Guest mdirtycreek Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 What weight and brand of oil will smoke the least in a sleeve valve engine.It runs very good but i think i killed every bug for a hundred miles. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trimacar Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Somewhere I read recently that a Knight engine worked best on the cheapest oil (or was it gas?) available back in the era of manufacture.It seems that the cheap stuff would carbon up quickly, and the carbon helped seal the sleeves.Fascinating engines..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 Knight engines are supposed to burn oil. I have seen newsreels of the Royals in the thirties riding in their Daimler limousine with a plume of smoke out the tailpipe. Daimler featured Knight sleeve valve engines in those days.I knew an old time antique car owner who used a Willys Knight 4 cylinder car from the mid twenties as a tour car in the sixties and seventies. He told me when he started off in the morning it would burn a quart of oil in the first sixty miles. After that, nothing. Next day, same thing, starting from cold it would burn a quart in sixty miles then no more for the rest of the day.It seems they take a long time to warm up.As to what kind of oil to use I would consult the Willys Knight experts. Or go by what the factory recommended. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 10, 2011 Share Posted July 10, 2011 I would go along with using low octane gas in a low compression car but not the cheap oil. There may be a more modern oil that will work better than what they had in the thirties and especially, preserve the engine from wear.My guess would be to take off the pan and clean out the sludge then use Shell Rotella 15W4O but that is only a guess.The main concern should be to preserve the engine because they are almost imossible to rebuild. On the other hand, given reasonable care and regular oil changes it should run over 1OO.OOO miles and I have heard of sleeve valve bus and truck engines going 3OO,OOO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest mdirtycreek Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 Someone told me not to run detergent oil because it would knock the sludge loose,seems to me a clean engine would last longer.I thought Kendal 50 wt might slow the smoke down a little and provide good lubrication.I know its going to smoke but someone is going to call the fire department. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I knew another old timer who took 2 Willys Knights on a trade in back in the thirties. One would not run right, it was down on power, he suspected a clogged exhaust from oil smoke. He sold it cheap to a guy who rammed a crowbar up the tailpipe and drove off with no more problem.Not that I am suggesting you do that.My friend took the exhaust off the other car and burned it out with oxygen. It restored the power without damaging anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted July 11, 2011 Share Posted July 11, 2011 I am thinking the excess smoke might be from gummed up or frozen rings. In that case heavy oil will only make it worse, light oil might free them up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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