Hot Climate Engine Oil

Would anyone have a suggestion on which oil would be best to use for my 1940 Ford 9N tractor? I am in south Central Texas and the Temps have been running in the 100's! Also I am over heating it since it has a pusher fan which I plan on fixing, but I am wondering if anyone has any thoughts on increasing to a 13 psi radiator cap?
 
Pusher fan has nothing to do about getting hot. Look for clogged fins and plugged tubes. If has orignal rad it was not a pressure system. How much dirt and rust in block? Is there a thermostat in top radiator
hose ? Is there a shroud on rad?
 
Its a brand new Radiator as for if there is a thermostat I do not know as I did not install the radiator I will have to check. I have researched and the pusher fan pulls heat from the engine over the radiator so it can not get as cool as it should. Replacing it with a puller fan will help keep it cooler as has been proven many times. This conversation does not answer my question about a good hot climate oil.
 
What are you doing with your 9N when it boils over? If you're plowing or mowing heavy weeds, maybe you just need to slow down or use different equipment. Your tractor was only rated at 13 drawbar horsepower when new; you just can't expect too much out of it.

Now if it overheats under light load (e.g. just driving down the road), then something is wrong. Changing the radiator cap isn't a good idea because the cooling system wasn't designed to handle 13 psi. I assume you're running a 50/50 antifreeze mix; if you're running straight water it should help to add antifreeze.

As for oil, today's oils are far better than what was available back in the forties. Most folks like the 15W-40 diesel-rated oils such as Rotella Delo or Delvac. These are available in conventional, semi-synthetic and full-synthetic versions; switching to a full-synthetic oil might help your overheating problem, but I doubt it.
 
No on a 13 pound cap, it wasn't designed for that. I might try a 4 pound but that would be it. It is possible the new radiator doesn't have the cooling capacity of the old one. Also as has been mentioned there could be an issue with the thermostat.
 
It's not the pusher fan.

No to pressurized cap.

New radiator? Flat-finned industrial core? If not, debris wil clog the core within minutes when mowing, even with a pusher fan.

Overheating? Boiling or simply pushinig some water out after expansion?

Dean
 
(quoted from post at 19:40:28 07/11/20) This conversation does not answer my question about a good hot climate oil.

A full synthetic oil will handle higher temps better than a conventional oil. You may want to look for one rated for gasoline engines but I'll confess to running diesel rated oil in my 5.4 Ford for 150,000 miles. The biggest problem you will have is a good synthetic will break down the carbon deposits inside your engine and turn your oil black, causing you to change it every year.
 

Yes it is boiling over. The core is not clogged with debris and is still in good shape. I have a 4 psi cap and was running 50/50 until it boiled over again. Thank you all for the advice on the Oil to everyone. The Tractor has little oil pressure when at idle and only comes up to about 10 psi at full throttle.

I got this 9N about a month ago when the temps were only in the 90's and it would run much longer before over heating, may be a couple of hours. I am running a 5' brushhog at about half to 3/4 throttle in 1st gear. I know that this tractor was originally a no pressure system which lends itself to overheating in hot climates, and I know that the more pressure you put on the cooling system the less likely you are to boil off. I know this from having worked in the Boiler Rooms of a Cruiser while in the Navy. That was a 1200 psi plant.

So with all that in mind does anyone have any idea what might happen if I did increase to a 13 psi cap strictly as a theoretical question?

I think my best bet is going to be switching the fan from a pusher to a puller, installing a fan shroud, checking for the presents of a thermostat, and keeping it at a 4 psi system with a 50/50 coolant mix.

Thank everyone for their advise and insight.
 
> I am running a 5' brushhog at about half to 3/4 throttle in 1st gear.

A five foot brush hog would be asking quite a lot from your 9N if it was new. It sounds like yours is pretty tired, and it may not be up to the task.

> So with all that in mind does anyone have any idea what might happen if I did increase to a 13 psi cap strictly as a theoretical question?

Well, assuming your hoses are in good shape it should be fine. Your new radiator ought to be able to handle the pressure. Going from a 4 psi cap to 13 psi would raise the boiling point of a 50/50 antifreeze mix from about 235F to 260F. My guess is that your tractor will still boil over at the higher pressure. And the more pressure on your cooling system the greater the chance of blowing a gasket somewhere.
 


If you have no fan shroud make that your highest priority item. It will dramatically increase the amount of air drawn THROUGH the radiator.
 

Fred, Shaun is intending to ask you if your N is indeed boiling over or is it just pushing a little coolant out. This is a valid question because as he states a cooling system is full when there is approx. 1/4 inch over the tops of the tubes. If it is filled to the top or nearly so, it will push the excess out as the coolant expands, without actually overheating.
 
I run 20w50 in my very tired 8n (90psi compression). My oil pressure is 37 cold, 27 hot mowing (72" finish). Been mowing 2 acres in 95* (SE MI) heat the last few weeks with no overheating issues. My radiator was replaced with alum.from China 7 years ago and it has never had a thermostat in the 20 years I've owned it. Before I replaced the fan, I would add a shroud. I would also run it at pto speed, never any slower. You could also try flushing with 50/50 mix of vinegar and water and getting it good and hot. In my mind you are not moving enough coolant thru it for it to boil over.
cvphoto50274.jpg
 
Insure the ignition timing is spot on, too little advance will overload cooling.
Check carb mixture, too lean will overheat.
Washout the air side of the radiator core.
 

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