A12/4 Engine oil

Servicing, Repairs & Restoration for your Austins.
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austinbrit
Posts: 33
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:29 pm

A12/4 Engine oil

Post by austinbrit »

What are the oils that can now be purchased and used on a 1929 A12/4?
As in the old days the new muligrades were not suitable as they would attack the Bronze and white metal bearings?
We now have synthetic oils do these still attack metals?
Thanks
Paul
stevef
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2018 6:55 pm

Re: A12/4 Engine oil

Post by stevef »

Hi Paul. I run a 1934 16/6 have been running on sae40 oil. as per the hand book for my car. Now as far as I know engine oils do not attack bronze or white metal bearing. I would suggest using a good quality sae (straight) oil in your car. If you want to use a multi grade oil take a look at Penrite shelsley 25w/70 this is the same as sae 40 a friend mine swears by it.I intend to run my car on this next year. Hope this is usefull. Your Steve
Humphrey47
Posts: 38
Joined: Mon Feb 19, 2018 6:46 pm

Re: A12/4 Engine oil

Post by Humphrey47 »

Much better to use a straight sae 30. If one uses the detergent oils then you had better have a modern filter in the system. The dirt particles in a straight oil will stick to the sides and bottom of the sump whereas the dirt in a detergent oil will continue to circulate around, causing wear on the parts that the oil is supposed to protect. I often worried why my engines with the old Duckhams multigrade kept breaking down and I now realise that the engines of the old cars that I loved were unsuitable for the modern oil.
stevef
Posts: 3
Joined: Wed Sep 12, 2018 6:55 pm

Re: A12/4 Engine oil

Post by stevef »

Have to agree with Humphrey on this no detergent but more important is the zinc additive which our engines need for protection against wear on moving parts. The Penrite oil my friend is running in his 10/4 although it is a multigrade it has made his engine run quieter and an increase in oil pressure. I will try to contact a local oil company near me to try and get more info on this subject.
Mikeg7210 _+[]
Posts: 20
Joined: Tue Sep 27, 2016 10:07 pm

oils

Post by Mikeg7210 _+[] »

I use a Morris oils 20/50, have done for years, if not available I have used the Castrol equivalent.The engine is in good order and I have had no problems.Just make sure any oil used in the back axle is suitable for bronze bearings .
austinbrit
Posts: 33
Joined: Sat Apr 28, 2018 8:29 pm

Re: A12/4 Engine oil

Post by austinbrit »

A lot of thoughts there and I was probably thinking about the detergent oils which loosened any debris in the engine and mixed in with the oil, which then became detrimental to the engine.
So the ideal is a straight oil with zinc in it, would that be mentioned on the side of the can and called Zinc?
And Penrite and Morris oils might not have detergents in them, and again would that be on the side of the can, and is it called detergent.
Thanks
Paul
Pottery50
Posts: 11
Joined: Tue Aug 08, 2017 12:52 pm

Re: A12/4 Engine oil

Post by Pottery50 »

Have restored five 12/4s over the years,three included total engine rebuilds including drilling out/replacing all crankshaft plugs,to ensure the oil ways were clean.In these three engines,I initially ran them on Castrol gtx and changed oil regularly.They ran fine but the detergent tended to encourage leaks through various gaskets.I now run on Castrol straight 30,with no leaks.Three pints only in the gearbox ( or they leak) and a pint of Castrol D140 in the rear axle.
Never put a detergent oil in an engine with no known history.
guyr
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Jan 07, 2018 7:13 pm

Re: A12/4 Engine oil

Post by guyr »

Hi all. Penrite recommend ‘Shelsley Light 20W-60’ for the 12/4. It has a high zinc content as standard. I’ve used it for ages in both my 12/4’s and have never had any problems (well, any related to the oil anyway! ).
Its probably worth remembering that oils in general are manufactured to a much higher standard then our cars enjoyed when they were new. So although contents need to be checked for detergents and similar unwelcome additives, on the whole the oil is most unlikely to be seriously damaging provided you get an appropriate equivalent to the original spec.
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