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Oil Leak pt.2

Enzo Ocon

Enzo Ocon

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Well, I'm back! I resealed the valve covers and removed and resealed the intake manifold bolts one by one. The results were good. No more leaking from either of those locations. However, it looks like the worst of the leak is actually oil bubbling out of the dipstick tube when driving at freeway speeds. It was so hard to tell before because the fan blew back the leaky oil and spread it across the left side of the engine. I checked the pcv and it is good, as is the hose. I have been told that this could indicate that there is too excess blowback in the crankcase, possibly due to worn piston rings. Anyone have any insight on the whole scenario? Any possible fixes? Is it possible to upgrade to a larger pcv to alleviate some of the pressure? Thanks
 
If the rings are worn and the dipstick is puking oil, it means that there is excessive "Blow-by". There is no quick fix. The PCV is there to allow an escape path for crankcase vapors but not to draw out high amounts of pressurized oil vapor. Doing that will introduce a huge amount of oil into every cylinder resulting in detonation, plug fouling, high emissions and smoking.
It is rebuild time!
 
Kern Dog said:
If the rings are worn and the dipstick is puking oil, it means that there is excessive "Blow-by". There is no quick fix. The PCV is there to allow an escape path for crankcase vapors but not to draw out high amounts of pressurized oil vapor. Doing that will introduce a huge amount of oil into every cylinder resulting in detonation, plug fouling, high emissions and smoking.
It is rebuild time!
Click to expand...
This hurt to hear... but I guess if that is what I must do I will do it
 
Yeah, it does suck to have to face the need for a big dollar repair. The engine rebuild may outlive all of us though. The Mopar blocks are very durable and can run a long time before needing another rebuild.
 
Kern Dog said:
Yeah, it does suck to have to face the need for a big dollar repair. The engine rebuild may outlive all of us though. The Mopar blocks are very durable and can run a long time before needing another rebuild.
Click to expand...
Any idea what kind of time frame and money I'm looking at here? I know its impossible to say for sure but any rough estimates at all would really help, I've never had to have an engine rebuilt. Its a stock 318.
 
Heck....Some people give away 318s!
Even a junkyard mill can sometimes be found for under $200. You're in So-Cal so what you need is probably within 100 miles of you if you're willing to just swap another engine in. A rebuild in stock form or just a bit more will likely be under $2000 in parts and machine work IF you assemble it. Assembly costs can often be negotiated with the machinist.
 
Kern Dog said:
Heck....Some people give away 318s!
Even a junkyard mill can sometimes be found for under $200. You're in So-Cal so what you need is probably within 100 miles of you if you're willing to just swap another engine in. A rebuild in stock form or just a bit more will likely be under $2000 in parts and machine work IF you assemble it. Assembly costs can often be negotiated with the machinist.
Click to expand...
Believe me, I plan to be able to do all this on my own in the next couple of years. Unfortunately I don't yet have the skills to rebuild an engine on my own:( so it looks like I will have to find a place that I can trust to do this for me. And to think, up until now I had hopes of driving the thing to Chicago on Route 66...
 
You still can. A used 318 is relatively easy to find. EVERY 78-89 Diplomat, Gran Fury and Fifth Avenue car came with one. Many trucks and vans did too. Do a search of the local wrecking yards in southern CA.
I've bought junkyard engines and swapped them in cars plenty of times. There are a few things that I look for when I intend to use an engine without rebuilding.
First, I look at the condition of the vehicle. Dents and a filthy interior usually mean that it was poorly maintained. A rear end damaged car means that it was likely being driven up until it was wrecked.
I pull the valve covers to look at how clean it looks in there. Sludge and gunk indicate poor maintenance. I pull spark plugs. Old plugs that are clean indicate a decent running engine. Finally, I pull the oil pan and remove a rod cap and a main cap. If I see copper in the bearings, I pass. If I see gray, it is a winner. I buy a gasket set, clean it up and paint it....Bada-BING !
 
Kern Dog said:
You still can. A used 318 is relatively easy to find. EVERY 78-89 Diplomat, Gran Fury and Fifth Avenue car came with one. Many trucks and vans did too. Do a search of the local wrecking yards in southern CA.
I've bought junkyard engines and swapped them in cars plenty of times. There are a few things that I look for when I intend to use an engine without rebuilding.
First, I look at the condition of the vehicle. Dents and a filthy interior usually mean that it was poorly maintained. A rear end damaged car means that it was likely being driven up until it was wrecked.
I pull the valve covers to look at how clean it looks in there. Sludge and gunk indicate poor maintenance. I pull spark plugs. Old plugs that are clean indicate a decent running engine. Finally, I pull the oil pan and remove a rod cap and a main cap. If I see copper in the bearings, I pass. If I see gray, it is a winner. I buy a gasket set, clean it up and paint it....Bada-BING !
Click to expand...
This has all been really helpful to me. I'm gonna figure out a game plan and not gonna give up on my dream road trip so fast! Maybe I'll find a good junkyard engine, slap that in, and learn to rebuild the original one on my own in the meantime. Thanks for all your help!
 
Heck yeah!
Last Summer, I sold a project car to a friend that later bought a junkyard 318 from a "Pick-N-Pull" yard. If it were my car, I would have done as I outlined above. He chose to disassemble it for a rebuild. It was C-L-E-A-N inside and had a roller camshaft. The advantage to the 87-91 318s are that they have slightly better heads than earlier engines, slightly more compression and the roller cam is immune to the failures that do happen to traditional flat tappet cams.
 
What year car is this? Does it have the push in style oil filler cap that is vented? Or is it a 1970 or later with the solid twist on filler cap? Those later ones should have the valve cover breather. Is something missing or clogged and not allowing internal pressure to vent?
 
You can try doing a decarbon on the engine. I have actually done this on engines that need seals would not stop the oil leaks. Basically take rhe spark plugs out and put top engine cleaner in the cylinders and let it soak for 24 hours. You will need to change the oil afterwards. Make sure to spin the engine over before you put the spark plugs back in. It is a cheap try to do before spending a lot of money and could get you by for a little while.
 
You could get a blow-by test done to confirm. Usually costs an hour or so labor. But I agree that the rings are toast. A buddy of mine had a 71 Demon and the 340 was pushing out the oil dipstick while cruising. He ended up rebuilding. If you come across a 340 or 360 that is in good shape you can always swap it for the 318 easily enough.
 
Big Bad Dad said:
What year car is this? Does it have the push in style oil filler cap that is vented? Or is it a 1970 or later with the solid twist on filler cap? Those later ones should have the valve cover breather. Is something missing or clogged and not allowing internal pressure to vent?
Click to expand...
Its a 68 Satellite but has aftermarket valver covers with a twist on breather. I dont think anything is clogged I replaced the breather and the pcv is good.
 
slepr1 said:
You could get a blow-by test done to confirm. Usually costs an hour or so labor. But I agree that the rings are toast. A buddy of mine had a 71 Demon and the 340 was pushing out the oil dipstick while cruising. He ended up rebuilding. If you come across a 340 or 360 that is in good shape you can always swap it for the 318 easily enough.
Click to expand...
will do. How do you test blow by?
 
Using a compressor and dual-gauge testing tool, and with the engine at TDC, shoot air into the combustion chamber. The gauge on the right displays the total amount of air pressure that is being injected. The percentage of pressure that's lost (from blow-by) is displayed in the other gauge.
You can also get a compression check done if you can't find anyone that does a blow by test. (check diesel repair shops if can't find)
 
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