Heavy lead for UOA 54 Plymouth 230

[Plumber]

I ran a 500 miles UOA on my 1954 Plymouth 230 flathead....never rebuilt, OEM motor.

5 quarts Pennzoil SAE30 conventional and one quart of Valvoline 10w-30 Vr1 racing oil, the blue stuff.
I dropped the oil because it wreaks of gas, and also wondered if I could go two years on a oil change...guess not.

The really bad news from the UOA that came from it was the following:

Lead 531
water 0.34

Viscosity could not be determined due to water content.

I really think the lead came from the deposits in the engine, that were diluted with gas. Before I installed the motor (which came from the donor 54 Chip Foose made his Sniper from) it had a nice "caking" of grey deposits all over the interior of the engine...I figured lead.

But I am stumped on the water. I only drive the 500 miles a year, and the drives are long, and oil pressure stays high at driving speeds, and 10-15 at idle...hot.

I changed the oil with 5 quarts 5w-50 Castrol .99 AZ special and left the filter.

 

[CT8]

Leaded gas as you suspect . When the lead was removed from the gas the engines lasted longer and the oil filters became smaller. The good oil pressure seems the bearings are O.K but then nothing will tell better than a teardown and inspection which is a big job. Also is the road draft tube clear? Do you run coolant? Can you post the UOA? That must be a nice car to drive.

 

[Brybo86]

Previous use of leaded fuel? Or lead fuel additive?
Water because it doesn't get much use and sits for extended periods.

 

[Plumber]

The draft tubes breathes fine, and I do run coolant. I downloaded the UOA but cannot figure how to link it.

 

[Colt45ws]

Its best just to type it in, or eventually it will get lost to the internet.

 

[CT8]

I used to work at a Forklift dealership, Yale forklifts had the 6 cyl chrysler flathead engines .They were durable.

 

[Chris142]

In those days they often used a 160 thermostat.thing wont ever boil moisture out

 

[Kuato]

Agree that the high lead is coming from the accumulation of running on leaded fuel for numerous years....your statement that the insides are coated backs that up.

 

[Colt45ws]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
In those days they often used a 160 thermostat.thing wont ever boil moisture out

Agree that its probably running too cold. You're probably going to have to do one year OCIs on this.

 

[dorcheat]

Run the old girl on the interstate where the speed limit is 70 mph and push her up to 75 mph. Better yet, if the limit is 75 mph, push her as hard as she will go up to about 80 mph. I drove a friends 1952 Plymouth Cranbrook with a 217 cubic inch flatty back in the mid 1980's on a rural Minnesota road with the heal to the steel for about 8 miles, but she could only manage about 85 mph downhill at very best.

At full throttle, the old Plymouth flathead heats up to hot and that should boil that water away from the oil. Don't sweat the lead in the oil from the days of tetraethyl lead, at least yet.

Thanks for the memories!

 

[timeau]

Originally Posted By: Plumber
The really bad news from the UOA that came from it was the following:

Lead 531
water 0.34

Viscosity could not be determined due to water content.

IMO, this is a blown head gasket and excessive bearing wearing. I would take a look on coolant level first.

 

[Garak]

It could be, but I'd be giving a long run and checking the thermostat first, and watching coolant levels. People have forgotten how horrible things were with leaded fuel and seasonal thermostat replacement. Those lead numbers are way too high for anything except residues from leaded fuel.

 

[RoadRaceJosh]

Did the fuel pump fail and dump gas into the crankcase or does the carburetor need work?

 

[Plumber]

Originally Posted By: Joshua_Skinner
Did the fuel pump fail and dump gas into the crankcase or does the carburetor need work?


It always seems to boil over into the engine. I even added a heat shield!

 

[Plumber]

Originally Posted By: timeau
Originally Posted By: Plumber
The really bad news from the UOA that came from it was the following:

Lead 531
water 0.34

Viscosity could not be determined due to water content.

IMO, this is a blown head gasket and excessive bearing wearing. I would take a look on coolant level first.


No coolant was found in the oil test, just water. I run Peak tested to -30