1904 Olds Model N idle

Dialing in the idle and oil drip rate on the Olds

[@Sludge73]

Very cool!

[@bage666pd]

a metronome xd

[@beowulf885]

Strange design, why did they design it to leak oil

[@TWAgri]

So you can find your way back home

[@moconnell663]

I cannot vouch for this specific engine, but plenty of things from this era were oiled on a 'total loss' basis, just like steam engines.

[@Skupik1]

BMW engineers.

[@smol_yote]

Seals weren’t necessarily the best and oil was cheap, it’s easier to make a system whenever you top off oil. It also showed when you were low or out of oil.

[@jeffbrucru]

@@moconnell663 yes…this one is a total loss system. My understanding is that it really didn’t have seals. It runs off crankcase pressure and has three places that it oils. Then just drips out on the road. This one is supposed to drip a certain amount per minute.