Lubricated the '23 Touring today and thought of a question for you guys. I understand that felt plugs were originally installed in the little oiler cups on the axles and steering linkage. I thought that this might be so that the oil can drop on the moving part as necessary, but now I'm wondering if it wasn't more to keep the dirt and mud out. Does anyone know the true reason?
Also, I'm half tempted to take mine out. I have to squirt ever so slightly or else it overflows and I'm wondering if the moving part is really getting lubricated anyway.
Anyone else have thoughts on this?
The only place I have felt, that I know of is on the brake cross shaft ends on each side of the chassis. The oilers on all the axles and spring shackles just have a spring cap on them as well as the oiler on the brake levers at the rear axle.
Norm
Same here Norm. They were so hard and glazed over with crud I didn't even realise there were holes there (in the frame that is). I took the cross shaft off to replace the spring and saw the holes in the mounting brackets and a light bulb went on. Never replaced 'em.
I'm with Norm. I've never heard of felt in oilers other than on the hand brake lever. I use chain saw oil in all of them because it flows slower (lasts longer) than motor oil.
I don't think that Ford had felt in any other oil point than the hand brake cross shaft. A long time ago in a galaxy far, far away I worked on 2 turn of the century narrow gauge steam engines. All of the oilers on these engines were large and had cotton waste inside of them. The cotton acted as a wick and released the oil over time. In the old days at every water stop (max about 50 miles IIRC) the engineer oiled every rotating point’s oiler and the oil soaked cotton would lubricate the rotating member until the next water stop. There were a lot of oilers on a steam engine. Those were the days; however in retrospect nothing on a steam engine is light or clean! It still was real dirty fun.
Paul
I mix some STP with my oil and use it on the oilers
This is just about off topic but I know a guy that runs 100% STP in his T rear ends. From what I understand STP is just a viscosity modifier such as found in multi weight oil and as such has no real lubricating properties or oil in it. He drives a lot of miles including national tours without rear end failure but I cannot explain why.
Paul
Paul I keep saying this and it goes unexplained: What the heck makes guys experiment with their T's? Stuff they'd never do to a modern car. Do I believe this guy runs STP in his diff? You bet I do. I've actually read weirder statements about fluids used in T's right here. I'm not talkin' flip-top oiler lube here, I use bar oil myself. I mean anti-freeze concoctions, home brewed engine oil mixes and now differential potions. Wassup?
Why would you need a felt in an oiler, when there is already a spring loaded cap on top? And if you have an early car, good luck trying to get that felt into the oiler without removing it from the car!
I noticed the other day while oiling whatever points I could find, that the ends of the springs (front) are very nearly un-oilable.
There is a hole for oil, but it is so close to the underside of the perch that there is no way a spring-top oil cup could fit, and in fact the only way I could get oil to it was to dribble it down the spring.
The holes had something in them. Maybe felt, maybe crud. I couldn't really tell.
Is this normal? Is there another way?
I'm assuming flip oilers were there originally. I have the same condition. Either they were knocked off by lack of clearance or never installed. In either case they'd be a bear to re-install and use. I just oil mine like you do.
The flip top oilers will fit on some springs. Other springs have the holes tapered so that the oilers won't fit. My suspicion is that the springs with holes drilled to fit oilers were drilled after the end was rolled to fit the shackle, and the ones with the tapered holes, the holes were drilled before the spring was rolled. In that case some felt or cotton could keep dirt out, but I don't put anything in them but oil.
Norm