1917 six cylinder consumables questions

[Guest trap442w30]

I know this stuff has to have been covered, but I have a few questions.

1.  How do you get at the valves on an engine with a non-removable head?  Any diagrams, drawings, or pictures of this area?

2.  What oils for the engine and rear mounted transmission?  I've read the owners manual, but the 1917 descriptions of "Rather a heavy grade for engine oil and a light transmission grease or very heavy oil sound pretty vague to me. (would this be like 10w30 or straight 30 weight for the engine and 90 weight or 85-140 for the transmission?)

3.  What grease for rear axle, wheel hubs and grease cups?  Again, the 1917 description is a good medium cup grease....(would this be like wheel bearing grease?)

4.  What grease for universal joints, steering rod boots and steering gear housing?  A light cup grease (would this be like what you'd use in a grease gun?)

5.  What would be a good oil to use where they say a good lubricating or light engine oil (generator and starter bearings)

6.  The headlights bulbs are 7 volt 12 candlepower and the others are 7 volt 2 candlepower, but does anyone have a part number of something available that will work for these?

Thanks

[Spinneyhill]

For reference, Dyke's Encyclopedia 1937 says "to give an idea", the viscosities of oils at 100°F (40°C) would be approximately as follows, with correlations from Bob the Oil Man's chart.

Light oil 200 to 260 sec. Saybolt SUV = SAE viscosity number about 20, low end;

medium 260 to 400 sec. = medium SAE 20 high end;
heavy oil 400 to 800 sec. = SAE 30 and 40 for engine and 80W-85W-90 for gear oil;
extra heavy 800 to 1,300 sec. = SAE 90 gear oil.

 

At 212°F (100°C), the corresponding values are:
light 34-47 sec. = 10W engine and 75W gear oil;
medium 47-55 sec. = SAE 20 engine and 75W-80W gear oil;
heavy 55-70 sec. = SAE 20 to 30 engine and 80W-85W gear oil;
extra heavy 70 to 100 sec. = SAE 40 to 50 engine and SAE 90 for gear oil.

 

Thus for 2), 5W-30 or 10W-30 for the engine and SAE 90 or 85W-140 for the transmission would fit the bill.

 

3) & 4): I am just using the same grease for them all except the steering box. Modern greases thin on movement and harden again when movement stops. For the steering box you want a semi-fluid grease = it flows back (albeit slowly) when displaced. The lubricant is wiped off the worm during a turn and if it doesn't flow back, there is not much lubricant for later turns.

 

5): I just use engine oil. Be careful with the gen. and starter bearings - you don't want to flood them and have oil all over the commutator and so on.

 

I thought there were plugs in the head above the valves to enable them to be removed.

[Studenut1915]

The valves can be accessed below the spark plugs and priming cups. Just remove the caps below. I welded nut to a short bolt with a head that fit the cap and used a regular socket on the bolts to remove an reinstall the caps.

 

You may be able to free up the valves if they are not stuck to bad. The stuck valves will be open so you should be able to spray some Sprayfoam deep creep or some type of penetrating  oil onto the valve stem and it should run into the guide. You can get new crush gaskets from restoration supply.

 

The lifter galley is located under the covers behind the intake/exhaust manifold.  You will need a valve spring tool for side valve engines to remove the valve keepers. My 1915 SD4 sat for 60 years, the oil would not run out of the drain plug. I had to remove the pan and scrape out the oil that had turned to stiff jelly.

 

It is not a big job to hand lap the valves. There is too holes in the top of my valves to accept a tool.  The I made a tool to fit  the holes  so I could lap the valves as a suction type tool would not work. Some people use 3 or 4 ounces of Marvel Mystery oil in there fuel to help lube the valves.

Have fun

[Stude Light]

My Light Six had a couple of stuck valves when purchased and, with a little penetrating oil and light tapping back and forth, they came right out.  I just cleaned up the stem and guide with some brake clean then lubricated with some oil and they were free.

 

So I assume you want to fire up that Series 18 engine right? If you are not going to fully disassemble the engine then this is my suggestion:

• Remove, clean and lube all the valves as they will have no oil on the stems for quite some time after that engine runs.
• Remove the oil pan and clean out all the nasty gunk that WILL be in there.
• Scrape out what you can from any other areas, then I would just use something like WD-40 as a rinse to get any of the crumbs out of the inside of the block. If you use brake clean it will just keep dissolving away stuff forever.
• Remember, this is a splash lubricated engine and has areas that capture and funnel oil to the main bearings, rod bearings, etc. that comes from the rod cap dipper fingers splashing that oil all around, so you need to squirt oil everywhere you can see one of those oil catching areas in the engine block and rod ends to ensure that the bearings have some oil on initial start up.
• Also lube up the cam lobes, followers, valves, gears, chains, pistons, cylinders (maybe some down the spark plug holes) - whatever you can see that needs some oil on it.  Then rotate it by hand and do it some more.
• I suggest you prime your oil pump - force oil down the tube from the oil gauge.

 

Now engine oil...my suggestion is SAE30.  The splash lube engines like a bit heavier oil. You may end up with 100 other opinions on oil weight, detergent vs non-detergent, adding ZDDP, ....  I suggest just using a good brand name standard SAE30 engine oil.  The "detergent" is not going to clean out the engine and gum everything up it will just suspend anything it pickups up or anything new.  I would change it after the first hour or so of running though - it will be dirty.  Then just observe the oil quality after you changed it once to determine the next change but no more than a few hundred miles.

 

I use SAE250 (600W) gear oil in my trans and axle - that is what they used back in the day and today's lubes are 50 times better anyways.  My trans and axle like that heavy weight lube and by the way, no GL5 rated lube as you probably have yellow metals in your gear boxes.  Snyders Antique Auto or Restoration Supply Company sell 600W gear lube.  I put the quart into some really hot (boiling) water to warm it up to pour.

 

Steering gear box - 1200W EP lube from Restoration Supply - works great and doesn't flow out - hard to get in though as it is almost a grease.

 

I use a regular EP lithium based grease for everything with grease cups. I like the stuff with moly in it since my car is black it is not as easy to see seepage.

 

Engine oil on all the suspension parts but I like a lighter oil on the starter, generator and horn (sewing machine oil viscosity and don't use much).

 

If you decide to lap your valves make sure you spend lots of extra time cleaning up every bit of the abrasive compound as you don't want any floating around in your engine.

 

6 volt light bulbs w/ different candle powers - you can get those from Restoration Supply too. If you need any engine gaskets, try Olson's gaskets.

 

Good luck,

Scott

 

 

 

[Guest trap442w30]

Thanks guys, I was rushing trying to hear it run before bringing it out of the cold, but I now realize I need to get it into my garage where I can take my time to work on it the right way.  I now know what kinds of lubrication to use, how to get at the valves, and some other parts sources.  I think the easiest way to get it in my garage is to remove the top completely.