Temp Gauge

[studelover]

When a motor is freshly rebuilt does it tend to be on the hot side? How soon after the rebuild should I change the oil?

Studebakers forever!

[rockfoot]

An engine, after overhaul, might run a little warmer than it did prior to overhaul... My Dad used to carry a 1 gallon can of oil after he overhauled an engine to trickle down the carb. to cool that top ring. That was his explanation. I have overhauled a lot of engines and sometimes I start the engine with a can of oil standing by and sometimes I don't. The newer Chevrolet motors are really tight and a little oil in the carb or intake is not a bad idea for the first 3-500 miles. It seemed to me that the only time the temp would go up was when it was at idle. Just my observations.
Some people say to change the oil at 1000 miles after overhaul. Then 3000 miles thereafter. Personally, I don't think you can change the oil too often. That is the life of the engine...clean oil!!

1955 President one owner
Moncks Corner, SC

[whacker]

I've always used a lighter weight oil, say about 20-20 to run-up the engine and for the first hour or so run time. This is to flush out any residual metal from machining work, rust, dust, dirt and other bad stuff, like sweat (highly acidic). Then change to straight 30 weight and run it for the next 500 miles. After that I use 15W-40 high zinc diesel (laid in a good supply last year) and change it once a year, in the spring. I used to use straight 30 weight as is prescribed in the manual. With as much as I drive my 51 Commander, that is only about 500 miles. If I lived further south so I could drive it more, I would be changing it every 3000 miles. Here, that would be about every six years!

[WCP]

Whacker, you really should change the oil at the end of the driving season with a hot engine, to avoid contaminants in the oil "plating" out over the winter months in the pan and oil passages. Best to store an engine with clean oil. However, at 500 miles per year, you are probably OK with the spring change.

[studelover]

On a 61 hawk with a 289 where is your Temp Gauge ussually sit on, 180 or 195 how do you check water flow? My car sits on 197 parked. On the highway it sits around 200 is that normal?

Studebakers forever!

[dong]

It should depend (among other things) on what thermostat you are using. I have a 180 thermostat in my 289 and the gauge sits at 180 all the time, idling, around town or on the highway.

Don

[WCP]

My R2 Avanti has a 160F thermostat and shows 170-180 on the gauge at idle or speed with moderate air temp. The gauge reading depends to some extent on the specific sending unit you are using. Some tend to read higher than others due to lower resistance at operating temp. I started on a trip last year with the temp gauge sitting at 180F but later in the day it moved up to 200-220F, with no loss of coolant. The next day the gauge started out higher and eventually moved beyond 240F with no loss of coolant. We finished that leg of the trip with the gauge almost pegged and no loss of coolant. It was obvious that the engine was not overheating, so I disconnected the sending unit for the return trip. On examining the sending unit at home, it gave a very low resistance value at room temp. It had failed. If you have a clean block and are not losing any coolant and there is no other evidence of overheating (melted spark plug boots etc.), you won't do any harm to the engine by driving it. My GT Hawk with A/C on in air temps of 90-100F would typically run at 220F on idle in stop & go traffic and run at around 200F at speed. Never lost any coolant. Vintage car people tend to worry obsessively about engine temp. If you see steam, stop.

[studelover]

I see, I don't have any coolant loss, I just got my temp gauge to work. It was pegging out all the time. I got a ground wire on it and it started to read almost normal. When I first got it to work it was sitting on 180 I was adjusting the valves and timing and I monitored it closely. When I started to drive it temp started to go up. I just found out that my fan and spacer were on wrong I had my power steering belt on the wrong pulley and the generator belt on the wrong pulley. I am in the process of correcting that, the spacer goes on the fan than the pulley and the generator belt goes on behind the power steering belt, this will put the fan closer to the radiator It might make a difference

Studebakers forever!