Yes, I had this problem with an HEI dist I bought years ago on eBay. It was Chinese, but it worked ok...until it started wicking up oil and depositing it in the body of the dist and from there out the bottom of the cap. I'm not certain exactly why it started doing that, but it did. Have you changed the dist? I never saw this on a stock one.
~ Jon 1952 1/2 ton with 1959 235 | T5 with 3.07 rear end
It is the stock dist. It isn't getting to the body, just seeping up between the shaft and the engine housing. I've read some other threads about crankcase pressure being to high and issues with the road draft tube but still am not sure if this is my issue or not.
Most stovebolt distributors have a "reverse helix" ground into the shaft that's supposed to move oil toward the bottom of the housing. Try dismantling the distributor and cleaning that groove out, or maybe even deepening it with a ball-shaped carbide cutter in a Dremel tool. Also, be sure the road draft tube isn't clogged and letting pressure build up in the crankcase. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Most stovebolt distributors have a "reverse helix" ground into the shaft that's supposed to move oil toward the bottom of the housing. Try dismantling the distributor and cleaning that groove out, or maybe even deepening it with a ball-shaped carbide cutter in a Dremel tool. Also, be sure the road draft tube isn't clogged and letting pressure build up in the crankcase. Jerry
Jerry - What's the best way to check the tube? and clean?
Pour a few ounces of gasoline into the tube (remove it from the engine first!) toss it out onto a gravel driveway, and light a match. After it burns for several minutes, knock the ashes out of it, clean, repaint, and reinstall. You'll be good to go for another 20 years or so. Jerry
"It is better to be silent and be thought a fool than to speak and eliminate all doubt!" - Abraham Lincoln Cringe and wail in fear, Eloi- - - - -we Morlocks are on the hunt! There is nothing noble in being superior to your fellow man; true nobility is being superior to your former self. - Ernest Hemingway Love your enemies and drive 'em nuts!
Is this a stock 206 cu 1936 Chevrolet engine ? I would wait and not yank the road-draft/oil fill tube off and burn it with gasoline.
I am no expert , thus I wonder if the 1936 Stovebolt 206cu engine had a combined oil fill & road draft tube near the generator ? Also, the wasn't the ignition distributor mounted with a lower set screw and lubed a bit different than latter 1937 216 engines ?
Someone who truly knows the 206cu (nom. 3-5/16"boreX4"stroke) engine is sure to help you out better (and clue me in too.) I would wait a bit until you get some more experienced comments before cutting anything ... or burning
Yes, I believe it to be a 206 with the combo oil fill / draft tube on the driver side. I removed the oil fill / draft tube and cleaned it with a little solvent. It has good air flow. Re installed but haven't ran it much since to be able to tell if there was any change to the leak. I had the distributor out about a week ago...didn't see a set screw?
KevFF21 Your 206 (206.8 aka 207) was part of a rapidly changing I-L OHV Six engine design from Chevrolet. Sometimes it's hard to get good reference on those 1934-36 engines because there is not a lot of online manuals for that 1936 version(my print versions don't have much specifically on that 36' engine either). The way those 1934'-36' engines got their engine lubrication was swiftly changing. My knowledge of that 1936 motor is very limited , and I was thinking there was a "screw-like " object under the ignition distributor on the block casting (above the oil pan mount seam)
Regardless, glad to hear you did not have to resort to some drastic immolation of that road draft/oil fill tube just to get it clean
I wish I could help more with that 206 1936, perhaps your question would have been better directed to the "Engine Shop" section of this forum instead of the "Electrical Bay" part of this forum. There is surely some Stovebolters out there who have a better grasp of your unique 206 engine and the way that ignition distributor mounts in the engine casting block. You can always double-check your engine crankcase oil level, and any other "vents" (like valve cover) to eliminate those from the problem. Finally does your engine ignition distributor have that little "grease cup" hanging off the side that adds grease to lube the ig. distributor shaft ?
Thanks for your help...Update--after cleaning the draft tube--still leaking. I believe I've located the screw you are talking about. Basically the bottom of the engine housing where the distributor goes in there is a screw head with a nut around it also. Do you know what the screw does? Yes, I do have the grease cup, which I've cleaned and filled with new grease. I will try posting on the Engine Shop also.
I have not taken a 1936 206 apart, so my thoughts on that "screw" are just my opinion ...but I thought that it was a external "set screw" used to fasten the upper oil pump housing. Others here may know better than me. That "screw" and the combined oil fill/draft tube on the driver side is a qwik way to spot an early 206 versus latter 216's. I will shift my future responses to the Engine shop section.
