Clinton gas mixture

#1
The badge says to mix with sae 30, ive never mixed any other 2 cycle with sae 30. Just want to make sure to use sae 30 instead of 2 cycle oil. And what gas would be best? 87? 92? Racing fuel? Pure gas? Thanks OldMiniBikes 20180429_121409.jpg
 

red baron

Active Member
#2
Use 2 stroke oil it's far superior to motor oil. Run real gas if you can afford it and a good quality oil. I'm not brand loyal I just don't buy off brand stuff. I run Amsoil dominator in my snowmobile at 40:1 (3oz per gallon). Specto is a popular motocross oil that would be fine. Find a brand you like and stick with it. You might want to to run 30:1 then try leaner ratios if you have plug issues. I find 40:1 to work just fine. Brian
 
#3
Use 2 stroke oil it's far superior to motor oil. Run real gas if you can afford it and a good quality oil. I'm not brand loyal I just don't buy off brand stuff. I run Amsoil dominator in my snowmobile at 40:1 (3oz per gallon). Specto is a popular motocross oil that would be fine. Find a brand you like and stick with it. You might want to to run 30:1 then try leaner ratios if you have plug issues. I find 40:1 to work just fine. Brian
Thank you, that's what I thought (to use 2 cycle oil), just wanted to be sure because it does say sae 30. I believe that tag says that it's 16:1? I think that's too much too. Will I damage the engine if I run 30:1 and it's not enough? Thank you for the help
 

red baron

Active Member
#5
I use TC-W3 @ 32:1 in both of my Clinton 2 cycles with no issues.
Any regular pump gas is fine.
I agree with lawn boy. 30:1 thru 50:1 are the most common range of ratios I've experienced. Only run high octane if you have to. The alcohol in pump gas is a killer of 2 strokes that's why I said to run "real gas" if you can afford it but if you use it it a lot it's not practical. Regular motor oil doesn't mix nearly as well as 2 stroke oil but it's what they did back in the day and still do in some other countries. Shake up the bike or whatever the fuel is in if it sits for awhile as the mix might separate. I don't know that it seperates but that's what I was taught when I was a kid. I hope this explains it a little better.
 
#6
I hope that before anyone decides to mix up their oil and gasoline for their vintage two stroke engine, they take the time to ask the question of experts. I recommend vintage karters who have been building and racing these engines since the sixties.
 
#7
Ask anybody running these old engines on go karts and they will recommend at least 8oz of 2 stroke oil to one gallon of gas.
Clinton recommended 12 oz to one gallon for go kart use.
There is no benefit to running less oil. 60 year old engines were not built with tight tolerances like newer engines.
 
#11
The instructions are 60 years old and so are the engines.
There is no doubt that oils are better these days, but why save a few bucks and shorten the life of an engine you can't replace?
Just sayin'
 
#13
Should I use the ratio on the side of the engine then? And just use 2 cycle instead of sae 30? And nearest pure gas is about an hour away, I can wait until the weekend and go get it but 92 octane would be fine?


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#15
I run Blendzall at about 20:1. It was recommended by several of the vintage kart guys. I’m not saying it’s gospel, but so far no issues.


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#16
Do you own any Clinton 2 cycles?
Among the vintage karting community, he is considered an expert on Clinton two cycles. He builds several throughout the year for his own use on his vintage karts (and a couple of bikes) as well as for customers.

I can name several vintage karters who recommend 16:1 with Clintons, and slightly higher with PP/WB.

Dave Bonbright, who is well known US 820 builder (and that is a tighter engine than an A400) recommends Blendzall green label castor oil at 24:1.

Should I use the ratio on the side of the engine then? And just use 2 cycle instead of sae 30? And nearest pure gas is about an hour away, I can wait until the weekend and go get it but 92 octane would be fine?
I'll assume you got my PM's on the subject, since I was trying to avoid yet another OldMiniBikes pissing contest. I run Burris synthetic at 16:1 on my A400, and 20:1 on my West Bend.

The gentleman who built the McCulloch which is going on my latest project, a vintage racing kart, has been building those engines since the sixties, and still builds them for customers. That engine is way tighter than your A400, and uses needle bearings. He recommends 16:1 Castor Bean for break in, then 20:1 synthetic for the track.

In your case run the 16:1 synthetic two stroke oil until you get it tuned, then go ahead and run 20:1. Many an experienced kart tuner has leaned one out on race day and stuck the piston. I've never mixed higher than 16:1 for my Clinton bushing engine.

The same McCulloch builder by the way said that they (his whole family of three generations race vintage karts) tried higher octane, non-alcohol fuel and didn't see a difference with it, and some of their engines actually ran worse with it. I haven't dealved into that yet, so just repeating what I heard.

This is my last post on the subject, sorry for ruffled feathers again, and thanks to Terry for chiming in. If you PM Scrambler1, you will find him extremely knowledgeable on the Clinton, as well as honest, with no axe to grind.
 
#18
[MENTION=23274]dragracertpp[/MENTION]

Engines with bushing bearings need all the lubrication they can get.
A400's have a bushing bearing on both ends of the crankshaft.
A490's have a bushing on the flywheel side of the crankshaft.
The 500 series replaced the A400 and A490 engines around 1961 and they retained the same bearings except for a few variations.
Your 500-0300 is the equivalent of an A490 with a bushing bearing on the flywheel side and a ball bearing on the PTO side.
You probably have the later/beefier connecting rod - 245-110-500, which is a must for 'high' RPM in a Clinton.
I run the crap out of my A490's and I have never had a failure.
Redline 2 stroke racing oil 12 oz to a gallon of alcohol free regular - available at Racetrac gas stations.

Over and out
 

CarPlayLB

Well-Known Member
#20
If Scrambler1 and Louie Figone tell you to do, do it! Those two have forgotten more about these engines than the rest of us will ever know!
 
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