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We operated our Super C for many, many years with it blowing oil smoke past the rings. We used all the typical tricks to keep it running, and kept a sharp eye on the oil pressure guage. As long is it didn't drop to almost zero, and bounced back up as soon as you advanced the throttle (and it always did), we didn't worry about it. Finally came the day when nothing I could do would make the tractor pull a load. It started on the first pull of the crank, idled great, responded well to the engine speed control, did not not miss when not under load, still had reasonable if poor oil pressure, never overheated, etc. But it wouldn't do any but the lightest work. So I did a compression check. I didn't like the readings and I had sleeves and pistons put in and a valve job done. The tractor runs great now. But here's the moral: on the cylinder which finially gave out, combustion products rushing through the gap in the cracked ring burned THROUGH the sleeve. I mean right through it. Had I continued to run the tractor much longer without new pistons and sleeves, I might well have damaged the block. So, even though you can make the tractor run and run well WITHOUT fixing the rings, don't wait TOO long...
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