jorswift Posted June 11, 2011 Report Posted June 11, 2011 I am very new to this car and am wondering if there is a manuel to read on how things work? I am wanting to get the dash lights working, check the oil, change the oil, check transmission oil, etc. Can anyone help with this? Thanks. Quote
greg g Posted June 11, 2011 Report Posted June 11, 2011 push the return to p15 d24 button on the left side of the navigation bar at the top of the page. It will take you to the main page of the host site with lots of good reading. Click on the buttons in the left column and enjoy. Also jump on ebay and look for a service manual. but most of the systems are pretty simple and self evident. Also look in the downloads section for helpful stuff that members have posted. Check the oil- pull the dipstick Change the oil pull the plug in the oil pan, drain the old. a suitable catch basin is highly recommended. new oil goe i teh tube withthe breather on the left side of the engine. Check the trasmission, pull the plug on the side, stick in your pinky, if there is oil on your finger, you're good. Some reference to your vehicle type, powertrain and year is alway helpful when new folks ask questions. You can add this information to your post by adding a signature or editing the header information by using the edit featur on the user Control panel. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted June 11, 2011 Report Posted June 11, 2011 As Greg says, read, read, read. This site will teach you about a lot of the basics. Also, you can buy a reproduced manual online. If you have an older gentleman in the neighborhood who remembers when these cars were on the road, he could teach you a lot. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted June 11, 2011 Report Posted June 11, 2011 Look at the second picture I just posted under the thread, "Updated Pictures." You can see the dipstick just to the right of the ignition coil. It looks like a little ring. Quote
jorswift Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Posted June 13, 2011 Ok. The dip stick was hidden to me! LOL.. I found an old service manual and was wondering do these cars have an oil filter? I am wanting to change the oil and now dont see an oil filter. Thanks. I know these are common stupid questions. sorry. Quote
martybose Posted June 13, 2011 Report Posted June 13, 2011 Ok. The dip stick was hidden to me! LOL.. I found an old service manual and was wondering do these cars have an oil filter? I am wanting to change the oil and now dont see an oil filter. Thanks. I know these are common stupid questions. sorry. Oil filters were an option, usually dealer installed. If you had one you wouldn't miss it, since they were usually bolted to the left side of the engine just behind where the dipstick is. Marty Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted June 13, 2011 Report Posted June 13, 2011 It's the orange canister in the picture: Quote
jorswift Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Posted June 13, 2011 OK. I have the orange canister on my motor. There is an oil filter in there? Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted June 13, 2011 Report Posted June 13, 2011 Yes. It's a disposable filter. You can get them at Roberts, Kanter, Bernbaum, or any of the other vendors. The canister is full of oil, so changing the filter during an oil change is a bit of a pain. I use a turkey baster to draw the oil out of the canister. Quote
Young Ed Posted June 13, 2011 Report Posted June 13, 2011 Also available from Wix or Napa or probably most of the other filter brands at your local store. Napa is a 1010 or 1080 depending on which one fits your filter. Quote
jorswift Posted June 13, 2011 Author Report Posted June 13, 2011 Awesome! How will I know which one fits my canister? Quote
Niel Hoback Posted June 13, 2011 Report Posted June 13, 2011 Take the old one out and look for a number. If you can't read it, just measure it and go find a match. Quote
Captain Neon Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 (edited) Let me add my voice to the chorus encouraging you to read your manual. Sometimes newbies confuse the owner's manual with the service manual. Does your service manual look like any of these? Edited June 14, 2011 by Captain Neon Quote
james49ply Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 you didn't say what year you have, but my P15 has a switch at the bottom lip of the dash, just to the right of the steering column that turns the dash lights on and off. Quote
woodie49 Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 Awesome! How will I know which one fits my canister? A word of caution. There is a large circular rubber gasket that seals the canister and lid on the oil filter. Make sure that you get that properly seated and tighten down the canister lid. Fire up the car and run around and check the canister. If not properly seated, it will leak like the devil. I only mention it because it sounds like you are pretty new to this. Quote
jorswift Posted June 14, 2011 Author Report Posted June 14, 2011 Yeah, the service manual is looks like the last one pictured. I am new to this car and the vintage/hot rod thing, but been working on my motorcycles, dirtbikes and trucks for a few years now. Thanks for all the help. Yeah, I have the switch under the dash too. I need to check and change bulbs. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 While you're under there it would be a good time to make sure all your connections are tight. Save yourself a lot of grief later, chasing down mysterious electrical problems. You should have star washers on your electrical connections. I'm currently going through the same thing myself. Luckily, I have no seats in the car so getting my head up under the dash isn't so bad. Quote
jorswift Posted June 14, 2011 Author Report Posted June 14, 2011 I am having problems now with the headlights. I cannot get them to come on. I need to check the dimmer switch tonight. Hopefully its burned out bulbs or the dimmer. Quote
Don Coatney Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 Yeah, the service manual is looks like the last one pictured. I am new to this car and the vintage/hot rod thing, but been working on my motorcycles, dirtbikes and trucks for a few years now. Thanks for all the help.Yeah, I have the switch under the dash too. I need to check and change bulbs. As you have been working on other motor vehicles for a few years the logic in these old cars should be easy for you as there are no microchips nor solid state circuit boards to screw up the logic. Electrical circuts simply need good grounds and continunity. Fuel related issues require no electrical circuits outside of the gas tank gauge. Mechanical issues are purely mechanical. Engine electrics are as simple as they come. You will find it is a pleasure to find and fix most issues. Quote
Joe Flanagan Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 Check this out on e-bay. I don't know if it's the manual you need but it looks like it: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1946-1947-1948-1949-1950-PLYMOUTH-Service-Manual-Book-_W0QQcmdZViewItemQQhashZitem35a9aea57fQQitemZ230480061823QQptZMotorsQ5fManualsQ5fLiterature Quote
Captain Neon Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 A word of caution. There is a large circular rubber gasket that seals the canister and lid on the oil filter. Make sure that you get that properly seated and tighten down the canister lid. Fire up the car and run around and check the canister. If not properly seated, it will leak like the devil. We won't ask how you know this... Quote
Young Ed Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 A word of caution. There is a large circular rubber gasket that seals the canister and lid on the oil filter. Make sure that you get that properly seated and tighten down the canister lid. Fire up the car and run around and check the canister. If not properly seated, it will leak like the devil. I only mention it because it sounds like you are pretty new to this. Ya been there done that twice in my 46 pickup Quote
Captain Neon Posted June 14, 2011 Report Posted June 14, 2011 Ya been there done that twice in my 46 pickup Only once so far. The Austin MN Target had an extra dark parking space in their parking lot for at least a year. I commandeered the wife's car to go back home for more oil. She was working for Target back then. Quote
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