1932 series 50 oil consumption

[simhin]

Hello all,

My '32 is back on the road and I'm trying to put some miles on her to 'shake down' anything else we need to attend to.

However she is using a lot of oil, and I'm getting a fair bit of blue smoke. I am aware of the usual cases for this, but I'm interested to know if these cars normally consume a lot of oil? The reason being, is that compression is pretty even over the 8 cylinders, power seems good, and torque as well.

For this kind of consumption, I would expect the motor to be well below par, but it doesn't seem to be (60 miles per hour on the flat is easily achievable, and she'll pull top gear up hill from 20 mph). I've used around 5 litres in around 200 miles!!

Any help gratefully received.

Also, and I know its subjective, how heavy is the steering normally? We've jacked her up and everything seems free and clear, but it takes some turning on the road...muscles like popeye! What should the tyre pressure be?

Regards

Simon

[hchris]

Hello all,

My '32 is back on the road and I'm trying to put some miles on her to 'shake down' anything else we need to attend to.

However she is using a lot of oil, and I'm getting a fair bit of blue smoke. I am aware of the usual cases for this, but I'm interested to know if these cars normally consume a lot of oil? The reason being, is that compression is pretty even over the 8 cylinders, power seems good, and torque as well.

For this kind of consumption, I would expect the motor to be well below par, but it doesn't seem to be (60 miles per hour on the flat is easily achievable, and she'll pull top gear up hill from 20 mph). I've used around 5 litres in around 200 miles!!

Any help gratefully received.

Also, and I know its subjective, how heavy is the steering normally? We've jacked her up and everything seems free and clear, but it takes some turning on the road...muscles like popeye! What should the tyre pressure be?

Regards

Simon

:confused: Something seriously wrong with that sort of consumption figure, tell us a bit more on the sort of engine work carried out.

Your compression figure doesn't necessarily correlate with oil consumption as you are obviously relying on different rings to perform different functions.

[Marty Roth]

My '1934 Series 50 and 1937 Series 90 both steer like a baby carriage -- absolutely no effort !!

With regard to oil consumption, hchris is right that oil rings and compression rings serve different purposes, but I recently saw an engine which had been (mis-)assembled with all ring gaps in a straight line, ratrher than staggered.

Were the cylinder walls bored, honed, and cross-hatched?

Vacuum hoses mis-attached?

My 1934 uses absolutely no oil, and had been so for 12 years of touring - and is just as goodafter the engine rebuild

[simhin]

Thanks for the replies....

I cant be sure what was done to the pistons, rings and bores, because that was completed years ago, and then the car was left for twenty years. The top end has been completely refurbished and at the time the bores were given a cursory inspection and deemed 'ok'.

I'm guessing its got to come apart again at some point!!!

The steering thing is funny...this is really weighty..what could pinch up and cause this? As I mentioned when its jacked up and everything turned, spun, twisted, it all seems fine, but when driving its a bit of a lug!

cheers

simon

[Larry Schramm]

Does it smoke on start up or just all of the time when driving? If it smokes on start up I would look at a head problem. All of the time then rings/pistons. You did not say what the compression values were but even though they might be the same if they are low then rings.

Regarding the tire pressure, look on the side of the tires and the closer you are to the max tire pressure you are, the IMO the better you are for both handling, tire wear and fuel economy.

[simhin]

thanks for the reply...it smokes a little on start up, but it smokes all the time. Its worse when its been run, and then idles (in traffic etc) when you pull away them, theres a blue cloud!!

[Bob Engle]

If the car was stored for a long period of time, It is possible that the rings are stuck and therefore not doing their job. These early 8 cylinder engines would develop a fairly severe taper in the cylinder walls. It's possible that new rings were installed without boring and oversized pistons installed. Are you running 50 weight oil? If rings and bores are the problem, you will often see blue smoke coming out the breather tube. Is the oil line from the oil filter to the cylinder head the correct 1/8" line? Too much oil to the rocker arms can allow oil to flow down the valve guides and be burned. Many early cars have more modern canister oil filters installed and the oil line was increased in size. This large line will reduce oil flow to the main and cam bearings. What do the plugs look like? Excess oil burning will foul the plugs. If plugs are good, look for leaks, especially the rear main bearing. Look at the filter screen in the crankcase breather tube. If it's plugged, excess pressure in the crankcase will cause leaks and oil burning.

Bob Engle

With regards to the steering, It's most likely the gearbox or kingpins. I would bet on the king pins binding under load but easy to move with all the excess clearance in the bushings when the car is jacked up off the ground.

Bob Engle

[Larry Schramm]

If it is a driving mosquito fogger as you describe, I would be looking at the rings. Did you say what the compression is on the compression test? This would help.

[GLong]

Run some 10w-30 for about three oil changes, or a case or two of refills. You want to bring a lot of up through the oil rings, plenty of lube on the rings and cylinder walls.

This is to hopefully wash out what ever is clogging the oilrings and or sticking the rings in their grooves. You might also remove the spark plugs, and put a few tablespoons of Kroil, or ATF, or Marvel Mystery oil.. let it sit for a week, rotating the engine by hand every few days.. Sometimes the penetrating oils will get down into the ring grooves and free things up..

Then run it hard with lighter oil in it..

Then, change to Rotella 15w40, and see how it does on oil consumption.

I would drive the car hard, find hills to climb at full throttle, the higher the cylinder pressures, the more pressure against the rings, and behind the rings, pushing them against the cylinder walls..

GLong

[simhin]

Thanks for that....I've been running straight 50 so that there's some body to the oil to stop it going past the rings, but I can see what your saying. I've got some thinner oil in now so I'll give it a blast and drop some 'red ex' down the bores to try to free them off.

The rings may well be damaged, but the car stood for nearly 50 years, so there's a good chance they are just seized into the grooves....