'67 AMC 327- What oil is most appropriate?

[jpcoutts]

The title says it all. I've been using 10w30. Is there a better choice for an engine from the sixties? The TSM doesn't offer much info other than use 10w30 unless the temp stays below 32 degrees.

[joe]

10w-30 or 10w-40 is fine. Just use a quality name brand.

[tgreese]

My Jeeps get the 20W50 Rotella or Delo for diesel engines - seems fine. I don't drive them much in the winter.

[FSJunkie]

The oil it was designed to run....meaning Pennzoil with Z-7 10W30. I have a case of it left over from the 1980's that I've been putting in my engines.

Or modern Quaker State high mileage 10W30. It's formulation and additives, including ZDDP, closely resemble the old oils of yore that these engines were designed to use. Quaker State developed this line of oil specifically for pre-1980 engines. It has higher ZDDP and lower detergency than other modern oils. It's also inexpensive. Walmart and Autozone have it.

I tend to stay away from Diesel oil. Yes, it works and yes it is higher ZDDP, but its higher detergency tends to offset the higher ZDDP and I think it's cleaning action is a little too aggressive. Engines benefit from having a little bit of sludge and stuff coating their insides and you don't want to strip too much of that away with detergents (solvents) in the oil.

327's don't have aggresive camshaft profiles or stiff valve springs by any means, so they are likely fine on modern low ZDDP oil, but a little extra ZDDP is good insurance since the camshafts on these engines are becoming darn near impossible to find. The Quaker State I mentioned before has enough ZDDP.

Castrol 5W50 synthetic is also high ZDDP but it is very expensive and don't let the advertising fool you: it still needs to be changed every 5000 miles or less or it breaks down. I found that out personally.


Also don't use a Wix or Napa filter on your 327. The X1258 filer they use are often defective and allow oil to drain out of the filter after the engine is shut off. Use an AC Delco PF24, STP S25, or a Purolator L30005.

[jpcoutts]

The good news is I bought the QS 10w30 mentioned, but I ended up with a Wix filter as that was what I could find. I'll go looking for a different filter before I change it. I'm putting it in a low mileage engine, for its age but the info about the additives is the kind of help I was looking for. Thanks for all of the responses, that's what makes this such a great group!

[440sixpack]

even though your engine has low pressure springs you should run zinc in it as it was intended to have. just add one of the ZZDP additives and you should be fine.


I run only Brad Penn oils ( formerly Kendall ) in my flat tappet engines because it has everything you need added to a high quality oil.

[FSJunkie]

You can add a ZDDP additive to any oil you want.

But the Quaker State high mileage 10W30 and the Castrol synthetic 5W50 oils I mentioned already have enough ZDDP. I sent off samples of each oil and had them tested. I've run them both myself.

But yes, buying plain old Valvoline conventional and pouring in some ZDDP additive works too.

[Herk]

Compared to the best oil available when that engine was designed, you simply can't buy oil that bad today. As others have said, pretty much any name brand will be fine. I tend to use Rotella 15w-40 in older engines and have had no problems. The whole ZDDP thing is pretty distorted by the additive marketers. Levels have dropped, but they are similar to what was in late 50's oils. It was in the late 70's when the levels went way up. Coincidentally this was right after GM started cheaping out on the materials their cams were made of.

[FSJunkie]

GM started cheaping out

Never heard that before, have we? I swear 1970's GM cars are the reason people tend to dislike 1970's American cars.

And I own a late 1970's GM car that I love. I bash on it, but I love it.

[jpcoutts]

I got the oil changed this afternoon and all is well, except in the TSM there is a footnote that says to add an extra quart of oil if you change the filter. So I added the extra quart for a total of six and the dip stick now reads what looks like a quart too much! I think I'll just watch it for a little bit and see if there is a change. I don't think draining a quart out is necessary if it remains overfull unless some one knows it to be a bad idea.

[FSJunkie]

The manual says 4 quarts is the oil capacity, add one quart if the filter is changed with it. Total capacity is 5 quarts with filter change. The filter holds 1 quart and the oil pan holds 4 quarts.

I'd drain 1 quart out if it were my engine.

[jpcoutts]

At least I didn't mis-read it and put less in after changing the filter!

[jpcoutts]

So I went back to the TSM to double check my original thought about what it says about how much oil it takes to fill the crankcase after changing the oil and filter. The maintenance table says five quarts for an oil change and the ** footnote says to add one quart when changing the filter. I then got out the owners manual and it says 4 quarts and the footnote** there says add one quart when changing the filter. Obviously the owners manual is correct and the TSM is not. I've never questioned what the TSM says and still don't but find this very interesting. Now I just need to go out and drain a quart of oil out of it.
Thanks for the heads up FSJunkie!

[FSJunkie]

Save the quart you drain out. You'll probably be pouring it back in about 1000 miles.

[jpcoutts]

So true! I read in one of the manuals that you should check the oil level after about 1,000 miles and add 1 qt. if needed.