What type oil and how often change in 14 t
Where you live in Lexington, SC you can probably use 5W-30 year round. Get whatever kind is cheapest, because you need to change the oil every thousand miles or so.
This might help:
I've been told not to use variable weight oil, it's bad on the babbits
Who ever told you that has no idea what he (or she) is talking about. Babbitt bearing material is still being used in today's engines.
Rfbuff - your question - how well ment it might be - is bound to start another Fathwa regarding what oil to use. It's already started as you see.
Virtually any oil can be used - you did not have that many flavours back then and since no filtering or anything, it need to be exchanged pretty often. So be cheap.
Go to your nearest Auto-Zone, Wal-Mart, O'rileys or etc and buy some 5 or 10W-30 oil. It will work just fine.
The oil that's available today is way better than what was available in the Model T's heyday.
I use 20-50. It doesn't leak as bad! Been using multi-grade for a lot of years with no problem.
Oil?......now that's a slippery topic!
I use 30 weight year round, it seldom gets below -20 here, and I do not drive the T much when it is below freezing. When it is cold, I always park it with the clutch lever forward, as it makes it easier to start, otherwise I have to jack up a rear wheel when it is below freezing. I change my oil about every 700 miles, so I go with the cheapest.
In light of the fact that so many T's and TT's did not have a speedometer or odometer, how did folks keep track of when service was due? IMHO, it must have been pure guesswork and often inconsistent with the recommendations in most cases.
What is the purpose of putting kerosene in the cylinders while hot every 200 miles?
Oil is cheap but engines are not!!I think the usual [any oil is better now over what they had then] and [the cheapest is best]is poor advise! Do you stand in front of your T to start it or have a grinder? I use Rotella 15 40 in everything i owen except for the T's which get 5 30.Think about truck's which usually take 11 or 12 gallon of oil? Do you go to wally world and buy the cheapest and save 1 dollar a gallon in your $20,000 to $40,000 engine?? Bud.
I do not know where Royce got that book which he posted, but having read it about 3 times, I don't see any indication on when to change the oil! Oil should be changed about every 5000 miles or once a year if you don't drive that far. There is no filter and the oil carries all carbon, dust, gas or water which contaminates it, as well as worn metal filings and band particles. So it is to be changed often. By the way, I have heard some say, "my car leaks, so it is self changing" No, the leaks do not carry out band particles or other contamination. Adding more oil merely dilutes it.
The book does say to flush the cooling system every 1200 miles! This does not need to be done if you use good rust inhibitor or permanent anti freeze. In that case about every two years will suffice.
When that book was published, in fact, when I first started driving, I never heard of multigrade oil. This oil is actually better for the bearings than the straight 30 wt oil, because it is lighter consistency when the engine is cold. This will give better lubrication when you first start the engine. It will also cause less drag on the clutch when starting.
10W30 is a good oil to use.
Norm
Lets see what our old friend the Dykes manual has to say about oil:
About how they could tell when it was time to change oil back in those days.
My Dad ('02-'84) said most folks drained the oil in the late fall, filled it up with SAE 10, drained it out in the spring, put the SAE 20 back in and drove the summer on last summer's oil.
Then that fall they just poured the no. 10 oil back in that they had saved from the last winter.
It seems that they didn't think it was important to drain and discard the dirty oil in those days..
About how they could tell when it was time to change oil back in those days.
My Dad ('02-'84) said most folks drained the oil in the late fall, filled it up with SAE 10, drained it out in the spring, put the SAE 20 back in and drove the summer on last summer's oil.
Then that fall they just poured the no. 10 oil back in that they had saved from the last winter.
It seems that they didn't think it was important to drain and discard the dirty oil in those days..
Henry,
I tend to keep track of how many miles I drive, it is pretty easy to do when you live in an area that is surveyed in sections,
I made an error on my post. I meant change oil every 500 miles. I got an extra zero on it.
Norm
I know that I will not drive my T more then 1,000 (or even 500) miles per year. I will be using Amsoil synthetic 10W30 in it. The Amsoil has plenty of ZDDP in it. One thing that many car owners forget is that engine design has changed (and improved) over the years. Modern engines are high-temperature and high-speed. Virtually all are equipped with roller valve lifters that reduce friction and improve fuel economy. Older engines - including our beloved Ts are not. There is a sliding contact between the lifter and the camshaft. That is the highest friction point in the engine. Zinc (ZDDP) was added to engine oil to reduce that wear. Modern engines don't have that sliding contact, and ZDDP in modern oils has been reduced as a result of that. As of about three years ago when I contacted Shell Oil company, Shell Rotella met the old ZDDP specs. It is available in 15W40, 5W30, and 10W30. !0W30 is hard to find, but some Car Quest stores have it. Compared to the cost of an engine, oil is cheap. As I said, I use Amsoil synthetic 10W30 in all my flat-tappet vehicles that are driven on the road. Mobil One in all off-road vehicles. Any non-synthetic on any road engine that has roller lifters.
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