Detergent oils a no no?

Same sort of logic applies to oil. We know better now. Why use technology that's been made more or less obsolete?

There is no GOOD reason NOT to use oil that is better than what was available "back in the day". The ONLY issue I know of that would make anyone think twice about using a detergent oil is it will dislodge dirt/sludge left in an engine from years of using non-detergent oils. Just change the filter on a regular basis and get that stuff out of the engine. It shouldn't be there in the first place.

I don"t know about the Standard engines in the TEA"s but if you look in the Ferguson Owners Manual, there is a statement to the effect that Premium and Heavy Duty oils (early detergent oils) have advantages over regular grade(non-detergent) oils, and says that they( Premium & Heavy Duty) oils maybe used. It goes on to say that they "hold carbon and other particles in susupension untill the particles are removed by the filter."

So go use a good,modern, detergent oil in your old tractor.

Those who don't think you should change to a modern detergent oil believe that the seals and gaskets are fortified by the grunge and sludge inside them. But if the detergent oil loosens the sludge and cause those seals and gaskets to leak, the seals were worn out already and the gaskets were rotted already.

Changing from nodetergent oil to a detergent oil means the detergent oil will need to be changed frequently until the engine is cleaned.

Based on readings from Texaco's Lubrication magazine years ago and other sources, I believe that the fact that car engines last 150K or 200K miles these days instead of the 30K they did in 1949 has more to do with the modern oil quality than changes in engine design, though the short stroke engine does accumulate piston travel miles at a slower pace.

Gerald J.