Our Model 607 Stanley is using about twice as much cylinder oil as recommended - about 1 litre (roughly a US Quart) in 50 miles - having been set up to initially over-oil.

We've run a couple of hundred miles since getting the car back from the restorers last autumn, so am assuming the new rings/rebore/pistons have bedded in by now & I can safely cut back on the over oiling.

The 1913 instruction manual describes how to adjust the oil pump by altering the nuts on the adjusting pistion. Anyone any idea by how many turns I might need to take the nuts back to halve the amount pumped?

Dear Peter, The oil pump adjustment is easy to adjust except that it is very touchy on its adjustment of the nuts. Do not take full turns on the nuts as for sure you will come up short of oil. At this point, sneak up on your final adjustment. Turn the nuts two flats and then see what you have for consumption. After turning the nuts two flats, it should be almost where you would want to be. That is "almost there". If it is not enough oil reduction, then adjust the nuts "two more flats" and see what you now have. With my oil rate set too high, I recently I drove our 1914 Stanley on a 325 mile progressive tour. Thinking that my spare gallon of steam cylinder oil would be enough to get me through the whole tour, after driving 200 miles, I determined that I would not have enough oil to finish the tour. Along the road, I purchased some Mobil synthetic 140 WT. gear lube and I supplimented my steam cylinder oil with that. I ended up with oil to spare. I have readjusted my oil rate since then. It is better to error on the side of too much oil, than not enough oil.

Hi Peter, not sure if this helps but this is how I did it, I have been gradually adjusting mine for some considerable time now, I found the best way to monitor it was to make a dipstick that has two marks on it, one as the staring point for the oil that's in the tank at the start of testing and another that measures the level when exactly one pint of oil has been added. Every time I went out in the car I noted the mileage and then checked how much oil was needed to bring it up to the highest mark again, this was done for two full seasons making fine adjustments until the required rate was achieved. Quite rightly it would appear that when Goold's have done an engine overhaul or repair, they set the oiling high (oil is much cheaper than a damaged engine which requires careful running in) something that we don't do anymore with the modern motor car.


Harold



Edited 2 times. Last edit at 08/28/13 06:34PM by SUPER7591.

Harold - what oil rate did you aim for? Presumably the 30hp would need more than Peter's 10hp. I guess the amount needed would relate to the swept surface area of the cylinder bores - does anybody have any thoughts on this?

Mike

Thanks for your advice everyone. Reckon I will adjust the cylinder oil feed until I am using about 25% more than recommended - oil's (relatively) cheap, engines are not....mostly doing short 20 mile round trips at the moment.

Mike, following advice from Basil , I am aiming to get the oil consumption to about 150 miles to the pint although I have heard since that the Stanley manuals recommend a about twice that amount of oil, however would you agree that the oils today are far superior to the older oils that were available.
Any other users wish to comment on their cylinder oil miles per pint.

Harold Bell

The November 25, 1918 "Instruction Manual for the Stanley Steam Car" states: "A gallon of cylinder oil should be sufficient for from three hundred to five hundred miles..." On our noncondensing Stanleys, I try to achieve oil consumption of one quart of oil for 100 miles driven, which is what the 1918 manual is asking for. To keep our boiler free of oil, on our 1922 Stanley condensing car, I try for an even reduced oil consumption by cutting the steam cylinder oil with a bit of kerosene to stretch it out for an even lower oil consumption. When ever I hear my slide valves squeek, I quickly check my cylinder oil lubrication rate of flow. I first check the winker for proper operation, then I go checking for broken oil lines and finally by ultimately checking the rate of oil consumption by miles driven.