Frequency of engine check

[bdtutton]

I have a 1914 Touring that was rebuilt a couple of thousand miles ago. I run it at reasonable speeds, I change the oil every 400-500 miles(synthetic 10w-30w) and it sounds just as good as new. How often does the engine need to be torn down to inspect the bearings?? How often does the head need to come off and the carbon cleaned off the pistons?? How often should other engine checks/services be performed?? I hear people say they run for tens of thousands of miles without any issues, but I hear old timers talk about the Model T's and Model A's used on the farm needing to be rebuilt every couple of years.
.
I guess I am basically asking "If and engine sounds good, has good compression and is not using oil...how often should it be torn down and inspected?"
.
If there is not a milage benchmark, are there some signs I should be looking for??
.
Thanks,,,Bryan

[TXGOAT2]

If it runs well without excess mechanical noise or excess oil burning, leave it alone. It's not likely to ever need carbon removal. A Model T in good condition and driven reasonably can run many, many thousands of miles on modern lubricants and fuels without needing overhauled, valve grinds, bearings adjusted, crank case flushes, etc. I see no need to change the oil any more often than every 1500 to 2,000 miles if you are using synthetic multigrade oil and driving under anything but the most extreme conditions. If the engine does not start easily and run well, it may need a tune up, but it probably does not need major work. I use an air filter on my car because I have to run on dusty roads. Lubricate the chassis often, and check the oil and coolant level often, and keep the engine in tune, and you should be able to enjoy many trouble free miles. Don't overlook oiling door hinges latches, and various other moving parts of the body. Things can go wrong with any car, so don't ignore changes in the way your car behaves or sounds, but don't fix what ain't broke. Practice smooth driving technique and you'll avoid most problems with brakes and transmission bands. If you suspect a problem, consult someone with Model T experience before taking things apart or ask questions here on this forum.

[Scott_Conger]

the bearings will tell you when they need adjusting...it is a waste of time to take them apart "to look". You don't tear your modern car down to check, do you? If the car was new to you, I'd say "yes" spend a day checking the rods and that's it. On an old engine the crank throws will be unevenly worn and plastigauge will either be useless or lead you down the wrong path (meaning it is useless in this case). If you put in 1 sheet of news print into the bearing and it locks up, you're good. If it doesn't, you can pull ONE shim from ONE side or the other of the bearing and repeat until the newsprint thing locks things up. Now you're in the range of .0015" clearance and things will quiet back down...all assuming that you had a problem in the first place. If it is running quietly now, I would not mess with it since very few people are willing to accept the fact that everything is "OK" and absolutely MUST muck around when they don't need to.

Since YOUR engine is a fresh rebuild a few thousand miles ago, all of the above is pretty much esoteric and you really could ignore completely and leave well enough alone.

decarbonizing really isn't a "thing" these days. Fuel and oil are SO much better now that pulling the head from a good running car is necessary only if the suppliers are going out of business and have convinced you that they must sell gaskets to feed their kids.

Good question, and now you know. Keep the oil changed at the frequency you state and you may never have to break a seal on that engine as long as you live.

[JohnH]

My answer to that is when it needs it. In my instance, the engine was last worked on in January 2010. Until I hear bearing noise or it suddenly loses compression, I won't be touching it. I change the oil once a year. This car gets a fair amount of driving too, and at high speed.
I got the car in 2002, and prior to the 'rebuild' in 2010, I would have the head and pan off maybe once a year or two. In that time I replaced the piston rings twice (one set were defective), the valves once (it had original two piece types), and took up all five bearings. Over those eight years, I never saw enough carbon build up on the pistons to warrant pulling the head off just to clean them. Fuel is a lot cleaner these days. Similarly, it was only recently that I checked the spark plug gaps - first time out in more years than I can remember. Again, they didn't really need cleaning, but the gaps did need a slight readjustment, although it ran perfectly well.

[Norman Kling]

Only thing I do is change the oil often. Even if you use synthetic oil, it should be changed often because of the band material and other pollutants which are not removed by a full filter as on newer cars. The coolant should be brought up to level and checked before driving the car as well as the oil level. All oilers in the axles and drive train should be oiled before every time you drive and the grease caps should be turned down a few turns or the cups refilled if they are bottomed out. The oil level in the differential should be checked often an the tire pressures checked and brought up to recommended pressure. About once a year the front wheel bearings should be cleaned and packed (depending on how often you use the car). Gas level should be checked.

With our modern fuels the head does not need to be removed to clean carbon. The plugs can be cleaned if they foul. Good to carry a few good and clean and gapped plugs along just in case you need them, Also bring along a few known good coils too. Clean the timer often unless you have a New Day or Anderson timer which go many miles before needing cleaning.

I don't check the bearings unless I suspect a loose one by a Knock. Then I try to adjust all 4. On 3 dip pans the fourth rod is hard to adjust, but can be done through the inspection plate. The very early cars without an inspection plate will need to pull the engine to adjust the bearings So be sure to get them right if you need to do so. I also adjust the bands as needed

Other than these things, I don't pull anything down unless I need to.
Norm

[TXGOAT2]

An accessory transmission cover screen is a good thing to have. They are not expensive or difficult to install, and they can capture debris in the oil. I recommend ai air filter for any car that is driven. They're also inexpensive and easy to install, but they can interfere with the stock Ford manifold heat device.

[Rich P. Bingham]

I just realized I went half of the summer without raising Lizzie's hood. No need. I'd check oil and water every time I started up though. On the other hand, my 2011 pickup flashed a "check engine" message the other day. I raised the hood, and sure enough, it was still there. I don't get it. ?!?

[Racer_22]

I have 4 Ts running, 2 of them have over 50,000 miles each rebuilt in the early 70's still running fine. The other two have run NY to Seattle in 2009 and 2019. None have had the pans of of them or any valve work. Change oil every 500 miles and drive them sensibly. All 4 of these cars are running my high compression heads. You will get long dependable service if your drive them like they were supposed to be driven. That's my 2 cents worth.If it's running fine leave it alone.

[Craig Leach]

Hi Bryan,
Trans cover screen, outside oiler & change the oil often. I have not pulled the trigger on Synthetic yet a Model T leaks enough
that you don't need to make it leak more. A trans screen has saved me many times by finding problems that other wise would
have evaded detection. See "Found in screen magnet"
If you have reason to be concerned run a compression check, pull the inspection cover and look. I make sure to clean my drain
pan before draining. pour the oil into the recycle container slowly looking for things that should not be in the oil, then look at
the bottom of the drain pan. I always warm the engine up to operating temp and let it drain over night. One day I drained the
oil and put the plug back in. then drained it again in the morning and got a pint of oil out of it. This will not drain the oil out of
the dips so there is some still left in the engine that doesn't get changed. Some people jack the front end up to get the last bit.
Has anyone measured the amount of oil this gets?
Craig.

[TXGOAT2]

I drain my oil, hot, into a clean pan at 1500 + miles driven. I find nothing of note in the pan, and the oil is not thickened or very dark. I do not find any evidence of (Kevlar) band lint. Synthetic, multi-grade oil does a great job in a Model T under a wide range of operating conditions. I use 10W30 most of the year. At the next change, I will use 5W30 synthetic, and I'll probably use it all year around from now on. My car operates in temepratures of around 50 F to 105 F or more, with mile upon mile of driving at 40 to 45 MPH.

In this area, conventional oil is becoming both expensive and much less widely available.

If I could not bring myself to to take advantage of the superior qualities of synthetic oil, I'd use a 10W30 conventional oil with 10 to 20% Marvel Mystery Oil added, and change it at 1500 miles.

It's always a good idea to drain oil hot, and drain it into a clean pan and inspect it for debris, fuel contamination, water or coolant contamination, etc.

Using a transmission screen with a magnet is a very good idea.

If you find much debris in your drained oil or in your transmission screen, you need to find the cause and correct it.