Re: Lubrication Note

Posted by Owen_Dyneto On 2009/5/27 10:53:44

Tom, I'm glad you found it timely and interesting. I'm not saying that grease won't provide adequate lubrication, just that Packard wanted oil. Now if grease has been used, chances are the passages are filled with grease and oil will no longer flow as it should, so whether to disassemble everything and clean it just to use oil is a good question.

My oiler is a "Lincoln High Pressure Oil Gun", Model 848, Series A. I see them frequently at flea markets, I just checked the MSC catalog and didn't see a Lincoln HP oiler listed, but I wouldn't be suprised that they are still made. At the end of the oiler you use a syringe-like tip, readily avaiable from MSC, probably McMaster-Carr, and perhaps the local auto supply house. I'll give you details if you need them.

You wanted a picture? Lucky guy, you caught me with 1 exposure left on the current roll of film. I'll append it to this post in a couple of hours. You'll see the needle tip on the oil gun.

EDIT - Tom, if you're into older vehicles and servicing them, there are some other interesting and useful lubrication gadgets to keep an eye out for at flea markets and EBay. One is a hammer-tapped wedge to insert at the end of spring leaves to insert oil or grease between the leaves (keep in mind later springs were NOT to be so lubricated). Another is the adapter from modern-style Alemite to pin-style Alemite (still available new from MSC), and yet another is a little gadget that clamped around your Bendix mechanical brake cables at the junction of the shield to allow you to grease the internal mechanical brake cable without having to disassemble.