Oil For K301S

[ebinmaine 75,009]

2 minutes ago, Wheelhorse#1 said:

Just make sure it comes from dinosaurs, most important.
 😆 

 

 

I've always found this particular wives tale very interesting.

 

Oil is not now, never was, anything to do with a dinosaur.....

 

As with many many things we have been misinformed on over the years, it was originally an advertising campaign that stuck.

 

 

 

"Why the myth is popular

The name "fossil fuel": The term "fossil" is misleading. It refers to the remains of once-living organisms, but it doesn't mean we are drilling up literal dinosaur bones.

Marketing: The Sinclair Oil Corporation used a dinosaur as its mascot in the 1900s, which helped create a visual association between dinosaurs and oil in the public consciousness". 

[RED-Z06 2,689]

6 minutes ago, Wheelhorse#1 said:

Just make sure it comes from dinosaurs, most important.
 😆 

Why?  Conventional oil is inferior in every category and Synthetic is nearly the same cost.

[Bill D 2,401]

I run Mobil 1 10W-30 in all my machines.  Easy to get locally.   No problems so far.  If I was going to order Amsoil, I would go with their  ZRod formulation.  Extra zinc for flat tappet cams plus additives for corrosion protection during long term storage.   I talked to an Amsoil rep on the phone, ZRod will work fine in a small engine since the base oil is the same.

[kpinnc 15,972]

In my Kohlers, I run Rotella T4 10w30 synthetic blend. It's already got zinc in it. You can also find Rotella in SAE30 if preferred. Since it's used in diesels, the anti wear additives aren't stripped like in most automotive oils. 

 

T6 is full synthetic, but I haven't tried it yet. Maybe I need to upgrade...

 

I use Vanguard small engine oil in my V twins. 10w30 here as well. 

[702854boy 333]

On 11/25/2025 at 3:01 PM, RED-Z06 said:

Why?  Conventional oil is inferior in every category and Synthetic is nearly the same cost.

When we were trying to figure out why our one '59 Biscayne was smoking a few years ago, he found some people online said that the synthetic oil is somehow thinner than the conventional oil and is able to slip past the rings and stuff on old engines since those engines don't have as tight clearances as the engines nowadays.

[702854boy 333]

On 11/24/2025 at 8:46 PM, RED-Z06 said:

a multi-viscosity oil gives you the thinner qualities when cold, but still protects like a heavier oil when hot, its not holding you to a compromise with straight viscosity.

I've always been confused how it gets thinner when colder and thicker when hot. It doesn't quite make sense to me.

[ebinmaine 75,009]

13 minutes ago, 702854boy said:

When we were trying to figure out why our one '59 Biscayne was smoking a few years ago, he found some people online said that the synthetic oil is somehow thinner than the conventional oil and is able to slip past the rings and stuff on old engines since those engines don't have as tight clearances as the engines nowadays.

 

This has been proven false. Uneducated people trying to show other uneducated people what they all think they know or don't know is true.

 

Some synthetic oils will flow better than their conventional counterparts and that is exactly what they're supposed to do.

 

If an engine is smoking or leaking more with a synthetic oil as compared to a conventional oil, it is not the fault of the synthetic oil. Is the fault of a worn engine.

 

 

12 minutes ago, 702854boy said:

I've always been confused how it gets thinner when colder and thicker when hot. It doesn't quite make sense to me.

 

 

That has always baffled me as well. Science!

[lynnmor 8,149]

23 minutes ago, ebinmaine said:

 

That has always baffled me as well. Science!

Just another old wives tale.  The synthetic oil doesn't get thinner when cold nor thicker when hot, it just doesn't change as much as conventional oil.

[RED-Z06 2,689]

1 hour ago, 702854boy said:

I've always been confused how it gets thinner when colder and thicker when hot. It doesn't quite make sense to me.

It doesn't get thinner or thicker.  10w40 for example, a straight sae10 oil will have flow properties, a straight sae40 will have flow properties.  An sae 10 will be nice and thin when cold..but when hot it will be too thin to protect.  An sae40 will be a bit thick when cold but will protect better when hot by being thicker.

10w40,  will have 10wt characteristics when cold and 40wt when hot, it gives you thinner qualities for faster cold lubrication but also protects when hot.

[702854boy 333]

1 hour ago, RED-Z06 said:

It doesn't get thinner or thicker.  10w40 for example, a straight sae10 oil will have flow properties, a straight sae40 will have flow properties.  An sae 10 will be nice and thin when cold..but when hot it will be too thin to protect.  An sae40 will be a bit thick when cold but will protect better when hot by being thicker.

10w40,  will have 10wt characteristics when cold and 40wt when hot, it gives you thinner qualities for faster cold lubrication but also protects when hot.

So basically the multiweight oil is just genetically modified to have charactistics of both weights at different temperatures?

[squonk 44,751]

I'll stick with Rotella 30W year round until I can't find it anymore. Walmart and TSC still carry it for around $17 a gal. 

[RED-Z06 2,689]

47 minutes ago, 702854boy said:

So basically the multiweight oil is just genetically modified to have charactistics of both weights at different temperatures?

In a sense, yes, but not genetically.

 

think of it like.. when crude oil is refined, a byproduct is mineral oil, mineral oil can have things added to it to give it different qualities, viscosities, detergents, anti-foaming agents...etc, but its still just a mineral oil.  Synthetic oil takes that base and changes it at a molecular level, breaking it down into individual components, removing unnecessary or unwanted components then reassembled leaving only the parts that aid in lubrication.  It has a lower freezing point, flows long after conventional has turned solid, has a higher breakdown point, when conventional oil has broken down..synthetic oil is still protecting.  It maintains its viscosity over a much broader breadth of temperatures.  Synthetic oil is still oil, its just oil in its most pure, most affective form.