where is the oil going....

I've got a couple of different mechanincs telling me two different things and I'm just trying to get to the bottom of the problem. If anyone has any advice I'll gladly take it.

I just had my engine rebuilt no less than 800 miles ago. It's a 200 bored over, bigger cam, adjustable rocker arm, OZ 2V 250 head, you get the picture. I drove it here and there over the last two years but not very far or much becasue it kept overheating. Finally put a new radiator in it and solved that problem. Now that I can get it out on the road and go I am burning a quart of oil every 60 miles or so. I know new engines will burn until the rings seat, but not that much right?. It's also throwing oil out of the dipstick tube onto the side of the block and fuel pump. The mechanic that did the rebuild says it's not blowby coming out the dipstick tube and the rings are fine. He feels it's just vapor and that maybe the crank it just thowing it out. Another mechanic says the vapor and oil coming out is blowby and that my rings are bad already or they aren't seated and might not ever seat. Anyone wanna take a stab at this......

Are you using a PCV or a Road Draft crank case ventilation setup? I ask because if you are using a block that was designed for a PCV and a valve cover that was designed for a Road Draft setup you may not have any place for the crank case pressure to escape and it may be forcing those gasses through the valve stems or into other parts of the engine.

-ron

What he said. Pressurizing the crankase can cause bad things to happen.
Joe

8) if the rebuilder used chrome faced rings(if they did they are idiots), the they have not worn the cylinder walls in yet. also look for leaks, especially around the rear main seal and the back of the valve cover.

Does it look like the oil is leaking?

Does it smoke while driving normal or while accelerating hard?

How much oil are you running in it?

What do the plugs look like?

Does the pcv valve have a baffle?

I have seen rings not seat. I have seen overheating cause scored cylinders.

I have seen the second rings installed upside down. This will pump lots of oil into the chamber and usualy smoke real bad.

When the engine is up to temp, pull the oil breather and see if it has some smoke coming out of the valve cover.

I have seen FE fords like the 390s have strange problems. I had a customer use lock washers on the rocker pedestal bolts, which caused it to squirt a small stream of oil into the pcv valve. With the oil coming thru the pcv valve, it was premixing and didn't realy smoke. Needless to say, after getting this much lube, the rings didn't seat.

You say you have been driving it for awhile, did it use oil around town?

If the rings didn't seat properly, it might be possible to seat them. However it is an old school trick, and not to be used carelessly. You definately need to isolate the problem before you start trying to fix it with this method.

Stubby":35t9sg4o said:

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If the rings didn't seat properly, it might be possible to seat them. However it is an old school trick, and not to be used carelessly. You definately need to isolate the problem before you start trying to fix it with this method.

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I have used the Bon Ami treatment successfully. Definitely last resort though.
Joe

you mean the AJAX break-in powder?

Wow thanks for the responses.

Yes I am using a PCV valve setup. It's a 66 block with OZ head and OZ valve cover with PCV valve. I can't remember if the 66 head on the block had the PCV valve or not.

There is never any oil on my garage floor, it's only wet along the side of the engine where the dipstick tube is. I originally thought the oil was leaking out where the fuel pump bolts on but determined it was always wet from the oil blowing on to it from the dipstick tube.

I am running 5 quarts of oil in it. It only smokes out the exhaust when I first start the car.

After the engine warms up there is vapor that comes out of the valve cover when the cap is off. It looks like the same vapor that comes out of the dipstick tube.

I will say it does look like I have more than usual pressure in the crankcase.

ya ill bet you could

I was having a similar but much milder problem: blowing out the dipstick, puffing through the breather, coating my valve cover with oil, burning a quart every 1000mi, etc. I solved it by routing my PCV to a vacuum port, thereby creating a vacuum in the block. Car runs much smoother, makes more power (seemingly) and no longer burns oil.

fb71":ptmsau7k said:

you mean the AJAX break-in powder?

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I am not familiar with using Ajax® but I do know that Caterpillar® sold and recommended Bon Ami® powder for break-in. They even had an official part number for it. Bon Ami® is a VERY fine abrasive, and, as their advertizement says, "Hasn't Scratched Yet". I wouldn't use the Ajax® simply because I know that Bon Ami® works and is readily available. I have used it to seat rings in a worn bore on Volkswagen engines when I was REALLY broke.
Joe

I've used Ajax and Comet on a few ocassions. Bon Ami isn't readily available around here for some reason.

I don't think I'm ready to dump Ajax in my motor just yet. I'm also alittle unclear as to whether the OZ head has anything to do with it. There's no around here running one.

ponyboy14":3abva675 said:

Yes I am using a PCV valve setup.

I am running 5 quarts of oil in it. It only smokes out the exhaust when I first start the car.

After the engine warms up there is vapor that comes out of the valve cover when the cap is off. It looks like the same vapor that comes out of the dipstick tube.

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It sounds like you should recheck to make sure the PCV is still functioning correctly. What are you using for a vacuum source? Air cleaner or threaded intake bung?

In the past when I have had a car smoke only at startup it's been the valve seals that went bad and oil leaked past them and on first startup the motor burns the oil right out, and even though they still leak while running you don't notice the light blue tint. Is there any differences in valve stem diameter from a US L6 head and the OZ? I thought the OZ stem diameter was a little smaller. Is there any chance they used US seals on OZ stems and if so would that cause this condition where the valve stems are not sealing fully? What type of valve stem seals were they? rubber 'donuts' or 'umbrellas'?

Questions...I'm full of them (and other things as well),
-ron

I know ford was never big on using the same pan twice but my car I think said it takes 4.5 quarts and at that its over the full mark on the stick. I wonder if maybe with the pan you are using 5 quarts is a bit much??

The PCV is running off of the intake vaccum. I have replaced it just to make sure it wasn't that. Also on the OZ head I had the guides replaced to use US stems. You are correct that the OZ ones are smaller.


I'm just gonna run the heck out of it and hope that it's my rings and try and get them to seat.

ponyboy14":2vgxa8rd said:

I'm just gonna run the heck out of it and hope that it's my rings and try and get them to seat.

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Run 'er till something changes, I like that attitude, I hope it works out for you.

-ron

Well, a compression and leak down test will tell you if it's the rings or not.

Bort62":15ripnr5 said:

Well, a compression and leak down test will tell you if it's the rings or not.

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Non-destructive testing, what's next? An onboard computer diagnostics?? Honestly I had forgotten about the leakdown tests, thanks for the reminder. Someday I need to get a proper leakdown gauge.

-ron

Look at the PCV hose at the carb see it its wet with oil... maybe the baffel is shot or non-exsistance and you may be pulling oil into the intake throu the PCV.. as well as the compression/leak down test..
tim