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  • Blowing Oil. Cause?

    Saturday I was working on my '54. It has the Lhead 6.
    The engine was warm, I was feathering the throttle from the butterfly and running up the rev's. It started blowing oil out of the top of the filler pipe vented cap when I had the rev's up.
    What would cause that? It's never done that previously and has made a heck of a mess under the hood and of my driveway.
    Idea's? Possible the breather tube is blocked?

    "Oh That? It's a STUDEBAKER!!"

    54 Champion Regal 2dr
    Sedan

  • #2
    quote:Originally posted by SoCal54Champion

    Saturday I was working on my '54. It has the Lhead 6.
    The engine was warm, I was feathering the throttle from the butterfly and running up the rev's. It started blowing oil out of the top of the filler pipe vented cap when I had the rev's up. What would cause that? It's never done that previously and has made a heck of a mess under the hood and of my driveway. Idea's? Possible the breather tube is blocked?
    Yes, a blocked breather tube will do that if the engine has enough wear that there is blowby past the rings. Pressure will build up in the crankcase and force oil out the filler pipe. I had this happen twice on my '61 station wagon with 259 V8, once after driving through deep mud during breakup and once when condensation froze in the tube during winter. We used to remove the steel mesh in the bottom of the tube so air could get through easier and the tube would be less likely to get blocked. Gradually, we also converted all our engines to the later crankcase ventilation system with a pcv valve and hose to the base of the carb. On some of them we added hoses from the valve covers to the air cleaner housing. This helped remove moisture from the crankcase and reduce the pressure from blowby. Of course, these steps only treated the symptoms of the real problem, worn rings. Eventually we'd put in a new set of rings.

    Dale

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    • #3
      It's not just worn rings.

      Every time a piston goes "down" in it's bore...that air is forced down with it and has to go somewhere. Well...it will go up with the next piston you say. In a pefect world it might. There's still a small amount of compression leaking past most any ring...(even Total Seal [at 2%] rings if the honing wasn't done just right) to deal with adding more pressure to the system.

      A PCV system is good for most any engine, even a hot rod. The big stock breather tube will work ok but as others have said...they can't be plugged. Check that out first, then do a compression / leak down test.

      Another coupla reasons could be broken rings, stuck rings, broken pistons, scored cylinder wall.

      Good luck

      Mike

      Comment


      • #4
        The Champ 6 engines were prone to this around 60-70K miles....earlier if with AT. Since Stude owners were so frugal, and the factory new it, the invented STP. It was a wonder drug for that little 6....I remember the dealer in my home town telling my dad he would cut his oil consumption down 50%.....and it did !

        Comment


        • #5
          quote:Originally posted by SoCal54Champion


          Yea...that problem is terminal. Your best bet is just to get rid of that car. I'll be by to pick it up

          -Dick-

          (that is definately the prettiest '54 2 door I have ever seen!!)
          Dick Steinkamp
          Bellingham, WA

          Comment


          • #6
            Thanks everyone for the comments.
            I feel that since it's not exhibited any other "ring" symptoms that I probably have a clogged road tube. The mesh in the breather cap has always been dirty (especially now!) and most likely that road tube screen is just full of crud. I had the rev's up pretty high when it started shooting oil.
            I will pull that screen and clean it, clean the breather cap, pull the plugs and look for uneven burn and then do a compression test.
            Best to do compression warm or cold?

            "Oh That? It's a STUDEBAKER!!"

            54 Champion Regal 2dr
            Sedan

            Comment


            • #7
              Please let us know what you find when you make these changes....

              Comment


              • #8
                Warm, definitely; and up to operating temperature. Good luck; hope its just the clogged breather tube. If not I'll be in line behind Dick.
                wagone and Avanti I

                Comment


                • #9
                  There's something about those Sedans that just turns me on!!! Thats a beautiful car!!!![I know that doesn't help your oil problem,but just had to complement the old girl!]

                  LaSalle,Il
                  61Hawk
                  60Lark
                  Oglesby,Il.

                  Comment


                  • #10
                    I'd be willing to invest in a new garage for that one![]
                    Brad Johnson,
                    SDC since 1975, ASC since 1990
                    Pine Grove Mills, Pa.
                    '33 Rockne 10, '51 Commander Starlight. '53 Commander Starlight
                    '56 Sky Hawk in process

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      Really a sharp car!

                      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
                      No deceptive flags to prove I'm patriotic - no biblical BS to impress - just ME and Studebakers - as it should be.

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Really off topic, but wouldn't it be cool to take one of those early 2-door sedans and make the rear "doors" work, kind of like one of those Saturn coupes or an extended-cab pickup truck?

                        nate

                        --
                        55 Commander Starlight
                        62 Daytona hardtop
                        --
                        55 Commander Starlight
                        http://members.cox.net/njnagel

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          3-26-2006 UPDATE:
                          Although a compression test has not been completed (just very little time to get to it) I did pull the screen out of the road tube and check the plugs for unusual appearance.
                          The roadtube was blocked, the screen looking like a milk chocolate cigar. It emerged a clean copper from the solvent, was lightly re-oiled and replaced, leaving a thick heavy silt residue of dirt and oil in the bottom of the coffee can I cleaned it in.
                          The plugs gave no hint of anything unusual happening inside so, I will do the compression test next opportunity, hoping that the blowing oil was caused by high rev's and blocked breathing of the crankcase.

                          "Oh That? It's a STUDEBAKER!!"

                          54 Champion Regal 2dr
                          Sedan

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            The road tube screen is the oulet end of the flow. Be sure to also clean the inlet end, the screen in the oil fill cap.
                            Gary L.
                            Wappinger, NY

                            SDC member since 1968
                            Studebaker enthusiast much longer

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Clean the breather cap on the oil fill the same way, then try revving the engine again. Hopefully you won't have a problem this time.

                              nate

                              --
                              55 Commander Starlight
                              62 Daytona hardtop
                              --
                              55 Commander Starlight
                              http://members.cox.net/njnagel

                              Comment

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