what type of oil to use in a 225?

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Firsttimemopar14

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this may sound stupid but i need to do an oil change on my 1968 dodge dart and i have no clue what type of oil to use. 5w-20? 5w-30? please help!!!
 
When I bought my 68 dart the dude was running 10w30. I neglected to ask him when the last time he changed it was. The oil is black/brown now, so I'd like to ask a secondary question on this thread: should the 225 have oil swapped like everything else? 3k -6k miles? Sorry if that's dumb, but before the dart the oldest car I owned was a '68 Porsche 911, and I didn't own it long enough to do an oil change, and a '91 Sunbird. Other than that it's been Hondas and Toyotas from this century.
 
10w30 changed every 3.500 miles, oil filter Gold NAPA.. just don't use
cheep oil filters!
 
I always changed the oil when it was a quart low, which would be right at 3000 miles. 10W30 in winter and 20W50 in summer....
 
Engines haven't changed much, oil has improved, so you can run 7000 miles between changes. If anything, a slant is more forgiving than current aluminum head overhead cam engines. What really matters is how much suspended carbon is in the oil, i.e. how black it gets. Diesel oils have more detergent, so some here run that (Rotella, etc). I use 10W30 (better mileage) non-synthetic and change it every 6 months in my daily drivers (~5000 mi). If your engine has worn rings (noticeable blow-by, burns oil, low compression), use 10W40 or even 20W50. The "high mileage" oils might be expensive snake oil.
 
BillGrissom said:
Engines haven't changed much, oil has improved, so you can run 7000 miles between changes. If anything, a slant is more forgiving than current aluminum head overhead cam engines. What really matters is how much suspended carbon is in the oil, i.e. how black it gets. Diesel oils have more detergent, so some here run that (Rotella, etc). I use 10W30 (better mileage) non-synthetic and change it every 6 months in my daily drivers (~5000 mi). If your engine has worn rings (noticeable blow-by, burns oil, low compression), use 10W40 or even 20W50. The "high mileage" oils might be expensive snake oil.
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mine doesn't seem to burn it, but it does get slightly low within a week of dd. I I have replaced a few gaskets and every one seems to help the oil loss slightly. It's pretty obvious when you see oil buildup by a gasket, but currently I see a bit of buildup on the oil fill cap that is also attached to the air cleaner. Some how it winds up the side of the cap but nowhere else, and it's not dripping out. Perhaps that's normal? Or I should swot to 40 as you suggested? I'm not sure what work was done on the car before I owned it. I I'm the third owner and the previous guy added the 5 fin fan and a new radiator. There's lots of service records from the original owner, and the motor has 80k miles. I don't know that that few warrants a rebuild really.
 
OEM recommends 10w-30. Don't forget that modern oils are lacking the zinc additive needed to keep our classic engine alive. I would recommend buying a high zinc content oil or buying the additive. Stay away from Synthetics because they have even less zinc in them.

And for gods sake don't cheap out on an oil filter!
 
71Scamper said:
OEM recommends 10w-30. Don't forget that modern oils are lacking the zinc additive needed to keep our classic engine alive. I would recommend buying a high zinc content oil or buying the additive. Stay away from Synthetics because they have even less zinc in them.

And for gods sake don't cheap out on an oil filter!
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Yeah, same advice here. Add some Royal Purple or Lucas zinc additive. Get a good oil filter. First filter I bought was a generic "value" filter. The oil drains back into the pain when the engine is off. I could here rod knock for the first couple of seconds after start up. The engine was already well worn and loose when I got the car. Who knows what condition it woulda been in if prior owners all used top shelf filters.
 
I get Pep Boys 10w-30, change it every 3000 miles with a Fram filter. Why Pep Boys? Because its cheap and I believe its actually non-branded Havoline, if I'm not mistaken.
 
cam.man67 said:
I get Pep Boys 10w-30, change it every 3000 miles with a Fram filter. Why Pep Boys? Because its cheap and I believe its actually non-branded Havoline, if I'm not mistaken.
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I believe your right. I remember a friend of mine that worked in the service garage at the local Pep-girls telling me something like that. There's nothing wrong with havoline but still need the Zinc additive. It's very important for engine that have flat tappet cams.

All engines manufactured now are roller cam and even equipped with roller rockers. theres no need for the extra protection of the zinc because of the roller setups. plus, the zinc causes problems for the catalytic converters. That's why they have reduced the amount of zinc in oil to nearly none!
 
I don't believe it is necessary to use a additive, in a stock or mild build, once the engine is broke in. I use 10-30 "house" brand oil in all my engines, with out any problems. My 66 Barracuda has a cam that I have been using since 1979, it turns low to mid 13's in the quarter, and I rev between 6,000 and 6500 rpm. My 86 Toyota PU does not have roller cam followers, and has 378,000 miles on it. I think my Dippy has roller lifters, and my other engines don't have enough miles on them to brag about them.
 
I'd rather pay e couple extra bucks...call it 'piece of mind' insurance
 
kittypancake said:
Yeah, same advice here. Add some Royal Purple or Lucas zinc additive. Get a good oil filter. First filter I bought was a generic "value" filter. The oil drains back into the pain when the engine is off. I could here rod knock for the first couple of seconds after start up. The engine was already well worn and loose when I got the car. Who knows what condition it woulda been in if prior owners all used top shelf filters.
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I have not been using the additive, and would have never known that they needed a high zinc content till you guys just mentioned that. I think this is so far the best forum I have ever been on for cars. Don't even get me started on honda forums...

I am looking for a spot to change my oil. Last time I did, I missed the catch completely and let about 4 quarts of oil dump right onto the driveway. 4 bags of sweep junk later - still on the driveway. Landlord was not too happy. I am not sure if I'd want to take it to Jiffy Lube. They do fine with my other cars, but it seems like from what I'm hearing - I should attend to this myself.
 
Serj22 said:
I have not been using the additive, and would have never known that they needed a high zinc content till you guys just mentioned that. I think this is so far the best forum I have ever been on for cars. Don't even get me started on honda forums...

I am looking for a spot to change my oil. Last time I did, I missed the catch completely and let about 4 quarts of oil dump right onto the driveway. 4 bags of sweep junk later - still on the driveway. Landlord was not too happy. I am not sure if I'd want to take it to Jiffy Lube. They do fine with my other cars, but it seems like from what I'm hearing - I should attend to this myself.
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Invest in a bigger catch pan. Or dont change the oil when the engine is hot. That oil wont come shooting out as fast if its not hot. Some parts stores also have special drain plugs that you can hook a hose up to and let it drain straight into a container.
 
just run Valvoline VR1 racing oil in 10-30. it has all the good still and is the same price as GTX...
 
don't go cheap on the filter no regular fram lowest id go is fram (tough guard),and oil if u have a oil pressure gauge on it and u have low pressure when shes running at full temp like a 20min drive then id use 20-50 all the time and use a good additive i like stp the most.
 
Run a 10-30 oil...I like Castrol.
Wix oil filter....There the best.
While your there get a Wix fuel filter.
Under no circumstance use a Fram....They are the worst.
:burnout:
 
The slant 6 was designed before ZDDP was invented. Any quality 10w30 or 10w40 motor oil will do just fine. Keep it changed regularly, slants like to make sludge, especially if subjected to a lot of short trip driving.
 
Here in Central Queensland, Australia, I use a 20W50 in winter and a 25W60 in summer.
I use Motorcraft oil filters....they flow heaps......on a RHD slant 6, the oil filter is remote mounted on the left, front of the engine.....because the steering box is mounted to the right frame rail, right behind the oil pump.
 
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