"Lastly, are all SAE 30 oils the same? "

If a natural oil list an SAE rating it is interchangeable with any other brand of the same SAE rating.

It is just like gasoline. If you buy gasoline from any vendor it is going to perform the same as any other brand. for any price. It meets the same standards.

That being said, it you run a chromatographic assay (gas/liquid etc. ) of the oil or gasoline the components will vary as the components are slightly different depending on which well the oil/gasoline comes from.

The make up will also vary by season as the manufacturer changes the distillation parameters to get different oils and gasolines from the crude.

People tend to have brand favorites in everything. Spark plugs have "heat ranges" and as long as you select something that crosses- you have done your job. Think about an internal combustion engine and the heat generated from that process. A little spark from a spark plug has no effect on engine running temp. There are many opinions regarding synthetic oils and you could have days of reading and never get your answer which one - if either one will make a difference in the life of your Cub's engine. Oil today has had to adhere to different ratings and standards than it had to when your tractor was built. Some for the good- some not so good for an air cooled engine.

Ginger or Mary Ann?

Opinions vary widely on motor oils, but I'll give mine-

I like the older diesel rated oils for small engines.
They have zinc & phosphorus for anti wear additives.
They work great, on flat tappet camshafts, but "poison" catalytic converts on cars, so are no longer allowed in modern automotive engines.

I wonder if the new oils are the reason you hear of so many Briggs wiping out cam lobes?

If your engine tends to ping, or pre-ignite, then you might have excess carbon built up on the valves, and also on the spark plugs. Glowing carbon deposits can act as an igniter, and cause pre-ignition, which is not good for engine life. I'm not sure if your 18 year old tractor will run another 20 years without major repair. That's asking a lot. You must be doing something right to have reached 18 years.

"Ginger or Mary Ann?" Heck, I always wanted both! Never figured out why I was only supposed to pick one...
I've heard about diesel oils having the higher zinc levels that were removed from normal passenger car oils. Do the new diesel oils still have an advantage Bill? I see that you had referred to the old. Any thoughts on the OEM Briggs or Kohler oils and their wear packages?
I also get to care for an air cooled VW bus and as you would imagine- are more opinions on oils- which don't always coincide with other industries logic.Makes your head spin!

Tom : New Diesel rated Oils still have the Zinc and Phosphorus Additives . I use Rotella T in my current Cummins Diesel Engined Truck. Valvoline R Convential Oil also has these additives . Some prefer Risolone Additive with both Zinc and Phosphorus , about half a quart is all that is required for a normal V-8 engine and is Rated Convertor Safe.

Spark plugs? For years I have considered Champion plugs to be about the poorest available. I could be wrong but that is my opinion. Personal experience. I like Autolite. AC is OK.
I remember talking with a NASCAR mechanic in 1956 (yeah, I am older than dirt). They ran Champions and had the Champion decal on the car (Chevrolet) because Champion paid money for each lap completed. AC paid no lap money but he said ACs produced more power in the Chevy.

Bus: You are correct the neighbourhood Auto Shops really preferred AC Plugs for GM Vehicles routinely in the 50 and 60's been there done that lol .

Back in the mid 60's, in the gas stations I worked at, we tended to stay with whatever brand the car came with.
It avoided any discussions of "putting in the wrong plug".

Bill : In my are area AC was a big seller as a replacement plug for GM Models during that era. Champion did not become universal until the mid 70,s around here within GM as did Motorcraft become with Ford. I realize that the Purist out there stick with what ever came OEM , usually pretty safe to go with the Manufacturers choice ..right ?..Duh lol .

Thanks knuttle/tomplum/bill_kapaun/ewalk/bus_driver/ericwi:

I'll stick with what's been working for the last 18 years, Autolite plugs and a good SAE 30 oil.

How do you gentlemen feel about Marvel Mystery Oil in the gas? Does it really work like they say it does?

Many thanks,

cc1440

As I have stated many times, I like the idea of having a slight bit of "oiliness" in the gas tank and fuel system. I use Marvel Mystery Oil but I am not convinced that MMO is any better at that task than just adding the same amount of a good quality 2 stroke cycle engine fuel mix oil instead of MMO.
I believe that ethanol blended into today's gasoline sets the stage for gummy intake valve stems where the stem is exposed to the inducted air/fuel stream. IMHO I believe MMO or other oil mixed in the fuel supply helps to leave a slight trace of oil on the stem which lessens the sticky, gummy deposits and thus may prevent a stuck intake valve and the subsequent pushrod damage resulting from the stuck valve.

I prefer Sea Foam myself although MMO is relative comparision . They both reduce sludge and carbon deposits with their inherit solvency . As advised they also have lubricity factor , which prevents sticking of lifters and injectors. I doubt you could go far wrong with either product as a once a yr treatment . I have used automatic dextron transmission fluid in the past for the same reason for its cleaning properties for noisy lifters or tappets. Seafoam is a very good fogging treatment for current fuel injection plenums , add a little (4-6) ounce to the vaccum side of your brake booster and it will fog and clean the entire intake plenum and fuel injection influent system , while you maintain high idle condition with the engine running . The exhaust will smoke for a few minutes but eventually will calm down and fuel mileage will increase along with overall performance . Just a Old Diesel Techs trick for internal engine and Cat Convertor cleaning .

This post was edited by ewalk on Wed, Oct 16, 13 at 15:49

Ewalk, you neighbor called and wondered what the heck you were barbecuing! ;) I can smell it now!

Tom: yeah cleared out all the black flies , mosquitos , for 5 blocks lol . Fortunately I have 5 acres and did the process out behind one of my pole barns . Seriously , if you have noticed reduced performance and fuel mileage this process will make a dramatic improvement on mid 80's to current model yr engines. 4 ounces is all it takes for a V-8 engine 2 ounces for a 4 cylinder.