John431 Posted September 11, 2020 Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 Howdy all I have a question regarding oil type I have 1947 Dodge 230 flathead. I have no history on this engine, so with that..I'm not sure if I should use detergent or non detergent oil. It does "appear" to have been rebuilt at some time(if that matters) and runs well, so....what do you suggest using without any history ? Thanks John Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Buchanan Posted September 11, 2020 Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 (edited) Two recent discussions: https://p15-d24.com/topic/53757-old-mopar-flat-head-engine-oil-additives-poll/ https://p15-d24.com/topic/53256-oil/ Edited September 11, 2020 by Sam Buchanan 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
desoto1939 Posted September 11, 2020 Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 First question is does the engine have an oil filter already on the engine? It could be the old style oil can style that is a throw-away metal all inone unit could be a fram PB1/2 or other brand or does it have the canister style inwhich there is a bolt on the lid that you unscrew and the lid comes off and there isa drop in oil filter. Need to answer the above question first. If there is no oil filter then I would stay with a straight weight motor oil 30 weight NON-Detergent. If you use a 10w-30W oil which is a detergent oil there isa good possibility that particles of the built up sludge in the bottom of th eoil pan will become lose and then get into the oil passages and can make a mess with the engine and since there is not filter even more issues. If there isa n oil filter check the filter element and replace then you could use 10w-30. remember that when using a detergent oil the oil will turn black sooner because of the cleaning agents. So the decision is up to you. You then might ask what oil brand to use. This is a persoannal choice on your part. The motor oils of today are so much better that when in the 40-50's. So any brand off the self even the walmart store brand will be fine. Some people use diesal oil because of the zzdp additive for the flat tappets Thats another issue all on its own. If you rebuild your enigine then would suggest that you use a breakin oil during the iintial startup and the zddp additive to help with the flat tappets since the internal parts would be so clean and to eliniate any wear issues. Others wil chime in on this topic. Rich HArtung Desoto1939@aol.com 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Buchanan Posted September 11, 2020 Report Share Posted September 11, 2020 2 hours ago, desoto1939 said: Others wil chime in on this topic. They already have.....see post #2. ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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