The port-side oiler went along in a similar fashion to the starboard albeit a bit quicker the second time around.
Port Oiler
Rebuilt Oiler
I’m happy to report the first oiler has been rebuilt, tested and calibrated. It went back together without much difficulty. These are very well engineered. It’s obvious these are designed to be field repaired by the people who ran these machines.
I went back to the individual oil pumps and disassembled, cleaned, inspected, lubricated and reassembled. Repairs were few and minor. I got really lucky with the condition of these oilers. There was some rust and corrosion from moisture but the critical parts are all in fair to good condition.
Each pump assembly is really two pumps. The first draws in the oil from the sump through a brass filter screen. The adjustment rod sets the height of the cylinder which meters the oil pushed up the drip tube. Excess oil is returned to the sump or, in the case of one of the pumps, is used to lubricate the eccentric shaft. The operator can set the drip rate. All the lines on this starboard side oiler call for a rate of one drip per revolution of the eccentric shaft which equals 40 turns of the engine crankshaft. That would come out to about 9 drips per minute at normal rated engine speed. The metered oil runs back into the larger pump cylinder. Pumps like these had been also used in steam engines under high pressure. I’ve read these pumps can generate 300 psi.
Once everything was cleaned up I finished making gaskets. The case was thoroughly cleaned and got a light sanding to get rid of the flaking paint (2 layers). I painted the case but elected to not paint the top. The adjustment screws are peened on so these were best left alone. All are functional after cleaning and lubricating.
I’ve been working on the second oiler. It’s about 2/3 dissasembled at this point. Its condition looks similar to the first. There was a little more water in the second one but still not terrible. I don’t know if the same oil was used in both oilers but this one is much more goopy. The operation manual calls for engine oil in the port side oiler and light machine oil in the starboard oiler but I think some guys used the same oil in both. Machine oil was cheaper back in the day but I think diesel engine oil has been lower cost for some time so that’s probably what was used as a single oil in the later years.
Next up I’ll need to do something about the bad crank bearing. I need to consult with someone who knows babbitt bearings.
