Opinions on Briggs4t Oil

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Looking for opinions on briggs 4t oil for animal motor running methanol i hear the methanol turns the oil a whitish color anyone have issues or problems with this oil?
 
Run it in my flattys and love it. Super clean motors inside at tear down. I’ve had it lighten up in color but never get white.
 
4T is definitely a great oil. It has proven to work for me in every application i have used it for. From 3 Hp to 35.
Since all engines have some blowby it will turn varying degrees of white or pink depending on how much methanol leaks past the rings into the crankcase. Since a methanol engine uses a AF ratio of somewhere around 6:1 as opposed to gasoline with a ratio of more than twice that, methanol is going to get into the oil. It is not a PAG oil like many of the other kart racing oils. Methanol will mix with PAG oils and you will have no idea of how much methanol is in your oil but it will be there diluting and reducing the lubricity of your oil.
In my opinion the fact that the Briggs oil turns pink when you use methanol is a good indicator as to how much methanol is in your oil.
No matter which oil you use i would definitely suggest you change the oil at the end of each race day since methanol is hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture / water) and there is a lot of moisture in the air during most of the racing season.
The nice thing about 4T is that it has a rust inhibitor in it while PAG oils do not.
 
4T is definitely a great oil. It has proven to work for me in every application i have used it for. From 3 Hp to 35.
Since all engines have some blowby it will turn varying degrees of white or pink depending on how much methanol leaks past the rings into the crankcase. Since a methanol engine uses a AF ratio of somewhere around 6:1 as opposed to gasoline with a ratio of more than twice that, methanol is going to get into the oil. It is not a PAG oil like many of the other kart racing oils. Methanol will mix with PAG oils and you will have no idea of how much methanol is in your oil but it will be there diluting and reducing the lubricity of your oil.
In my opinion the fact that the Briggs oil turns pink when you use methanol is a good indicator as to how much methanol is in your oil.
No matter which oil you use i would definitely suggest you change the oil at the end of each race day since methanol is hygroscopic (it absorbs moisture / water) and there is a lot of moisture in the air during most of the racing season.
The nice thing about 4T is that it has a rust inhibitor in it while PAG oils do not.

Thanks for sparking my curiosity about what a pag oil was. I had no idea i could turn my refridgarator into a racing one just by using some kart oil.
 
4T is a great quality oil (for gas or methanol.)
Just be aware that there is a serious incompatibility issue between PAO & PAG based oils.
If you've run (or even assembled with) something other than 4T in your engine previously, I would suggest thoroughly flushing the entire crankcase prior to changing oils.

The bigger problem I have seen with oils is simply not changing it often enough.
Keep in mind that while you will undoubtedly get more fuel contamination in your engine running alcohol than on gas, there are other contaminants that need removed from your engine after running. Small metallic bits, dirt, etc recirculate inside that engine until it is drained out. For that reason, we offer magnetic drain plugs that help catch some of the ferrous metal. We also recommend changing your oil often, no matter what brand you are using. Remember, there is no oil filter in these engines and we are running/abusing them in a very dirty environment.

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Thanks and God bless,
Brian Carlson
Carlson Racing Engines
Vector Cutz
www.CarlsonMotorsports.com
Carlson Motorsports on Facebook
30 years of service to the karting industry
Linden, IN
765-339-4407
bcarlson@CarlsonMotorsports.com

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Thanks for sparking my curiosity about what a pag oil was. I had no idea i could turn my refridgarator into a racing one just by using some kart oil.

AND your air compressor! ;)
 
Another example of something that uses a PAG oil is your car or truck with AC.
It has a part In the system that's called the receiver / drier. It's purpose is to capture moisture that gets into the system through leaky hoses etc. If too much moisture gets into the system and overwhelms the drier the moisture will freeze up in the expansion valve and your AC won't work.
It will need to be replaced along with repair or replace whatever the leaking component happens to be.
The repair process includes installing a vacuum pump to evacuate all the moisture from the system before a new charge of R134A (environmentally friendly) freon is put back into your vehicle.
 
I have used MANY different oils. I am also a big fan of AMSOIL for many years now and NO I am not or have ever been a "dealer". 4T is not super available near me. For years I have run amsoil dominator racing oil. It comes in several weights. I use 5w-20 on stockish engines and 10w-30 in not-so stockish ones. it is also much cheaper than 4T. I have NO idea if 4T is the same as the Dominator racing oil or not. I am very very pleased with it and will continue to use it.
Remember when there where very very few "synthetic" oils out there? Mobil-1 and Amsoil was about it. Then all of a sudden EVERY oil manufacturer had synthetic or synthetic blend. It happened almost over night. This is due to the federal government changing what the definition of what "synthetic" was. At one time it was very strict and very difficult to meet the criteria. Today that is simply not true. To be a "synthetic" today, it only has to have an "additive" that is synthetic to comply. Some are as low as 1% true synthetic but can be labeled as such. Even Amsoil has 3 different levels of "affordability" of their oil now.
I use "automotive" type oils, not "karting" oils. Many do and are perfectly happy and I am 100% OK with that. I use "racing" or "offroad" oils typically because they do not need to meet the strict governmental standards for on-road use like zinc and/or phosphorus levels, to name a two. Oil brand usage has always been a hot button topic among racers on any level. Sorta like food brands for dog owners, we all want to feel like we have the best or know just a little something more than the next guy. If you want to have some fun, buy the oil you want like 4T and put it in some other labeled container(clean). Like a WD40 jug or some really off brand substance. Make sure you change your oil where all can see. You wont have to say a thing.
 
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