<VV> gas in the oil is probably a leaking fuel pump

[kenfran@comcast.net]

I had the same thing happen to my 1987 Dodge Caravan. The mechanical fuel
pumps are diaphragm type pumps, and the diaphragm is moved up and down by
something like a lifter that works off the end of the cam. If the diaphragm
breaks (and remember that it is just a piece of neoprene that is flexing,
pushing the fuel in and out of the pump, at the same speed as the engine
RPMs, for thousands of miles) the fuel is obviously gonna squirt past into
the engine case. Your oil is not going to lubricate very well when thinned
by gas. (Might clean out some of those blocked oil galleries, though <grin>)
This is one reason for using electric fuel pumps. Also, if you change over
to an electric pump, it is a reason NOT to use the original fuel line
through the mechanical pump, even though the valves on the mechanical pump
will still allow it to work. But if the diaphragm leaks, you are still gonna
get gas into the oil. My Corsa came without a fuel pump or master cylinder,
and one of the first things I'm gonna do is put on an electric pump.

Ken Franson
CORSA & Arkansas Corvair Club member
1965 Corsa 140
1966 Monza 110 auto 4-door

> Jim Houston <tampatexan@earthlink.net> wrote:
> According to what I've heard, the fuel pump has failed internally and is
> pumping fuel into the case...

> Nick Gier wrote:
> > I've ran into a problem with my daily driver '65 Monza, it has a 110
> >and a PG BTW. For the last couple of days my car has been leaving soot on
> >the driveway from the exhaust. Over the weekend, I was driving home from
a
> >friend's house and I noticed the car was running a little rough. Upon
> >arriving at home, I started smelling smoke. I shut the engine off and
looked
> >in the engine compartment. The dipstick had been leaking a lot of oil. I
> >noticed the oil was a lot thinner than it should have been and it smelled
> >like gas. I checked the oil level and it was way past full. So I drained
the
> >oil and found that there was actually gas in the oil (a lot). I've had
this
> >problem before on another engine with a blown power valve on a Holley. My
> >question to all of you is what would be causing all of this gas to get
into
> >the oil. Could it be one of the carbs dumping a bunch of gas into the
> >engine? If so, what's the problem with the carb? Thanks in advance for
any
> >help.
> > Nick Gier