Zinc Content in Oil

I found this on another website, it may be helpful:
BOTTOM LINE: Running an old engine without zinc in the oil is bad news-- especially when breaking in a fresh build. Ask around and you'll hear about high rates of camshafts going flat. Avoid the problem by choosing the right oil-- that has a zinc content of at least .11%. If you're running zero zinc content oil in an old engine, I believe you're asking for trouble.

I've done some research. Here is the zinc content of todays oils:

20W-50
AMSOIL (old) none
AMSOIL (new) none
Castrol GTX .12
Exxon High Performance .11
Havoline Formula 3 none
Kendall GT-1 .16
Pennzoil GT Perf. none
Quaker State Dlx. none
Red Line none
Shell Truck Guard .15
Spectro Golden 4 .15
Spectro Golden M.G. .13
Unocal .12
Valvoline All Climate .11
Valvoline Turbo .13
Valvoline Race .20
Valvoline Synthetic .12

20W-40
AMSOIL none
Castrol Multi-Grade .12
Quaker State none

15W-50
Chevron .11
Mobil 1 none
Mystic JT8 .15
Red Line none

5W-50
Castrol Syntec .10
Quaker State Synquest none
Pennzoil Performax none

5W-40
Havoline none

15W-40
AMSOIL (old) none
AMSOIL (new) none
Castrol .14
Chevron Delo 400 none
Exxon XD3 .14
Exxon XD3 Extra .13
Kendall GT-1 .16
Mystic JT8 .15
Red Line none
Shell Rotella w/XLA .13
Valvoline All Fleet .15
Valvoline Turbo .13

10W-30
AMSOIL (old) none
AMSOIL (new) none
Castrol GTX .12
Chevron Supreme .11
Exxon Superflo Hi Perf 135 .11
Exxon Superflo Supreme 133 .13
Havoline Formula 3 none
Kendall GT-1 .16
Mobil 1 none
Pennzoil PLZ Turbo none
Quaker State none
Red Line none
Shell Fire and Ice .12
Shell Super 2000 .13
Shell Truck Guard .15
Spectro Golden M.G. none
Unocal Super .12
Valvoline All Climate .11
Valvoline Turbo .13
Valvoline Race .20
Valvoline Synthetic .12

5W-30
AMSOIL (old) none
AMSOIL (new) none
Castrol GTX .12
Chevron Supreme .11
Chevron Supreme Synt. .12
Exxon Superflow HP .11
Havoline Formula 3 none
Mobil 1 none
Mystic JT8 .1
Quaker State none
Red Line none
Shell Fire and Ice .12
Unocal .12
Valvoline All Climate .11
Valvoline Turbo .13
Valvoline Synthetic .12

They don't put that info on the label do they ?

How did you find out ? an MSDS sheets ?

Now for hydraulic many applications call for LOW zinc levels due to yellow metals.

Joe Gibb oil is high zinc but not on the list . Some of the high zinc racing oils are 7.50 a quart.

Here is an interesting website from the petroleum quality institue
PQIAmerica.com

Where did you get your information?

[b:d34e312471]Chevron Delo 400 LE SAE 15W-40 [/b:d34e312471]meets: • API Service Categories CJ-4, CI-4 PLUS, CI-4, CH-4, CF, SM, SL • ACEA European Service Categories E-7 •

TYPICAL TEST DATA
SAE Grade 15W-40
Product Number 222220
MSDS Number 17108
API Gravity 29.1
Viscosity, Kinematic cSt at 40°C 125, cSt at 100°C 15.7
Cold Crank, C/Poise -20/64
Viscosity Index 131
Flash Point, °C(°F) 204(399)
Pour Point, °C(°F) -30(-22)
Sulfated Ash, wt % 1.0
Base Number, ASTM D 2896 9.6
Sulfur, wt % 0.32
Phosphorus, wt % 0.12
[b:d34e312471]Zinc, wt % 0.13[/b:d34e312471]

Hmmm... please cite your information sources.

Here is where I got the info:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138386

I didn't realize it was from a 2006 posting! Sorry guys, just trying to inform!

(quoted from post at 22:16:34 02/14/14) Here is where I got the info:
http://www.jalopyjournal.com/forum/showthread.php?t=138386

I didn't realize it was from a 2006 posting! Sorry guys, just trying to inform!

Click to expand...

Being a retired certified mechanic I have also done a lot of research on this topic.
I have rebuilt hundreds of different engines of different manufacturers and have encountered many worn camshafts and flat tappets. All of which were in Chevrolet engines except for one MGB roadster.
That's not to say that other engines have not had this problem or that they will in the future--just my opinion.

"Now for hydraulic many applications call for LOW zinc levels due to yellow metals."

Mike: I've heard that from many sources, so there must be something to it. I even posted that question on here a while back, and didn't get much response.

Just wondering what kind of damage it does? I'm sure that restriction gets violated quite often, but I've never actually seen the end result. Probably because I didn't know what I was looking for!

Any more info?

I don't know where you get your info but Amsoil sells several oils with a very high level of ZDDP. So does Mobil. So does Shell. One of the highest I've seen for sale locally is the stuff sold by Briggs & Stratton for small engines. Amsoil sells Z-Rod oil for older engines with high ZDDP. Mobil 1 sells "Extended Peformace" with 900 PPM of zinc. Mobil 1 15W-40 diesel oil has 1250 PPM of zinc. Mobil 1 0-50W racing oil has 1750 PPM of zinc. The four-ball wear test and flash point tells me all I care to know and Amsoil usually has one of the best scores. Same with Shell Rotella and Delo.

Zinc can damage catalytic converters. For that reason, the EPA has mandated that zinc levels be reduced in today's oils. Most, if not all, modern automotive and truck engines are using overhead camshafts or roller lifters. These motors don't require a lot of zinc because the loads on the cams and lifters aren't as great as those in flat lifter motors. Believe it or not, the small area of contact between a tappet and camshaft is the largest amount of pressure seen in most engines, even greater than the pressure at the crankshaft bearings.
Zinc is one of the additives in oil that counteracts extreme pressure loads, like those found at the camshaft/lifter interface on older, flat-tappet engines. These loads are at their greatest during the initial break-in of new cams and lifters, and the damage begins at that time. Cams and lifters are surface hardened only, and once the hardened surface is worn away, it's just a short while before the rest of the contact area is destroyed. This problem is exacerbated by high valve spring pressures and high lift camshafts used in performance applications.
Old tractors and old cars aren't a very big part of the oil makers' market, but some of them are beginning to realize that they need to address this group of folks. That's why you're starting to see oils made for the older stuff.
My personal experience, mostly with GM products from the mid 60's, is to use the high zinc content oils at break-in, then it's OK to use a modern oil, as long as the engine doesn't have higher than stock valve lift or spring pressures.
Here's a great Internet site with all you need to know about oil-
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/
Sorry for the long-winded response, but I hope this helps ya'll to understand what's happening.
BillL

Brad-Penn has a green engine oil with a high zinc content.

Cenex has a hydraulic fluid that's green, I'm guessing due to high zinc as well. It will make the brakes groan in a 4020 or 4430.

I would be very dubious of information gleaned at random from the 'net. I'm sure you can find plenty of "proof" on the internet that the earth is flat and only 6000 years old, for example.

Your list shows one entry for "Mobil 1" in two different weights, yet Mobil 1 is a whole family of different products with different levels of ZDDP. Take a look at the chart at the link below, dated April 2013, and you can see that according to Mobil, there are over twenty Mobil 1 products whose zinc content ranges from 650 to 1850 parts per million. Now 650 ppm is pretty low, but it ain't zero. It rounds off to .1 percent, using the imprecise notation of your list. And if we go to Mobil 1 V-Twin 20-50 (readily available at most auto parts stores and Walmart), it would top your list at 1750 ppm (.18 percent).

Here's the chart.
Mobil 1 product guide

Well I am certainly no expert but I think it is like the gear lubes that when moisture gets in there it attacks the bronze and brass parts.

I missed that other post.

The pumps on the machines we make at work specify hyd. Oil with zinc level. .1% or less if I remember right.

Zinc is not the one and only high pressure wear additive used in engine oil. It"s just cheap and effective.
As for being high zinc or regular zinc being any better, it"s marketing . As long as there is some free sink in the oil, there is high pressure wear protection. It"s not a case of some is good and more is better.
when "burned" in a engine with lube oil consumption . Zinc leaves some of the heaviest deposites.
Are you running a 9000rpm flat tappet race engine with 400lb valve springs.

I definitely am not an expert, but from what I have read the zinc helps protect the bearings and lifters in the older solid lifter high revving, high compression engines. In the low compression, low rpm engines such as I have in my 60+ year old tractors, it does not make any difference.