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A 521 in Massachusetts


Crashtd420

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Well my datsun is officially my primary vehicle right now and more reliable than my daily....

My 99 Chevy Silverado must have gotten jealous and now doesn't wanna start..  

I've had issues in the past with the passlock security in the truck, it would randomly trigger and lock out my ignition ... 10 minutes later it resets and I can start the truck again. .  Well not any more.... I got it to start once yesterday after about 5 or so failed attempts... then and hour later it wouldn't restart... 

I have a fix on order, it's a passlock delete module.. wasn't cheap but still cheaper than a truck payment, and its guaranteed to work or money back...

Just in case anyone has a similar problem...

https://newrockies.com/passlock-bypass-2

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So now that I'm putting more and more miles on my datsun I'm getting close to doing its first oil change... 

Currently it still has the royal purple  break in oil , I still plan to run the royal purple hps oil.... its high in zinc and phosphorus and was designed for flat tapet cams... my question is what weight.... my datsun book says 20w-50 which I can get but I wasn't sure if that's the best choice or not.. 

Basically my choices are 

20w-50

10w-30

10w-40

5w-20

5w-30

I don't plan on driving it in the winter.... it will probably see some cold mornings but I doubt i will be driving it when temps start going below 40...

But I would like to be able start and run it every so often during those winter months. 

I think the break in oil is equal to a 10w30 which has been giving me good pressure readings ... I'm leaning towards the 5w-30 right now but I'm not 100% sure that's the right choice....

 

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Royal Purple? Is that a synthetic? I wouldn't run it in older engines, it's too slippery and won't let the engine wear and 'break in'. Our engines are almost 50 years old now and rely on old oil technology. Once broken in you could switch to synthetic if a new rebuild. I tried it on a higher mileage engine and it began leaking past the front seal and fuel pump gaskets. Switched back and it went away. Their idea of 'break in oil' is for cars of today. Synthetic is over kill and too expensive for an L series engine. Well no harm done I just wonder if it's broken in yet.

 

Never run anything with a 5 in it... that's for starting in the arctic. 10w30 is fine for 40F. I'm running 15w40 Rotella T but I only drive into Oregon and back in June.  It can get close to 100F. The biggest thing is that the oil have a high ZDDP level. Make sure your replacement oil has this level.

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Yup. Worn timing chain guides and/or valve lash. You can set the lash slightly tighter and it's quieter but a too tight valve is worse than a too loose valve if you don't keep an eye on it. If extreme worn or high mileage, a thicker oil can cushion the bearings buy building higher oil pressure at low speeds and it's harder to get past the worn rings.

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Yes royal purple is synthetic... this is the type I plan to use... 

Screenshot_20180709-103442_Chrome.jpg

 

They do have other oil, still synthetic but not fortified like this is.....

 

Their break in fluid also has high zinc and phosphorus.... I'm at the tail end of the break in time... the only old part in my engine is the crank and the block.... all fresh seals and new bearings ... I do have a small leak at the back from I believe the oil pan... I have to look at the soon to and see if its in fact the oil pan or not....

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16 minutes ago, d.p said:

I run 20w-50 because my engine is noisy.   But I guess all L motors are? 

 

I was thinking with a fresh motor I wouldnt have to run the 20w-50... I was thinking about using 5w30 but Maybe I'll try the 10w40 instead....

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1 minute ago, d.p said:

Man I got an RP oil filter that leaked like a siv.  It wouldn't seal on the block and constantly leaked.

 

In the end I had to toss it and go with a spare FRAM.  ? 

 

Well I hope I don't have that problem... I already bought a royal purple filter for this next oil change, i currently have a Bosch filter on it.. I'll compare the one I take off the new rp and see ...  now I just need to buy the oil..... 

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Yeah 30-8a is what I got.  Got the part number from RPs website and bought it from pep boys but like I said it leaked at the block.   It wouldn't seal no matter what I did.  

Edited by d.p
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Get yourself a Wix filter. P/N 51515

 

If you want to run non-synthetic oil, Valvoline VR1 conventional is a racing oil that has high zinc. 

 

Mike, synthetic oil isn't more "slippery," whatever that is. The synthetic molecules are just smaller and tend to weap out of seals easier. 

Edited by mainer311
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So does it really matter if its synthetic or traditional oil?  Cause traditional 20w-50 is way cheaper.  Like $16 for 5 qrts. 

 

Ohh and I buy that ZDDP MAXX stuff from ebay and throw a bottle in with an oil change.    But if I go with VR1 I don't need to do that?

Edited by d.p
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Correct, VR1 has higher than "normal" zinc levels, so you wouldn't need to add any. Keep in mind that too much zinc is also bad. 

 

I run conventional in both of my Datsuns. In my opinion, neither of them get driven enough to worry about extended intervals between changes. There's basically no need for the synthetic oil. 

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For me I went with the royal purple just because I wanted something better in my engine after all the time and money I spent on the internals... is it worth it or neccessary I don't know, I never ran synthetics before, I like to tell myself its a little better and worth it.... 

 

So beyond the whole conventional vs synthetic debate,

mainer311 what weight do you use?

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15-40. I just use a decent name brand conventional and then add a little zinc to it. I buy a bottle of ZDDP and add 1/2 to each oil change. 

 

I use Lucas "TB Zinc-plus." It's about $12 a bottle, but lasts me two changes.

Edited by mainer311
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16 hours ago, mainer311 said:

15-40. I just use a decent name brand conventional and then add a little zinc to it. I buy a bottle of ZDDP and add 1/2 to each oil change. 

 

I use Lucas "TB Zinc-plus." It's about $12 a bottle, but lasts me two changes.

 

I'll probably try the 10w40 like I was thinking.... 

And I finally put that alternator in last night.... fit just like you said, thanks... 

I did need a slightly shorter belt to keep the pulley off of the lower radiator outlet, but I do have a 3row installed so clearance is tight....

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I tried the 50/60 amp car alternators in my 620 and they are larger diameter. Lower rad hose and the top of the idler arm on the frame were too close and it rubbed. I used a 280z lower return on the timing cover that positioned the hose better and a 720 alternator bracket on the block which lifted the alternator slightly. I think a shorter belt that you had to put over the pulley first and then mount the alternator to the block. It was damn close. 

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So the reason I finally got off my ass and changed the alternator was because the truck had a little hiccup after work yesterday.... drove home fine but when I went to go get my son the starter wouldnt kick the motor over..

The voltage has always seemed low to me even while driving.... i was able to bump the motor over slightly by rolling it and popping the clutch.... then the motor chugged over and started  but slowly.... 

So charged the battery and I changed the alternator and now I was outputting around 14 volts with more available amps...  now I was just hoping there was nothing wrong with the starter...

Next morning started up nice, starter was quicker with a charged battery, and while I was driving I was showing 14.2 volts....  so as I am driving I notice my secondary gauges bouncing around , and my air fuel gauge is just not happy.. and now I notice I'm only around 12.5 volts.... so I shut my headlights off because luckily the sun was up by now, and it went up to 13... turned the parking lights off back up to 14.... ok that's wierd I thought.... I finally arrive at work and shut the truck off.... I don't hear my fans, they run for a minute after the truck shuts down.... so I went to turn it on and double check the temp and make sure the fans work, well the truck is completely dead... 0 volts everywhere... 

(Battery under the truck bed)

So I go out back to check voltage at the battery and there is my positive battery cable  just dangling... ? oops....

I'll be reconnecting that during my lunch break.....

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23 minutes ago, datzenmike said:

I think a shorter belt that you had to put over the pulley first and then mount the alternator to the block. It was damn close.  

Yup thats what I did... and I had no issue with the idler arm or any other clearance issues... used all the stock 521 parts, minus the belt.... 

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