Straigh weight on an oil burner?

[Chris142]

My boss has an older Wrangler. Over the years it has started to use quite a bit of oil. I am putting 15w40 in it now.

Would a straight 30 or 40 be a better choice at this point? Rebuilding or replacing the engine is not in the cards till summer.

 

[DdDd]

At temp the 15w-40 will be thicker and is probably a better blend than straight 30 so less volatility.

When cold the 15w is thicker too! Tested in a paper cup outside this winter.

Sometimes switching brands can slow burning. Otherwise move up to the 20w-somethings!

 

[Alex_V]

Is it a 4.0?

In the Cali climate a 20w50 would be... passable? So thick it's nothing but a band-aid, but you already know that. I'd be curious to run some Rotella 30 wt. and see what it does.

 

[Garak]

I'd say it cannot hurt to try.

 

[andyd]

Do some role playing. Pretend you are a stereo typical used car sales guy. White loafers and belt, pencil mustache, combover, etc. Fill it full of Restore.

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: Alex_V
Is it a 4.0?

its the pre 4.0....carbureated 258 with 190k on it. I rolled bearings into it 2 yrs ago because they were down to copper and rattled at higher rpm. Got lucky and that worked but its getting tired.

 

[Warstud]

As long as it's warmer than 40F outside...go for it... and let us know if it helped.

 

[FermeLaPorte]

Use 15w40 with a quart of 20w-50, it will thicken a little bit, but not enough. I think this will let you see if it is good.

 

[fields]

Go to AZ and get the 20-50 for $2.00.

 

[Linctex]

Just buy the cheapest oil.
You can get API "CJ" oil at Atwood's Farm & Ranch for only $6 a gallon.

I had an old Chevy 283 that burned a quart of oil every hundred miles.
All I ever used in it was USED 15W-40 Diesel engine oil

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: fields
Go to AZ and get the 20-50 for $2.00.
i can get the pep boys peoline for $1.80/qt!

 

[Shannow]

Straight weight SHOULD have lower consumption due to lower volatility, and SAE30 is fine below freezing (not quite sure where the 40F came from, that's wrong).

If you can get it cheap, use it...but el cheapo 20W50, provided actually an API approved oil is fine too...I'd prefer a lighter straight for consumption, but try them.

Back in 1987 (my gap year), I worked in a service station, and the work vehicle was a 1973(?) ford Falcon ute, with the 250 with integral inlet manifold...it was a hideous oil burner. 3-400 miles per litre.

I convinced the boss to try a product on the Shelves, Nulon (Teflon) E10 worn engine treatment. It reduced consumption by easily 75%. It's different to any of the "permament" teflon treatments, is was a clearly visible colloidal looking stuff that had to be replaced each OCI.

 

[Graham Piccinini]

Originally Posted By: fields
Go to AZ and get the 20-50 for $2.00.
OR go to Walmart and get 5qt jug of SuperTech 20w50 for $11.XX. But I personally would give Valvoline Max Life 15w40 a try. It's a High Mileage HDEO. Best of both worlds right there.

 

[dlundblad]

How much does it consume?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
How much does it consume?
1qt every 600 miles or so. Not terrible. It has slowly been getting worse over the years.

 

[FCD]

A quart every 600 miles is manageable, a cheap SAE 30 should do the trick.

 

[440Magnum]

A quart every 600 is pretty worn, but far from disastrously worn out.

If you haven't already, replace the PCV (or CCV) parts to minimize oil leaving the sump through the intake tract, and to reduce crankcase pressure build-up. You might experiment around with oil weights, too, because (as I've said here many times) I've had counter-intuitive experiences where things like 20w50 drastically INCREASED oil consumption on worn engines. My hypothesis is that beyond a certain viscosity, the weak/worn oil control rings simply can't scrape the cylinder walls effectively and so more of the thick oil gets into the chamber. So there's a minimum in the viscosity-vs-consumption curve and in my experience its been about Xw40 oils. I didn't experiment with straight grades much, so a straight 40 might be better than an Xw40.

 

[BrocLuno]

It's a pretty simple engine and it's upright, so it's a good candidate for a ring soak. Assuming some taper in the cylinders and some coking in the ring lands, it may need to have the rings freed up some.

I'd pull the plugs and shoot a big shot of Break-Free gun solvent in each cylinder, re-install the plugs and let it sit over night. Fire it up next day and see how it goes... Drive around the block and change the oil. Might help a bunch ...

I'd also switch chemistry on the oil through the next few changes. M1 HM, then Maxlife blend, etc. I'd do the PCV for sure. And, I'd run a full can of BG109 in the new thicker oil at each change for a while. 3K changes would be my norm.

The motor is tired, but I have seen this sort of treatment cut consumption in half ...

 

[dlundblad]

Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
How much does it consume?
1qt every 600 miles or so. Not terrible. It has slowly been getting worse over the years.


You’re certain it’s burning and not leaking? I’m sure the valve cover gasket and RMS need replaced at the minimum.

How many miles anyways?

 

[Chris142]

Originally Posted By: dlundblad
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: dlundblad
How much does it consume?
1qt every 600 miles or so. Not terrible. It has slowly been getting worse over the years.


You’re certain it’s burning and not leaking? I’m sure the valve cover gasket and RMS need replaced at the minimum.

How many miles anyways?
already done the seals. No leaks. 190k