North American Turbocoupe Organization



15W-40 to 10W-30 oil opinions
John B Offline
Member
#1
I bought my 88 turbo coupe back in January of this year. Since I bought it, I've been running Rotella T6 15w-40 oil. Heard/read a lot of good things about using it for turbo motor applications. I've noticed that as the weather has been getting cooler that my oil pressure has been extremely high before the oil gets to full operating temperature ( kind of expected). I'm thinking of switching to a 10w-30 synthetic for the upcoming fall and winter and just adding a zddp additive. What's your guys opinion on this? I searched but didn't really find what I was looking for. Thanks everyone
88 Turbo Coupe: Front mount intercooler, MGW short throw shifter, full coilover conversion, tubular control arms front and rear, svo front brakes, vacuum assist brake swap, manual steering swap, GT35R turbo with external gate, pimpx ecu, 60lb injectors, 3 core aluminum radiator, Boport 1.5 cam, gutted upper, corbeau fixed back seats, and the list goes on.
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Not B Anymore Offline
Administrator
#2
I use Valvoline VR1 10w-30. It has high zinc content. I buy it on Amazon.
Brian Leavitt
'86 TC 5-Speed -- MS2x w/COP | 83 lb. injectors | T3/T4 50 Trim Stage 3 .63AR | Full 3" Exhaust - No Cat | Motorsport FMIC | Ranger Roller | Ported E6 | Walbro 255HP | Kirban | 20psi | 120-amp 3G | 8.8" 3.55 rear | '03 Cobra Wheels
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Pete D Offline
Administrator
#3
I use 10w-30 it because:
The factory recommends it.

When the oil is cold, 10W-30 flows through those small turbo passages better than 15w-40, year round.

I've never had a turbo problem w/ 10w-30 (I already admitted to the rebuilt turbo that quickly failed due to the flaking varnish from a re-used oil supply line, in a recent post.

I've used it year round.
Pete Dunham


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John B Offline
Member
#4
Looks like 10W-30 it is. Thanks for the replies guys
88 Turbo Coupe: Front mount intercooler, MGW short throw shifter, full coilover conversion, tubular control arms front and rear, svo front brakes, vacuum assist brake swap, manual steering swap, GT35R turbo with external gate, pimpx ecu, 60lb injectors, 3 core aluminum radiator, Boport 1.5 cam, gutted upper, corbeau fixed back seats, and the list goes on.
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RC Martin Offline
Posting Freak
#5
I've been running 10w-40 since my rebuild. Runs quieter I think.

I'd skip the zddp, I've read a lot on oils, you're always better off with a good blend out of the bottle than adding anything separate.
Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, Bright Canyon Red TuTone, Desert Tan Interior; 1 of 7 in this combo in 1984 according to Marti.  1 of 13,361 TCs in 84.
   Rebuilt, 3-Angle Valve Job, SYB37 "OE/Small" Slider Cam
   Full 3" Stinger Exhaust to Flowmaster 40, Gnari FMIC/Recirc/BPV, MBC @ 18psi, RF-E6 Manifold, Remote-Mount TFI, PC1 and Flowed 35# Injectors, Inline Walboro 255HP, Kirban AFPR
   Rebuilt Suspension -- KYB & Energy Suspension
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BirdJunkie Offline
Senior Member
#6
130,000 on mile and have run 10w30 Castrol GTX since the first oil change with no problems. If and when it needs a rebuild, I will be running Mobil 1 like the rest of my vehicles.
88 TC 5SPD BLACK MY BABY ORIG.OWNER(garage queen)/06 GTO 6SPD RED WIFES CAR(cop magnet...lol)/2011 TAHOE WHITE (wifes daily driver a.k.a Fifty Cent)/2016 SUPER DUTY RED(my daily driver a.k.a BIG red)/06 HAYABUSA (SEXY BITCH)..STATEFARM LUVS ME. ----N.A.T.O Bad Boy Division President----
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bigep74 Offline
Junior Member
#7
Motorcraft 5w-30
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anasazi4st Offline
Senior Member
#8
John B Wrote:I'm thinking of switching to a 10w-30 synthetic for the upcoming fall and winter and just adding a zddp additive. What's your guys opinion on this? I searched but didn't really find what I was looking for. Thanks everyone

All I can tell you is based on my own experience.

The repair receipts that came with my TC showed the original owner only used Valvoline 10w-40. Four years after it rolled off the line and 10 months after I got it, the turbo blew out. Since then I've only used synthetic oils, whether it was Castro Syntec or Mobil 1 (which I've stayed with the past 10 years).

When I replaced the head gasket in 2013 I saw something I had never seen before in any car: there was cross-hatching still plainly visible in the cylinders! While I'll admit that I'm certainly not an expert on rebuilding engines, to see that on a car that (at that time) had almost a quarter of a million miles on it (246,000) certainly impressed me. Because of that I have never even considered changing to anything else.

Disclaimer: I'm certainly not implying or stating that Valvoline makes an inferior product, or that conventional motor oil is not a good option. It's more than the choice of oil, it's also how you handle the engine. I've gone through several turbos (and Jeff K. would tell you that a turbo unit should last for the life of the car). I had a clogged coolant line that did not do the turbo any favors.

I hope that's some help to you.




















Another proud dues-paying member.

1987 Turbo Coupe w/T5OD, 8.8 axle, grey smoke; most options. Got it in 1991 with 41K miles: 3 turbos, 2 heater cores, 3 T5OD full rebuilds, 6 clutches, 1 head gasket, 2 Teves II ABS units, etc. later....
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RC Martin Offline
Posting Freak
#9
I'm presently on Rotella T6 5W-40, chose it since after reading around I think it's the best oil in the heavier weight range and not overpriced and it's full synthetic. Others that I ran with high zinc (no zddp added) were QS Defy 10w-40 and M1 HM 10w-40.

I have tried to choose as carefully as possible since I've got a flat tappet cam in there.
Thunderbird Turbo Coupe, Bright Canyon Red TuTone, Desert Tan Interior; 1 of 7 in this combo in 1984 according to Marti.  1 of 13,361 TCs in 84.
   Rebuilt, 3-Angle Valve Job, SYB37 "OE/Small" Slider Cam
   Full 3" Stinger Exhaust to Flowmaster 40, Gnari FMIC/Recirc/BPV, MBC @ 18psi, RF-E6 Manifold, Remote-Mount TFI, PC1 and Flowed 35# Injectors, Inline Walboro 255HP, Kirban AFPR
   Rebuilt Suspension -- KYB & Energy Suspension
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RON Offline
Junior Member
#10
Best advice I ever received on running with a turbo is to take 30 seconds when you park to let the turbo spin down. The turbo spins at high speed and takes a few seconds to slow down. Once you kill the engine oiling stops but the turbo keeps spinning without oil. It takes a little time to get into the habit but could save you some money and frustration down the road.
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