Lister Engine Forum

Lister Engines => Original Lister Cs Engines => Topic started by: vegoil on October 20, 2018, 02:37:16 PM

Title: engine oil
Post by: vegoil on October 20, 2018, 02:37:16 PM
what would be the best type of engine oil to use in an original Lister CS 8/1?
I am using straight 30 at the moment. I am just looking for expert advice.

1.  straight 30 or
2.  a multi grade and fit a oil filter.
in the Lister book it recommend oil change every 500 hours which is not a long time!

John
Title: Re: engine oil
Post by: vegoil on October 20, 2018, 04:27:11 PM
thanks. I already have a hour meter.

I will have a look is the local shop for the cheapest diesel oil.

John
Title: Re: engine oil
Post by: veggie on October 30, 2018, 01:47:01 PM

On the Lister CS engines the cylinder head (heat source) is physically very far removed from the crankcase.
Also, the oil is not circulated up to the head for valve train lubrication as in modern engines where much heat is absorbed..
The bottom of the piston and the cylinder bore are the contact points for heat in a CS (via splash lubrication).
There were times when I ran my roid for an hour and then checked the oil only to find it lukewarm.
Hence, as Glort stated, the conditions for lubrication are much different than modern engines and the Lister CS crankcases do not see the heat extremes that modern engine see. General purpose diesel lube oil should be fine. Straight 30W is very popular for CS engine users.

veggie
Title: Re: engine oil
Post by: EdDee on October 31, 2018, 08:24:20 PM
My thoughts on this....

I try not to run detergent type multigrade oils in engines with a 'true' sump, ie splash lubed with a weir below the big end falling off into the sump proper. There may be an oil pump present, and as long as it picks up oil an inch or so or more above the bottom of the sump and returns it to the weir, fine and good.... this sump will accumulate most water and metal debris, which will settle to below the oil intake. If a modern detergent additive multigrade oil is used, water and debris becomes émulsified' for want of a better term,  and remains in circulation with the oil - the modern oil is doing what it is designed to, keep the dirt in suspension until it hits the oil filter, where it can be removed... the water in suspension is handled differently, it is also held in suspension by the detergent, until the engine hits a temperature where it will start to cook off... Seldom does a lister or clone crankcase go above about 80C unless you work it hard for quite long...and then, certainly on my units, it takes a good bit of load to keep it there...

If you don't have an oil filter fitted and have a settling sump, non detergent oil is, in my opinion, the better option. If you do have an oil filter, use a detergent type oil. If you have neither a settling sump or a filter, either oil should be fine, but a more regular oil change would be in order...

As to multigrade or monograde...30W is my first choice, semitropical to tropical temperatures here... For easier starting in the frozen hells that some of you poor sods live in, well, a 10W50 or 20W40 would certainly make it a bit easier to crank in a snow blizzard...

Just my 5c worth...and probably not even worth that much anyway!

Cheers
Ed
Title: Re: engine oil
Post by: 38ac on November 01, 2018, 10:59:10 AM

I have always been of the opinion that clean, regularly changed oil was far more important than the type/ brand of oil used.


In this application that is certainly true the great bulk of the time, I would only add that and engine that has been run extensively with non-detergent oils should not be switched to detergent with out a though sump cleaning.

 The fact that the well known expert out west uses and recommends gear oil is testament to the fact that just about any oily liquid in the sump will keep things revolving although I personally dont recommend the practice/