Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Hunter's Campfire Marvel Mystery Oil

The oil can guitar thread got me thinking. I'm running unleaded gas in that old flathead motor in my tractor. The way I understand it, the lead in gasoline is the only thing that lubricates the valve guides in old motors.

I've heard of people mixing small amounts of various oils in unleaded gas to serve that purpose,...including Marvel Mystery Oil.

Any of you guys do that? If so, what's the ratio?

Any oil, diesel fuel will work.

lol

I thought that stuff was just colored kerosene when I used to hang out at the Napa

What about all the engine oil burnt through the guides?

Doesn't the station in Hickville have leaded gas?

Look up zinc additives for older engines while you're at it.

I put lead additive on my gas for 69 mopar, but I do that for the lack of hardened exhaust seats in my 906 heads.

Crappy, old rubber valve seals might allow enough oil to escape up and oil those guides for you. I don’t know about those old tractors, would some have bronze guides?

I guess that would serve the purpose if the guides are worn enough to allow oil to pass through. Years ago I worked in an automotive machine shop rebuilding heads. Those with wallered out valve guides would have the valve pockets caked with carbon from oil flowing up through them and getting burnt.

So I don't know if engine oil would be a good substitute.

I don't know. I doubt it. I'd guess that the guides are just machined into the block.

There's hardly any place to buy leaded gas around here. One station about 30 miles away has it.

Is this it

https://www.yesterdaystractors.com/8BA6510B_Valve-Guide_16666.htm

I've heard of adding Marvel Mystery Oil to diesel fuel additives to increase lubricity of low sulfur diesel fuels and experimented with it years ago. I don't remember any mix ratios, but you might search on some of the diesel or other truck forums and find an answer.

Get you a lead substitute for the gas, and Rislone makes an oil additive with ZDDP.

A friend owned a truck maint. garage and told me Marvel Mystery oil is one of the best diesel injector cleaners available.

Yep,..apparently 8N motors have replaceable valve guides.

Race fuel, 110 octane
https://www.sunocoracefuels.com/tech-article/race-fuel-101-lead-leaded-racing-fuels
Ronnie

It's actually to lubricate the valve seats and to prevent engine knock.

You can use a lead sustitute to take care of the problem.

Take some of the lead outta your ass and put it inna gas.

Interesting.

Even though the flat head arrangement is different....I still don't know how the lead would lubricate the guides.


It pulls aif fuel past the guides...not through them.


After they went to positive seals....guides wore more quickly. Some consumption past the guides is necessary.

Unleaded gas will damage seats however.



Hmmm....Interesting.

Wonder how it was supposed to lubricate the guides?

good information