Best Oil For Emission Control

  • Thread starter Thread starter Ron Reaugh
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Ron Reaugh

I got an older 86 Volvo diesel and it smokes a bit(blue crankcases oil).
I'm coming up on an emissions inspection test. What would be better to
minimize the smoke for the test. Light or heavy grade or natural oil or
synthetic??
Any recommended additives?
 
Ron Reaugh said:
I got an older 86 Volvo diesel and it smokes a bit(blue crankcases oil).
I'm coming up on an emissions inspection test. What would be better to
minimize the smoke for the test. Light or heavy grade or natural oil or
synthetic??
Any recommended additives?
Click to expand...

I've had limited success with Wynn's 'Smoke Stop' - got my old Escort
through an MOT with no problems.

Don't know what long-term effects it would have, though, I sold the car
not long after putting a couple of bottles in ;-)
 
Ron,

Unfortunately in your case, the smoke is most likely due to sticking
rings... a problem with those loveable ole D24 engines. Heavier weight oil
will help I believe, and maybe even some Lucas Motor Oil Stabilizer (Motor
Honey), but your best current bet is going to be a product called AutoRX
which will help un-stick those rings:

http://www.auto-rx.com/

The best stuff was Lubro-Moly OL Shalaam Spulung, but since it was imported
to the USA/Canada as "Engine Flush", the contents have changed significantly
and it's not very effective anymore.

If you really want to cure the problem for good, a rebuild is in order.
Replace those rings and change your oil ever 3000 miles after your rebuild
with quality stuff (or 7500+ with quality synthetics) and you'll be good for
several hundred thousand more miles without problem, and much more
power/less smoke. Volvo's worst call ever was putting 7000 mile reccomended
oil-change intervals in their 1980's volvo diesel owners manuals... it sent
most of em to the junkyard at right around 160,000 miles. Anything to make
a diesel sale in the 80's, eh?

By the way, a few of us diesel-brickers have a Yahoo! group just for us...
come on over and join up!

http://autos.groups.yahoo.com/group/volvo_diesels/

If you're an '86, you must have the last year of the 740 Turbodiesel...
invest some time and a few dollars on that rebuild, and you can push 270hp
out of that little straight-6 while getting 46mpg on the freeway at 75mph -
It's been done! There's a lot of potential in that engine...

-Mike
82 Volvo 245GL Diesel
 
Don't know Volvos, but one method for fixing stuck rings that I've heard:

-Remove spark plugs
-Dump something like Marvel Mystery Oil or GM Top Engine Cleaner into
cylinders, let sit overnight
-Put rag over spark plug holes, crank engine to blow out remaining cleaner
-Reinstall spark plugs
-Change engine oil
 
Don't know Volvos, but one method for fixing stuck rings that I've heard:

-Remove spark plugs
Click to expand...

Kind of hard to do on the diesel engine that the original poster
was having the problem with...
 
So, what's the best oil to keep down emissions for now to pass a test;
10-40 Penzoil natural or some 10-40 synthetic(which)? And then use one of
these additives on top of that?
 
So, what's the best oil to keep down emissions for now to pass a test;
10-40 Penzoil natural or some 10-40 synthetic(which)? And then use one of
these additives on top of that?
Click to expand...

Since you have a diesel engine, you probably want a diesel rated oil
(e.g. API CH-4 or CI-4, although CF is acceptable for older diesel
engines that specified CC or CD); typically these come in 15W-40
conventional or 5W-40 synthetic, though some 10W-30 and 5W-30 varieties
may be found. No idea what effect that can have on the smoking, though.
 
So, what's the best oil to keep down emissions(blue smoke) for now to pass
a test; 10-40 Penzoil natural or some 10-40 synthetic(which)? And then use
one of these additives on top of that?
 
Ron Reaugh said:
So, what's the best oil to keep down emissions(blue smoke) for now to pass
a test; 10-40 Penzoil natural or some 10-40 synthetic(which)? And then use
one of these additives on top of that?
Click to expand...

If it is burning oil and the test is designed to fail an engine that
burns excessive oil then your engine will fail. Get it maintained and
repaired properly or scrap the heap if this is uneconomic.

Huw
 
Mike "Rotor" Nowak said:
If you really want to cure the problem for good, a rebuild is in order.
Replace those rings and change your oil ever 3000 miles after your rebuild
with quality stuff (or 7500+ with quality synthetics) and you'll be good for
several hundred thousand more miles without problem, and much more
power/less smoke. Volvo's worst call ever was putting 7000 mile reccomended
oil-change intervals in their 1980's volvo diesel owners manuals... it sent
most of em to the junkyard at right around 160,000 miles. Anything to make
a diesel sale in the 80's, eh?
Click to expand...

If this is the same engine used in the VW LT van range then it is a
miracle if it lasts 160,000 miles. It is an absolute pig which breaks
camshafts on a regular basis. The indirect injection throws huge
amounts of soot into the oil so that a commercial heavy duty diesel
oil is essential to handle the shit. Any synthetic is wasted because
it will handle no more soot than any other oil with a similar
specification. As it happens the relatively new API CH4 mineral oils
are just the ticket for up to 7500 highway miles depending on
condition of engine.

Huw
 
If your car is burning enough oil to be smoking, I don't think changing the
oil will cause it to burn clean enough to pass the emissions test. You need
to stop it from burning oil or it's not going to pass.

I believe in some areas that do emissions testing, if your vehicle is
producing visible exhaust smoke then they will not even test it, it's an
automatic failure.
 
The smoke is rather marginal now and any small improvement would allow
passage. Light duty desiels are exempt in the US from normal emission
testing. So the question remains: What would be the lowest smoker 10-40
natural oil or 10-40 synthetic??
 
Ron Reaugh said:
The smoke is rather marginal now and any small improvement would allow
passage. Light duty desiels are exempt in the US from normal emission
testing. So the question remains: What would be the lowest smoker 10-40
natural oil or 10-40 synthetic??
Click to expand...

Neither, use a thicker-when-hot viscosity oil,- i.e. a 20w-50.

Tim..
 
Ron Reaugh said:
Clueless, would someone please respond to the question asked.
Click to expand...

You asked "So, what's the best oil to keep down emissions(blue smoke)
for now to pass
a test; 10-40 Penzoil natural or some 10-40 synthetic(which)? And
then use
one of these additives on top of that?"

If you do not like the answers, which mainly consist of something
similar to 'stop being a cheap lazy **** and get the fecking thing
fixed properly', there is certainly no point in asking the question
over and over again which is especially hilarious if your reaction is
as above.

Huw
 
Ron Reaugh said:
The smoke is rather marginal now and any small improvement would allow
passage. Light duty desiels are exempt in the US from normal emission
testing. So the question remains: What would be the lowest smoker 10-40
natural oil or 10-40 synthetic??
Click to expand...

Both oils will burn equally. Oil is not designed to be burnt. Fuel,
petrol diesel and gas is commonly burnt for power in small internal
combustion engines. I am surprised you do not appreciate this,
preferring instead to insist on a clean burning lubricating oil. In
fact API SL, or in your case API CG4 or CH4 are about the cleanest
burning oils you can find but this is only in relation to tested
emissions and their effect on cats, not from a smoke point of view.
All oils will smoke whether mineral or synthetic when burnt. Only the
use of a heavy oil like a straight 40 for the duration of the test
might improve things. Get it fixed.

Huw
 
Ron Reaugh said:
Clueless, would someone please respond to the question asked.
Click to expand...

I guess I will let the secret out if nobody else will.
Common lavender scented bubble bath is just the thing you need. Cheap and
available at any corner drug store.
Just fill 'er up! Problem solved.
 
Clueless, would someone please respond to the question asked.
Click to expand...

He did answer your question. He said if your car is burning oil, it
won't pass inspection. It doesn't matter what kind of oil you put it in.

You could try running your car without oil. Then it wouldn't have any oil
to burn. :)
 
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