I thought sure the owners manual would cover this but all it says is "motor oil" for the crankcase and "light oil" for the clutch. Can any one translate this into what to use in today's vast market of lubricants? Especially the clutch lubricant. What have you had success with?
Thanks, Howard Dennis

I would assume that by "light oil" they'd be referring to something like 10 weight. In my 1912 Maxwell Special, I use 10w30 in the clutch, as do others. Since today's oils are multi-weight, the same oil for the engine should be fine for the clutch.

If you come across a requirement for "steam cylinder" oil, like in the transmission or differential, that's 600W. It's easily available from any of the Fod Model A parts suppliers, as Model A transmission oil. Also works well in the steering box.

You should not use detergent oil in a engine that does not have a proper oil filter. The detergent keeps the dirt in suspension and will distribute it throughout your engine if it is not filtered. Early engines were designed for non-detergent oil, the oil pans are large the the sediment falls out and settles to the bottom of the pan where it can be drained out. Light oil is ice machine oil, according to the old manuals. Three-in-one oil is the same. How ever if another oil is working good for you I would stick with it.
I have a booklet that was printed in 1936 for members of the Society of Automotive Engineers that has the recipies for just about everything used in the automobile from shock absorber fluid, grease, oils, specialty oils like Rislone,Marvel Mystery oil, Pyroil and many more. I have used several of these recipes and they work although some ingredients are no longer available like carbon tettrachloride that was used in several things. I hope this will answer your question.
The Green Dragon

Dragon, thanks for your response. I've been around long enough to have heard the horror stories about detergent oil in antique engines. I was actually looking more for weight recommendations. I also wondered about some of the automatic transmission fluids as I seem to recall a discussion years ago about different thickness and "bite" to the several type flui ds on the market for different makes. I think Maxwell "wet" the clutch to slow down burning and stop chatter or grabbing and wondered if transmission fluid wouldn't work well here.