WORDS TO THE WISE/OIL
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Warning, I am reading that a lot of you fellas are using Castrol GTX. 20/50 I just had the oil in my car changed (US of A) and they put Castrol GTX 20/50 in the car. Now I called Castrol US, and asked them if there is enough of the two types of zinc in this oil labeled with just a circle and API SERVICE OF SN. The gal I talked to said we no longer give that Information to the public, RED FLAGS RED FLAGS !!!! Turns out Independent testing was done by other oil PEOPLE, and SN RATED oil only has 6 parts per million of the zincs. Now you fellas running MOTORS STAMPED WITH HHC all are running dual valve springs with high spring pressures, AND NEED A MINIMUM of 12 parts per million to keep from galling the cam lobes and cam followers etc. Now here is the real kicker , if the circle has a star burst around it, that has practically no zinc. This oil can they gave me says right on it, not for sale out side the US, no starburst though just a plain API circle with 20/50 and SN in it. Now you Brit fellas may not have the same problem yet, because the environmental cops have not come to you yet. The Valvolene racing oil still has 12 ppm or better, but the container has to say not for street use, to have 12 to 14 ppm. This is going to be a major engine failure type of problem if we are not careful. I have no Idea if the BSA motors with single valve spring pressures, are ok with the new oils. Muskrat, our forum moderator, says he uses NULON with great results, to avoid any wear, when the squeeze factor, squeezes the oil out in the oil shear syndrome, and it is metal to metal. This is when the 2 zinc products protect the metal to metal contact from galling. Some have said that over the many years we have had the zinc, it works its way into the metal, and some of the hardness remains after the zinc is long gone, to prevent galling. But this could just be the oil companies saying this trying to save their market share, for oil sales of older push rod type motors with high spring pressures. I do know that the air cooled Porsche racers are having more engine failures, as is the drag racers, you can google that right on the net. JUST BE BETTER OFF SAFE THAN SORRY !!!! I would like to know what the U S of A equivalent of NULON would be , if any one could help ??
BILL