Kirk B. Jelf, 1931

My dad was a still operator for Shell, Pathfinder, and Union Oil for forty years before he retired in 1965. He scoffed at TV commercials for all the various brands. He used to say, "It all comes out of the same pipe." He wasn't being literal, of course. It was his way of saying they're all basically the same, sometimes with dye added to make them a "special" color. Look at your oil container. Does it have the API seal? Then its contents meet the same standards as all the other brands. When you pay extra for the big brand "with XLNT added!!!", you're just subsidizing their expensive advertising. The cheapest oil with the API mark is better than what your T got when it was new, and just as good as the higher priced stuff. My own personal choice of oil was whatever 10W-30 with the API mark I could find at the lowest price. But after asking a couple of well-known Model T rebuilders who put lots of miles on their cars, I'm going with whatever 15W-40 I can find at the lowest price. I thought that would be the Walmart house brand, but the last time I checked I found that Rotella costs a little less. Oil level is checked with two petcocks on the back of the pan. Adding oil, open the top petcock and fill until oil starts to drip out. The model T holds between four and five quarts. Check with the bottom petcock. As long as oil drips out when you open it, there's enough. If none comes out, it's time to add more. Some folks use a glass oil sight gauge. I don't, for two reasons.  1  It can become misleadingly difficult to read, appearing to be full when it's empty. That is not a good thing.  2  It can be damaged by road hazards and leak out all your oil, also not a good thing. Instead of a glass gauge, I use a clear plastic tube. When I open the petcocks the oil finds its level. Of course I leave the petcocks closed, opening them only to check the level. If the tube gets knocked loose, no harm done.

Look for the API mark on oil containers. A very good article on Model T oil is here.

You can make or buy an oil check tool that lets you reach the petcocks without crawling under the car.

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