Here I am

caster oil???????

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600 Gallon Diesel Tank

Kenworth Air-Ride

anyone know why there are no caster oils on the market anymore? I was told about it by some guys that used it in speedway bikes. I know the only place that its still used is in Jet aircraft so that means its the best lubricant out, I assume better than synthetics. I'm getting some to run in my truck in another 1000 miles of breakin and just wondering what you guys think?
 
I don't think I'd put it in my truck. I doubt it has the correct ratings for the cummins. Gas turbines or Jet engine use completely different types of oil than what's required for a diesel. All of the gas turbines that I have worked with have had synthetics put in them. After I read your post it got me curious though so I tried to find some information. Follow the link belowfor starters:



Poke Here
 
why there are no caster oils on the market

Could be that castor oil is very poisonous and is the main ingredent for making Ricin gas?



Ricin is a highly poisonous protein toxin from castor oil. A weapons grade was developed by the KGB and used to assassinate defectors. The US accused Saddam's castor oil plant as being a front for a WMD lab.
 
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Intestinal lub

LOL @ turbo tim1. That's a knee slapper dude . Hey Adam, if ya put that stuff in your engine it just might loosen up the wrong stuff See ya at the pulls
 
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I used to use 50w Castrol "R" in two stroke Yamaha and Bultaco 250cc short track (flat track) motorcycles. When you used Castrol R mixed with gas, it got stale if mixed over a few(I don't remember exactly how many) hours and any time ambient temperature went below 60 degrees F, it wanted to separate out. The colder it got, the quicker it would separate out of solution. It was rumored that once you switched a motor to castor oil you couldn't switch back without engine damage(I never experienced this, but maybe I just got lucky).

However, 1)in a mix it would consistently make 2-3 more horses on the dyno than the available alternatives in the late 1960's. (38hp/with, 35hp/without), 2) It would tolerate more heat before breakdown meaning that if you leaned out the fuel too much and melted a piston crown it usually wouldn't gall the bore like dino based oils often would, and 3) motors its been used in stay oily and rust free for years(unlike popular synthetics at that time that would allow an unused 2 stroke motor to rust internally in just a couple of months. )



The speedway bikes you refer to were 4 stroke motors that used a total loss oiling system that pumped the oil through the motor and out on the track. Kind of messy, but they threw so much dirt

or pea gravel that you never noticed the oil.



I believe that castor oil would have to be drained out of a motor after each days use if it were contained in an oil pan or sump, but this is a guess. I suspect it might tend to gum up the rings if a motor was not pulled pretty hard. It was a terrific racing oil years ago, but its quirks made it less popular than it probably deserved to be.



When used in 2 stroke motors, it burns with a very distinctive smell.



Illflem, when its used in motorcycles, it must not produce the ricin

gas or there would be a lot fewer old short trackers around.
 
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