26 Packard oil Filter? AACA Museum

[KRK Sr.]

While in the AACA museum today I noticed something else that looks a little out of place on the 1926 Packard located in the main Gallery. (Look at the attachment) Bolted to the Exhaust Manifold is a Oil Cleaner? or Heater? It has a raw fuel line going into the back side, and what looks like a "pressure" oil line coming off the cam area, into the bottom, and an "Air" duct to or from the exhaust manifold. This looks like you need a special intake/exhaust manifold to use this item. Is this an original factory item. Does anyone have any info for this item? Thanks, Karl

[Pierce66]

Interesting ! You SURE this is a legit. Packard item ? I dont ever recall seeing ANYTHING like that.

Bear in mind there was a lot of "funny stuff" on cars that makes no sense today. For example, how many of you have seen an extra spark plug on an INTAKE manifold. That was a common thing on many cars of that era ( Packard called its version the "Fuelizer"). It was because the Ried Vapor Pressure of the fuel was so low....manufacturers had all kinds of wierd ways of getting a car started on a cold day. One way..was to hit the fuel/air mixture with an extra "charge" as it went thru the intake manifold into the engine. Another way is the rather wierd "starting carbuerator" on my Rolls Royce from that era. Yes...an actual separate carb. just for starting.

Of course with today's fuels and their higher vapor pressure, this makes no sense. But that was then.

Hope someone can explain that wierd thing to us.

SPOT

[Peter J.Heizmann]

Hi, Karl & Pete...

This is interesting to say the least. Good automotive mystery.

Sounds like a prime query to forward to Kim Miller at the AACA Library & Research Center. With the massive data available there, hopefully, some info could be obtained to solve the puzzle with fact.

Regards,

Peter J. <img src="http://www.aaca.org/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

[KRK Sr.]

Hello Peter, I think the thing that makes this "gizmo" interesting is that someone engineered it to put such an odd mixture of stuff into the same "can". Fuel,exhaust,and oil: it sounds like an engine? It would seem hard to clean oil by adding heat to it. You could heat fuel with exhaust, but why add oil? I would hope we still have someone out there who can remember this thing. I took two photos today but could not get the Manufactures name on the brass tag, If we don't find the answer, I will call the Museum and get the name on the tag. We'll go from there. Karl

[K8096]

Could it be an oil rectifier? Stutz used a different style in the late 20's and how they worked was the heat from the exhaust manifold would "boil" the impurities out of the oil. The filtered particles would rise to the top into a smaller expansion chamber that was to be taken off and cleaned out periodically. The ones used on Stutz say "Wall Oil Rectifier." Most people who drive Stutzes today do not connect them. It's easier to just change the oil once or twice a year considering how little most are driven today anyway.

[26pack]

K8096 is right. Its a Skinner oil rectifier. It was dropped later in 1926 when the new series Packards (4th series six and 3d series eight) came out. It was an interesting idea, it used engine heat to burn off impurities from the engine oil, but it just didn't work.

[KRK Sr.]

K8096 & jd26pack, Thanks for the info on the early Skinner oil cleaner. One more question: was this a Packard factory installed part? or aftermarket? It sure looks odd at the back of the manifolds. Karl

[26pack]

It was a Packard installed part.

[Guest 10RA84]

I could add tho this very interesting discussion that Marmon also used this kind of "oil purifier", but only in E-75 model (1927 and 1928).

See these links:

http://www.tky.hut.fi/~marmon/Mpics011231/moottori_oik_solar.jpg

http://www.tky.hut.fi/~marmon/Mpics980824/olpuhd.jpg

http://www.tky.hut.fi/~marmon/Mpics980824/olpuhd2.jpg

greetings, Jyrki

[KRK Sr.]

Jyrki, Thanks for posting the three photos of your Marmons oil purifier system. I think everyone who views this thread will come away with a better understanding of automotive history in the 20's. The next time we see one at a car show we can all be "experts" and explain this item! I am sure many visitors to the AACA Museum walk past the one on the Packard and like me had little knowledge of its roll. Again, thanks to all who responded. Karl

[37PackardMan]

Another explanation on the Skinner Oil Rectifier.

I have one on my Third Series Packard SIX.

Packard theorized that the oil was picking up fuel residue on the cylinder walls, thereby diluting the oil. To 'rectify' the situation, tubes were installed into the lowest ring groove to suck out the oil. The oil went into the 'rectifier' where it was cooked on the exhaust manifold. the 'light ends' rose and were returned to the carb; the heavy oil was returned to the crankcase.