Crank Case Breather

[John Ratliff]

Can someone tell me if the crank case tube has the end of the tube crimped partially closed. Looks like about a 1/4 in. opening. This is a 259 engine.[?]

[rockne10]

If you're talking about the road draft tube, it should be clean straight and open, with a stainless mesh screen held in place by a cotter pin. The angled end creates a lowered pressure at its end, drawing air through the crankcase as you travel. This air is supplanted at the oil filler cap, which also has a stainless mesh screen.

[Mike Van Veghten]

Some of them didn't have the mesh in them.
My 60 lark, 259 not only doesn't have the mesh...it doesn't have the hole for the cotter pin.

But yes...in any case...it needs to be fully open. Otherwise it can't do it's job.

Mike

[r1lark]

Studebaker stopped putting the wire mesh in the draft tubes at some point in the '50s (I think.....), plus recommended that the mesh be removed from earlier cars. There was a Service Bulletin/Letter to this effect.

If anyone needs to know the specific Service Letter/Bulletin, I can dig it out.

Paul

Visit The Studebaker Skytop Registry website at: http://hometown.aol.com/r1skytop/myhomepage/index.html

[Roscomacaw]

I recently dealt with the draft tube mesh on this '54 Champion's engine. The mesh was clogged SOLID with hardened goo. I had to remove the cotter pin and dig out the mesh (which looks like copper to me). I then soaked it in carb cleaner and reinstalled it in the tube.

Miscreant at large.

1957 Transtar 1/2ton
1960 Larkvertible V8
1958 Provincial wagon
1953 Commander coupe
1957 President 2-dr
1955 President State
1951 Champion Biz cpe
1963 Daytona project FS

[skyway]

My friends and I have always used a piece cut from a copper pot cleaner to replace the cruddy/missing mesh.