What Dustin said.
I cant help but notice that nobody here ever asks if they should run straight, non detergent 30W turn of the century vintage oil in their modern 2 stroke engines. Or, straight non detergent 30 weight oil in their new, twin turbo pickup engine. Just mix it up like they used to do when Grandpa was a little kid. A lot of engineering time has been spent in the last 125 years improving sheer, anti corrosion, EP qualities, improvements in ester chain length and strength, etc, etc, etc, and we still have guys that want to use 3 in 1 and Vaseline.
Ick.
Best,
Ted
You know, I agree- when talking about using motor oil from 1900 in a truck motor designed in 2010, you make perfect sense. I run into this with 2 motorcycles: one from 1983 and the other from 2005. My 70s Malibu seemed happiest with 10w30, my 2008 pickup requires 5w20, and both my son's 2010 car and my wife's 2020 car require 0w20. I would never dream of using basic 30w from 1900 in any of them.
These engines were actually designed differently, with different dimensions in oil passages and piston/cylinder wall gap, as well as bearing gaps. This requires different oil.
However, if we were talking about a Ford Model T, Stutz Bearcat, Stanley Steamer, or even a Maxwell, I would be more interested in the old oil you described- as it would match the tolerances for the engines of that era.
When talking about lubricants on a 1907 Browning Auto-5, or a 1911 Stevens 520, or a 1915 Parker Trojan, or a 1921 Winchester Model 12, it seems completely normal to discuss what they used for lubricant then.
I wouldn't hesitate to use 3 in 1 on my Parker or even a Auto-5. I am not saying that there aren't better lubes out there, but I wouldn't worry about it if that was all I had.
Yet, I would be more likely to not try 3-in-1 on a Remington V3 or Beretta Outlander. Especially for stuff with plastics inside.
I even have to be careful even on my 1950s High Standard Supermatic, due to the plastic firing pin sleeve and cleaners that will erode/dissolve them- despite the manual saying to soak it in kerosene to clean it.
