Zinc in motor oil?

being somone that has worked on MANY antique tractors and has farmed with them, i can tell you now that any oil is better then no oil! any oil (of the proper viscosity) is better than they had when they were new, until the last few years zinc in the oil was not really much of a debate with them, we have just used standard napa oil, and they preform and wear perfectly fine.
But i Just last week got done overhauling a G john deere, i had a chunk of change stuck in it so i took all measures to protect the new engine, I used AMSOIL 30 weight break in oil with added zinc,
In the long run, it may be just a "feel good" addition, but if it helps the engine in any way it is a plus, Oil is cheap engines are not
john
 
Since 1956 when I started to play with engines, I have never seen a properly maintained engine fail attributed to the performance of motor oil, and that includes modern motor oils with reduced / no zinc additive.

In my opinion, modern motor oils contain all that is necessary for antique engines to perform well, and much better than their designers imagined.
 
The added zinc will not hurt the engine. If you feel better using it do so. While that may sound a little harsh, when we drive our cars we should only be concerned with driving it and not have some nagging thought that "am I hurting" the engine. This is my opinion on all additives that can be used in the A. A whole lot of people use them and a whole lot don't. If you feel better using it go right ahead a do so.
 
Bravissimo! Many Mod A owners get too wound up on the false idea that their car has a Meyer-Drake, Offy engine or a finely tuned antique European sports car engine that must be babied and worshiped on off days. Taint so! The mod A engine is a rather primitive, simplistic workhorse of a machine. It worked well for what it was. It was well made, but I could have given Henry Ford a few pointers about engine longevity. Didn't I read somewhere the Mod A was only expected to last ten years? Consider this, The mod A was produced as we went into the depression. The average person just didn't have any cash for an oil change. Then the war came along and you couldn't get oil. Yet these maintainanced starved vehicles soldiered on. Also, The best oils of the 1930s weren't as good as the worst oils of today!
Terry



Bob Bidonde said:
Since 1956 when I started to play with engines, I have never seen a properly maintained engine fail attributed to the performance of motor oil, and that includes modern motor oils with reduced / no zinc additive.

In my opinion, modern motor oils contain all that is necessary for antique engines to perform well, and much better than their designers imagined.
Click to expand...
 
Some years back the Porsche Club did extensive research and motor teardown on the effects of reduced zinc levels in oils on horizontally , flat opposed engines. Supposedly the zinc levels were reduced due to the adverse effects on catalytic converters. All the technical details I can't remember and probably wouldn't understand, but there was discussion about boosting zinc to reduce the scuffing as discussed in prior posts. STP used to supply a red bottle with purported elevated zinc levels but it is no longer available on store shelves in our area.
 
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