Castrol R

[Bil Brown]

I`ve got a case of Castrol R 40wt bean oil from my roller bearing daze......anyone still using this stuff anymore?

[David Jones]

Only on the BBQ for nostalgia's sake. Then only a teaspoon at a time.

[Joris Koning]

I use the Blendzall in one of my 4-cams, love the smell, does not get any better

[Chuck Allard]

I used to go to Montlhery, a race track outside Paris, to watch their motorcycle (in the morning) and sports car (afternoon) races back in the early '60s. Many of the 2-stroke bikes and small bore race cars used castor bean oil. Chanel #5 couldn't compare to the exotic aroma as the racers flew past.

[Edwin Ek]

Does it go bad?

[David Jones]

As little kid in about 1949 the local dog racing track would accommodate the dirt/cinder track racers and I and my friends (both of them) would sit on the railway embankment and watch as the aroma (not a smell) of the bean oil drifted up to us. That may be where my love of racing was born. I was too young to understand what was going on I am sure but the sounds and the palpable excitement of racing has stayed with me. The dog racing track has gone and the embankment is now a freeway but memories are always there.

[Brad Ripley]

Help Bill Brown out -- he's got a case of that stuff -- buy before he puts it on Ebay
Bill, price per quart?

[John Standish]

I used Castrol R in my '66 911 because I liked the hot castor bean odor, hardly a tribological decision. The engine was still running when I sold it.

[John Hearn]

David
I assume you were also train spotting while watching the racing.
Great Western steam engines and Castrol R, you must have been in heaven.
I am jealous.....
KTF
John

[Mike Smith]

Put a splash in the Lawn Mower Fuel and go for - CLASSIC MOWING

[Jon Schmid]

I only ran Blendzall for a short time early in my dirt biking days. It smelled nice and gravitated to hot spots inside the 2 stroke motor but I didn't like the carbon deposits it left behind, so I switched to Bel-Ray. I still have a couple bottles of that stuff, but then I still have my 1979 Husky 390 too.

[Dick Roth]

We never used anything else when I raced my RSK as late as 1988. And... it does smell good and adds to the experience! Don't know what may have evolved since then...

[Wes Bender]

With the advantages of modern oils today, it appears the smell of the Castrol R is the main thing. Could you just wipe a bit on the cigarette lighter element, plug it in just for a bit and enjoy the ride?

[Jeff Adams]

Castrol R and Blendzall, both being castor bean based, have an advantage over conventional oils in that the film strength is much higher and gravitates to heat. However, the way most 4 cam owners use their cars today, the cons outweigh the pros. I have seen issues with acidic condensate in areas not submerged in oil. The breather tubes, oil cap bottoms, and filler neck areas get rusty very quickly. Also, in engines not run for a long time, the oil dries out and turns into a gummy molasses that clogs oil galleys. Not good for the 1.0mm oil supply jets inside a roller crank engine.

Recently, I had a customer's RS60 that would drop to 0 PSI oil pressure when hot. Not just at idle, which is normal for roller crank engines, but at 3000 or higher. After a lot of head scratching, I finally removed the oil pump and found a severely corroded housing. The fact that the housings are magnesium didn't help. A new oil pump solved the problem.

The Castrol R bottles are best used as conversation pieces in your man cave display cabinet.

[Craig Richter]

Last weekend we attended an "oldtimer" bike hill climb at the Attersee, next lake over from the Traunsee where we live. Beautiful setting this time of year, with the occasional rain shower adding to the challenge. A few of the bikes were close to 90 years old, their bearded riders, complete with period attire, not much less. The smell of nitromethane and bean oil, mixing with the sizzling brats and sloshing beer was... so beautiful.