VCCA Home Forums TECHNICAL - 1945 AND EARLIER 1916-1922 - Model 490 Motor Oil

Hi CORetiree

The last year, after an engine overhaul, I have used standard 10W30 oil. I was recommended that from Anticque Mechanic (Ray) and others, and I think it is the right oil.

Before that I was recommended to use straight 50 oil. I'm afraid that recommendation contributed to a scored push rod bearing, though I think that it was a matter of time before it should have scorn even with a more suitable oil. As I did the overhaul I could see that the engine was quite worn, and that the ends of the push rod caps hardly hit the oil in more than two of the four small troughs in the oil pan. I had to raise the troughs 1-3 millimetres to make the push rod cap ends hit the oil correctly, that is 2-2,5 millimetres.

The bearing scored as I was putting on for a last tour in the autumn, with quite low temperature. Furthermore I hadn't mounted the under engine shield. Looking back I think that the thick straight 50 oil never was heated up enough to be splashed as it should be. As you know the oil is not passing through oil channels in the block, in the cylinder head etc. and thus getting heated and thinner as we are used to in modern engines. On the contrary, I putted on with permanent cooling of the oil by cold air streaming both around the oil pan and around the oil pipes.

Maybe with a 10W30 oil the lubrication had been enough to avoid the scored bearing at that time, but I'm not shure.

During my engine overhaul I made some posts on this forum under the thread "Four cylinder engine overhaul". But if you still haven't checked the four threads "School is in session" (Forum Mr. Gooodwrench, Tech Talk) I recommend that. It´s a pity that the pictures not are available but the posts from Antique Mechanic (Ray) and others are a gold mine.

There is enough ZDDP in 10-30 oils for your 4 cylnder car. Remember 60 years ago there was none. Adding more ZDDP would only be necessary for the first oil fill after installing a new cam and lfters.

I have used and use mineral oil 10W-30 as engine oil in Solan. In gear box and rear axle 600W. They work fine.

Lately I drilled a hole under each end of the rear axle, near the springs to avoid oil on the linings. The holes are working as they were thought to do.

Still driving on gas 95 non-lead without problems. A bit excited about the result of mounting the under pan when done.

:vcca:

They came with a complete under pan. They had a major flaw. They were a major job to remove to allow access to the oil pan on the engine. After one or two times of this nonsense the under pan was hung up on the wall and eventually relegated to the scrap heap. A sample is very difficult to obtain and it is very difficult to duplicate. I have a perfect sample, but have not attempted to reproduce it yet.

There is a good picture in the Parts Book.

The 490-car was delivered with the under pan (# H-757 LHD, H-758 RHD in parts list 1916-17-18 page 70). My friend have used such a pan for many years and it works both in cool AND in warm weather even when slow driving. In cool/cold weather it conserves the heat from the engine inside the engine room and in warm/hot weather it makes the air stream remove the heat from the engine room more efficiently then without the pan.
It's working just like inside a jet engine but certainly not that powerful, of course.

So you should try and make one and use it on your 490 too. My friend has found that the pan will stay in position under the frame by only four screws/nuts, but making one side hanging inside the frame and the other side fastened with two screws will also make a fast mounting. To avoid the difficulty with engine oil changes he has drilled a big enough hole just under the oil drain plug.

Also quite important that the pan secures parts (nuts/bolts) from being lost during driving. Much better to find them inside at the bottom of the pan, I think.

I will soon present the drawings and pictures of a possible shape and mounting of a pan copied from my friend's car, so you can make one yourself, if you want to. Be aware the pan is different shaped in front for LHD and RHD due to the steering.

The underpan on my 490 is probably original. It is mounted with four screws and nuts, in holes in the sides of the frame. The front part has a flap that suites where the cooler rests on the axle. It has a hole under the oil draining plug, big enough to reach the plug.

In the parts list covering Four-Ninety and Superior models (February 1924) the part number is 46831. The underpan on my car has a litle more rounded shape than the underpan in the parts list.

It is a bit tricky to remove and mount the underpan. And with the wheels in straight forward direction I would say it is impossible. It took me a while to figure out that it was much easier to remove and mount the underpan with the wheels in extremely rightward direction.

If you want to I can send you a picture by mail - I haven't yet practiced how to put pictures in a post.

For lubrication of the transmission and rear axle I use a mineral based straight 250W transmission oil. Seems to work fine so far.