What's that tube next to the camshaft?

[paddy1998]

Flipped her over on the engine stand to get ready to install the crankcase and noticed that tube that runs next to the camshaft.

What the heck is that?

[Mark Nunn]

That's the oil distribution tube. Oil splashed by the magnets into the funnel flows to the front of the engine.

[John kuehn]

Absolutely a must! T’s didn’t have oil pumps and the oil was splashed around in the engine and that tube delivered oil to the front main. If you have it apart make sure it’s cleaned out. You can use air to blow it out.
A lot of T’s had the line partially stopped up or plugged up and wound up burning up the front main when running low in oil and going up hills.
Guys have put engines together and have forgotten to put in in. It’s easy to do and I’ve done it. I did one last check before I put the pan on and just caught it not looking right.
Leave it out and your engine will won’t last long.

[paddy1998]

Of course,

It didn't occur to me that's what it was because for some reason I was conflating in my mind that line with the auxiliary line in the crankcase.

Thinking of getting another one for the other side of the crankcase and doing away with the outside oil line, which I demolished while removing the engine from the car.

Ha!

[rofirestone]

I sure would keep that outside one in service

[Norman Kling]

On one of my T''s, the funnel came off right after I started the engine for the first time after a rebuild. I started it up and after driving for a mile or two, the magneto stopped working. I switched to battery and ran the car for about 10 years on battery. I had installed a magneto oiler from the magneto plug to the front on the left side of the engine. It worked fine for 10 years and I climbed many hills. The inside line was still intact except for the funnel. I had no idea why the magneto had stopped working. I was restoring a second Model T and I had rewound the magneto coil. I also rewound a couple other coils and so I decided to install a new coil and fix the magneto in my first T. To my great surprise, when I pulled the engine, I found the funnel laying in the bottom of the crankcase! When it came off it cut the winding of the magneto coil but did no other damage. If I had not had the outside oil line, I don't think my bearings would have lasted 10 years. It has now been about 25 years and the magneto still works and still have the same bearings in the engine.
So another lesson is to check the fit between the funnel and the magnets when you put the engine together so that doesn't happen to your car.
Norm

[SteveTN]

I describe this to people trying to explain how the oil is moved around with no pump.

I get a lot of disbelief.

[John kuehn]

I use the original oil line that Ford made to use inside the crankcase and use the outside oil line that’s used with the mag post on my T ‘s. Every bit of oil helps.
Surprisingly the mag post Oiler delivers a steady stream of oil also. Not a heavy stream but slow and steady. Remove the tube from the adapter in front of the front cam gear cover and watch how much flows out. It does help.