Tag Archive for: zinc

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Is High-Zinc Motor Oil Bad For Oxygen Sensors?

AMSOIL Z-ROD 20W-50 Synthetic Motor OilA reader asks: I am restoring a 1974 Triumph TR6 with the 2.5-liter engine. The engine is being completely rebuilt. Most importantly, I’m upgrading to full electronic sequential fuel injection and electronic ignition. This means that there will be O2 lambda sensors on the exhaust. Does this mean that I can’t use a motor oil with high zinc? There will no catalytic converters in place.

Our answer: Your classic Triumph engine would still be best protected by a motor oil with high-zinc (also called ZDDP) content. Motor oil with high-zinc and phosphorus ingredients pose no risk to oxygen sensors. So, there is plenty of upside for valvetrain protection, but no downside in terms of O2 sensor compatibility.

Even if your car had catalytic converters, the risk of problems from your engine oil’s zinc ingredients would be could be relatively low.

Our best motor oil option is AMSOIL Z-ROD Synthetic Motor Oil Series. Z-ROD contains 1440 ppm of zinc and 1320 ppm of phosphorus. Therefore, it delivers the best possible protection for either flat tappet cams or roller cams in classic engines. Not only does Z-ROD deliver the best possible wear protection in vintage engines, it also offers world-class rust and corrosion protection. Therefore, it’s also delivering protection during extended storage periods.

The Z-ROD Series was designed from the ground up for classic cars and street rods. It is available in 10W-30, 10W-40 or 20W-50.

Where To Buy AMSOIL Z-ROD Motor Oil For Classic Cars?

Oildepot can offer AMSOIL Z-ROD Motor Oil to classic car enthusiasts at wholesale prices. Contact us for a wholesale price list using the form on this page or call us at 1-800-748-5781.

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A High Zinc Motor Oil For Winter Use?

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A reader asks: My daily driver pickup has a Chevy 283 engine with flat tappet cams. I use this truck all winter and it regularly sees sub-zero cold starts. So, I need a high zinc oil that flows fast in the winter. Will AMSOIL Z-Rod 10W-30 work well for winter use?

AMSOIL Series 3000 Synthetic 5W-30 Heavy-Duty Diesel Oil Our answer: AMSOIL Z-ROD Synthetic 10W-30 does offer very good cold weather properties. But we have another option that will offer better winter start-up performance.

AMSOIL Series 3000 Heavy Duty 5W-30 Diesel Oil has very high zinc and phosphorus. It is also designed for gasoline engines. This 5W-30 has 1379 ppm of zinc and 1266 ppm of phosphorus. These amounts are more than adequate for flat tappet cam protection.

Series 3000 5W-30 has a cold-pour-point of -47°C (-51°F). Therefore, it will flow very well on those cold mornings, while delivering exceptional flat tappet cam wear control.

What About Z-ROD 10W-30 Winter Performance?

First off, AMSOIL Z-ROD Synthetic 10W-30 offers 1440 ppm of zinc and 1320 ppm of phosphorus. So, its flat tappet cam credentials are ideal.

Z-ROD 10W-30 has a cold-pour-point of -46°C/-51°F. On the surface, it looks like the winter performance between Series 3000 5W-30 and Z-ROD 10W-30 is identical. The cold-pour-points of the two oils are within 1°C.

The cold-pour-point is the temperature threshold where a motor oil stops flowing.

But there is more to the story.

Comparing “Cold Cranking Simulator” Values

An important indicator of a motor oil’s ability to perform in extreme cold is the “cold cranking simulator” (CCS) test. This is a widely recognized industry lab test. In the CCS test, a motor oil is cooled down to a specific temperature. Then a crankshaft is rotated in the chilled oil. The viscosity of the motor oil is measured in “centipoise”. (cP)

A lower viscosity number scored in this test means better oil flow in extreme cold.

Industry standards dictate that 5W-30 motor oils are measured at -30°C and 10W-30 oils are measured at -25°C.

Therefore, the CCS numbers for these two products are not measured on exactly the same scale. But we can extrapolate.

  • Series 3000 5W-30- CCS @ -30C is 5286 cP
  • Z-ROD 10W-30- CCS @ -25C is 5138 cP

Remember, the lower the score in this test, the better an oil performs in cold weather.

If Z-ROD 10W-30’s CCS test was measured at -30°C, it’s cold cranking performance would turn out to be about 15% worse than Series 3000 5W-30.

To sum up, both AMSOIL Series 3000 5W-30 and Z-ROD 10W-30 offer very good winter performance. The 5W-30 has a distinct edge in terms of winter-cold-cranking performance and would be our choice for this scenario.

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Motorcycle Oil: Do Zinc And Phosphorus Levels Matter Anymore?

AMSOIL Metric 15W-50 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil A reader asks: I’ve got a Ducati Monster 1200. AMSOIL Metric 15W-50 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil is suggested for this model. This engine revs up to over 9000 rpm, so it needs oil with good wear protection and foaming resistance. What is the zinc and phosphorus content of this oil? I can’t find this information anywhere.

Our answer: The fixation on zinc and phosphorus content in motorcycle oil is old thinking. With today’s ashless additive technology, zinc and phosphorus levels are far less relevant for some motor oils. Let us explain.

AMSOIL Metric 15W-50 carries the JASO MA2 and API SM specifications. The JASO MA2 oil standard signifies that a motorcycle oil is safe for catalytic converters. High levels of traditional motor oil additives like zinc and phosphorus can damage catalytic converters. Therefore, alternate technology has to be employed in order for the oil to provide adequate wear protection.

Metric 15W-50 Synthetic Motorcycle Oil employs the latest “ashless” additive technology. Therefore, it has less zinc and phosphorus than some of AMSOIL’s more traditional motorcycle oil formulas.

Why Zinc And Phosphorus Numbers Are Not Important Anymore

Let’s compare the zinc and phosphorus content of AMSOIL V-Twin Synthetic 20W-50 and AMSOIL Metric Synthetic 15W-50. The V-Twin 20W-50 has a more traditional formulation than Metric 15W-50.

  • AMSOIL Metric 15W-50- Zinc- 841 ppm, Phosphorus- 767 ppm
  • AMSOIL V-Twin 20W-50- Zinc- 1300 ppm, Phosphorus- 1100 ppm

Based on these numbers, is the V-Twin 20W-50 vastly superior to Metric 15W-50? Not at all! AMSOIL Technical Services tells us that the wear control between the two products is identical. They also tell us that ashless additives bring other advantages.

For instance, when there is blow-by, old-style heavy-metal additives (such as zinc and phosphorus) from can create engine deposits. Ashless additives do not create these deposits.

Conclusion

Ashless motor oil additive technology has revolutionized motor oils in the passenger car and heavy-duty diesel engine oil segments. This technology is also a major player in part of the motorcycle oil market. Simply looking for the motorcycle oil with the highest zinc and phosphorus numbers won’t automatically point to the best product.

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