Annual maintenance and other questions....

[50Champ]

I've had my '50 Champion for a year and a half now and have put about 2000 miles on it. Last winter I changed the oil but not the filter and that's about the only maintenance I've done to it. I did a search for "annual maintenance" on the site but nothing showed up. I'm wondering what I should do. Should I change the oil again? Do I need a new oil filter? If so can I buy one at my local auto parts store or do I need to get one from a Studebaker parts place? What about the original air filter and gas filter? Is a lube job necessary? If so can I get one at my local oil change shop? How about flushing the radiator? Does it need any other annual maintenance? The engine still dies when I stop at a red light or slow down to make a turn which is getting a little old. Does anyone know what could cause that? Also, the speedometer cable still makes a lot of noise over 20 mph. I was going to unscrew it from the back of the speedo but I couldn't figure out how. Should I just unscrew it from the transmission instead so the noise will stop? Would replacing the cable solve the problem? What I really need is someone who knows old cars to go through it and fix all these little problems for me for a few bucks. I have to fill the master cylinder with brake fluid every couple of months too. Is that normal? Any suggestions? Sorry about all the questions....



1950 Champion 2 Dr. Sedan

[Anne F. Goodman]

Wow the speedometer cable you can unscrew it from the speedometer make sure you have a good rag take it all the way out of the housing. Use a latex gloves put a glob of good axle grease in your hand put the cable through it back into the housing . It helps to have a helper hold the loose end of the cable as you push the cable through the grease in your hand. You end upholding on tight to the cable as you push it through your hand so it gets into the stranded cable. once you get it back in the housing take the gloves off and screw it back on. You can also oil the back of the speedometer while you are at it. I can take a picture of the back of a 49 for reference for you if you like.

Mabel 1949 Champion
Hawk 1957 Silverhawk
Gus 1958 Transtar
The Prez 1955 President State
Blu 1957 Golden Hawk
Daisy 1954 Regal Commander Starlight Coupe
Fresno,Ca

[Skip Lackie]

There are maintenance interval and lubricant instructions in the owner's manual. That said, that guidance was intended for cars that are driven ~10k miles a year, which few Studes are these days. Nevertheless, the owner's manual does list all of the things that must be serviced and provides some guidance on how often they must be addressed.

You should change the oil and filter once a year. Many of us recommend doing it in the fall before winter storage. Filters are cheap, and there's no reason not to change it when you change the oil. NAPA can usually get old-style filters if you know the filter number. You can use modern multi-grade oil with a ZDDP additive added to it, or one of the oils designed for older cars. You should grease all the chassis lubrication points at least once a year. Modern chassis lube is fine. If you take it to a quick-lube place, make sure they lube ALL the fittings. There are a lot of them. Pay particular attention to the king pins. If they don't know what a king pin is, take it to an old-time private mechanic who understands old cars.

You should flush and refill the cooling system every other year. Bob Palma has described a simple procedure for doing this in a recent TW. A 50/50 mixture of conventional ethylene glycol (green) antifreeze is fine.

Check your owner's manual for gear lube specs for the trans and rear axle. Some modern gear lubes are harmful to older components, but alternatives are available.

If you're only driving 2k a year, you should not need to add any brake fluid. You have a leak somewhere. Check the bottom of the master cylinder and the brakes lines where visible. If you can't find any wetness, you're going to have to pull the brake drums to check the wheel cylinders for leakage. Brake system leaks do not get better by themselves, and eventually will damage other components and/or cause brake failure.

Skip Lackie
Washington DC

[dictator27]

What Skip said. However, I would strongly suggest that you learn where all the grease fittings are. The vast majority of the young employees of today's fast lubes won't have a clue where to look for many of them and little interest in learning. The kingpins in particular require a lot of grease to be lubed properly. BTDT.[V]

Anne's advice is good as well, but I would be inclined to use Lubriplate to lube the cable, rather than axle grease.

Terry

[Dick Steinkamp]

I would add to bleed the brakes at least every two years...even if you are running DOT 5 fluid. Running a pint or so through the system by bleeding some from every wheel will remove any water and other contaminants that can ruin the hydraulic parts and/or make the brakes inoperative at just the wrong time. I CHANGE the brake fluid in daily drivers every two years.

Engine dying could be idle speed set too low, idle mixture wrong, wrong float level.

Not driving an old car much is VERY hard on all systems. Drive it at least every week and hopefully 5,000+ miles a year.

If you don't wrench on your old car yourself, you need a big check book AND a knowledgeable mechanic. The first requirement is often much easier to satisfy than the second. Mechanics that know old cars (Studebakers in particular) and are willing to work on other people's cars are few and far between.

My new Avanti came from a seller who didn't wrench. He was spending $70/hour at a local shop to have all the work done. I am finding that most of the work done on the car was not very good. I have a stack of receipts with the car that the total amount would buy another nice Avanti.

Dick Steinkamp
Bellingham, WA