fine in a car screaming down the track, it needs that extra strength in stressful situations, but a daily driver does not need that, no grandma in a van is going to redline it constantly. My point is, I don't like to see old fashioned ways stick around, especially when using thick oil uses more gas, thus making us use more oil for foreign countries. Which is why I also push for 5,000 mile oil change intervals on conventional oil, and at least 10,000 miles for synthetic. Sorry if I have offended you or angered you, I just don't like to see misinformation about the weights spread around.

z-hag

you do not offend me, sugah, i yam not a he, as most here know, and i yam not young, nor have i just bought or been given my first automobile. i have over 4 MILLION miles on cARS AS WELL AS oops hands on race team and building and engineering history. i am secure in me--i just hope you all do not do much damage to your machines related to modifications and fluids and all that do not benefit the machine and its parts...only time will tell-- i just try to share what i have found actually works--no rumors or legends--and folks are not forced to use anyones info--it is just what has been known to improve and increase longevity of an engine. no sudar, amigo.......ps--what our modern automobiles are made of is history and r7D DONE ON THE FORMULA ONE RACETRACK AND INDY CAR RACETRACK AND TESTING oops done by any team who wishes to supply info to the engineers-----the fluids used on track and the bits of knowledge gained from raettrack time are indeed, a part and parcel of our modern cars, sweetie--look up the histories and see-there is about a 5 year difference in tech on track and tech on the street.........

Z_six

Sorry to burst your bubble, but most F1 teams work hand in hand with big oil companies to formulate their oils. They all use very thin, synthetic oils, which are all custom blends, no Walmart oils are used in other words. Most grades are kept under wraps, but you can check out NEO oil, they formulate many oils for F1, and if you look, they have a 0w-5, which they also state is great for Nascar Qualifying, funny huh? Also check out this little article, http://www.mpt.org/motorweek/goss/2313.shtml Even a Nascar driver like Rusty Wallace says 20w-50 is outdated. That engine should just seize up and fry because of that thin oil If a Nascar engine can handle super thin oil without a problem, I think our daily drivers can reap the benefits completely. If those thin oils really caused such a problem with damaging engines, why is there no proof of that? Why is no one out there trying to recall thin oils based on its lacking ability to lubricate properly? As we all know, most wear occurs on startup, thats when you want thin oil, but your case is that you need thick oil when it is warm, which is when least wear occurs, what is the logic in that? You can bet that some people who have no idea what to put in their old old cars have put in a thin oil such as 5w-20 and nothing has happened to them. Also, think of how many stupid Jiffy Lubes have used the improper grade of 5w-20 for say an 89 Ford Truck with a 460 engine, people don't even bother knowing what oil goes in, and if it really did damage the engine, why is there no news story, article, warning on the bottles ect? Just do a search on the internet, type in 5-20 and any other word after it such as damage, hurt ect. And what comes up, most people wondering if they hurt their engine from TOO thick of an oil. There is not one article or piece of information with fact that states 5w-20 hurt any engine, from a honda 4-cylinder to a beefy V-8. The fact is, thin oils being damaging is all rumors.

WildmaN

I don't care what anybody says. I have been using 20-50 all my driving life. And haven't had any problems with it. I live in a warm climate, and need the thicker oil. Plus the fact, I have a tired L28 with #3 having low compression. I am currently using Castrol high mileage 20-50, and it has helped out quite a bit. I tried a lower viscosity oil before. And was not happy with the results, it was too thin. Anyway I used to have to put a quart of oil in after 2 weeks. Since I switched to the high mileage oil, I went a month before I had to add another quart. So that has improved because of my oil leak, and my bad rings. My oil leak isn't as bad as the burning problem I had. After I tried the high mileage.

SpeciallySpiked

I use 10-W30 in the Z and volvo, and 20-W50 in the porsche... but the porsche's oil cooled and needs the thicker stuff.

I'd stick with the 10-W30. The booklet shows the different oils and different temperature ranges recommended for them. 10-W30 has the most broad and useful range, covering essentially the entire year.

10-40 sounds just fine though

Z_six

Why exactly is thicker oil needed in a hotter climate? If you have a pressurized cooling system that is in good shape, the engine will be at the same exact temp when warm year round. Only air cooled engines see big variations in engine temp, hence the reason to use thick oil in them.

RodMoyes

CHEEZE AND FREAKING RICE ALREADY!!!!!!!!

ALL of you guys/gals and your damned "20W50 is the only way to go" **** are KILLING ME!

It's a new freaking decade/century/millenium... Oils aren't what they used to be like Z Six has already stated.

If your motor is already Phucked up and burning oil, like WildmaN was talking about... Well... It's probably too late to use anything BUT 20W50.

However, I contest that the exclusive use of 20W50 may IN FACT BE what caused so much wear in the first place.

I spent nearly 20 years in the industry, I learned a thing or two along the way.

The only cars I ever sufferd a mechanincal (internal) failure on, were cars that I ran strictly 20W50 in.

I flog the ever-loving **** out of my Z EVERY time I drive it and it has PERFECT compression still and shows no sign of internal wear, doesn't burn or consume ANY oil.

I bought it from the original owner with 200K on it. They ALWAYS used 10W30 in this car and changed it regularly. They drove it hard though. I have known them and the car for most of the cars life. This car used to TOW A PAIR OF HARLEY'S from San Diego to Sturgis South Dakota EVERY year!


The head has never been off, there has never been ANY internal repairs done to it.

All you 20W50 types explain to me how it can still have near PERFECT compression after all of this time in light of all of the extenuating circumstances that would have driven you into a paranoid PANIC and flooded the crankcase with as much 20W50 as you could shove down the hole in the valve cover!

20W50 DOES NOT HELP A STRONG MOTOR! It CAN CERTAINLY HURT ONE THOUGH.


Sorry to sound like an ***, but the strongest proponents so far for the 20W50 thing are a person who just had the main bearings replaced in a VG30 (Supposedly the most RELIABLE v6 in HISTORY) at approx 250K and a guy who has had a motor with major compression issues... Hmmm.


Move out of the 1960's people.


Rod.