I've run into a small but annoying problem with my warmed up banger, and wondered if any of you has found a cure for it. When driving at 50 + MPH, I get a light mist of oil out of the dip stick hole. Not a lot. But I'm getting tired of having to wipe oil & dust off of the firewall, left cowal and left running board every time I park. Has anyone had this same problem & found a cure for it ? I had thought of putting a short piece of heat shrink tubing on the dip stick near the top to tighten the dip stick up in the hole. I'm afraid that with engine heat & oil, the tubing may work its way off & down into the crank case. Any ideas or cures out there ?
Yup, pressurized. Drilled crank, insert bearings on mains & rods. Not super hot. Just an aluminum head, dual 97's, street grind cam & header.
How about a Model B breather pipe? They are larger and should flow more air. Maybe an accessory like a Fumaze to direct the blow by to under the car? How about welding a piece of metal onto the dip stick tube (like a metal washer) so you could use a leather washer? Charlie Stephens
Shouldn't be blowing oil out, no pressure with the draft tube breather. Washer and a leather or felt washer should fix the problem unless you have blowby pressurizing the crank case. The draft tube should relieve the pressure, might make sure it is clear. I've used them on several warmed over bangers with no oil blown out.
Got lots of washers & an old leather belt & gasket punches. I'll try your idea & see what happens. Thanks Model A Gomez.
I think I can see the correct dip stick peaking out but to be sure, does yours look like the one in the pictures? Mine fits so tight that I couldn't fit a piece of heat shrink tubing around it and still get it into the block. Your breather looks fine but thought I would post a picture of the Fumaze (probably works just as well as yours) since I had the picture and others might wonder what I was referencing in my earlier post. I wonder if the added restriction from the tube going under the car is pushing oil out the dipstick? Your engine looks great, how about a few more photos? Any chance you are running one of the reproduction two blade aluminum fans that has been polished, they look great? Charlie Stephens
Here you go Charlie. Actually, it's a chromed 4 blade fan. The dip stick is a chromed repop which fits tight. 000E2084 by Jakesrocks posted Jul 21, 2014 at 2:36 PM 000_2086 by Jakesrocks posted Jul 21, 2014 at 10:33 AM 000_2079 by Jakesrocks posted Jul 21, 2014 at 10:33 AM 000_2077 by Jakesrocks posted Jul 21, 2014 at 10:33 AM
The engine looks great. Here is my theory (which you can test). The long narrow passage for the blow by (all engines have some) to exit the engine is building up pressure. The pressure has to go somewhere so it goes to the dip stick hole. Try putting on a stock breather tube and cap (or better yet a Model B if you have one) and see what happens. Remember that the Model A breather tube went through several iterations trying to solve the blow by problem so get the latest version if you can. Do you leak a lot of oil out the rear main? Charlie Stephens
The only oil leak that I've seen is at the dip stick. Maybe a tiny bit at the pan gasket which is normal for these engines. I'd have to dig through a lot of build sheets, but I think the rear seal is a Chevy truck type.
. It's pretty obvious by now that you are having problems with blowby, nothing more and nothing less. If this is a new engine that has not been properly broken in, all the info below does still apply. Irregardless of new or not, The fix is probably easier than you think. ============================ Irregardless of whether you have a pcv systems or not, .....I'd be tempted put a vacuum gauge on the engine and observe the readings during normal driving. (if you don't have a vacuum port, skip past this part and read on) An engine in good condition should read between 17 - 21 inches at idle with a steady needle A vacuum gauge will help you figure out what the internals of the engine are like. As far as blowby goes, the 'after effects' tend to be more noticeable when you pull up to the light as you have noticed. Driving down the street at 40 mph a vacuum gauge would normally read a steady 5 or 10 inches as the engine is not working hard to idle the car along at that speed.. Putting your foot into it and accelerating and then maintaining 70 mph will cause the needle to drop to zero inches and beyond into (a) pressure. When the needle drops to below zero (pressure), The engine starts pushing fumes and residue out thru any/all openings. This would tend to exaggerate the small amount of fumes that would normally be present as you pull up to a stop sign, Some of the fumes may be caused by the excessive residue burning off the hot engine and components just after working/running the engine in a positive or pressurized state. The optimum engine operating rpm will be at the point were you are able to drive along while maintaining some sort of negative reading. Preferably 3 or 5 inches of vacuum - as a normal engines pcv systems will still have enough air movement to draw fumes/blowby out of the crankcase and direct it into the cylinders/combustion chambers were it is consumed in the charged cylinder. ...As you tend to work the engine harder and the vacuum drops to zero and then starts/creates a pressure, The ability of the pcv system is severely hampered in that the accumulative effects of blowby (fumes) are not drawn into the charged cylinders and accumulate inside the crankcase and engine. When you pull up to a stop sign, These accumulated fumes are more noticeable as they waft out of the engine. On a tired engine or one with no pcv system, there is little you can do about excessive blowby/smoke when you pull up to the stop sign.... Other than, be aware of your driving habits and use the vacuum gauge as your guide in as to how far you push the gas pedal while cruising along,... Allowing the engine to work with somewhat of a negative reading on the gauge will aide in moving the accumulative fumes thru the pcv system and into the cylinders to be burnt off with the charged air/fuel mixture. Driving/cruising with a heavier foot will cause the engine to become pressurized and the fumes will accumulate in your engine and be far more noticeable at the stop lights. Excessive blowby is usually a good indicator that your cylinder walls and/or rings are worn. Glazed cylinder walls will allow increasingly larger amounts of gases to slip out of the pressurized cylinder, past the rings thus creating more blowby. Worn rings will do the same. A person can take some of the glazing off of the cylinder walls without tearing the engine apart.... ... changing the oil to a non-detergent oil, and running the engine on it for a couple hundred miles, can have the effect of taking some of the glaze off the cylinder walls which aides in creating a better seal with the piston rings etc... Non Detergent oils are commonly referred to as engine break in oil. Go here to learn more about cylinder wall glazing/blowby and break in oils. http://www.frontierpower.com/service/breakinoil.htm Quote: "The first 100 hours of operation are critical to the life and performance of an engine. During the first hours of operation, the rings and liners must seat (establish a pattern) for proper performance. If this does not occur, the life of the engine can be adversely affected. John Deere Engine Break-In Oil (part number TY22057) is a special-blend oil developed to be used in rebuilt or remanufactured engines and new John Deere engines during the break-in period. This unique oil is formulated with special additives to allow the power cylinder components (pistons and liners) to "wear-in" while protecting other engine components (valve train and gears) from abnormal wear. These additives control piston and liner seating without scuffing. This oil also provides excellent piston deposit control. As a result, piston rings and liners establish a good wear pattern for maximum performance and extended engine life. High-quality premium engine oils should not be used as a break-in oil. The superior anti-wear characteristics of premium oils will inhibit the proper matching of components which could result in excessive oil consumption. John Deere Break-In Oil is an excellent oil for new or rebuilt non-John Deere engines. Engine rebuild instructions should be consulted to determine if special requirements are needed. Consult the operator's manual for the break-in period. John Deere Break-in Oil has a 100 hour maximum drain interval. Instructions New John Deere engines are filled at the factory with John Deere Engine Break-In Oil. During the break-in period, add John Deere Engine Break-In Oil (part number TY22057) as needed to maintain the specified oil level. Change the oil and filter after the first 100 hours of operation of a new or rebuilt engine. After an engine overhaul, fill the engine with John Deere Engine Break-In Oil. If John Deere Engine Break-In Oil is not available, use a diesel engine oil meeting one of the following criteria during the first 100 hours of operation: API Service Classification CE ACEA Specification E1 Important Do not use PLUS-50 oil or engine oils meeting API CH-4, API CG4, API CF4, ACEA E3, or ACEA E2 performance levels during the first 100 hours of operation of a new or rebuilt engine. These oils will not allow the engine to break-in properly. PLUS-50 is a registered trademark of Deere & Company. Sources: John Deere OMRG operators manual; John Deere P17032 Oil Sales Guide" " Just my two cents worth... moe .
. P.S. I would run the engine on the non detergent oil for 300 - 500 miles, This should be sufficient to re-break in the engine and remove any cylinder wall glazing. jmho, moe .
Thanks for all the info Guys. I should be able to cure the problem now, or at least stop it from blowing all over the place. Moe, the engine has been run on nothing but 30 wt real oil since the day it was installed. None of that fancy synthetic stuff. Break in was slow & easy.
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