383 magnum?

Question

i have a 383 magnum and its in an old 69 charger. im not totally sure what oil it uses. im guessing it could be 10w30 but im guessing. does anyone know forsure what it is?

what should it have in it if i live around N.C.?

Answer 1

in the old days, a straight 30 or 40 weight oil would get thick in the winter, and a straight 10 weight would get too thin in the summer heat.
so they invented an oil that retains the properties of a 30 or 40 for summer, and still remains thin and fluid like a ten weight oil ,
enough to circulate properly in the winter.
so when you see 10w30, or 10w40, it means this oil has the properties of all those different weight types of oil.
obviously 10w40 does all that 10w30 will do and a little bit more.
they can be mixed with no harm done.
somebody mentioned 10w50, or 20w50.
that would be best for arizona desert heat.
the higher the number the thicker the oil will be at high temperature.
the most important thing of all is to change oil when it gets black and old and dirty, etc.

Answer 2

I love seeing how much misinformation people have on motor oil. Always use a detergent oil in an automotive application. the detergent characteristic is what suspends particles and dirt so that they can circulate and be collected by the filter. Do you race the car? - use 20w50. If not !0W40 should be sufficient for year round use in N.C. 10W40 is 10 weight oil with the flow characteristics of a straight 40. It will flow freely dowm to about 10degrees F and maintains viscosity to well in excess of 100 degrees F. We're talking about air temp here. These numbers are meant to describe initial flow characteristics when you start the motor. For instance at 0 degrees F a 10W oil (30 or 40) doesn't flow to your valve train initially when you start the car because it turns to jello almost when its cold. So at 0 degrees you are running your upper valve train, lifters and bearings dry until the combustion of the motor brings up the temp of the oil. Something most people don't consider is that oil is also the primary vehicle for transfering heat away from bearing surfaces inside the motor. Coolant never touches the bearings or lifters or cam lobes and oher internal parts. All of those metal parts are riding on a thin film of motor oil instead of rubbing against each other.

Answer 3

10W30 in a healthy engine. Many guys with musclecars have gone to using the Shell Rotella T diesel oil 10W30. The diesel oil still has Zinc in it. In the US, they have taken most of the Zinc out of the motor oil for passanger cars. The older engines need to Zinc, as it is an anti-scuff additive, and prolongs the life of the camshaft and lifters.

Also, run the highest-octane gas you can get, those Chrysler RB engines had high compression.

Answer 4

I would use 10W30 because of the area you live in. It get's really hot sometimes and the oil will break down. I use mobil 1 10W30 and I live in florida. I heard royal purple is the best brand of oil, but it's expensive.

Answer 5

The easy solution to your quandy is to just sell me the car and you won't have to worry about it anymore. Just kidding. I would use a heavier oil like sae 30, 10/40, 20/50, any of those will work fine just stay away from the yellow bottle.

Answer 6

I live in smithfield north carolina and i run 30 weight high detergent in mine. 30 weight is use for summer driving because the heat breaks down the velocity of the oil, and i use 10 w 40 for winter driving. because 30 weight is so thick it is hard on an engine at cold starting ok. hope this helps you.

Answer 7

Sure, 10w30 will be fine and in the summer 10w40 that was the old rule of thumb back in the sixties when I worked for a dodge dealership changing oil.

Answer 8

I would use Valvoline 20W-50 Motor Oil, It's agood oil for older engine's I use in a 72 V.W. High performance engine. Does well

Answer 9

10w40 is a good choice, if you don't have any oil leaks or major leaks, I'd use a synthetic full or blend (your choice). You'll be able to go further between oil changes.

Answer 10

i own a repair shop,,and you can use what ever you want to in it,it doesn't have a certain type that it needs,,the old dodge,s are good engines,,id run 10-w-40 in it if it has some miles on it,and it will be fine,i own of of them too,,i use synthetic oil in mine because i redone the whole thing,good luck with it