Any problem using the Brad Penn oil 20w50 in my AJ6 engine? Weight is okay, just wondering about the extra ZDDP. Car is a 19984 XJS.

 

it's made here in my home town ,small world

 

Well, it won't hurt but do you really need it?

Shell Rotella 15W40 conventional is also laden with
ZDDP.

Another one, which you might find light, is 5W50 Castrol Edge
synthetic "made for classic cars".

 

Brad Penn oils is high up the list of boutique oils that cost considerably more for nothing tangible in return. Kinda like drinking Perrier thinking it will quench your thirst better than tap water.

 

Well, I have a case of it sitting on the shelf in my garage. Hate to waste it. So, back to my original question: will it hurt the AJ6 engine from a 1994 XJS?

 

No.

 

And by extension, all Scotch is the same then?

It's even closer than tap water versus Perrier since all Scotch
whiskey is by definition controlled appelation.

 

No.

 

The extra ZDDP won't hurt anything but catalytic converters, and then really only if you're burning oil. It is good for flat tappet cams, and supposedly for preventing bearing damage if you let the oil level drop too low. So it does have benefits in some engines and some situations. STP oil treatment has lots of ZDDP in it for not much coin.

 

Exactly right, also, what variation of BP oil is it? I personally would NOT run their HP oil that is designed for flat tappet cams / high ZDDP, as it could do damage to cats. If it was a new car, running a cycle through may be okay, but your cats are likely not perfect (guessing) and you're likely burning some oil.

Give to a guy with an XK motor and go buy some "normal" stuff.

As a side, Valvoline VR1 works just as well as BP for flat tappet non-cat cars..

Cheers,

Jeff

 

I believe the Brad Penn stuff has about the same levels of ZDDP as did standard off-the-shelf oils from the early 80s when the car was made.

 

All depends on which BP he has

http://www.penngrade1.com/products/High-Performance/SAE-20W50.aspx