1930 Model A transmission oil change

S

skeazle

Senior Member
Hello everyone out there in ''A'' land! I've had my 1930 Tudor sedan a couple of months now and have only driven it about 3 times locally. Weather being most of the reason it sits. It was restored back in '09 and since then the man I bought the car from had only put 1,074 mi. on it. So I thought I'd get it ready for our first Model A meet this weekend and I went and took out the fill plug for the ****** and stuck my finger in as far as I could and felt no oil. So now I'm starting to panic because I have no 600 wt. oil to add to it but I've since ordered some from Mac's. My question is how do you all manage to add oil to the ****** laying under the car with hardly any room to pour the oil in? It's tight. I think I am going to try a turkey baster with a hose on the end of it. I'll probably sit the quart of oil in hot water for a few minutes to thin it out and just try the baster thing. Don't laugh! I'm running out of ideas. I am going to jack up the car and put 4 jack stands under it so hopefully it will be high enough off the ground to work under there. I wish I could drive the car to get the ****** oil hot enough but I don't know how low it is. As it is I wonder if any damage is done to the bearings or gears. I also checked the diff.and it is ok but I might just change it and that way I'm starting out fresh. If you could offer any advice I'd sure appreciate it. thanks, Jim
 
hello
the easy way is remove the frt floor boards I do not know if you have carpet or floor mats but the frt floor boards lift right out you will need to remove the boots on the brake and shifter that is also the way to replace the battery there are screws holding the boards to the body
kevin
1930 tudor
 
I'd recommend draining as much as you can and see what it looks and feels like. If it really nasty you may want to remove the top and clean the inside as much as you can before filling it with new oil. Filling from the topside is easy.
Filling from the side plug is not too bad. I use a small plastic bottle with a short nozzle. It fits along the frame rail and just squirt the oil in until just before it starts to come out of hole. Its not hard and doesn't take long.
600W is anywhere from 180-240 weight. Some use 140 with no issues. I use 250. I also recommend straight oil with no concoctions added.
 
If the ****** and rear end were overhauled just 1000 miles ago in 09, then it shouldn't need to be changed. I use an oil can with the tip removed to pump in gear oil, or I also use a plastic squeeze bottle, such as catsup or mustard bottles.
 
If some woman in your life color their hair, The small squeeze bottles that the color agent is mixed in. This bottle is small enough , about 2 ounces, to use a filler for several tight places in the car. I use mine for adding fluid to the master cylinder.
Terry
 
No need to remove anything... Use a 1qt bottle with nozzle like this quick and easy...

We always stress to Ck over a car before driving it. Especially all the fluids....remember there is fluid in the diff also so Ck that..
 

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Would be great if we all had lifts in our garage but consider when filling the vehicle angled w/ a floor jack , the true lube level can be too low or too high relative to the fill hole --not a huge crisis , but putting too much in can cause momentary leaks until it adjusts its level.
 
Man I'm lazy. I don't pull floor boards. I brought a 50¢ funnel and clear tubing. Pull the plug, insert tube and pour it in to the funnel. After a minute or two add some more..You don't even have to get under the car.
 
cut a hole in the right side of the floor board above the fill plug and add a metal cover like the one above the batt. and when you want to check or add oil just peel back the floor mat , pry up the metal cover and add.
 
Check the rear end and steering box also while your there. They all take the same stuff. Pull the plugs and drain them The rear end and ****** that is, just top off the steering box. 2 quarts of your favorite 600w will do all of the above. I just tried out Lubriplates SPO77. It seems to work well, for me.
 
I had a little trouble finding a way to get the 600W bottle to the fill plug. I climbed out from under the car and found some leftover vacuum line. I cut a 4" piece and attached it to the top of the bottle. I got under the car, put the hose in the transmission, and squeezed the bottle. My idea worked perfectly! My friend, with over 22 years experience owning and maintaining Model A's, was impressed. He usually fights the big bottle up to the transmission. :-)
 
The Mitchell Transmission Access Cover (sold by vendors) works to ease the job of checking and filling the transmission lube reservoir. See Post # 12. It is the same thing - just professionally made, and marketed.

Ofcourse you still have the rubber/carpet mat to remove. On my '28 Phaeton I just sliced the rubber mat into two sections, and just had to pull back the passenger section to get to the metal cover - a real easy job. The same thing can be done with deluxe cars with the cloth carpet. Good for 'drivers' - not so much for 'show' cars.
 
Most auto parts stores have a cheap plastic pump that is inserted into whatever oil container your working with. Run a tube of equally as cheap hose from the pump to the trans or where ever.
 
The floor boards take less than 2 minutes to un screw and take out to check the oil level and re-fill. All this crawling under the car with bottles and tubes is a waste for folks like me with bad backs and arthritis.
 
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