Last year my touring seemed to get sick and weak. It had trouble struggling up minor grades and was overheating. When I looked into the transmission I found this.
The old lining on the brake band had rotted and come loose from the rivets, and was doubled back under the band against the drum. In effect I was driving with the brake on. The lining was a bit charred, but fortunately the drum wasn't toasted. It took me forever because I get too many things going on at once, but yesterday I finished installing the new linings. Today I put away the tools, put oil back in the car, aired up the tires, and went for a trial run. No more trouble getting around the block (two miles). Tonight I am a happy camper. Tomorrow when I go to town for groceries, it will be in a 1923 touring.
Wow! Did you find all the rivets?
Only two were gone from the band. They may be in the bottom of the pan, or they may have come out with the old oil. They're brass, so if they're in there the magnets won't pick them up.
What about the one that finds it way into the oil funnel?? It makes a perfect plug for the internal oil line.
Steve,
They get stuck in the internal oil "funnel" and block oil from getting to the front main bearing.
Great. I need something else to worry about.
No, really Steve, simply pull the engine out of the car, take off the hogs head and oil pan, pull off the transmission and flywheel, pull out the bolt that holds the oil line in place and clear it. If at anytime you find those two brass rivets then stop what you're doing and put it all back together. See how simple that was? I'm just glad it's you and not me. Good luck!
Or pull the front cover and cam gear and blow it out from the front. Or run a speedo cable through it from the front. Could be lots of brake band fuzz stuck in it too.
I like using the after market oil screen filter under the trans. inspection cover to help keep the fuzz from plugging up the internal oil line or main/rod bearing oil holes.
My local bearing shop told me they received a T engine to rebuild that had all main and rod bearing oil holes plugged with band fuzz. They said the engine did not have many miles since the last rebuild.
Around the block is two miles!? You live on a small block. I have never measured mine. It must be a good ten miles though. Probably more.
As for the rivets. That is why I run a secondary oil line on almost all my Ts. If the internal funnel gets plugged up? I don't want to know about it. I do check the funnel when I have the rare opportunity to do so. If a rivet does find its way into the funnel? There is a fair chance it will not plug the line. Some rivets may even find their way through to the front of the motor. I have a couple times soldered or brazed wire screen into the funnel so that things like rivets and lining material will hang up high enough to allow oil to go around and through.
Drive carefully, and enjoy that car! W2
Wayne, in these parts the roads were laid out mostly in one-mile squares. This close to town there are some extra roads in between, so this block is a mile long and it's a half mile down to the next road. Our topography is a little different from what you have in Nevada County.
Yes, I'll be using the screen. It has a strong magnet on it, but I expect most of what it catches, if anything, will be fuzz.
You'd be surprised how much stuff gets into the crankcase and doesn't cause any problems. Poor Steve, now he's worried about something else. If he doesn't yet have an outside oiler, perhaps this would be a good time to install one, and then drive the car and enjoy it. It could run just the way it is for the rest of his life, or it could break down today. That's just a Model T.
By the way, that's a short block. Around here it's about 4 miles.
Norm
Huh, my block is bigger than your block! Oh yeah, well my block has a hill in it. Well if you think that's something my block has extra corners in it because of the small lake in it. So what, my block...