Guest rbassemir Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 The 1917 Maxwell used a wet clutch. The owners instruction manual says to put in a "light oil". I guess something like 3in1 oil. Can anyone tell me what oil to use? It takes a pint to pint and a half. The engine does not have a dip stick but uses a floating oil level gauge on the side of the oil pan. Since maintaining oil is critical for the oiling system I am a little nervous about keeping an eye on the level of oil to be sure the piston caps hit the oil. The manual does not say how many quarts to put in, they just say add oil until the level gauge reads "full". Any Maxwell owners out there can tell me how many quarts of oil the engine holds? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe in Canada Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I have a float for dipstick also so I marked the flag with yellow paint after an oil change to know the actual full mark. Not Maxwell. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChuckR Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I believe a "light" oil of the period is the equivalent of our 30W oils today. (Heavy oils were like steam oils (600W), etc.) You would vary the "light" oil you used by the season, thinner oils in the winter, heavier oils in the summer, back in the day. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I have used automatic transmission fluid in wet clutches of motorcycles that originally called for light oil. It worked great, it is better for the clutch and does not leave the plates stuck together when cold. I would give it a try. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hudsy Wudsy Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I was in the sewing machine business for a number of years. All too often someone would bring in their machine and complain that it was frozen up. I knew the problem before they said anything because I could smell the shellac that 3 in 1 oil would leave behind after it evaporated. It took a lot of time and solvent to cut the remaining shellac and get their machines to operate again. I can't think of a thing on earth for which I would recommend 3 in 1 oil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddennis Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 I have to agree with Chuck R on the 30W oil. I put it in my My Maxwell's clutch and it seems to have worked on the two trial runs I have made around the neighborhood but I have not tried it out on the open road as my car isn't done yet. I also run 30W non detergent (4 quarts) in the engine. Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest rbassemir Posted October 8, 2016 Share Posted October 8, 2016 Thanks guys for the input. Very valuable. We like the idea of using transmission oil or 30W. Will stay away from 3 in 1 for sure. ha ha Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spinneyhill Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 What is 30W oil? It will perform like S.A.E 30 oil in the cold weather, which will be pretty thick. Perhaps y'all mean S.A.E. 30 oil? Your engine will last a very great deal longer if you do NOT use a non-detergent oil. The reason we don't use it now was that it broke down quickly and formed a sludge (i.e. high viscosity) which carried everything (including the big bits) around with it and which were deposited everywhere in the engine when it was shut down. The thick sludge did not pump so well either so oil pressure went down. It was changed frequently because it didn't last long and lost its lubricating qualities quickly. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere: in the sump, in the oil ways (reducing oil flow), in the valve chamber, inside the pistons, on the exposed cylinder walls, in the engine bearings, in the timing gear, in the oil pump... you get the idea. And it was not picked all up again on next startup. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hddennis Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 8 minutes ago, Spinneyhill said: What is 30W oil? It will perform like S.A.E 30 oil in the cold weather, which will be pretty thick. Perhaps y'all mean S.A.E. 30 oil? Your engine will last a very great deal longer if you do NOT use a non-detergent oil. The reason we don't use it now was that it broke down quickly and formed a sludge (i.e. high viscosity) which carried everything (including the big bits) around with it and which were deposited everywhere in the engine when it was shut down. The thick sludge did not pump so well either so oil pressure went down. It was changed frequently because it didn't last long and lost its lubricating qualities quickly. When I say everywhere, I mean everywhere: in the sump, in the oil ways (reducing oil flow), in the valve chamber, inside the pistons, on the exposed cylinder walls, in the engine bearings, in the timing gear, in the oil pump... you get the idea. And it was not picked all up again on next startup. Since my Maxwell will be packed away for the winter cold weather should it ever hit Georgia which it hasn't in the last 13 years I've lived here and since I've spent my entire adult life (over half a century) working on cars nearing a century old that got that old on a steady diet of this oil I think I'll continue using it as I and these cars go into our golden years. Howard Dennis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JFranklin Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 I would use 10-30 detergent oil if the engine is fairly clean. Adding a filter wouldn't hurt anything either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
C Carl Posted October 9, 2016 Share Posted October 9, 2016 It is 100% certain that the worst oil today is better than the best oil 100 years ago. I am the kind of jerk who given the choice between worst , better . good , excellent , and best , goes for the best. I just bring this up because I am feeling unusually cantankerous at the moment. I know the lubrication requirements of a low output , slow turning old engine are not stringent. Normally. This jerk protects against the abnormal circumstance , e.g. when engine temp gets too high. Syn - the - tic. Gotta say it again , read "Widman". GrrrrrrrrUFFF ! There , dear brothers and sisters. This old jerk got that mean streak out of his system. Now he's just plain old docile - Carl (Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr. Urrr) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rusty_OToole Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 Synthetic oil may be ok for engines but I am afraid it would be too slippery for a wet clutch. All oil had detergent qualities until the late 30s. Then a change in oil refining and formulation eliminated it. This resulted in bad dirt and sludge problems. The oil companies started adding detergent, and charging extra for it, when they found out what the problem was. In other words the early oils had some detergent qualities. Although probably not as much as the newest oils, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
old car fan Posted October 10, 2016 Share Posted October 10, 2016 neatsfoot oil any cone clutch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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