Oil changes used to be something done at the garage when I took a car in for service and I never gave it a second thought. I like most people had never given a thought to what oil was used and had kind of assumed that oil was oil and that was it. But then it hits you, with a classic Austin suddenly you have to begin to think about things like when the oil should be changed and what grade of oil should be used. Lubrication is not limited to the main engine oil either, but consists of several areas that need regular attention.
Every 200 miles or ideally before any journey examine the oil in the crankcase and add more fresh oil if required. The oil level is checked by a dipstick on the right hand side of the crank case, near the front of the starter motor.
Every 500 miles use the grease gun to charge the two front axle swivel pins.
Every 2000 miles examine the gearbox oil level, change the engine oil and examine back axle oil level.
The most obvious lubrication need is the main engine oil. The oil in the Austin 10 engine is carried in the oil sump bolted to the base of the crank case, and into which the oil pump projects. The pump is a mechanical gear type, driven by skew gears from the camshaft, the oil is passed through a gauze strainer to filter out the larger particles deposited in the oil but unlike a modern oil filter it can not remove small particles therefore requiring the oil to be changed at much shorter intervals than you may be used to.
Don't be tempted to hold off changing oil to save money, it is advisable to change oil regularly even if the car has not been used and the oil does not appear to need changing. It should be remembered that your Austin 10 engine will revolve at speeds in excess of 3,000 r.p.m., and that the oil film must not break down under the resulting bearing loads. It is true that we never get "something for nothing," and for the sake of a slight saving in the cost of oil, considerable expense can be incurred in repairing the damage or wear that may occur due to a breakdown of the oil film under heavy load conditions. Follow the instructions with regard to the periods at which the oil should be changed and conscientiously follow the recommended intervals. The lubrication periods have been drawn up to assure satisfactory performance and long life of the working parts. It is up to you to see that they are looked after regularly and properly, if in doubt change it anyway just to be sure.
There is a great deal of controversy over what type of oil should be used in an old engine but regardless of the oil chosen it is a wise policy always to buy a good quality oil and having made your choice, always use the same maker's product and grade. Changing oil type can cause severe damage to the engine if old deposits are dislodged from their resting places and subsequently become stuck in a small oil way causing a failure of the lubrication system to supply sufficient oil to the areas required.
Tip: When buying an Austin ask the seller what oil has been used so you can continue to use the same type of oil. If a major change in oil type is to be made then it would be advisable to perform the change in conjunction with an engine re-condition where all traces of old oil will be flushed out.
The capacity of the sump is approximately seven pints. An oil pressure gauge is provided on the instrument panel so that the driver can readily see whether the oil pump is functioning correctly and is a valuable instrument for spotting problems before they become major.
The engine oil in a newly re-conditioned engine should be drained and re-filled at 500 miles. Inevitably particles and foreign matter will be circulated with the oil as the engine is run in. The original Austin specification suggests an oil change every 2000 miles. This recommendation was based on a car that is in regular use and would likely equate to less than 6 months usage before an oil change. So ideally you should change oil every 2000 miles or every 6 months which ever is the sooner.
It was common practice to have a seasonal oil change using a thinner mono-grade oil in the winter to ease starting and a thicker grade in the summer to prevent the oil from thinning to much at higher temperatures. If you are using mono-grade oil the practice of seasonal grades of oil is good practice. If a modern multi-grade oil is used there is no benefit in changing the oil for the different seasons as the oil maintains a constant density.
If the car is sat for more than 3 months unused other than being started to keep everything moving as is common during the worst winter months the oil should be changed before being used on the road. It may sound wasteful but if you know the car will be laid up for a number of months unused it is advisable to change the oil just before being laid up and then again before being put to use. This probably sounds extravagant but oil that is left standing will get contaminated with water from condensation as the metal surfaces warm up and and cool down. As the engine is likely to be started occasionally from cold with full choke during storage the oil will quickly become contaminated with petrol and water.
You may be thinking what about the environmental impact of all these oil changes, there is no need to worry as oil taken to your local waste center in the UK will be re-cycled and presumably the same applies in other countries.
At each oil change the gauze filter should be removed and inspected. You may be tempted to skip this step as there may appear to be very little sludge in it but the temptation to skip this step should be avoided at all cost as skipping this step will reduce the oil flow and therefore the ability of the oil to cool effectively. Perhaps more importantly though is that inspecting the contents of the filter gauze will give clues to some ensuing problem before a break down or even worse the engine is completely destroyed by a fault. If shards of soft shiny metal are found in the gauze then the bearings are failing and will need to be repaired. Sadly a fairly common fault to be found in the Austin 10 engine is for the gudgeon pin securing bolt can work loose causing damage to the cylinder bore or worse still is a connecting rod smashing the engine block. So if you find a bolt in the filter gauze stop using the engine immediately until the stray bolt has been investigated.