Oil Additive

[Ron7000]

I have an old 2N with bad rings and burns oil. Has anyone used Lucas Oil Stabilizer to help?

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Waste of time and money. Won't even be a "temporary" fix or give you any kind of relief. At best that stuff has a slight effect on oil pressure. Maybe.

 

[bc]

I'd go to a heavier weight oil. For the summer a straight 40 or 50.

I might edit this to guess that an old 2N has enough hours on it that I assume the cam and crank journals and bearings are worn enough as well to allow good oil flow to them. With a major oil burner there is no need to change the oil, just add a quart as one gets burned up. I assume you aren't pulling a plow either.

Getting close to 60 years ago I had an old clunker that got 20 miles to a quart of 30 weight oil. Left a better oil screen behind me than a fleet of destroyers. Got 30 miles per quart when I added a small and pricy can of STP. It was thick and gummy and helped somewhat.

I worry that additives today have some kind of slick, silicone stuff made to lube metal more than help with burning oil.

Might add for Ron that you need to determine for sure if the oil burning is from cylinder wear indicated by blowby or a valve or ring issue or something else making it use oil. Guess you haven't said what you are running in it now that might make a difference.

 

[old]

I have an old 2N with bad rings and burns oil. Has anyone used Lucas Oil Stabilizer to help?

Bad rings or has it has a long time so the rings are stuck in the piston groove?? If it sat a long time fill the cylinders with ATF and let it sit a week then pull the plugs and spin it over and see if that helps

 

[farmersamm]

One thing to watch about the snake oil additives that boost viscosity.............................

Heavier oil will not flow well through the journal clearance on the crankshaft. Period. Engine longevity is about the oil boundary, you need a low enough viscosity to allow the pump to put pressure between bearing, and journal.

While a higher viscosity(the Lucas trash) might reduce blowby, it will definitely fry your bearings..............especially when started in a cold climate.

 

[Brownie450]

When Giese [construction outfit] was widening the road,
I talked to the mechanic one morning. I asked about
dozers that used oil to some degree & asked if they used
40 or 50 weight oil to cut down on oil burning. He said
they went with #10 oil claiming that the oil got off of the
cylinder walls quicker since it was thinner.
YMMV.
Jim

 

[farmersamm]

I suppose that might not be a stretch. Can't say for sure.

What we have to remember is that the low end of the number(5w 30) 5w is the actual viscosity...........however the oil will protect as well as a 30w oil.

With modern capabilities, tolerances have grown tighter. Lower viscosity oil is required to flow into tighter clearances. You can verify this with a search.

Although manual transmissions seem to be a thing of the past on light duty trucks.................................if you recall..........at the end of their heyday, they spec'd either low viscosity engine oil, or automatic transmission fluid. The tolerances got tighter. You need a thin oil to go with those tighter tolerances.

 

[JIM MN]

If the rings would be stuck, try marvel mystery oil. Some in the oil, and some in the gas. Do as you are told on the container. If this does not work, the rings are wore out.

 

[rustred]

I have an old 2N with bad rings and burns oil. Has anyone used Lucas Oil Stabilizer to help?

Yes I have used Lucas stuff. It definitely increases oil pressure ,about 5 lbs. it’s quit similar to stp. Helps a bit on oil usage. U will not harm your engine be more benefit than harm. Even good for engine rebuilds mixed with oil.

 

[rustred]

Waste of time and money. Won't even be a "temporary" fix or give you any kind of relief. At best that stuff has a slight effect on oil pressure. Maybe.

I would not go that negative on it. I have used the stuff. There was a plastic gear set up at one place in the counter. One had only oil the other one had Lucas. The plain oil one had the oil drop off the gears pretty instant after you stopped turning the crank. The Lucas one u could see the oil stayed on the gears.

 

[super99]

I had a 97 Dodge Dakota, 6 cylinder with way over 100,000 miles on it. At idle the oil light came on. I started adding a quart of Lucas when changing the oil. Light stayed off at idle up to about 1500 miles. Later it came back to the light on at idle so I switched from 5w30 to 20w50 and a quart of Lucas at oil change. Worked until it had computer problems and I was tired of pouring money into it and junked it.

 

[Russ from MN]

Yes I have used Lucas stuff. It definitely increases oil pressure ,about 5 lbs. it’s quit similar to stp. Helps a bit on oil usage. U will not harm your engine be more benefit than harm. Even good for engine rebuilds mixed with oil.

Is STP still available? I hadn't thought about it in years, I used to use it occasionally in a worn-out engine, but I don't have any of them anymore!

 

[rustred]

Is STP still available? I hadn't thought about it in years, I used to use it occasionally in a worn-out engine, but I don't have any of them anymore!

i actually have a can of it here mostly saving it as its pretty old. i dont recall seeing the stuff anymore, reminds me i will ask about it next time i am in town.

 

[mjsnodgrass]

I would not go that negative on it. I have used the stuff. There was a plastic gear set up at one place in the counter. One had only oil the other one had Lucas. The plain oil one had the oil drop off the gears pretty instant after you stopped turning the crank. The Lucas one u could see the oil stayed on the gears.

50 years ago, it was STP they added to the oil in that gadget. 25 years ago, it was power punch oil additive they put in the oil. now its' lucas. i wonder what we will see in it in 25 years?

 

[showcrop]

One thing to watch about the snake oil additives that boost viscosity.............................

Heavier oil will not flow well through the journal clearance on the crankshaft. Period. Engine longevity is about the oil boundary, you need a low enough viscosity to allow the pump to put pressure between bearing, and journal.

While a higher viscosity(the Lucas trash) might reduce blowby, it will definitely fry your bearings..............especially when started in a cold climate.

Please explain how oil could be kept from flowing adequately through the larger journal clearances.

 

[BarnyardEngineering]

Yes I have used Lucas stuff. It definitely increases oil pressure ,about 5 lbs. it’s quit similar to stp. Helps a bit on oil usage. U will not harm your engine be more benefit than harm. Even good for engine rebuilds mixed with oil.

My experience with the Lucas is 0 PSI increase in oil pressure.

 

[Fritz Maurer]

Is the air cleaner in operating condition , or is it bone dry and / or inlet tube disconnected or missing? If any of the above conditions exist, forget the oil additives and order a sleeve and piston set.

 

[Brownie450]

STP is available at Menards. Forget what I picked up
a pint for last week.
Back in the '60s STP had demonstrations at fairs that
the guy would try to put a .0001 over size shaft in a
hole in a block of steel. Couldn't get it to go. He dipped
the end in STP & pounded the shaft in the hole with his
fist. I never tried doing this.
Jim

 

[Fritz Maurer]

One thing to watch about the snake oil additives that boost viscosity.............................

Heavier oil will not flow well through the journal clearance on the crankshaft. Period. Engine longevity is about the oil boundary, you need a low enough viscosity to allow the pump to put pressure between bearing, and journal.

While a higher viscosity(the Lucas trash) might reduce blowby, it will definitely fry your bearings..............especially when started in a cold climate.

I did the search and found the average oil clearance for connecting rod at .001 per inch of shaft diameter. What tighter clearances are you referring to?

A Model A Ford piston clearance is .002” new/cold; some manuals list it as.0019”… how much tighter can you get than that?

 

[sotxbill]

Yes it will help, but per the instructions, you need to add the correct amount to get full benefits.. Good for stopping slapping, knocking, lowering blowby, and oil consumption a bit. It will give you a bit more life out of the engine. It is overloaded with friction modifiers and stabilizers to stop oil thinning. Will raise oil pressure at idle in most/some cases where it is too low, if the wear is not too bad. It is GREAT in non emission engines in any shape except for arctic use.??? Not too much different from the studebaker packard additive. (STP) However I would be leery of using it in a modern emission engine for fear it would attack, and foul the catalytic converter, due to its heat activated additives like phosphorous and moly.