[TR] 20-50 oil

[Randall]

> Regarding issues of sludge, how much of it has to do with 
> using a top quality, micro-porosity oil filter like say WIX 
> or maybe NAPA?

I'm certainly no expert, but my opinion is that the filter is intended to take out relatively small amounts of fine particles, like
wear particles and outside dirt.  There is no way that any automotive filter is going to deal with the sheer amount of sludge that I
was seeing.

Some cars didn't even have oil filters up until sometime around 1950-60.  The oil filter was actually an option on my first car, a
1962 Chevy Biscayne!  (Only other option it had was the "solid state" AM radio, which still had to warm up because of the tubes
inside.)

>  Also in the TR3, which leaks oil with the synthetic, but 

Try Valvoline synthetic.  In my experience, it leaks a whole lot less than Mobil 1 in American engines; and did not increase oil
consumption in my TR3A.  In fact oil consumption went down markedly with the Valvoline full synthetic (instead of conventional oil)
on a GM V6 that I used to own.  I tried Mobil 1 briefly (someone gave me a jug of it) in my Buick wagon (350 LT1) and oil
consumption went up dramatically until all the Mobil 1 had leaked out, then went back down as I kept adding Valvoline.  The LT1 is
showing signs of age with over 300k on the clock, but that's more likely due to skipped oil changes than any problem with the oil or
filter.

Randall