I got the report on Peer Pressure’s oil back last week and haven’t had a whole lot of time to digest it, but here goes:
The reading for lead concerned the analyst, and me too. I called them to ask about the 2900 number, and when they explained that their average oil samples for an IH 345 have an average 2,900 mile interval between changes, it made more sense. Then I looked at the sample for the Travelall, compared the numbers, and realized that the figure for lead on that sample was more than twice as high:
Now, all I’m going on for the Travelall is the visual condition of the insides of the heads, which look brand-new. They could have been replaced; the bottom half of the engine could have 400,000 miles on it. We have no idea. And the notes about lead on that report calmed my nerves a bit. All of the other figures are slightly elevated based on averages, but nothing else is terrifyingly high.
I’m cautiously optimistic that the garage she’s currently parked at will pull and replace the exhaust manifold and gasket—when I dropped her off on Monday afternoon the counter guy told me they were going to look it over before agreeing to do the work, which kind of pissed me off. I’m going to keep looking for a mechanic I can trust. And when she gets back I’m going to install a mechanical oil gauge to get a proper pressure reading.