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TR2/3/3A What oils, lubes etc should I have at my house at all times?

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Momikey

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Hello ,
So is there a list somewhere of what to buy and where it goes or has anybody posted on the forum somewhere all the stuff I need to maintain my TR3A?
I am looking at the chart that says to lube and oil the spots on the car and to top of fluids, can someone give me a list of what to buy to go where and any good brands to buy. I live in California. Is Lucas good?
So what weight oil? What gear oil? What grease? what other oils do I need? Should I mix stuff with the gas and oil all the time? Do you use water and coolant or is the waterless stuff better? I am new to all this but I want to keep the car going and do it right. Help.
 
Most of those are matters of opinion, and there are lots of opinions.
I use Valvoline VR1 20/50 in the crankcase. No additives.
Straight 20W in the dashpots (any brand I can find).
Gearbox/OD gets Redline MT-90.
Rear axle Valvoline Synpower gear oil.
Prestone's "Any color" mixed 30/70.

I have been trying adding 4oz of TCW3 2-cycle oil to each tank of gas. Can't say for sure, but the engine seems to like it. But my engine is kind of 'tired' so YMMV.
 
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I also use Valvoline VR1 20/50 in the crankcase. It already has a higher zinc level, so no additives either.
Dashpots - Penrite SU carb dashpot oil
Gearbox - Penrite Mild EP gear oil (Supplied by Restoration Supply Company in the USA)
Rear axle - Penrite Mild EP gear oil
Coolant - Prestone 30/70 mix. The yellow container, green stuff.

Thanks for the 2-cycle oil reminder TR3driver. I may start using the Liquid Moly 2T Synth 2-stroke oil I use in my 1964 Vespa scooter in the TR4 gas. I have never used the 2-stroke oil in my antique car gas, but have heard of people on the Antique Automobile Club of America forum who use it in there antique cars gas and they say it works similar to the old Bardol valve top oil sold back in the 1960s and 70s to lubricate the valve stems.
 
Momikey said:
What are some good brand to use? I know Valvoline is a good brand what are some other brands that are good?
Click to expand...

Just my opinion but I would think that anything offered today in the way of oil, gear lube, grease or coolant is such a vast improvement over what was available when the cars were built that it is hard to go far wrong when choosing a brand.

This is (as Randall notes) an area loaded with opinions. My opinion is that one can over-think this.
 
Hi, Who makes 20w oil? I run ATF in the dashpots. I have an air / fuel meter and I have seen inconsistent results with ATF.

Thanks, Roy
 
Momikey said:
What are some good brand to use? I know Valvoline is a good brand what are some other brands that are good?
Click to expand...
Brad Penn is another good brand.

But I've had troubles in the past with some of the more common oils (eg Castrol, Pennzoil, Mobil 1, QS, etc) so I pretty much stick to Valvoline (since 1972 or thereabouts).

Troubles I've seen (and blamed on the oil) include viscosity breakdown (oil becomes much thinner with use), sludge formation (had to scrape it out with a putty knife!), and increased leakage/consumption.

The Synpower seems to also handle extreme high temperatures better. A few years back I had a fire (on a non LBC) that I believe would not have happened if my mechanic had used Synpower instead of conventional. I don't blame the oil for the bearing failure, but a previous identical failure that leaked Synpower into the brake drum didn't catch fire.
 
At least as of a few years ago, Valvoline "racing" still had ZDDP in it for better protection against wear on flat-tappet (a.k.a. Triumph) engines. They might call it something else now. If you use an oil without ZDDP, an additive might make sense.

If you or your neighbors have pets, you might also consider using propylene glycol anti-freeze in place of the usual ethylene glycol stuff. In the event of leakage (never happens in a Triumph, does it?), your cat, dog, or other neighborhood critters will not die a very bad death if they go for the sweet anti-freeze taste and drink some. Propylene glycol is often used as a food additive for human consumption. "Sierra" is a common brand, and I've found it at Kragen, Autozone, NAPA, and elsewhere - though availability varies from one store to another. Have run it in a variety of cars (TR2, TR3, Morgans, Miatas, modern Camry, '28 Packard) that get driven in hot California weather for 25 years with complete success. The proportion of propylene glycol anti-freeze to water is different from ethylene glycol, so reading the label on the jug is a necessary step.
 
TR-3rg said:
Hi, Who makes 20w oil? I run ATF in the dashpots. I have an air / fuel meter and I have seen inconsistent results with ATF.

Thanks, Roy
Click to expand...
3-in-1 is one brand (they make different products with that name, look for "electric motor oil"). Most LBC vendors will sell you "dashpot oil", which I believe is 20 weight. You can also get 20 weight fork oil at a motorcycle shop that caters to older Harleys (also good for lever shocks).

I ordered my last bottle from MMC https://www.mcmaster.com/#1361k25/=12jjtx8 but I don't recall what brand it was. They probably don't have the same brand today anyway, IIRC that was around 2000. It lasts a long time when all you do is refill dashpots with it!

The dashpot oil viscosity only makes a difference right after you open the throttle farther. A heavier oil will make the mixture go richer longer, a thinner oil gives less enrichment or even lets it go lean (lean bog). I tried several different oils in my previous TR3A, 20 weight seemed to give the best overall throttle response. But there is no doubt it depends on various things (like engine condition and modifications), so YMMV.
 
groupdeville said:
At least as of a few years ago, Valvoline "racing" still had ZDDP in it for better protection against wear on flat-tappet (a.k.a. Triumph) engines. They might call it something else now.
Click to expand...
VR1 is Valvoline Racing oil. They offered a different formulation for awhile, which was called NSL (for Not Street Legal), but they seem to have dropped it for now. VR1 is available in both conventional and synthetic, I've been using conventional.

The major chains (Autozone, O'Reillys, etc) seem to have a sale about once a year where the VR1 is marked down to the same price as 'regular' oil. I watch for the sales and stock up.
 
So from the Practical hints book it says:
Ignition Distributor (Fig. 8)
Every 6,000 miles smear the cam (B) with engine oil. A pronounced
squeak occurs when the cam is dry. Withdraw the moulded rotor arm
from the top of the spindle and apply a few drops of thin machine oil
around the edge of the screw (A) to lubricate the cam bearings and
distributor spindle. At the same time, place a single drop of clean engine
oil on the pivots (C) and (D).

So engine oil is just the same oil that we use for the Engine and machine oil is like the 3 and 1 stuff that comes in the little cans right?
 
Yup.
 
Momikey said:
So from the Practical hints book it says:
Ignition Distributor (Fig. 8)
Every 6,000 miles smear the cam (B) with engine oil...

So engine oil is just the same oil that we use for the Engine...
Click to expand...

FWIW - I use a dab of assembly lube on the distributor cam, possibly lubes longer than oil.
 
Assembly lube is used on moving parts that have been cleaned and reassembled - like after an engine or head rebuild. It provides lubrication for initial start-up. Bearing surfaces in particular get coated with assembly lube.

Typical: https://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/...ap?ck=Search_N0408_-1_2761&pt=N0408&ppt=C0139

My thought was that the same qualities that make it to superior to plain oil in its intended application also make it suitable for the distributor cam.
 
Geo Hahn said:
Assembly lube is used on moving parts that have been cleaned and reassembled - like after an engine or head rebuild. It provides lubrication for initial start-up. Bearing surfaces in particular get coated with assembly lube.

Typical: https://www.oreillyauto.com/site/c/...ap?ck=Search_N0408_-1_2761&pt=N0408&ppt=C0139

My thought was that the same qualities that make it to superior to plain oil in its intended application also make it suitable for the distributor cam.
Click to expand...
Cool thank you.
 
Hey what is the difference between Valvoline VR1 20/50 and Valvoline VV211 VR1 20/50?
The VV211 says it has ZDDP is that the better of the two?
 
There's VR1 conventional and VR1 synthetic Synthetic cost more.
But if you are comparing prices, there's no rule that says VR1 at AutoZone has to cost the same as VR1 at Amazon, for instance.
 
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