The Stovebolt Site Forums The Shop Area Engine Shop White goop in oil filler tube

A few years ago I replaced my intake manifold on my 283 with an older style one from 57. I had the manifold off for a couple months while i got around to replacing it and all the gaskets on top. It was in the garage but open to the air most of the time.

After getting it back together I ran it a few weeks off and on and then noticed that in the oil filler tube there was some pure white gel amost like vasolene but not as thick. I cleaned what I could out. I have not seen it since.

I am wondering that caused it. Is that a indication of water in the oil?

Possibly a leaky water gasket leaking water into the oil?

I am not seeing any smoke.

I did not have a PCV valve on it as the original 57 had the road tube and the version of the 283 I have expected to have the PCV valve in the valve cover but I put the old style on when i put the old intake on so there was no place for a PCV valve.

So I assume that it had a bunch of presure and it was venting out the oil filler tube vented cap I was using. Although it was not visibly smoking.

But I think I got some oil spray on the engine and firewall.

Since then I have put a PCV off a small hole in a stud that goes through the intake manifold back by the coil. It was a stud that use to be holding the carb on. Not sure why it had the hole thru it. What was that for?


But I am not sure that is a big enough hole to work well for a PCV valve. I have not seen any more white goop but it seems that the vented oil filler cap may be plugged up with goop. I will have to wash it in some kerosene or soething and see what that does when I get it all back together again. I am still finishing up rewiring and repainting the inside of cab and firewall.

I also need to work out a better PCV valve solution. I have seen a few on here. I just need to implement one.


But is that what caused the White Goop, blowby or is it water in oil or just moisture in the oil from being open to the air for a few months and not running?


Any ideas?

A crankcase MUST be ventilated, either with a road draft tube or a PCV, and it also must have a source of fresh air- - -a vented filler cap, slots in the valve cover on the 6-cylinders, or a tube from the air cleaner to one valve cover with the PCV in the other side. The drilled carburetor stud is the vacuum source for the 283 and 327 vacuum advance- - - -those distributors are set up to use full manifold vacuum. All the 283's and early 327's I've worked on have a hole beside the distributor for the road draft tube. It connects to a canister-type vent in the pushrod valley. It's possible to fit an adapter there for an inline PCV valve that uses 3/8" rubber tubing, attached to a 1/4" pipe thread vacuum port in the back of the carburetor or in the manifold just ahead of the distributor, the same one that powers the brake booster. Then the incoming air can come from the vented oil fill cap, or a late-model valve cover with the grommet and a tube to the air cleaner housing. It's got to have both fittings- - - -PCV and vent, to work right.

Your white residue is condensed moisture, a normal byproduct of burning the hydrogen in gasoline. Hydrogen plus oxygen- - - - -water vapor! Whatever small amount of combustion gas that gets past the rings simply has to be vented!
Jerry

OK thinks on the moisture note and the white goop.

My block does not have the hole for the road draft tube, just a flat spot since it is later block, thus the problem of making some PCV system work for it. Even if I had it drilled out there is no canister type vent/baffle for it in the valley feeding that hole.

There is a plate immediately under the carb area that is some sort of plate protecting the understide from oil splater I guess. I am not sure what purpose it serves. One old intake I looked at had crap caked all over it on both sides.

I have seen where others drill a hole in the intake manifold near the back and fashion a baffle that they screw in place. I guess I could do that but I would worry about the bolt lossening and falling in the engine. Guess you could locktite it.

Here is an example: you need to have a Positive Crankcase Ventilation (PCV)


I wonder how much oil you would suck up without the little baffel plate? I suppose it depends on the location of the hole and oil splater pattern.