Advice needed for oil change.

[kittyhawk]

Forgive the long winded post in advance....

Good morning fellas, last fall I bought a 1984 38 HP ford 2110 compact tractor, 4 cylinder diesel. ( I got it at a great price) The guy I bought it from did not have any Maintenance records for it, he claimed it was regularly maintained and overhauled in 2005 or so. The first thing I did was change the oil and coolant since they both looked tired oil was coal black and really thin, the coolant was hazy. I changed the oil with NAPA HD 30 weight oil and a new NAPA filter and NAPA 50/50 coolant. Usually It takes about 30-45 seconds of cranking to get it to start even with new glow plugs then smokes grey smoke for about 5 seconds and when it gets bogged down under load belches dark grey smoke. I added some Kleen diesel addictive to the fuel as suggested by my NAPA guy, I can not see any difference yet since I have not used a whole tank of fuel yet. I checked the oil last week and it was coal black and thin so I was thinking of doing an oil change, first running it for about 10 minutes to get warm, adding a bottle of Seafoam and running for 5-10 minutes then drain. I think I will go to a 15/40 HD diesel oil and adding some Restore oil treatment to see if it helps any.
My main concerns is breaking up some sludge and possibly blocking an oil gally and shitting out the engine.
What is the Consensus from the group?

Thanks and Stay Safe everyone!

 

[Shaneard]

A diesel engine will have black oil after not long, don't worry about that.

 

[crashz]

Some short interval changes with good diesel engine oil (15w-40)will do more for your engine than a flush. The flush works fast, but can dislodge chunks. A bit safer to use a high detergent oil and change often.

 

[D2Cat]

Since you are unsure of the maintenance history, and you used 30 wt oil and complain it's thin....I'd remove the injectors hand have them tested for the spray pattern and pop off pressure. That could be why you oil is the and engine is long cranking and smoking. Be sure the oil you use is diesel rated.

 

[Hayloft]

I recommend Shaeffer's 5W-40 diesel oil. It's spendy but performs well. Just my two cents.
Good luck.

 

[90cummins]

I’d second the 15w40 oil.
If maintenance was neglected then additional oil changes are preferred to clean it out.
I think 25~50 hour oil changes would be good to clean it out depending on how fast you accumulate hours and how the oil looks when drained.
Make sure the engine is getting up to temperature and work it.
A cool running engine is bad news.
These engines are tough and oil is cheap.
If you put some oil on your index finger and rub it with you thumb and can see skin the oil is clean.
If you can’t see skin only black soot I would change it.
Not scientific but it is a guide.
Another way to check oil condition is to put 6 drops if oil (in one spot) on a white 3x5 index card and set it aside in the sun.
The oil will wick into the card. If there a shiny spot left behind that is soot and an oil change may be in order.
As I said this is not scientific but can be used as a guide.
90cummins