Ford 460 Oil info?

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Hello again!

Are there any members here with 460ci Ford experience? The search engine makes me add another word to "460" in order to bring up any results so I tried numerous combinations, truck, ford, etc, with zero luck obtaining anything relevant.

This car is from 1976, and very heavy. The owner's manual is calling for 20W-40 and 20W-50 for temps above 10*F. I checked the Ford parts website for revisions or updated recommendations but there isn't oil or fluids listed for my year range. I know the 460 spanned more than 3 decades, so I'm assuming tolerances, clearances, valley hole locations, oiling systems, etc, are different depending on year, so I'm reluctant to look up the specs for a 1996 460 motor and just go with what it calls for either.

The car it's in will be driven casually, rarely, and the most revs it will see would be spirited highway on-ramp acceleration followed by a gentle drive at 75-80mph down a quiet rural 4-lane highway to a town an hour or so away. More wear will probably occur at slow speed short events like parades and car shows. I'm going to modernize the engine a little this winter to get rid of the 70's era concepts of efficiency and smog reduction. Altering the rear gears from 2.75 to 3.55 will raise the revs some but this engine will still be far from abused.

My question is mainly viscosity weights. 20W-50 or even the lighter spec 20W-40 seems wildly antiquated. The manual does spec of a 10W-30 in temps under 10*F, but there is an asterisk that says if towing or driving for long periods is going to take place then to not use it.

Does this motor really need something that thick? I'm a fanatic about clean oil, this will probably be changed twice just in the summer. There will be no winter or cold weather driving. I do have some Porsche spec 0W-40 laying around, I think it's Castrol brand and can get more.. but was wondering if a fully syn 5W-30 or even a 5 or 0 W-20 would work. What's been your experience? What do you run in your 460? I see a lot of people running thicker stuff in these motors but they're all modified and used for racing, marine use, or mud truck racing. Suggestions of old large engine oils will be highly appreciated. I look forward to reading everyone's input.

Thank you!
 
Being a smogger, I'd assume the output is relatively low. I'd just run a 15w-40 HDEO or even 10w-30 HDEO and call it a day (diesel lube). That engine isn't going to require anything exotic for lubrication.
 
The company van I had with a 460, got HDEO straight 30 or 15W-40 The E350 weighed a bit over 8,500lbs. Choose an oil with the proper W for start up temps. The 460 is a great engine.
 
+1 a good name brand (rotella, delo, etc) 10w-30 HDEO or 15w-40 HDEO is just what that motor ordered. It likely has flat tappets and will require the ZDDP from a HDEO as opposed to a modern passenger car oil.
 
I ran Castrol GTX 20W50 in all my big blocks back in the day-a 429 '70 Thunderbird, and a 440 '73 Class A RV, but I would think that any big name HDEO would get the job done. I wouldn't go any thinner than 10W30 due to the inevitable carburetor caused fuel dilution.
 
Originally Posted By: SOHCman
+1 a good name brand (rotella, delo, etc) 10w-30 HDEO or 15w-40 HDEO is just what that motor ordered. It likely has flat tappets and will require the ZDDP from a HDEO as opposed to a modern passenger car oil.


Even then, that camshaft is a smogger broomstick, its ZDDP requirements won't be anything a modern PCMO couldn't handle easily. It's also well broken-in. But an HDEO for more additives and bit more viscosity reserve due to fuel dilution and blow by is, IMHO, the best choice here.
 
+1
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I'd just run 15W-40 year round and be as happy as a clam
smile.gif
 
Had a 70 Lincoln MKIII with a 460 in it recently.

You didn't mention how many miles were on the engine.

I ran Castrol GTX High Mileage 20W-50 and a WIX oil filter and OCI was about 4K miles or one year.
 
The cheapest 15W40 fleet/diesel oil you can find. No synthetic oil in old engines. It will leak and consume and accomplishes nothing.
 
I agree with those saying 15w40. A good friend has an E150 short van with a 300-6 in it which he runs good ol' Rotella T4 15w40 in, and nothing he or I did with it ever seemed to bother the engine in the slightest.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Being a smogger, I'd assume the output is relatively low. I'd just run a 15w-40 HDEO or even 10w-30 HDEO and call it a day (diesel lube). That engine isn't going to require anything exotic for lubrication.
What overkill said. I had a 1973 mark 4 with 460. Ran 10w30. Go with 15w-40 HDEO or even 10w-30 HDEO. Good engine tough to kill with reasonable care.
 
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Being a smogger, I'd assume the output is relatively low. I'd just run a 15w-40 HDEO or even 10w-30 HDEO and call it a day (diesel lube). That engine isn't going to require anything exotic for lubrication.

^^^ THIS. ^^^
My dad owns a '72 Town Car (147K original miles) with a 460. He runs Mobil Delvac 15W40 with a MC oil filter. He has a friend do an OCI on it once a year. He drives it an average of 2-5K miles a year.
He also owns a '57 Plymouth Belvedere sitting under his carport covered up. That's a future project car.
 
Thanks for all the replies so far! Good info! My only concern about using a diesel oil would be all the cleaning agents I think they have in them. I wasn't worried too much about the flat tappet cam, I have plenty of zinc and molly containing break-in lubes I could add if needed. You guys don't have concerns about some debris being broken loose and carried off from a seal or anywhere resulting in a blocked oil passage or a leak? I do know Rotella has some 5W-40 I think I've seen at Rural King. I have some 15W-40 I run in my sports bike but it's super thick, I'd be terrified to run it in a car really!
 
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