Castrol Syntec 20w-50 no longer available ?

[Ed_K]

It is time for my annual oil and filter change. I have been using Castrol Syntec 20w-50 for the last two years and have liked the way it has performed. I had noticed that Walmart stopped stocking it several months ago and also noticed it was hard to find on the shelves at the local auto parts stores.
...
I searched the web today and found this posted on the Castrol web site ....
"
What is happening to Castrol SYNTEC 20W-50?
Castrol SYNTEC 20W-50 classic car formulation is being replaced by Castrol
with SYNTEC Power Technology 5W-50 viscosity grade. The 5W-50 grade
will also be specially formulated for classic car use and will adopt the 20W-50
claims – designed for use in classic cars. The 5W-50 formulation will contain
more zinc additives than the 20W-50 and will also enhance start up ability in
cold temperatures as well as enable better fuel economy "
.............

Has anyone seen this 5w-50 Syntec on the shelves yet ?
Will the fact that it is 5w-50 instead of 20w-50 hurt the engines in our Healeys in any way ?

Ed

 

[Keoke]

Will the fact that it is 5w-50 instead of 20w-50 hurt the engines in our Healeys in any way ?


Well ED:

I would think the quicker the oil flows cold, the less dry running. Less dry running means much less engine wear.

However, if you are worried you can go to a single viscosity racing engine oil.

---------------Fwiw--Keoke

 

[Randy Forbes]

I've always used Castrol 20w/50 GTX, but that 5w/50 Syntec sounds pretty good, especially the ZDDP part, I might give that a try!

Kind ot O.T., but I also made the decision (earlier today) to fit a thermostat to my oil cooler circuit, and I'm still on the fence (about spending the money, not the benefits) about adding an Accusump at the same time.

Edit: I've been using Syntec 10w/40 in my 99 M Rdstr for the last ten (10) years and 84,600 miles. The Blackstone analysis reports all come back with favorable results.

 

[Superwrench]

Ed, Sounds like a great oil for us Healey owners. More zinc additives, while most oils are including less. Zinc is great for your cam and lifters. The better fuel economy won't hurt either. Quick

 

[BoyRacer]

Randy, Putting a thermostat in the oil cooler circuit is an excellent idea. Cold oil does not like being forced through oil coolers that are restrictive to flow. The thermostat allows the oil to bypass the cooler when the oil is cold. When the oil gets hot, the thermostat opens and allows the oil to see the cooler. The important thing to remember is that we want the oil to be relatively hot - not cool. Hot oil flows better to the bearings, creates less drag and makes more power.

 

[Ed_K]

On the way home from work, I stopped at Walmart to see if they had any of this Castrol 5w-50 on the shelf. They didn't but
I found this oil that I did not remember seeing before ( in this
viscosity and packaging ). It was Mobil 1 15w-50 synthetic oil
that says " made for racing " or something to that effect.
Here is a link to the product decription;

https://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/MotorOil/Oils/Mobil_1_15W-50.aspx

I looked on the web to see if I could find out if it had any ZDDP in it or not. I also found the following on the mobil web site:

https://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/Moto...1_Products.aspx

" The important element here is the phosphorus since it is the active antiwear additive. That's why we show phosphorus as well as zinc. The zinc content is in the range of 0.12 - 0.13 weight percent (1200 - 1300 ppm). (Mobil 1 Extended Performance 15W-50 [gold cap] was discontinued about May 2009.) "



It would appear that this oil would be suitable for our cars as well as the new Castrol 5w-50 .

Walmart was selling 5 quart containers as well as 1 qt containers at a good price.

Ed

 

[Keoke]

Mobile 1 oil, has been used and preferred by many classic car owners for a number of years now ED.---Fwiw--Keoke

 

[Bob_Spidell]

Will the fact that it is 5w-50 instead of 20w-50 hurt the engines in our Healeys in any way ?

Ed

At one time, at least, there was a potential issue with multi-vis oils with a large viscosity range. In order to get the large range, the base stock was a relatively thin oil then lots of viscosity improvers were added to get the larger viscosity number. This was the knock on 10W-40 which, IIRC was a viscosity 7 base stock with improvers. So, you had a relatively thin oil with lots of VI, which add little to the lubricity of the oil and whose long-chain molecules tended to shear and break down over time (and with heat).

However, I wouldn't have any qualms using a 5W-50 synthetic from either Mobil or Castrol, especially if they're beefing-up the ZDDP. Would be really useful when you take your Healey ice fishing, too.

 

[Stretch]

I ran into the unavailable Castrol Syntec 20W-50 problem last summer. I called Castrol at the number on their website. They said it was still available, but I would have to call the nearest distibutor. They provided the phone number. I called and had two cases delivered. Try calling Castrol to see if you can make similar arrangements.

 

[RAC68]

Hi All,

Many suggest I don’t but I tried the highest viscosity of Synthetic (Mobil 1) a while back (can’t remember the viscosity) and, as suggested, I found the oil disappearing quite rapidly. Switched back to regular Castrol 20W50 and the flow out was reduced to a trickle.

As usual, and since I don’t drive hard but do frequently shift at 5K RPMs, I will go to the local shop and should be safe using the 20W50 oils available.

All the best,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

 

[Keoke]

Hi All,

Many suggest I don’t but I tried the highest viscosity of Synthetic (Mobil 1) a while back (can’t remember the viscosity) and, as suggested, I found the oil disappearing quite rapidly. Switched back to regular Castrol 20W50 and the flow out was reduced to a trickle.

As usual, and since I don’t drive hard but do frequently shift at 5K RPMs, I will go to the local shop and should be safe using the 20W50 oils available.

All the best,
Ray (64BJ8P1)

Well Ray, why not use Valvoline 50w racing, or an equivalent, oil and then you won't have to worry about being safe.

 

[Ed_K]

Advance Auto Parts is having a sale. I walked out with 10 qts. of 5w-50 Castrol Syntec and two K&N 2009 oil filters for $56. plus tax.

:thumbsup:

Ed

 

[Ed_K]

It looks like I went off 1/2 cocked to try and purchase this new Castrol oil. Don't make the same mistake as I did.
I read many more pages on the Castrol web site trying to figure out if their old product " Castrol Syntec 5w-50" contained the same amounts of ZDDP as their new product "Castrol EDGE with syntec technology 5w-50 ". I found the product data sheets and it appears that the old product Castrol Syntec 5w-50 does NOT contain any ZDDP.

I also found a statement " The new Castrol EDGE with syntec technology 5w-50 for classic cars " will not be widely available until march 2011 " In very small print !
....
So it is back to advance to get my money back.


I guess I'll use the Mobil-1 15w-50 that I saw at Walmart which is also supposed to have enough ZDDP in it for our solid lifters this time.

Ed

 

[Keoke]

Well ED since you are going back to Advance I bet they have Valvoline racing oil on the shelf and this could save you an additional trip to Walmart---Fwiw--Keoke

 

[why]

OMG, for twenty five years now I have been using just any ol' name brand 20-40 in my English cars, from '61 Elite with original Coventry Climax to '49 TC much less '65 3000, use to change once/yr and about ten years ago switched to every 2 years (about 1500mi.)and never had any engine problems or loss of performance, amazed at how clean oil is when I do change it. Reading this thread makes me feel I should have engine parts littering the highway. Anyone out there actually had any engine problems attributable to 20-40 or other just any ol' mainstream oil?
Jay

 

[Keoke]

WHY!!!-- :laugh:

Well lets just say "A word to the wise is sufficient"---Keoke--

 

[Ed_K]

Why,

I used to use almost any oil as you until I learned a few years ago that the government has been leaning on oil companies to remove all of the ZDDP from motor oils. The ZDDP has been in most motor oils for many decades because it was found to be the best substance to prevent wear in a metal to metal contact situation such as between the Austin Healey cam shaft and the solid lifers. If I am considering to use a new oil in my Healey, I will find out if the new motor oil that I want to use in my Healey contains ZDDP. I am not an expert but there have been some horror stories about cam lobes wearing out after only a couple thousand miles after a rebuild. If you search the web, you will see many other classic car groups have been discussing this same topic.
... It is said that the ZDDP causes the catalyst in catalytic
converters to become coated with zinc which makes it stop working. That is why the government is hot to get it out of motor oils. In modern cars without solid lifters, not having any ZDDP in the oil is not a problem. It is only a problem with older cars with solid lifters and cars with a lot of pressure on the cam lobes such as in high performance engines.

Ed

 

[anthony7777]

keoke, the guys that designed/created/developed/tested mobil 1 in large part were the guys we flew around the world to public and closed circuit events/testing grounds, ill never use anything else.

 

[Keoke]

:thumbsup:

Hi 7777, Well I know that a lot of classic car owners around the world use the Mobile one. However, since I was not really looking for longer times between oil changes I never tried it.--Keoke---

 

[John_Progess]

I don't have any personal horror stories but I can show you two MG cams with flattened lobes on them! Not sure what caused this as they were in donated motors for the parts bin.

John