Smokeless motor oil wanted...

Joined
Oct 5, 2005
Messages
5,552
Location
Kansas
Okay, I know there will be literally dozens of posters wanting to be the first (or second, or third, etc...) to say: "FIX YOUR ENGINE!", but read my entire post before you fire back, okay? I'm wanting an engine oil that reduces smoke when the engine is running. So does anyone here HAVE EXPERIENCE with an oil that stops a little of the blue smoke that comes out of the exhaust? I've done a little searching for some and I think there are a few products on the market that will be exactly what I need, but, again, I want some real life experience here. I've also seen some smokeless oil that I wouldn't put in a throwaway lawn mower, so you can spare me the warnings for a few that I've seen that have absolutely no additives or viscosity ratings on the jug.
Here is the subject: This is a 1938 Graham Bradley tractor. It was sold for about three years. Yes, the engine is 80+ years old and this tractor is just a parade queen. It probably doesn't get 5 hours of driving time per year. It was made by the Graham Paige car company, sold in the Sear & Roebuck catalog for a couple of years and is quite rare. So with parts being rare, and running time very low, it will be NOT be overhauled, at least while I own it. It really doesn't smoke too bad, especially when in a parade compared to other antique tractors, but if there's a product out there that can reduce the smoke, I might try it. What makes it the smoke noticeable is that the exhaust shoots out horizontally on the left side of the hood and if the wind is just right, it will go back into the driver's face. So, any help here? TIA.
P.S. That is my wife driving it. I chopped her head off on purpose. 😄
GrahamBradley.JPG
 
I doubt a lower NOACK oil will help as much as some members might think because oil is getting past the rings and valve guides and entering into the combustion chamber.
Who cares if it smokes a little, I myself would like to see an old tractor smoking a little at a parade.
 
I've had good experience with Lucas Oil Stabilizer helping with an oil burn. It's probably your best bet if you don't have time to fix the issue
 
20w50 Full Synthetic will likely smoke the least. I was sold a sidebyside that had been 'dusted' meaning that the rings no longer sealed. It consumed alot of oil but did not smoke much when i bought it.. my first oil change to 10w40 had it smoking very visibly..i was told he must have used full synthetic to sell it because it doesnt show smoke like conventional or semi syn.

Probably an old used car trick as well.
 
Just use a cheap 20w-50 like the supertech syn blend all mileage. Also you can try engine restore. The metal particles help seal a bit and that old engine couldn't possibly be hurt by it. Could also try dumping a quart pr two of diesel to try to clean it by idling it for an hour straight before trying restore.
 
Fill 'er up with STP. To be serious adding a single bottle of something like STP might help seal the rings and prevent some of the smoke issues. Walmart used to sell Super Tech oil additive in a blue bottle (15 oz. I think). I think it was similar to the viscosity of STP and it was cheap. I used to add a bottle of such additive to my '88 Escort at oil change in it's latter years, not to stop smoking but on an engine with 500K miles I thought maybe it would help the rings seal better and slow oil consumption. What I used was called "No Smoke" but I don't remember the brand name. I'd bought several bottles at Big Lots years ago. I think there are still a few bottles in my garage that I didn't use before retiring the '88.
 
Why doesn't the OP say what oil he been using? Better yet, what kind of fuel and how long it been sitting in the tank?
 
Add some synthetic 2-stroke to the diesel, the PIB should reduce the visible smoke from either oil or fuel. The diesel fuel can cause blue smoke aswell.
 
Okay, I know there will be literally dozens of posters wanting to be the first (or second, or third, etc...) to say: "FIX YOUR ENGINE!", but read my entire post before you fire back, okay? I'm wanting an engine oil that reduces smoke when the engine is running. So does anyone here HAVE EXPERIENCE with an oil that stops a little of the blue smoke that comes out of the exhaust? I've done a little searching for some and I think there are a few products on the market that will be exactly what I need, but, again, I want some real life experience here. I've also seen some smokeless oil that I wouldn't put in a throwaway lawn mower, so you can spare me the warnings for a few that I've seen that have absolutely no additives or viscosity ratings on the jug.
Here is the subject: This is a 1938 Graham Bradley tractor. It was sold for about three years. Yes, the engine is 80+ years old and this tractor is just a parade queen. It probably doesn't get 5 hours of driving time per year. It was made by the Graham Paige car company, sold in the Sear & Roebuck catalog for a couple of years and is quite rare. So with parts being rare, and running time very low, it will be NOT be overhauled, at least while I own it. It really doesn't smoke too bad, especially when in a parade compared to other antique tractors, but if there's a product out there that can reduce the smoke, I might try it. What makes it the smoke noticeable is that the exhaust shoots out horizontally on the left side of the hood and if the wind is just right, it will go back into the driver's face. So, any help here? TIA.
P.S. That is my wife driving it. I chopped her head off on purpose. 😄View attachment 71738
STP
 
Good looking tractor. Can you post a pic of the motor?
Photos of tractor side panel, tractor engine and, what I feel is interesting, is a close up of the pcv system. Not a bad idea for 1938. Maybe I can call Sears and order a new pcv valve for it. 😁 Engine is a 215 c.i. flathead.
 

Attachments

  • gbpanel.JPG
    gbpanel.JPG
    62.4 KB · Views: 23
  • GBengine.JPG
    GBengine.JPG
    72.9 KB · Views: 24
  • GBpcv.JPG
    GBpcv.JPG
    62.9 KB · Views: 24
Why doesn't the OP say what oil he been using? Better yet, what kind of fuel and how long it been sitting in the tank?
Yea, I should have mentioned that it currently has 15W-40 diesel in it. The fuel is fresh, non-alcohol 87 octane.
 
Back
Top