How often do you oil and grease your car?

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Model T Ford Forum: Forum 2012: How often do you oil and grease your car?
Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan B on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 09:52 pm:

I have a '23 Touring. Not sure about the earlier cars, but mine has flip top oilers, a few grease cups on the axles and u joint, and a zerk on the fan belt pulley. My question is how often are you guys putting a few drops of oil in the oiler felt, turning the grease cup tops, and pumping grease into the fan pulley zerk? It seems like this is something that could easily go overlooked for a while if you're not careful. I'm trying to get an idea of what is a good frequency for performing this maintenance.

Anyway, what are your practices?

Thanks,
Dan B


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Kerry van Ekeren (Australia) on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 10:02 pm:

every time I use mine.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Borland. Bathurst. NSW. Australia. on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 10:08 pm:

Every time I use mine and every couple of hundred miles for the small oilers.

Peter


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Dan B on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 10:11 pm:

Every time you use yours you do what.....? All of the above?


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Craig Anderson, central Wisconsin on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 10:11 pm:

Too often.......but I've always been a bit fanatic about keeping things oiled greased.
I was raised that way and it STUCK....... :-)


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By John Leming on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 10:15 pm:

I oil my shackles before each trip - mainly all the small oilers, then I grease about every 100 miles or so - I have the grease cups with the zerk fittings inside.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Peter Borland. Bathurst. NSW. Australia. on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 10:17 pm:

Grease and oil everything at the beginning of the journey, add oil to the small oilers at about 200 miles, give the grease caps a turn around 400 miles.

Peter


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Steve Jelf, Parkerfield KS on Thursday, May 17, 2012 - 11:49 pm:

Here's a pretty good chart from the Texas Touring T's website.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By JohnH on Friday, May 18, 2012 - 12:14 am:

I oil the steering & other flip ups every 2 or 3 trips (say 400km apart), the three grease cups get a couple of turns about 2-3 times a year. Engine oil is checked before every trip; usually needs topping up to the upper tap every 2nd trip. I change it once a year when I get the car registered.
Fan bearing gets done about once a year with 600W.
Generator when I remember. Timer never - it self lubricates courtesy of the felt seal. Springs also self lubricate from whatever drips onto them.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Cameron Whitaker on Friday, May 18, 2012 - 02:36 am:

I oil all the suspension bushings every time I drive mine. I believe that it's a little overkill, but if you make it a point to do it every time that you're going to drive your T, then there's little chance of forgetting it.

As for the grease cups, I typically do them every 500 miles. Of course, I haven't driven my T more than 100 miles since I took everything apart and greased up everything.

My philosophy is this: There's no such thing as too much lubrication in a T!


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By kep NZ on Friday, May 18, 2012 - 02:55 am:

i have no idea how many miles but i know i overdo it because the grease gets everywhere, Like on the brakes.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Warren Henderson on Friday, May 18, 2012 - 07:06 am:

Dan, I always check all fluids before starting my T. I oil (with chain saw bar oil) the front and rear axle flip oilers every time I take my T for a drive, because I like to think that was the why it was done "back in the Day". I have this idea that taking the T to town was a two day project, one day spent servicing the T and one day driving. Once a month I check the differential, grease the universal joint, drive shaft bearing, rear axle, add a drop or two to the timer, check the battery, clean the oil screen in the Hogshead and check my tire pressure. Each spring I check the front wheel bearings. Working on my T is almost as much fun as driving it.

Happy motoring, Warren


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Hal Davis-SE Georgia on Friday, May 18, 2012 - 09:08 am:

Not as often as I should. I do check fluid levels before each drive, but I don't hit the flip tops and grease cups as often as I should. I have to wonder about the length of the average trip of the guys who say they do it every 100 miles. 100 miles is not an uncommon length for a trip for us. We usually ride every weekend. Not to anywhere in particular. Just around. But just doing the mental math, it is often in excess of 100 miles. Do you guys pull over at 100 miles and do maintenance?

I am amused at some of the statements I read on here in regard to maintenance. Some keep the oil level at the top petcock. Some just make sure it's not below the bottom one. Some count drops of oil from the petcock to ensure they are not getting a false reading because they somehow know the drop capacity of their petcocks. Some ensure every drop has dripped from the upper petcock to ensure they didn't 'over fill'. You gotta wonder if they carry a Starrett precision level to ensure the car is not on a hill as they let every drop drip. Come on guys.....it ain't no Indy car.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Bob Coiro on Friday, May 18, 2012 - 10:01 am:

I've been going by the lubrication chart, but starting to think that's not enough.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Charlie B actually in Toms River N.J. on Friday, May 18, 2012 - 10:30 am:

I feel it depends on driven miles. The only thing I hit every time I drove was the timer (oiled). The next most frequent was the rear axle bearings. Converted the grease cups to zerk fittings because of the frequency and it's cleaner to do. Lastly after a few trips comes the trans & stg. box cups and oiling the stg. linkage. Oil the hand brake shaft while the floor is out. Very infrequently pull the stg. wheel and pinion cover and grease the gears.


Top of pagePrevious messageNext messageBottom of page Link to this message  By Fred Dimock, Newfields NH, USA on Friday, May 18, 2012 - 12:23 pm:

There is no such thing as too much oil and grease in a Model T - except in the transmission and motor.

It has to have extra so it can mark it's territory. :-)


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