Distributer oiler knob

R

REByar

Member
Hi All,

I have a distributer with an exterior that appears to be original but the interior has been changed to modern components. There is a knob on the right side of the distributer that I was told was an oiler. It is spring loaded and when you pull it out the shaft has a hole in it. It is located close to the hole where the original condenser would have been placed. But I cannot find anything about the oiler or how it works. Is the hole for some sort of wick that should be oiled and then pushed back into the distributer body?

Any ideas or advice would be greatly appreciated.

REB
 
just pull it back, (outer housing) and you will see a small hole, Drop a few drops of oil in it ever now and then. where the knurling is it is spring loaded, just use plain NEW motor
oil
John
 
The center page of the owner's manual has a lubrication chart and says this should get oiled every 500 miles.

A young new owner in our club was unaware of this and his distributor shaft seized and broke the drive tang on the shaft. Unfortunately this happened on a club tour, so a few of us missed the final destination while fixing this in the rain. Luckily we were able to push the car into a freeway overpass for shelter from the rain, and one of the club members had a spare distributor a few miles away.

The parts houses also have a nice large wall chart of the lubrication.
 
Keep your original pull out oiler if you can. The original was a knurled steel sleeve. Some of the repops are a knurled ALUMINUM sleeve not even made as the original.

And didn't some of the late 1931 oilers use a standard GITS right angle lubricator (with snap top) at this location?. I don't have any of these but have seen discussion.

Joe K
 
John Duden said:
just pull it back, (outer housing) and you will see a small hole, Drop a few drops of oil in it ever now and then. where the knurling is it is spring loaded, just use plain NEW motor
oil
John
Click to expand...

If you read the owners instruction book it says --"Add sufficient oil to reach the level of the oil cup" ---in other words fill it up, I used to just put a few drops in, then while reading the owners book I thought about it, got the oil gun, filled it ---2 weeks later I had the cap off for something else and noticed that the upper bushing was well oiled ---so if you oil the dist by the instruction book there is no need for a 'drilled shaft" to lube the upper bushing.
 
REB: The oiler as you describe, provides lubrication to the two bushings on the distributor shaft. These bushings are present whether you have "modern" distributor components or original. The following link will take you to an excellent reference on Model A distributors. The very last diagram shows the oiler and recommends the shaft be oiled every 500 miles. Remember, too, to place a little vasoline or dielectric lube on the distributor cam as shown in the same diagram.

http://modelabasics.com/Ignition.htm

Mike
 
Clem Clement said:
I had one that was plugged solid with muck. Guess how I found out...
Click to expand...

I know everyone restores the 5 ancillaries before they go driving, so I'm sure you discovered the plugged passage during the distributor overhaul.:D

BTW, the 5 ancillaries are:
Starter
Generator
Carb
Water Pump
Distributor
 
If you need to remove the oiler to clean the passage, or during restoration, here is a picture showing how I do it. I slip a straight punch into the hole, and with the screwdriver behind the punch I twist the screwdriver clockwise to pop out the oiler. If the oiler is too tight to twist the screwdriver, then I clamp a Vise Grip on it for a lot of leverage, and this will pop the oiler out. Be turning the screwdriver clockwise, rather than prying sideways, you are putting all the pressure straight out on the oiler, so you won't deform the fitting.

I was going to modify a pliers by grinding a hole between the jaws the same diameter as the oiler shaft, then install a pin in one jaw the same size as the oiler hole. This would make a handy remover tool, but the punch and screwdriver work so well, nothing else is needed.
 

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I oil mine often ,I have the drilled shaft so it gets it at the same time. You cant over oil the distributor shafts.
 
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