The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop This Is Strange!

O.K.,Here's the re-cap...Drove about 15 miles,when,it started a major oil leak,(slipping clutch),and "died",4 miles further up the road.,(oil pressure dropped to 20 P.S.I.). Radiator felt cold,top to bottom,and valve cover was warm,but not so hot I had to remove my hand. Yesterday,I checked for crankcase blockage. Breather tube clear,as well as the tube leading from it,to intake manifold. I started the truck,(after un-plugging the 2-speed adapter,where it comes through the firewall. It makes a lot of noise,for such a small line,so... It Works. hydrovac/brakes are all in good working order. I wish the T.F. had the breather cap in the cab,like the '60-66's. Then you Know it's working. I checked the radiator,and it took less than a quart,to top it off. "Moving Day", it puked out 2 quarts of oil,and engine didn't over-heat,but,It cranked over like if it were too far advanced. (HOT SPOT??) No oil in radiator,or vice versa. Two hours later,started right up,and has 60# oil pressure,(cold). Could a "cold condition",like wide-open thermostat),cause such a condition? Engine doesn't show any signs of an oil leak,after running for a 1/2-hour. idling,the radiator warms up,within 5-7 minutes. Gauge still reads "Cold",with no visible kink in the line. The guy that I bought my truck from,said that he's had a couple of older Chevy 2-tons,that would dump a quart or so, during,or after cool-down. '(Both '46 Chevy 216's) I'm going to install a P.C.V.,plumbed into the Draft tube/intake line. with the baffles in the pan/tube,I have little worry of oil seeping into the intake. Except for the mysterious leak,the engine doesn't use a drop,in a 1,000 mile oil change. B.T.W... this is an S.C.O. (no oil filter), engine. Does that make a difference? Anything that I should do,besides the P.C.V.? THANKS!!

I can't figure why it would puck out that much oil? Besides the road draft tube, how is the valve cover vented?

John

If the road draft tube was plugged or the fresh air vent plugged I could see a motor puking out enough oil to soak the clutch causing it to slip. If they are not plugged adding a PCV valve to the system isn't going to stop or do anything about a big leak. I would be more inclined to think that the main bearings are at the point of excess clearance along with the rear main seal not being able to handle excess clearance. If it lost a plug in the rear of the engine you would have oil dripping after running for a 1/2 hour. Sometimes just sitting and idling won't really heat an engine up, they should be driven and worked to get things warmed up good. If it was mine I would get it warmed up by driving it and then look things over real good. It may be time to do a compression test, cylinder leak down test and maybe drop the pan and inspect the bearings and check some clearances.

Whitelightning, The valve cover and the air breather share a line that runs from the hydrovac. I believe that this is a "return" line,not under vacuum,just atmospheric pressure. There's a valve somewhere in that line,that should be periodically cleaned,and maintained,but I can't seem to locate it. That may be the source of the problem. Brakes work great,though,so it's a little confusing,to say the least.Don,I still have 60# oil pressure,after a 1/2-hour idle.Engine temp. is normal. I got the gauge to register. If the bearing clearance(s) were off far enough to lose 2 quarts of oil,wouldn't the pressure drop significantly? At least,that's been my previous experience. I bought a vented oil cap,along with a PCV valve,which I'm planning on installing in the vac. line,from the draft tube,to the intake. The old cap is not vented. Hope this cures it. If it doesn't,I'll take Don's advice,and start the tests. I'll let you guys know the outcome on the PCV./vented cap. THANKS!!