oiling the distributor

atch

atch

Senior Member
In the first minute of this video I see a fella oiling the distributor by pulling out the knurled knob and putting oil in the small hole. I was under the impression that you had to do something complicated inside the distributor cap. The lube chart in the center of the Model A owners' manual just says "distributor shaft."

Would someone please tell me how I should be lubing the distributor in my 1930 sedan?

Note: the same lube chart says to lube the distributor cam lobes and that's pretty self-explanatory.

b-t-w; this is my first Model A and I've only had it a few months. I'm learning as fast as I can.
 
The video is showing the use of the oiler, which is the original way to get oil to the shaft and bushings. However, the oiler is located below the first bushing, so modern reproduction distributor shafts are made with a hole that goes from the top of the shaft to the side of the shaft above that bushing. Usually these are supplied with a distributor cam screw that's also had a hole put through it.

This allows you to oil the entire shaft and bushings by removing the rotor and dripping oil into the hole in the cam screw. Potentially this is all you need to do; however, the oiler is still nice to use because it's a tiny reservoir, so it retains oil and feeds it to the shaft over time.

When lubricating the cam lobes, use cam lube, not oil. You need a grease that will stick to the cam against centrifugal force. Oil will simply spray all over the distributor innards.
 
"Oil will spray all over the distributor innards."

Especially if one attempts to over oil the distributor thru the upper hole in a 'modern' distributor shaft. - Don't Ask -
 
A few drops in the pull-out oiler knob is all you need to do with any regularity. You can add a few drops...not too much...in the hole under the distributor cam screw when you loosen it to do the timing. Some sources suggest a thin swipe of Vaseline under the rotor.
 
Ford's lubrication chart for the Model "A" specifies Vaseline to lube the distributor cam. I am putting an oiler on a distributor because I do a lot touring.
 

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you don't need that oiler thing. it is not going to oil the top of the bushing.

the best is the modified/drilled top distributer cam screw setup (lift off the cap and rotor put in a drop of oil) and the original side oil fitting and just oil it once in a while.

remember not all bright ideas are good ideas.

OU
 
as far as being new to your A and oiling that distributer. just pull out that knob on the side of the distributer and give it some drops of oil. good enough for now.

learn and do the rest later.
 
German guy said:
A few drops in the pull-out oiler knob is all you need to do with any regularity. You can add a few drops...not too much...in the hole under the distributor cam screw when you loosen it to do the timing. Some sources suggest a thin swipe of Vaseline under the rotor.
Click to expand...

The owners instruction book says to fill it,a couple drops is not near enough to have it lubricate the upper bushing—
I used to think a couple drops was how to oil it because that is how most other things are oiled when they have oil cups

So I took the oil can and stuck the tip down the hole and gave it a couple good squirts.
Went out for a short ride and when I came back I looked at the junction of the shaft and housing and there was the slight sheen of oiled washer which was dry before oiling— just enough oil reached it but not so much it made a mess ( although the oil can did make somewhat of a mess on the cylinder head)
 
I love this idea that the oiler being located below the top bushing is not a design flaw because the intent was that you should flood the oiler and rely on the spinning shaft to fling oil all the way up. I mean technically there’s nothing preventing you from filling the oiler while the engine is running…
 
alexiskai said:
I love this idea that the oiler being located below the top bushing is not a design flaw because the intent was that you should flood the oiler and rely on the spinning shaft to fling oil all the way up. I mean technically there’s nothing preventing you from filling the oiler while the engine is running…
Click to expand...

For sure!
those bushings lasted for many many years with no failures. if we were to rebuild a distributor now it will outlast any one of us.
 
The reason the upper bushings lasted as long as they did is because they were Clevite bushings and had little pockets of "graphite" throughout the bushings. I don't think any of the bushings being sold today have any graphite in them. I grabbed a batch of distributor bushings when I left Clevite and have been using them for a number of years. If I had a chance I'd take a picture of them but I'm sitting on the couch icing my knee partial replacement. Former Clevite employee
 
I'll be oiling using the pull-out knob.

If you've read this far please go over to my next thread.

And a great big THANK YOU to everyone who took the time to respond here. I appreciate it more than you'll ever know.
 
MrBruce said:
The reason the upper bushings lasted as long as they did is because they were Clevite bushings and had little pockets of "graphite" throughout the bushings. I don't think any of the bushings being sold today have any graphite in them. I grabbed a batch of distributor bushings when I left Clevite and have been using them for a number of years. If I had a chance I'd take a picture of them but I'm sitting on the couch icing my knee partial replacement. Former Clevite employee
Click to expand...

Per McMaster-Carr, oil-impregnated bushings are normally preferred over graphite bushings because the graphite can flake off. Graphite bushings are preferred in high-temperature scenarios.
https://www.mcmaster.com/products/bushings/sleeve-bearings-3~/
 
There is a wrongful belief that oil will not go up the distributor shaft when the shaft is spinning. Actually, oil will go up due to the fluid dynamics. The oil, confined in a small cylinder like the distributor casting, will rise up when spun by the rotating because of centrifugal force.
 

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nKaminar, I bought the oiler from eBay. It is about the smallest size. The outlet port of the oiler is the same diameter of a 22 caliber bullet shell.
 
MrBruce, make sure you get PT for your knee, ask the surgeon if not suggested. Without it you knee won't function very well.
I had both my knees replaced and the PT afterwards, allows me to get down and under my Model A's and other things. Just use knee pads.
 
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