skycar Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 Hi to all here,can anyone please tell me how to remove the horn button on my '25 EPK coupe?The car has laid dormant for the most part of 6 decades and I applied power to it yesterday for the first time.The original Klaxon horn doesn't stop, so I disconnected the wire in the fuse box that goes up to the horn button, to cut it off. There must be a short coming from the button, I think?Also after cranking the engine (quite a lot) I didn't develop any reading on the oil pressure gauge?Will the oil gauge register a needle movement from battery cranking the engine (without spark plugs in, so faster crank speed)? How else can I see if there is oil pressure? I have backed off the nut on the gauge and no oil drips out at the gauge fitting?The manual says to prime the oil pump manually if no oil pressure, has anyone done this and where would I look to find that location? The indicator needle is all the way up, and today I have dropped the oil out, and will replace tomorrow with a new oil.Can anyone suggest what oil I should replace it with?I would like to get the engine to run if I can, then evaluate my options. It's a big six.This is a barn find car in original unrestored condition, showing all its 90 year life span .... it looks like its been through a time travel corridor.Any thoughts or helpful advice would be greatly appreciated, thanks to all in advance.Roger Brisbane, Australia Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1927Chevy Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 (edited) Roger my big six gets 4-6 lbs when cold upon start and 1-2 lbs when hot. There is a conversation about cleaning the engine by including some kerosene in the oil see manual. some say non detergent some say detergent. I am told the non detergent keeps the engine cooler. an old time chevy guy very knowledgeable person told me the pump moves the oil and pressure is not as big an issue as today. he said 1 lb was ok. the pump has to circulate the oil. sometimes the gauges do not read so well, I had a 27 chevy gauge showing very little pressure got another gauge and had pressure. on the side of the block lower front the is a plug that you can remove and blow out the oil passages. Ken Edited June 25, 2015 by 1927Chevy (see edit history) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skycar Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Thanks Ken , I'll look for the plug in the morning, what oil do you use in your machine, detergent or non and what grade..... 20w/50 etc? And how many quarts doe sit take to fill back up? We say litres over here?Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1927Chevy Posted June 25, 2015 Share Posted June 25, 2015 I will try to stay with 30w non detergent but 10w40 detergent ok also. I like a cool machine. 5 qts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skycar Posted June 25, 2015 Author Share Posted June 25, 2015 Do you know how to remove the horn button also? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stude Light Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Roger,Your 1925 Big Six has a full pressure lubrication system that supplies oil under pressure to the main bearings, connecting rod bearings (via a cross-drilled crankshaft) and cam shaft bearings. Ken's 1923 Big Six has a low pressure, positive feed oiling system that supplies oil to the dipper trays where the connecting rods "dip" out the oil....basically splash lubrication system similar to a horizontal shaft Briggs and Stratton engine. This was one of the major changes in 1925. While a few psi are okay for the 1923 engine it would not be adequate for your engine and you would suffer premature bearing failure. I suggest you find a way to force oil into your oil pump via the pipe that supplies the oil pressure gauge. All you really need to do is fill the space up in the gear pump and once the engine spins fast enough, it will prime itself and pump oil. Just make sure you get some oil pressure reading within 5 or 10 seconds after starting. Next issue is oil type. More than likely, the bottom of your oil pan is full of sludge as it probably has never seen a detergent motor oil. If it were me, I would remove the oil pan and clean it out, along with any other build up you may find in the engine. If you do this, then run detergent motor oil. I usually run SAE 30 but for the driving we typically do with these vintage cars whatever multi-viscosity you like is fine. If you decide not to pull the pan, then I suggest staying with a non-detergent oil. Detergent oil has "detergent" which will keep the inside of you engine cleaner and will keep most of the "dirt" suspended in the oil. If there is a bunch of sludge, you don't want to mix that into your oil by using a detergent oil. The non-detergent oil does not have this cleaning additive. Detergent and non-detergent oils are made from the same base stock and the difference is in the additive package. There is no difference in cooling between the two. I fly helicopters with air-cooled piston engines where the oil provides a significant amount of the engine cooling and have flown with both types of oil and have found no difference in either cylinder head temperature or the oil temperature which are both measured via gauges. Sorry, can't help you on the horn removal.Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
skycar Posted June 26, 2015 Author Share Posted June 26, 2015 Thank you Scott, there's a wealth of info there .......... I removed the oil pan/ filter basket an hour ago, it is full of sludge, worst case I have seen.I can easily put my arm up into the crank case and there is a lot of rocks in there on the main bearing support casting, suspended in more sludge.Every swipe on any structure with my fingers results in small rock/pebble type of debris.Can I flush the crank case with diesel and try to wash out any build up and rubbish, without starting the engine?At this stage I would like to avoid an engine strip and rebuild if I can.I have a fixed wing licence.......... I always wanted go to rotary but too cost prohibitive for me, I am struggling paying the bills on this old machine.Any tips or thoughts welcome.Thanks again ......... Roger Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stude Light Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Roger,It may take a while and be rather messy, but yes, I think you should try to wash out the engine as best you can. Just turn the engine over to get to the other areas of the engine and connecting rods. When you get all done I suggest squirting some motor oil along side each of your main and rod bearings, cylinder walls, etc. This will give you enough lube to allow the engine to run for a little while until your oiling system takes over. The "rocks' you are feeling are probably chunks of carbon. Good luck.Scott Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nvonada Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 I would not assume your horn button is at fault for the horn problem. You need to trace the horn circuit and isolate the problem. There should be a relay and I would start there. On the oil side I knew my 41 had a lot of sludge so I ran non-detergent until I could drop the pan and clean out the engine. Now I run normal detergent oil. I saw no difference in performance except the multi-grade oil flows better cold so the engine cranks a little easier. Nathan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1927Chevy Posted June 26, 2015 Share Posted June 26, 2015 Rogergreat information here!Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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