Question About Changing Oil

[Joe Flanagan]

I'm getting ready to change the oil after my engine break-in. I've got four quarts in the crankcase and one in the filter canister. When you change the oil, how do you deal with the quart in the canister? Also, if you always have a quart up there, won't your dipstick always read a quart low, like mine does now?

[55 Fargo]

Hi Joe, I always suction the oil out of the filter housing, when changing the filter, then add 5 quarts to to engine, usually is okay.

But if the filter is not being changed might only need 4.5 quarts....

[P-12 Tommy]

If you have a drain on your canister, pull the filter out and drain or suction the oil out. Put 5 quarts in and check it. Then put 1 more in. That's what my P-12 201 takes.

Tom

[Joe Flanagan]

I haven't done a compression check. Thanks for the pointer. I'll wait to hear from the guys on what they think.

My manual says the engine takes 5 quarts. I've got two dipsticks, one from the original 49 engine and another from the 53 engine that I wound up using. I don't know which dipstick I've got in there now, but I will compare the two.

[greg g]

Joe, I would put some actual miles on the engine before changing the oil, unless it has become fuel fouled from your starting attempts.

[JIPJOBXX]

Joe when I changed my oil out the first time I took my 42 down to Walmart and gave them the official lube chart for my old time machine. It took them about an hour to lube all the fittings and install the oil. I gave them the right filter but it was just fun watching those young kids checking out a car that really does have zerk fittings. Oh yes it cost about 19 dollars also. Old Walmart didn't make a dime on my lube job. Going to get it done again this year but I think it around 30 dollars now. Jon:rolleyes:

[Joe Flanagan]

I can imagine that would be fun to watch. Unfortunately, my car is currently a shell with an engine, a battery, and a gas tank, and that's about it. I changed the oil (prior to seeing Greg's post) and put in a new filter. I left the battery in last night and it's dead so I can't start it. Must be a drain somewhere. I've also hooked up the original oil pressure gauge in the dash because now that the oil pressure relief valve is operative, I should get a reading. I don't know about the rest of you guys who went through a first engine rebuild but I'm a little paranoid. Keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.

[thrashingcows]

I agree with Greg G, I wouldn't change the oil until I had some miles on the car. I see it's all apart and not road worthy, but I wouldn't change the oil until it actually has some miles on the motor, that is when things truly get broken in.

[JIPJOBXX]

Joe when you get around to it you can put in a master cut out switch in your car. I did that and all I haft to do is lean over and under the dash on the fire wall I have a rotating switch that I just can turn oft the whole system with just a flick of a switch. The switch I installed only cost around 10 dollars and its works great. It also works as an anit theft device also.

[BobT-47P15]

The handy way to remove oil from your filter cannister, if no drain on

the bottom, is a turkey baster.

A while back, I bought a new baster at a "everything's a dollar" store -

and when trying to use it, discovered it wasn't a very good baster in

terms of suction. So, as with some other things, I would suggest

buying a little better baster......

Oh = I believe the repair manual says 5 quarts for the enigne, and one more for the filter....for a total of 6.

Just checked the book....that's what it says.

I don't think I have the correct dipstick in my engine......so when I refilled the oil after a change, before

starting the engine, I checked to see where the oil came on the stick. Then I took a sharp object and

scribed a new "full line" on the stick.

Edited March 7, 2010 by BobT-47P15

[55 Fargo]

The handy way to remove oil from your filter cannister, if no drain on

the bottom, is a turkey baster.

A while back, I bought a new baster at a "everything's a dollar" store -

and when trying to use it, discovered it wasn't a very good baster in

terms of suction. So, as with some other things, I would suggest

buying a little better baster......

Oh = I believe the repair manual says 5 quarts for the enigne, and one more for the filter....for a total of 6.

Just checked the book....that's what it says.

I don't think I have the correct dipstick in my engine......so when I refilled the oil after a change, before

starting the engine, I checked to see where the oil came on the stick. Then I took a sharp object and

scribed a new "full line" on the stick.

I also use a turkey baster to suction the oil out of the canister, but I am going to buy a small scution gun, can get more out easier with it, they are only about 3 or 4 bucks at the discount tool stores.......

[Joe Flanagan]

I went and bought myself a nice turkey baster to add to my tool collection. Worked nicely. Will come in handy at Thanksgiving, too.

[P-12 Tommy]

Just don't let her know you used it on the engine:D

Tom

[P-12 Tommy]

That's the same one I bought awhile back. Watch out! The bulb likes to separate from the long part when you squirt the oil out.

Tom

[BobT-47P15]

You got it, Tom. That's what mine did.

[1940plymouth]

I changed the oil and filter in the Plymouth this afternoon, just wanted to pass along that I used a Turkey Baseter to remove the oil from the oil cannister, worked just fine. Also on my dip stick it states that the engine has a five qt capacity.

Thanks for the suggestion of using the turkey basester,

Bob

[greg g]

Check your level, when you drain the canister, I believe you need to put another 1/2 quart in.

[desoto1939]

Since you just started the engine after a rebuild did you use straight weight oil or multi viscoity oil and did you also use any breaking oil like a redline product to help get the appropriate addatives onto the bare metal parts and flat tappets.

Definately runthe engine with the breakin oil and get the antiwear on the parts and then chnage the filter also and look for any small metal inthe oil.

ALso you can put a flexible magnet onthe oil canister to see if it is collecting any smallmetal shavings.

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

[aero3113]

www.vintagepowerwagons.com sells a oil pan plug with a magnet on it to collect any metal. Page 13 on this link. http://www.vintagepowerwagons.com/pdf/parts/01engine.pdf Edited March 10, 2010 by aero3113

[Joe Flanagan]

Since you just started the engine after a rebuild did you use straight weight oil or multi viscoity oil and did you also use any breaking oil like a redline product to help get the appropriate addatives onto the bare metal parts and flat tappets.

Definately runthe engine with the breakin oil and get the antiwear on the parts and then chnage the filter also and look for any small metal inthe oil.

ALso you can put a flexible magnet onthe oil canister to see if it is collecting any smallmetal shavings.

Rich Hartung

desoto1939@aol.com

I ran 10W40 in the engine when I ran it for the first time. With so much disagreement over whether oil additives are just a scam, I didn't know what to do. I almost didn't use any, but in the end, with ZDDP only about ten bucks, I decided to get a bottle and put it in. If it's true that it's just snake oil, I'm only out ten bucks. I don't want to start that whole argument again. I'm just saying what I did and why. I didn't look for metal shavings. If they're there, what can I do? How could I tell where they come from? How would I know if they're just the result of break-in or if they indicate a problem? I don't want to know. If there's a problem it will make itself known eventually. I still have the oil if anyone can make a case for going fishing for signs of internal damage.

[Jim Yergin]

I didn't look for metal shavings. If they're there, what can I do? How could I tell where they come from? How would I know if they're just the result of break-in or if they indicate a problem? I don't want to know. If there's a problem it will make itself known eventually.

Joe,

Do you think this indicates a problem? I agree, it will make itself known eventually.

Jim Yergin

[Joe Flanagan]

I would say that's a bit of a problem. I'm just not sure of the diagnostic use of looking for metal shavings. I could be wrong--I often am--but it seems to me that all you would know is that there are bits of metal in your oil. You would not know where they came from or why they are there.

[Captain Neon]

The reason that it was explained to me to use a magnet during break-in is to capture the inevitable shavings and the like, and keep them from recirculating. Spin-on oil filters equipped with a magnetic belt work well at retaining ferrous bits, and then they go in the trash with the filter. I don't know how value added a magnet would be in our drop-in element filters. I think that the magnetic drain plug may be the best course of action for pulling ferrous shavings out of a newly rebuilt engine.