MTFCA Forum

Just purchased a 16 Roadster when it is cold I can't seem to find neutral. it wants go forward while trying to start. So my assumption is the low band is to tight? Any thoughts

Mike .

How cold is it when you are starting and what weight oil is in your crankcase?

Good questions about the oil and the temperature in the garage.
You said you just purchased the car. How did it start when you were checking it before buying it. Was it in a cold environment?

A good way to find neutral is to put the car in neutral by having the hand brake in the straight up position and turn the starting crank. Key off of course!
If the car moves the clutch may need adjustment or the low band is to tight. Most T’s will move a bit when cold but after it warms up it shouldn’t do it. Finding a perfect neutral usually is around 95% most of the time. The temperature plays a big part when cranking a T especially when’s it’s cold.

Jack up one rear wheel and put a block in front of the front wheel. Then start the car and let it warm up. Lower the back wheel and try again. If it is on a level surface and rolls forward when you start in neutral, you have a problem with adjustment. If it only rolls when cold, either your oil is too heavy, or it is quite cold.
Note, when you try to start the car you should have the parking brake pulled all the way back. If it still rolls forward, you might have a problem with the parking brake.
Norm

Michael-

Park the car with the hand brake handle in the forward position: Brake off. Then when you start the car, pull the hand brake to the back position and start the car.

When the parking brake is on, the clutch plates are separated and the cold oil gets between the plates and it is hard to crank and tends to creep forward. If the brake is off and the clutch plats have been together, when the brake is put on and the clutch plates are separated, there isn'r cold congealed oil sticking the clutch plates together, which makes the car creep forward.

: ^ )

Keith

Michael, your car crept when cold since 1916. It is the nature of the beast.

Pulling the engine, tearing into the transmission, replacing the stock clutch disks with aftermarket disks (and maybe replace the brake drum as well) will solve this problem and then possibly lead to new ones.

It's what stock Model Ts do.

I put a short piece of 1 x 2 wood in front of each wheel. That keeps the car from creeping when it starts, and I can just drive over them when I leave.

Your low band and low speed link adjustments are probably fine, but if you want to check them here's how. Start by verifying that the low band is firmly engaged with the low pedal 1 - 1.5 inches above the floor board. Have someone fully depress the low pedal while you crawl under and verify that the low speed link doesn't go "over center", which would cause the low pedal to stick to the floor. Then follow the instructions here:

The trouble with changing to a 5w oil is at the expense of the longevity of the engine, it's far to light for the clearances of T bearings with mild to warm and hot weather.

Thanks everyone for the info and humor. The temp when purchased was 60 now about 35. I will change the oil to know what I have 5w30 or 10w30 I will do a little more research on that. If that doesn't help I will look into the adjustments.

Thanks again
Mike

Reread Frank's advice before going to overly thin oil