Oil related failures?

[1hot281]

Anyone here ever experience any part failures attributed to oil viscosity?

I've recently developed a nasty ticking, and I've been told the most likely culprit is one or more collapsing hydraulic lash adjusters. The noise started shortly after I began running Castrol Edge-SPT 0w30, or German Castrol, and I was told that the fact the GC is almost a 40-grade at operating temps could have starved one or more HLA's of oil. I was advised to run the recommended 5w20 to prevent failures like this in the future.

Even before I thought the ticking was serious enough to get diagnosed, I already switched to Royal Purple HPS 5w30. The engine was all around noisier on GC, which prompted me to change oil early. RP HPS hasn't "cured" the ticking (not that I was really expecting it to or anything) but the motor is overall quieter on RP, leaving only the ticking sound sticking out like a sore thumb.

Is it possible GC is really to blame? Thoughts, in general?

 

[UnleashedBeast]

This seems to be a highly debated subject about viscosity. How many miles on your engine? Stock internals? Details please.

 

[1hot281]

This seems to be a highly debated subject about viscosity. How many miles on your engine? Stock internals? Details please.

Under 23,000 miles on car and engine.
Naturally aspirated 2-valve, stock internals
Stock intake with drop-in Amsoil EA filter
Saleen ECU tune
Saleen underdrive pulleys
Bassani X-pipe and catback at time of noise beginning
currently back to Stock midpipe with Saleen by Magnaflow cat back

Bought the car with a little under 12,000 miles in 2009. Around 3,000 miles annual mileage. No track time. Ran Amsoil SS0 and Ea oil filters every change up to 20,000 miles. Switched to GC with FRPP oil filter at 21,500. Engine was immediately noisier and ran warmer. Only ran GC for around 500-600 miles until i noticed that the engine was getting progressively noisier as mileage accumulated. Switched to RP HPS 5w30 and FRPP oil filter. Engine ran quieter, with the exception of the "ticking" noise.

My driving habits are pretty gentle. Weekend and summer driving mostly. Driven two or three times a month average. Driven at least 20 minutes/10+ miles at a time to insure oil reaches operating temp and burns off any moisture. Rarely sees full WOT operation, or RPM much above 4,500. Unless I'm hitting a nice twisty driving road.

Oil & filter changed every 5,000 miles or once a year. Whichever I feel like at the time. OEM Saleen/K&N Air filter cleaned and oiled every oil change. Switched to Amsoil EA air filter a little over a year ago. Always run premium 91 octane Chevron or Shell gas. Run a half bottle of Amsoil P.I. gas additive once a year.

 

[UnleashedBeast]

I'm curious why you would stop using a premium lubricant like Amsoil SSO to use the "newer" gold German Castrol 0W-30? You also substituted for the Ford racing oil filter that doesn't flow as well as the Amsoil EaO filter. You took a step back.

 

[1hot281]

I'm curious why you would stop using a premium lubricant like Amsoil SSO to use the "newer" gold German Castrol 0W-30? You also substituted for the Ford racing oil filter that doesn't flow as well as the Amsoil EaO filter. You took a step back.

Well, my last Amsoil change was at 20k. My Ea oil filter developed a leak at the seam that was noticed around 21,500. So I dumped the Amsoil fill (which was the last of a case) and filter, and got the GC from a local PepBoy's. I wasn't really wanting to run any off the shelf API SN formulation, and I figured GC being a heavily praised API SL was a good sign. I really only planned to run it for maybe a year, then switch to something else. Possibly back to Amsoil, or some other high end synth.

As for the FRPP filter, I chose it after reading about it's features. It may not have the full synthetic filtering media of RP or Amsoil, but I like the base end anti-drain back, silicon bypass, super thick base plate and can, and it's overall specs are very respectable... and i like that it's designed to meet Ford specs, for Ford vehicles.

 

[1hot281]

Anyone else have any other thoughts or info?

 

[Jimmysidecarr]

Anyone else have any other thoughts or info?

I suspect it is simply a bad lash adjuster, and not a result of the oil change at all.

These do occasionally go bad. A spring failure inside one can cause that symptom just as easily as dirt blockage preventing proper pump up.

Only one really good way to find out and that's isolate it and replace it.
They are not too hard to do.