Burning oil after HG job... (1 Viewer)

[pilotuku]

@pilotuku Good to see you are still around... was the PCV valve installed correctly? Does it work as it should so as to not allow oil to be continuously drawn through?

Hey Steve! good to hear from ya... Are you still at MOC?

I Installed the PCV and to my knowledge I had it on correctly. I have to check again.

I looked at my valve cover earlier and it looked like I have a leak, my guess is from the valve cover but it's not a signficant leak that would cost me about a quart every 200 miles. I don't see any drops in my driveway, no oil dripping down the block. My front oil seal may have sign of seepage but not a lot. Dizzy O is clean. I checked my plugs this morning and still normal burn.

John

 

[pilotuku]

Do you have the smog readout to see if the HC’s were high? Did you have the head done at Clark’s?

Unfortunately, I didn't take the head anywhere. I've mentioned on my first post, that it was not taken to a machine shop, which was my first mistake.

 

[baldilocks]

Hey Steve! good to hear from ya... Are you still at MOC?

I Installed the PCV and to my knowledge I had it on correctly. I have to check again.

I looked at my valve cover earlier and it looked like I have a leak, my guess is from the valve cover but it's not a signficant leak that would cost me about a quart every 200 miles. I don't see any drops in my driveway, no oil dripping down the block. My front oil seal may have sign of seepage but not a lot. Dizzy O is clean. I checked my plugs this morning and still normal burn.

John

We moved to southwest Washington almost exactly three years ago. I work at PDX now.

The FSM has a procedure for testing the PCV valve. Might be time for a new one.

Have you pulled the spark plugs to compare them? If you have a single plug that shows signed of oil fowling, the HG could be the cause.

 

[pilotuku]

Reason I asked those questions; the low oil level light goes on when the pan is 1 to 1-1/2 quarts low IME. So, if you added 2-1/2 quarts soon after the light
went on you either had a malfunctioning oil level sensor/connection/stuck float (so the oil level light came on way late) or if the sensor was correct you could've overfilled the crankcase.

I actually thought when I first saw the light that it was an oil level sensor broken or something....

I forgot to mention, when I saw the light, this was a week after the job and had about 250 miles already. When the light came on, i pulled over on the freeway and waited for the oil to go down for about a minute. I looked at the dipstick, I saw it on almost at the “L”... then I drove for about 20 mins and exited to a gas station there I poured about 2.5 qts. That brought me up to almost full but I did not want to add more because I didn’t want to over fill, if the oil light sensor was the problem.
I changed the oil a few days later and kept driving her on the freeway. The drive I do on the weekend is about 250ish miles round trip.
That’s when I noticed I burn a quart every 200-250 miles.

 

[pilotuku]

We moved to southwest Washington almost exactly three years ago. I work at PDX now.

The FSM has a procedure for testing the PCV valve. Might be time for a new one.

Have you pulled the spark plugs to compare them? If you have a single plug that shows signed of oil fowling, the HG could be the cause.

Oh ok... I don't blame you for leaving the bay area... or Kali for that matter... I hope PDX is treating you right...

I've pulled them about 4 times since I did the HG job last year and since I've noticed this problem. There's nothing that would indicate other wise. They have clean burn on them.

 

[Kernal]

If you added 2-1/2 quarts when the level was as indicated in the photo above then you added between 1 and 1-1/2 quarts too much.

 

[flintknapper]

I know folks tend to fret over Oil Level and it is good practice to keep the proper amount in the engine.

But in all honesty.....Oil PRESSURE and Oil CONDITION are much more critical factors.

These are tough engines that hold a LOT of oil to begin with. Being a couple of quarts low (even more) is unlikely to cause you any issues 'short term'.

Yes, you'll have less oil to carry off the engine heat, but you won't be starving for lubrication. Top it off as soon as it is convenient to do so. If your engine isn't 'knocking', severely overheating or acting like it is seizing....your gonna make it home.

Same thing for being overfilled. A quart or two isn't going to raise the level in the pan/crankcase so high that the crank is slapping it into a frothy foam. Most of these engines burn or leak so much already....that it will be a self correcting problem very soon . But simply drain some off if you are worried about it.

 

[Rwhat]

Unfortunately, I didn't take the head anywhere. I've mentioned on my first post, that it was not taken to a machine shop, which was my first mistake.

Ah, I missed that part.

 

[Rifleman]

That oil is going somewhere, if it's not leaking externally you need to go back to basics.

Even though you said you replaced the valve seals. I'd pull the valve cover to MAKE SURE the new valve seals you installed were still locked in place on top of the valve guides.

Don't laugh, I've seen new seals come loose ending up right up underneath the valve spring retainer.

With the new valve seals now sitting under the valve spring retainers. When the motor pulls a vacuum, that vacuum can, and will draw ALOT oil down past worn valve stems/guides.

 

[BILT4ME]

Also, if your VC is leaking oil, that means it is also leaking vacuum. As it pulls in air, it picks up oil with it and then it goes out through the PCV valve and is burned.

Make sure you seal up all your crankcase vacuum leaks.
Valve cover gasket
Spark Plug tube seals
dizzy o-ring
various vacuum hoses
PCV grommet
Oil fill cap seal (o-ring)

 

[flintknapper]

That oil is going somewhere, if it's not leaking externally you need to go back to basics.

Even though you said you replaced the valve seals. I'd pull the valve cover to MAKE SURE the new valve seals you installed were still locked in place on top of the valve guides.

Don't laugh, I've seen new seals come loose ending up right up underneath the valve spring retainer.

With the new valve seals now sitting under the valve spring retainers. When the motor pulls a vacuum, that vacuum can, and will draw ALOT oil down past worn valve stems/guides.

That's a possibility. I don't know if the average person would be able to 'see' it (know what to look for) since they are pretty well hidden. You'd have to have a good light and really peek through the valve spring to see if one had ridden up.

But you are certainly right about the engine vacuum and how much oil it could pull down the valve guides. That 'should' manifest as a good amount of white smoke from the exhaust upon start up and likely an ash covered spark plug (in time) as well.

The new Valve Guide Seals sort of 'snap' into place...so IF you don't feel that....then don't assume it is seated. It would be difficult to get that 'tactile' clue if a person didn't use a seal tool to install them.

 

[Rifleman]

That's a possibility. I don't know if the average person would be able to 'see' it (know what to look for) since they are pretty well hidden.

I'll have to admit, i have WAY more experience working on Chevy's, and Fords, then i do on Toyota engines.

On a small block Chevy it's an easy task to look at the valve seals inside stock valve springs.

But in this case, i forgot the springs, and retainers were down inside a machined well on this engine. So you're right, they'll be pretty well hidden from view.

To you're other point, i agree with you that the correct way to install valve seals is with an installation tool.

I use to use a tool made just for that purpose when i pressed Teflon PC seals over the ends of the machined valve guides on small blocks Chevy's.