Cheap Source of ZDDP (Zinc) ?

The Material safety data sheet for STP oil treatment says it has zinc compounds, and the cans I have say on the label they contain ZDDP. I wrote the company and asked how much is in it, and received this reply:

Thank you for contacting us about your STP Oil Treatment.
The amount of ZDDP in our product is proprietary. However, I can tell you that when you add one bottle to four to five quarts of oil, you have the same protection the older motor oils provided. Many classic car owners with flat tappet cam motors use our product for this reason. I hope this helps you.

That actually agrees with the MSDS data: it says the amount of Zinc compounds is about 2 - 5%. If it's about 2%, (and is added to four to five quarts of oil) would put the zinc level at about 2000 - 3000 PPM ballpark.

Anyway, it's interesting because it's cheaper than the ZDDPlus stuff that is $10 per treatment.

what does the zinc/zddp do for the engine? if you run synthetic do you still need to add zinc?

AXL, I'm going to assume that ZDDP acts in oil, like lead used to act in gasoline. Lead in gas was used to help lubricate and provide a shock barrier to the moving parts, (besides increasing the octane rating).

This is interesting, because I was never a big fan of STP. Back in the day, to some it was considered to be the stuff you poured into high mileage cars to quiet down the lifters and thicken up the oil so it didn't pass around the worn out rings so it wouldn't smoke as much. Unscrupulous used car salesman bought it my the case. Rebuild in a can, some called it.

So I guess my good old Castrol GTX ain't cuttin it no more?

The phosphorous in ZDP or ZDDP (Zinc DialkylDithiophosphates) acts to prevent metal-to-metal contact. Shell Rotella-T, Chevron Delo & other diesel motor oils have higher levels of ZDP than regular car oils.

I just located a local distributor for Penn 20W50 and purchased a case...a bit pricey but it has a very high additive load...so much for GTX

Brad Penn Racing www.bradpennracing.com/

Jalopy Journal - H.A.M.B. What is with this oil ZDDP content and do I need it?
Replies #17 & #18 have some interesting reading & links.
#28 on pg 2 mentions Valvoline bulletin #2008-300a, but you'll have to go to the the Valvoline website to find it because that link is dead.

AXL wrote:

what does the zinc/zddp do for the engine? if you run synthetic do you still need to add zinc?

It bonds with the surface of the metal and forms what is known as a "sacrificial layer" which is sheared off in the cases of metal to metal contact. When the oil pressure is up and the oil is warm, the oil film prevents bare metal contact but during cold start and run after the oil has drained down, there is bare metal contact and the ZDDP reduces wear during this time.

riverroad wrote:

So I guess my good old Castrol GTX ain't cuttin it no more?

From what I read, it no longer has ZDDP. It is a very good oil in general, but I think all flat tappet engines need ZDDP.

Here is another source which is a bit cheaper, because one 16oz bottle treats 12 quarts. www.redlineoil.com/products_motoroil.asp...oryID=1&categoryID=1

otakar wrote:

Here is another source which is a bit cheaper, because one 16oz bottle treats 12 quarts. www.redlineoil.com/products_motoroil.asp...oryID=1&categoryID=1

Interesting. I did a search and found a post about it on another forum saying this:

www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads...wflat&Number=1149831

i already taked with dave: zinc 9000ppm and phos 7500 ppm and no moly

For the concentration in the 16 oz bottle.

Assuming you dumped the whole bottle into five quarts of oil, the resulting Zinc levels would be about 900 ppm. I'm not really sure how I could see that one 16 oz bottle treating 12 quarts.

I was planning on using the Valvoline 20w50 Motorcycle Oil in my Kz900 when I fire it up this week. Anyone have a guess what the Zinc/ZDDP levels of this oil are or should I return it and get something else?

Any motorcycle oil should be fine; those & racing oils have more ZDP than regular oils (& about the same amount as diesel oils - sometimes less). I don't recall why, but racing oils may not be suitable for motorcycle or regular car use.

From an MSDS:
VALVOLINE® 4-STROKE MOTORCYCLE OIL CV 20W-50
MOTORCYCLE 4 CYCLE MOTOR OIL
VV743 & VV7430

15. REGULATORY INFORMATION
California Prop. 65
Proposition 65 warnings are not required for this product based on the results of a risk assessment.
SARA Hazard Classification Acute Health Hazard SARA 313 Component(s)
ZINC ALKYL DITHIOPHOSPHATE ... 68988-45-4 ... 1.1108%