Saving Old Seagulls

Ran my gull today after fitting an NGK plug and it seems to run markedly better than on the Champion. Smoother, no flat spot and much happier.

Rex NZ wrote: The manufacturers reccomendations were made with the best knowledge & materials of the day, but, that era that has long been surpassed, (along with whale oil, acetylene welding & egg beater drills). Oil technology has advanced hugely including, the use of dispersants & friction modifiers. Unlike gear oils, modern engine lube oils contain dispersants & emulsifiers. These give the oil better ability to suspend leakage water as a relatively harmless homogenized solution. Without dispersants the water has more tendency over time to separate out from the emulsion. So given all this, I use a thinner oil such as ordinary modern engine lube oil SAE 10w40. Note that thin oil also tends to leak out faster & leak water in faster, this is especially the case in worn gearcases. Important you change it after every outing.
Rex NZ

It was on this basis (and the scarcity of EP140), that I suggested, and am trying a mixture of engine oil and grease for the gearbox. This gives a homogenous thick mixture, that will form an emulsion (I know this from my dunked trailer wheel bearings!), especially with the dispersants in the engine oil. You still have the advantage of a thick fluid that'll stay in the gearbox. Unfortunately, while I now have it in my gearboxes, I don't actually use the Seagulls on the boat, so I can't comment on its effectiveness in practice.

If you are going to try it, mix it like a roue: start adding oil to the grease a tiny bit at a time

I'm running all my engines, motors, anything that uses petrol on a 10-1 mixture.
Only difference I allow for is air or water cooled.
Its got too messy trying to use 10-1 for that, 25-1 for this 35-1 for that and if I borrow my filthy rich mates gear it goes out to 50-1.
I reckon I've got 15-20 containers all spread throughout the property , red blue green mixtures.
Then the indelible ink I use to mark on the containers runs or disappears and life is intolerable.
The fear I have now that I may run one of my dearest on some indecently low oil mix is not worth the stress.
So everything is 10-1 and I'll fight the greenies off at the gate.
Now of course my seagulls are sweet. Even picked up some" shelsey light", or something sounding like that which is meant to be a modern old 30 style oil so they have a treat to come.
My motor mowers, 4 strokes dp not really enjoy the 10-1 but they can lump it or go.
Having to mow the lawns at night now because of smoke but they cut real slow and I'm now having to also dodge the noise control folk,
The car also is not too happy but with a 2.5 litre nissan vq motor she has power in reserve to get me to the shops.
The chainsaw is perfect, the weadeater ok,
The small 49cc gen don't work but it never really did.
But overall, allowing for the swings and the roundabouts my life has just got simpler, stress gone down, everything 10-1.
Try it.