There is an additive (ZDDP) in motor oil that helps keep older cars with a flat tappet camshafts from wearing out too soon. if your car is 1980 0r older, more often than not you have the flat tappet camshaft. Without the proper level of ZDDP, you are chancing serious damage to your older motor. Check it out on " consumer alert oil additive.com" JUST THOUGHT I WOULD PASS IT ON.
richdrums

A friend of mine was telling me this too. Sounds like a real issue!

Also, I think he told me there is an additive you can buy when you change your oil.

This is true, but context is important. And it's hard to find good information on this since most of what you'll read is confined to hobbiest sites like this.

Here's the deal; Yes, ZDDP has been reduced in current gasoline engine oils. Yes, ZDDP is effective in protecting engine parts from metal-to-metal contact (briefly, anyway). Yes, flat tappet cams have been wiped out on break-in (attributable to the reduced ZDDP, though there is no real smoking gun evidence in this other than drilling down the variables to naming the ZDDP reduction as the likely suspect. Though the initial and still lingering suspect here was improper heat treatment in the cam itself or the more agressive ramps. It's still not proven what the cause of the failures are).

Chemical and mechanical engineers are in agreement that the reduced levels of ZDDP are not the root cause of flat tappet camshaft failures. They say the existing levels, while far below previous levels, are still more than sufficient to be behind the failures. If this were not true, then everyone who puts in a new flat tappet cam would have the failure. And while the failures get a lot of attention, they are not all that common. I did a cam for a friend over the spring. Did a normal break-in with off the shelf oil and he has no problems.

Is the ZDDP reduction really the boogie man of cam failure? Hard to say since, again, there is no smoking gun. But the prevailing "best practice" in the industry now is to use a ZDDP-enriched oil or ZDDP supplement for the duration of your new cam break-in. Once the cam has broken-in, you can do without the supplement.

There are specialty oils which have high ZDDP content (Joe Gibbs, being one. Racing oils, like Valvoline being another). But you can also get high ZDDP concentrations in diesel motor oils, like Rotella. There are also supplements you can add to the oil for the cam break-in.

As a matter of comfort, if I were running a lot of spring pressure (like over 400lbs over the nose) I'd probably use a ZDDP concentrate all the time. It certainly can't hurt. But not even ZDDP will cure bad break-in methods, which is where you will always find the failures.

Just my $.02.

This has been discussed ad nauseum over on fordfe.com... If you run a flat tappet, use an oil made for it with the zinc in it. Diesel oils will do this, as well as additives. some companies make oil designed for older engines. you wan at least 1500 ppm on the zinc stuff in the oil...

HI!
I am pleased to see that all you car buffs are informed and are aware, Thank You All for your comments.
rich drums