<VV> Re: oil out of dipstick.

[Barry Gershenfeld]

I though I'd share a tale or two, being a veteran of "oil out the dipstick".

I had an engine that blew so much oil that I fashioned a "receiver bottle" 
out of a plastic fabric softener jug and connected it directly to the 
breather.  It acted like a trap, so I had a second "breather" hose from the 
bottle to the outside down by the air grille.  After a day or two most of 
the engine oil would be in the bottle, so I'd lift it up and drain it back 
into the engine.  When I finally replaced that engine I disassembled it and 
found one good piston ring, and about 11 broken ones.

I suppose a vacuum line connected to the crankcase would show vacuum at 
idle, and boost at speed!

My '61 has a road draft tube, and during a routine cleaning I discovered 
this:  I don't recall how I tried to clean it, but when I was done I could 
blow air through it.  I thought it was OK. Then I tried to flush water 
through it.  All I could get was a trickle.  So I cleaned it a different 
way.   Probably used some speedometer cable chucked into a drill (an old 
tech tip)  to rout it out.  After this I could run a solid stream of water 
through the tube, unrestricted.   And the engine didn't push oil out 
anything after that.  Moral: Just because you can blow through it doesn't 
mean it's clean.

In marginal cases, having that little seal at the top of the dipstick can 
make the difference.

Barry
Havin' a Powerglide weekend.

>Thanks to those who responded on hints about oil problems on the 
>engine.  I re-checked the PCV hoses last night.  All are clear.  Cleaned 
>the PCV valve, (new a few months back), and everything is clear.  I run a 
>T in the line for a attachment point for the vacuum gauge in the Spyder 
>dash in the car.   I have done this for years but I broke the old one when 
>changing the engine.  The new one I saw seemed a little restrictive so I 
>opened up the passageways.  Maybe helped it a bit, but this is right next 
>to the balance line, so I dont think a lot of air can be restricted by it 
>especially since it is between balance tube and PCV valve.    Engine has 
>good compression so no holed piston.  Dont think this one has ever been 
>apart, so who knows what rings are like.  Anyway I will cut the tube off 
>in the oil pan when I get a chance to pull it and a new gasket, seem to 
>have run out of spare oil pan gaskets.
>-Geoff