I've observed grease spattering all over the engine compartment in my '51 F1; it had been coming from the fan shaft which is a type (among variants I presume) that is lubricated with grease via a zerk fitting. Took it all apart (eight small screws holding the fan assembly together) and the gasket is shot. Bought a new gasket (C&G Ford parts here in Escondido,Ca.) and will reassemble tomorrow. Need to know what kind of grease to pack this unit with. Anyone recommend what to use? Thanks in advance.

 

You use 30 weight oil in the hub. Take the screw out and out a ounce of oil in and then rotate the fan 1 revolution. Then put a rag under the hub and turn it with the hole pointing down. Excess will drain out. Put the screw back in and you're done. My 50 F-1 has this set up in it.

Barry

50 F-1

 

Once they seize, the fan hubs are very difficult to repair or replace. Best bet is to refill as barry says at every oil change.
Dave

 

My service book says to do the oil thing every 5000 miles, i do it the same as Barry every oil change..

 

If oil was intended, then why the zerk fitting for a grease gun?

 

It may have been added in place of the screw that was there. The 48-52 trucks had the screw for the oil, no grease fitting. Do you have the wide belts on the engine in your truck? I don't know how the cars are set up in the same time frame. I'm assuming they had the screw in there also.
Someone could have added the zerk fitting thinking the grease would work better than the oil and itwould be easier to do, rather than adding the oil every oil change. Just a thought......

barry

50 F-1

 

Barry: Good point about the possibility of an improper zerk fitting installed somewhere along the line. I'll see about replacing that with a different plug. Only other issue is the 30 weight; why not 80-90 weight? Seems to me thicker oil and thus better viscosity would be better than thinner oil; the grooves in the shaft I believe can handle thicker oil. Thanks again.

 

Thicker isn't always better. It was designed for engine oil. Some 80-90 wt oils (gear lubes) have amines in them that will attack bronze at higher temperatures (like near the radiator). Why risk it?

 

the sulfer in the gear oil will eat the bearings alive. lithium grease can also be used or a grease with moly

 

Okay. I went back to C&G Ford parts just now and was advised to use 20 weight oil. The protocol to fill the fan unit is to pump a little oil into the filler hole, go work on something else, come back and pump more oil into it, go do something else, and keep pumping oil into it until oil drips out when turning the thing upside down. My '49 Mercury doesn't have this kind of fan and that's why I was not familiar with what to use for lubrication and how to fill the reservoir. (The f1 is a recent acquisition, the Merc woodie I've had for ten years). Thanks for the kind advice.

 

oldmercury,

Welcome to the board!! Any chance of you setting up a gallery and showing us all the beauties in your stable? An old Merc and an F1, I'm already envious.

Nice thread, thank you all for the history lesson. I learn something new everytime I cruise around this site.

Bobby

 

Well, the '49 Merc woodie can be found in volume 1, Wavecrest 2005, on Ken Leonard's website. The F1, I'll have to figure out how to attach photos.

www.pbase.com/xl1ken/image/49387969

 

Holy wooded wagons Batman!!!

She's gorgeous!!! what a beauty of a car!!

Bobby

 

You mean the babe in the dark red bikini in the background? Yes she's quite a beach-babe. She somehow got her volleyball stuck under my merc and together we squeezed under the car to retrieve it. Oh joy!