David.........
What you are seeing is not a good sign, I'm afraid. Oil vapor alone leaves
just an oil film; the "goop" you are seeing sounds like a mixture of oil and
water (which, I know, don't mix, but you know what I mean...........) This
suggests to me that the head was not re-torqued after the engine was first
started up so you have a leakage of coolant into the combustion chambers or
oil return passages, or worse, that there is a crack in the head. The first
thing I'd do is re-torque the head. If the nuts tighten up an appreciable
amount, that may fix the problem. If they are tight and you continue to see
moisture in the oil, I believe the head must come off to be checked.
Lawrie
British Sportscar Center
-----Original Message-----
From: David Sylvain <niosh@pop.ma.ultranet.com>
To: mgs@triumph.cs.utah.edu <mgs@triumph.cs.utah.edu>
Date: Monday, January 11, 1999 7:29 PM
Subject: Crankcase Ventilation
>Being rather new to the List, I don't know if crankcase ventilation has
>been discussed already. Having said that, I am hoping that someone can
>give me some sage advice as to what is needed to keep moisture and goop
>from condensing under the oil filler cap (and eventually all over the
>rocker arms, & throughout the oil passages) in my 72 B.
>
>I got the B in late November with no emissions controls, except for the
>absorption canister: there's no PCV valve, gulp valve, air pump, etc. The
>engine isn't original -- It's a 1977 18(V) with HS-4s. The oil separator
>tube vents to atmosphere, and a hose connects the valve cover to the
>canister. The engine was reportedly rebuilt, and was said to have had
>approximately 300 miles on it when I bought the car. ( I have since put on
>approx 800 miles...)
>
>The car runs really strong, and is a real blast to drive, but, on one of my
>first drives, I noticed a faint odor of blow-by. I opened the oil filler
>cap, and sure enough, I could see blow-by swirling around under the valve
>cover. I also found moisture & a little bit of whitish goop inside the
>filler cap.
>
>It's not that I don't drive far enough to warm the engine -- the car's too
>much fun to go just "around the block." Nevertheless, I always find the
>same worrisome stuff beneath the cap when I get home. I don't see anything
>on the rocker arms (looking in thru the filler opening), but I really need
>to pull the valve cover and take a look. When the engine is running (of
>course), a little blow-by can be seen at the end of the oil separator tube,
>if you look closely.
>
>The Moss catalog shows several arrangements for ventilating the crankcase.
>It seems that one of these might help remove the blow-by gases before they
>can condense & contaminate the oil & foul everything up. I would really
>appreciate some advice as to which arrangement (if any) would work with my
>totally un-smogged engine. And this begs the question of whether it is
>"normal" to have some blow-by in a "rebuilt" engine.
>
>TIA
>
>Dave Sylvain (a newbie)
>72 B (an old B, but a good B)
>
|