I drove my truck just around the block a few days ago and a few questions came up when I did.

1. One of the next things I'm going to be doing is changing the oil and trans fluid. It should be pretty straightforward, but the only question I have is where do I pour the oil into once I've drained the old oil? Also how much oil do I use to fill it? Btw I have the I6 engine if that helps at all.

2. What is this little hole?



When I took the truck out for a short drive, it seemed like a fair amount of smoke was coming out of there. Is that anything to worry about? Do I just cover it up and not worry about it?

3. After the drive when I pulled into the garage, radiator coolant started spilling everywhere out of this hose.



I never really noticed the hose, but it was not attached to anything. What should it be attached to? And why did coolant come out out of it?

Thanks for all of your help.

 

The large cap at the other end of the engine from your arrow is the oil breather cap. Just pull it off and that is where the new oil goes. You will need 5 to 6 quarts depending on if you have an oil filter or not. If you do change that also did not see it in your pic. The hose is the overflow hose for the radiator -- fluid expands when hot so it could just be over filled or the thermostat could be sticking or rad needs cleaning. How long has the truck sat without running. You should look for a shop manual and parts manual they will help you a lot. Usually you can find online. Ask all the question you have and someone a lot more knowledgable than me will come along and help. Where are you located. You may want to include that in your profile it will help get you contacts in your area. Have fun it's a great hobby and it looks like a nice
52.

 

I didn't know they had 223's in '52

1) Six quarts including the filter capacity and fill at the vent on the valve cover that is lined up with the carb. Or you could use the PCV hole as well. (I'll get to that in a minute)

2) That may have been used as a PCV valve at one point. The odd thing is my 223 valve cover has the actual oil filler cap at that location, and there isn't anything further back...whereas you have a vent/filler!

3) That is a expansion/overflow hose for the radiator. They used to just go out onto the road, but later would put bottles at the end.
Steam takes up more space than liqiud water, so when the truck gets hot, there may be "overflow" and it exits through that. However, when things cool down, if there is a tank partially filled at the end of that hose and the hose is submersed in coolant/water, then the vacuum from the void left by the condensed coolant will theoretically revert back into the radiator.

 

Dave, yes I do have a filter and am planning on changing it when I change the oil. Ok and yes that makes sense about the radiator. It sat for about 30 years without running, but I'm pretty sure my grandpa had the radiator rebuilt. (I bought the truck from my grandpa). Thank you.

Morotbreath, I thought I had a 215? Anyways, do you suggest that I just leave the hole alone how it is?
Again thanks for all of your help.

 

You may want to flush the radiator if it sat that long. Open the cap - when it is cool -- stick your finger in it and see if water is rusty. Thirty year old water/anti freeze may be a little thick with rust or just dried up junk. It won't hurt to put fresh fluids in it. Depending on where in No CA you are you will have a bunch of good people around you on this forum - they will come along soon i'm sure. Have fun

 

Welcome aboard. You will find lots of helpful knowledge folks on this board. I too have a 52 with an I6 that sat for years and years before being brought back to life. My engine is a 215cid, however. I think the 223cid engine didn't come out until 1954. Your breather/ oil filler cap seems consistent with a 215cid engine. The "hole" you reference in your valve cover, is located about where you would expect to find the breather/oil filler cap for a 223cid engine. Maybe your valve cover is from a 223cid engine and somewhere along the line acquired an extra hole--now plugged.

Once again welcome and good luck with your project.

 

Doh, I totally forgot about the earlier 215!! Sorry bout that, don't mean to confuse anyone.

As long as the "plug" appears to be completely sealed, you may as well leave it alone.


Have fun!

 

Okay so I did a little more research on the PCV valve, and it is meant for gasses built up in the crankcase, correct? So if I plug the hole there is no way for them to escape and wouldn't that be a problem? One guy my dad talked to at work who has a 55 Ch#@$% said that the hose on my old air filter runs to that hole.

So now I am really confused because when I drove my truck, there is blow by from the hole, but I am having a hard time figuring out why the gasses would run back into the air filter?

 

The PCV valve was created to help regulate emissions to satisfy the EPA. The PCV's predecessor that was not environmentally friendly -and this is what our engines used originally--is called the road draft tube.
This tube uses air passing over it to create a low pressure zone that draws out any pressure in the crankcase.

The PCV does this same task by simply pulling a very small vacuum on the entire inside of the engine. When they needed somewhere to put the gasses that would inevitably be drawn out of this PCV orifice, they figured they could just burn it off in the combustion process and therefore simply ran a tube from the PCV to the intake/air cleaner thus also providing a source of vacuum.

Does this help?

 

Yes that makes sense thank you. So what do you suggest doing with my hole right now? If I just go ahead and plug it will it go back to the old road draft tube system?

 

Theoretically yes, you can just plug it as long as you can confirm that the road draft tube is still there.
Black tube on right bottom of picture. Some look different, but same location.