Racing car - 1984 Volvo 240NA, RP 15w40

[zanzabar]

At least 60 hours of high-revving battering on this Volvo redblock 2.3 engine, along with intermittent months of storage in a field. Oil was in the car for one year, including the ~9 days of racing. We burned about 20 gallons of leaded fuel in the first race, and then none in the subsequent 3 races. Check out that lead!!! I'm happy with the rest, but can all that lead have come from the fuel or am I burning through crank bearings?

Oil is Royal Purple 15w40 - got it on sale for $5 for the gallon at AZ.
Test by Blackstone

Code:




ALUM 12

CHROM 4

IRON 3

COPER 9

LEAD 896

TIN 1

MOLY 132

NICKEL 1

MANG 1

SILVER 0

TIANIUM 1

POTAS 0

BORON 86

SILCON 16

SODIUM 9

CALCIUM 2043

MAGN 592

PHOSP 1237

ZINC 141

BARIUM 0



SU Vis @210°F 72.1

cSt Vis @10°C 13.5

Flashpoint °F 390

Fuel % TR

Antifreze % 0

Water % 0

Insolubes % 0.4

 

[OneEyeJack]

The lead looks like your bearing are moving into the oil pan.

This could be from a particle streak in one or more of the bearings. A tiny piece of something that gets into a bearing can dig a trail around the bearing and the lead reading will go way up when there is no other damage to other bearings. Has your engine been eating something besides gas and air? Sloppy maintenance, bad air filter connection or an engine overhaul under a tree in the back yard?

 

[aquariuscsm]

Could the lead be from that first run of leaded gas?

 

[heynow]

If oil pressure is normal, I would assume that the lead reading is due to the use of leaded fuel. Try another oil change interval without leaded fuel and see what you get.

 

[Yah-Tah-Hey]

I always liked that tanish white look to the exhaust pipe that my 54 Ford V8 would have after running it out on US 66 through Tijeras canyon and up Sedillo Hill.That 239 cu.in. Y block wouldn't pull the hat off your head but it was durable with timely maintenance. Times change

 

[Eddie]

Yes, the old Red Block Volvo engine. A "high carbon" block that will last forever if it sees any maintaince.

 

[zanzabar]

Blackstone said it was probably from the leaded fuel. It was our first race and the driver that filled up the gas cans didn't even realize there was such a thing as leaded fuel!

But yeah, only about 20 gallons of leaded fuel in there, and none for the last ~75 gallons we ran through it, so I'm just wondering if the level is too high for that little bit of leaded gas?

I'll sample again after this weekend's race and see if it improves.

 

[jayg]

Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
The lead looks like your bearing are moving into the oil pan.

This could be from a particle streak in one or more of the bearings. A tiny piece of something that gets into a bearing can dig a trail around the bearing and the lead reading will go way up when there is no other damage to other bearings. Has your engine been eating something besides gas and air? Sloppy maintenance, bad air filter connection or an engine overhaul under a tree in the back yard?


That lead is totally from the 80s tech fuel injection. Nothing to worry about.

 

[A_Harman]

There is no copper to go with the high lead level. I think it's all from the fuel.

Viscosity held up well.

What happened to the Zinc? Perhaps a misprint.