1919 Northway Model 110 Engine oil capacity, excessive oil smoking, lack of avalabilty of Northway Engine data.

[Early Olds]

What is the suggested oil capacity for a 1919 Northway model 110 6 cyl engine and what is the normal oil pressure?  I recently got the engine running and it smokes (oil) a lot.  I put in 6 quarts of oil, oil pressure is 30psi+ and all 6 cylinders have 78+ psi compression.  Ideas on excessive smoking?  Carbon stuck rings?  The 1919 Oldsmobile produced 6 cyl engine manual shows 6 quarts of oil required, but I'm not convinced it's correct for the Northway engine (my Northway engine dipstick indicates a qt over full with 6 qts added).

[Rusty_OToole]

Try it with 5 quarts and see if the smoking stops. Blue smoke is oil, black smoke is gas, white smoke is water. Blue smoke on acceleration indicates bad rings. Blue smoke on deceleration indicates bad valve guides. A lot of pressure out the crankcase at idle means blowby from bad rings.

 

You might try going for a few long drives and adding a shot of Marvel Mystery Oil, Seafoam, or your favorite upper cylinder lube to the gas and oil and see if it helps. Otherwise you may be looking at a ring and valve job.

[Stude Light]

30 psi is really high for that era car. Is there a pressure adjustment on that engine? It probably isn’t responsible for smoking but might help.

[Oldtech]

I presume it is a splash  lube system so be sure the oil level is below the crankshaft. by that I mean that whatever it has for splashtrays are above the oil. If it is over full to the point the rods are hitting the oil - not just the dippers, It will flood the cylinders with oil and make lots of smoke.

[Early Olds]

Thank you for your suggestions, I have reduced the oil level to read just under full on the dip stick,(I took out over a qt of oil).  Maybe the Northway takes 5qts, not 6 like the Olds engine.  I'm currently waiting for the transmission lube to get here in order to continue with the other suggestions.  I will also utilize a new oil pressure gauge to verify the original on the car.

[sfair]

If I remember, oil pressure is adjustable. Do not set too high as bypass oil feeds timing gears and they will starve.

Smoke on de-accel will not be an issue as the valve train is open on this engine.

[Early Olds]

sfair, thanks for the info.  Is the engine you are referencing a Northway 6cyl (model 110)?  If so, is the bolt below the oil pressure gauge line the adjustment for the oil pressure on that engine? 

[sfair]

Yes, that is the engine, and yes that is the adjustment.

 

[Early Olds]

Thanks, turn clockwise to increase pressure, counter clockwise to decrease?   Do you know where I can get information on this engine, service manual etc.?

[sfair]

Sorry, that was 60 years ago and I do not remember exactly which way does what.

Try one way and the other and observe results.

As for information, there are places on this forum that have more details, but I don not possess any documentation myself.

Just what is in my foggy memory.

On my engine, 1920, there was two sheet metal plates that were above the crankshaft and below the cylinders with narrow slots that the rods ran through to help cut down on oil consumption. It kind of looked factory and kind of home made. When I had the engine apart, you could see that when they lifted the boring bar out the engine, if left a big spiral groove on its way out, so no wonder the blue smoke and the modification.

Late engines have 3 bolts holding down the rocker shaft, earlier only 2.

Edited May 21, 2023 by sfair (see edit history)

[Rusty_OToole]

Early olds you should know a certain amount of oil burning was expected with early engines. At the time yours was made I should think a quart in 200 miles would be considered normal.

[Stude Light]

7 hours ago, Early Olds said:

Thanks, turn clockwise to increase pressure, counter clockwise to decrease?   Do you know where I can get information on this engine, service manual etc.?

That is how the oil pressure is set on my Northway. Counterclockwise to decrease.

[Early Olds]

Thanks for your replies

 

[Early Olds]

Lowered oil pressure, reduced oil level, resulted in less smoke.

[human-potato_hybrid]

On 5/20/2023 at 12:46 PM, sfair said:

Do not set too high as bypass oil feeds timing gears and they will starve.

 

What do you mean by bypass oil?

[Stude Light]

7 hours ago, human-potato_hybrid said:

What do you mean by bypass oil?

The engine has a full-pressure oil feed system. It has a oil pressure regulator which consists of an adjustable spring and a ball seat. In order to avoid hydraulic lock or extremely high oil pump drive torques when the pump is running, the pressure of the oil is regulated by allowing some to pass around the check ball against the spring pressure. @sfair is suggesting that on this engine the oil that is “bypassed” around the check ball regulator is sent to the timing gear interface. So, if you turn the pressure way up, less goes past the check ball and the timing gears receive less oil. 
 

Personally, I have not seen an oil flow diagram on this engine so I would assume that the comment comes from experience with this particular Northway engine. On my V8 Northway, there is a timing gear oiler integrated with the pressure feed system and all my bypassed oil just dumps into the oil pan. 

[human-potato_hybrid]

19 hours ago, Stude Light said:

all my bypassed oil just dumps into the oil pan.

This is what I was assuming, hence the confusion