Why I do NOT Use Lucas (Opinion)...

[Rawze]

(03-15-2016 )dodges1515 Wrote:  So what is your take on some gl-5 rated gear oils that have additives that have negative affects on yellow metals? Is there validity to this,should I be concerned which gear lube specifically to add to an engine? Please shine more light on this.

You have a very good point, and I was concerned about the same thing a long time ago when I first looked into alternatives. i found pictures like these..



I read the same thing a long time ago, but have since found these things to contradict this..
* that picture was of a component that was already very, very old.
* The engine oil itself has those missing protections.
* The maximum of about a 12% mixture (1 gallon) to the normal engine oil is not likely to cause these types of problems even it it were the older GL-5 (no longer made).
* The newer GL-5 oils have been modified to significantly reduce this.
* Also, you can see above that I recommend the sta-lube GL-4, but that the cheaper GL-5 oils will work better than having nothing at all in a worn out engine to help reduce play and internal vibration in the engine components.


- At a maximum or 12% mixture (1 gallon) to the normal engine oil, I would think there would be little or no concern even if someone did use a gallon if the the cheapest modern GL-5 for say, 500k miles. I shall soon find out as I am about to inframe my own engine that now has more then 950k miles on it and I will have a chance to take a good look inside at all the brass/copper exposed components like the rods (brass wrist pin bearings) and other bearings that are likely showing copper by now for corrosion on edges and surfaces. I have actually been using the cheapest 85/140 wal-mart GL-5 to test this as a "worse case scenario" this last couple months. I am doing this just to see the effects when I pull the engine apart.

I will also be looking for evidence of anodizing from the waterless coolant I use to run, and the effects to the outside of the liners from running a zero pressure coolant system. I have been running zero pressure in my radiator for a very long time now so it should be interesting. I am running the truck with regular red extended life coolant again and have been for a couple months just to maximize what those zero-pressure effects might be.

If I find something bad, I will be the first to post it, believe me. I also know what everything should look like with that many miles on it, so all this will be interesting to say the least.

I am going to inframe the engine because I have a worn out valve guide/seat in the head (#4 cylinder) and I am only getting about 0.029" clearance form the exhaust valves to the engine brake detent on only that cylinder. Cylinder #5 is about 0.031" as well. I also noticed that the clearance is slowly but progressively getting smaller. This is a sign of a future unpredicted failure that my wife and son do not need out on the road. With the head that old, it clearly needs replacing, and with that many miles on the rest of the engine, it is time to do the whole thing while I am in there.

It is also simply easier to inframe an engine that is still running well, than it is to inframe one that has had a failure. this also shows that of all the things I have done to extend the engines life internally, like run a bit of gear oil in its older age range, custom tuning, cleaner oil, bypass filter, etc. did not stop the wear of components that are not lubricated, like the valve seats themselves. I would suspect that the #4 valve guide is wearing out and causing this, but at this point it is too late, and the head is simply too old for me to consider repairing it. It is replacement time, and i well am prepared for it, and have saved up my money for just this occasion. That is what good business planning is all about. We started saving up the money just for this a long time ago. At this point, to me, it is nothing more than an expected scheduled maintenance falling right into the time-line that it was planned for.

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04-28-2016 -- UPDATE:
Here are my own actual results of running several hundred thousand miles with GL-5 gear lube in my engine...

http://rawze.com/forums/showthread.php?t...81#pid2481