And I’ll echo that the small generator engines I’ve been seeing woodgas oil thickening in were newish, low hours and clean inside.
I’d thought too it was just from carbons soots thickenings.
RindertsW’s original article is saying maybe not. But reactivity to the fuels blow-by chemical components.
We will never get a special oil made up for woodgas or chargas.
So my recommendation to just use standard oil changed out much more frequently was a costs measure. I can still get SJ rated, branded oil (Valvoline?) by the five-quart jug for $14-16.00 USD. at a member’s store BiMart. The cheapest fully synthetic for me is Walmart’s at $18-22.00 USD for a five-quart jug. SP = GF6A.
Thickening will be a reality. Just start out with 5W- something reasonable for that engine. Change when you set for that engine a percieved problem. Cranking effort. Cold or hot engine running noise. Under valve cover deposits browning. Use the oil as a contaminates absorber and out with the fully loaded carrying; and in with the new clean able to absorb load up.
S.U.
You are right as others have about changing the oil Steve. I look at it this way. I am saving on buying fuel. The most expensive part of owning a engine and running it. Changing the oil out more often is cheap compared to the gasoling or diesel you burn. Now that you are running on wood gas you are still saving lots of monies, change the oil and filter and keep the engine running clean. I change my oil every 2000 miles. Why it is cheap insurance compared to mantenance repairs on my engine because of oil failing to lubricate the parts in my engine.
Period.
Bob
That would seem safe to say, but remember this little forum is not the whole world. There are a bunch of industrial and heavy equipment type companies out there providing ‘turn key’ systems to users such as Coors Brewing in Golden, Colorado. They are naturally going to try to make their products reliable and fool proof. So they are going to look for and demand the use of appropriate lubricants. I feel I am stating the obvious when I say this, but I think we here would do very well to keep an eye on what the big guys are doing.
Rindert
Castor bean oil thickens
It’s polymorzation and actually contributes to improved lubrication
That’s the exception to the rule I think
Linseed oil thickens
We call the end product of that thickening tiles
A product of wood gas thickens oil I’ve seen it clog up rings until they are stuck and the oil consumption goes up
Why different oils behave the way I they do probably has as much to do with the fuel as whee the impurities goes
Are they being held in the oil
Are they being caught in filters
Are they sticking inside the engine
If the oil has it in suspension and your filters are catching the particulate then I think that’s the best situation
Why is Cody getting so much thicken?
I don’t on my small engines but I and running very short intervals before oil changes so I don’t wait trouble
Normally dirty oil separates over time but I know we can speed this up with a solvent
Maybe mix some 3 to 1 with white naphtha to speed up the settling and some blot tests can help identify how much is tar getting into the oil as compared to solids and how much is actual oil that has polymerized because of the contaminations
I’m not sure about the nitration part
These is so much co2 and n2 in the mix it reduces temperatures contributing leas nitric oxides
We would see high NOX o emissions test and since Wayne has done emission testing and made no mention of NOX then I am more inclined to look at it as a contamination problem with Tars and micro fine solids
Sent from my cell phone
Forgive the spelling auto correct
How do these young people type with thumbs
Thinking back to the 90s I was working in a small cracking of plant using waste oils
We cracked at low pressure to make heavy waste lubricants in number 6 heating oil for industrial burners
One of the by products were tar that would form from contamination
Acids water cracked petrol products would recombine to make tars ( and a bugger to filter and separate)
The other was oil coke full of metals sulphur and residual oils
It was mot NOX that was causing the tars but other things like acid and water reacting with the oils
There are places in an engine that could get hot enough to cause those kinds of reactions but charcoal should not cause this because all those acids and contaminants should have been cooked out
Left in the storage tanks for long periods the tar would drop out and form clumps that clogged filters
Might we find tars settling out of engine oil if we tried to settle it out in a long term test?
I think Bob the oil guy is the place to go and ask some questions of lubrication experts
We will need some oil analysis done and filters cut open
More experimentation with controls
Had anyone put a centrifigal filter on woodgas vehicle? I have one i used to clean waste oil for fuel but built a single pass bowl type instead. Ive seen the multiple comments on blavk and thick oil so will be building a stand for my PAbiodiesel spinner to mount on valvr cover. Have one on my 6.5 and it definatkey helps and keeps the oil translucent for 3k miles…still black but can see through it and still read markings on dipstick. Get a couple ozs of muck and water out of bowl every oil change. And spinners need oil prrssure …my 6.5 is worn out and never sees over 30psi…the big block vetting gasifker sees 60 plus hot at idle and 80 going down road so should spin much faster and remove more garbage
But reflect the deference’s between the big-guys and us as individuals.
The big-guys maintenances and maintenances costs in down time; materials and labor are significant factors. Used oil “Hazardous waste” also has become a significant factor. Many of these are in locals where they must register lube oil purchases versus lube oils collected audits. The assumption (mostly correct) that differences were spewed out into the air or lost into the ground, then eventually aquifers.
As an individual doing my own engines oil changes the labor is mine. I can schedule engine down times. Ha! The traveling nurse Wifies vehicle always the one giving me fits! Honey! Let me have it! Not in the dark and cold, cold rain.
Open market best price oil buying I can afford the more frequent changes. Afford the better filters. Afford selected less-wear additive supplements for each engine usage.
I have no inputs versus outputs audits I have to be slaved too.
My disposal is the allowed 3; one gallon plastic milk jugs a recycling street-side pick-up period.
SHTF, and unable to get new oils then I’d have to rethink; reclaim and re-use a lot. Ha! I once had over 300 gallons stored here of my own drain outs for working shops waste oil heaters winter heating supplementing. Where we learned that synthetics burn poorly. Residue clogging the burner heads orifices.
S.U.
(Nitration becomes significant at temperarures 135°F or 57°C) this explaines why on my hot trip back from Argos why my oil started to get thick and jell up. Oil pressure started to drop a low rpms. I changed the oil and a new oil filter and the problem was gone. I had over 3000 miles on that oil when it was changed. It was also the high mileage snythic blended oil. I am now running good old regular 10-30 grade oils. The cheap Walmart oil will work it is only going to be used for 2000 miles. Thanks for more infomation on this Rendert.
Bob
A friend of mine uses corn oil in the summer in his 1969 F-250 390cid. He’s been doing this for 30+ years, though not many miles. Has anyone else heard of something like that.
Rindert
Canola oil (rapeseed oil) was originally used as a lubricant for things including firearms. I don’t know what the autoignition temperature for it is though.
Castor was for a very long time constantly seres the best lube oil because as it cooks t thickens and it’s film strength improves
It’s still used in a lot of applications like rc fuel
It also smells nice
My mentor EC Birt used to say I pricked my finger this morning and it still smells like blendsall
Used used it blended with synthetic 2 stroke in methanol
It could be reliably counted on to lubrication when things got too hot
I did use it as a top line in my 4 stroke meth motors too
Hydrogen when combusted makes water as a byproduct, so maybe vapors are getting into the engine, not recovered, and turning to water and emulsifying. And the darkening from carbon is giving us a red herring.
I drove old cars with diesel engines, which made the oil very dirty, even to the point of thickening, the main cause of this problem is poor sealing of the piston rings, or a worn engine. If the gases escape past the piston rings they will do damage to the lubrication system no matter what fuel you use, but if the engine seals well I don’t think there will be any problems, Mr. Wayne could say more, or JO.
I have never had any problem with the oil other than it turns black in a short time. I try to change the oil at about 4-5K miles but may start changing sooner.
For several years I have been using Castrol 10W30 bought at Walmart for about $20 for a 5 qt bottle.
I just realized the last oil that wife got me was 5W30 because they were out of the 10W30 . I just read the 5W30 bottle and it says it is a synthetic blend where as the 10 W 30 doesn’t say anything about synthetic.
Hopefully blend/semi synthetic will be good to go for a 3000 mile interval like I’m used to. Just about all High Mileage formulas are a Semi Synthetic.
Hi Wayne if it says it is high milage synthetic blend it has more synthetic mixed into the oil , if it just says synthethic blend there is not much. They put just enough so they can say it a synthetic blend and sale it for more monies.
100% synthetic oil says it on the container I have never used it. I was using the high mileage synthetic blend. But no more for me. Back to cheaper oil for my wood burner truck.
Bob
