50W in a 454?

[75gmck25]

You are in an area that never gets that cold, so 50W oil is high viscosity, but should work okay. My concern would be whether its a detergent oil that was used over the eyars. Some straight weight oils have minimal detergents and you might have some sludge build-up if the engine has been run hard. Pulling the intake and looking at the valley would give you a good idea of sludge build-up overall.

Switching to a high ZDDP 15w50 or similar should not cause any problems, since it is supposed to function like a 50w oil under load. However, I've never tried it, so YMMV.


Bruce

 

[norman baker]

i run 15 40 delo 400 in all chevy trucks , 76 tru 1997 454 tbi

 

[shanegtr]

I wouldn't use a monograde oil in any engine. I personally use a 15W/40 Valvoline in my vehicles

 

[DirtyDYT]

I had 20w50 in the K30 all summer because I don’t like seeing 6 psi at idle after a run down the highway in 90 degree weather. I’ll be adding an oil cooler come spring. It’s a stock replacement crate 454 with no leaks, no smoke/consumption, and unknown miles. I’m just playing it safe.

I put 15w40 in my apparently healthy craigslist 454 from a C30 that now resides in the C10. That’s my preferred weight of oil for hot rodded V8 trucks that still need to be trucks just as often as they are toys.