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Where is the OIL??

A

acontour

CEG'er
Joined
Dec 14, 2007
Messages
245
Hi guys. I'm back .. with some more problems.. not good.

I checked the dipstick and there was only a little bit of oil on the tip. This happened at 500 miles. Even though I rebuilt the engine is it common to burn oil the first 1000 miles or so? I changed the oil and filter(at 510 miles) and today(i'm at 890 miles) I added a little more than 1 qt. I checked compression and it's around 170 for all cylinders. I checked around the valve cover and it doesn't look like oil has been coming out from there. I checked the oil filter , no leak. I took the spark plugs out and there seems to be a little bit of oil around their threads. The car is not giving out any blue smoke either. What in the world is going on??

I read Striker2's post :
"As some of you know i had an issue with burning oil (lots of oil). turns out it was the head gasket was leaking oil into the cylinders. apparently there have been some issues with the ARP head studs not staying torqued if you dont remove the coating from the threads at both ends, the underside of the nut, and the side of the washer that contacts the nut"

I'm starting to believe that I have the same problem , but I have the same head gasket studs( so there shouldn't be an isssue with the coating)..

I have no idea what's going on.. Any thoughts??
Thanks
 
You used the same ARP studs as he did or you're using the original ones?

No engine burning oil is normal, except for a few types of engines and those aren't in these cars. Think about it, all those passage ways are kept seperate by gaskets for a reason.

If you're using synthetic oil, it rarely burns blue like conventional oil so you may not see it.

Maybe the oil is hiding in the radiator?
 
you may want to check your oil pan. though the oil may not leak with the car off, once running/driving, the oil pressure my have forced a way out in that area. I have that problem where when the car was driving, I would leak oil, but none would leak when the car is off.
Also check your dipstick cylinder, make sure its actually directing the dipstick into the oil. I also had a Taurus and the dipstick somehow was disconnected and when i check the oil, i always pulled out a completely dry dipstick.
 
Okay , so yesterday I jacked the car up and had it running about 30 min. I checked everywhere and couldn't find an oil leak. The timing belt plastic cover looked a little dirty. It might be a seal or the valve cover. I'll do some more looking i guess. I'm also using Valvoline 5W 30 oil . I will add synthetic oil later.
Thanks for the help
 
On a brand new motor, you will use some oil.
The oil gets absorbed into the cylinder walls. This is why you should use conventional oil for the break in period. Synthetic won't be absorbed correctly.
I just had my motor replaced, and this is what was explained to me.
 
Brent372 said:
On a brand new motor, you will use some oil.
The oil gets absorbed into the cylinder walls. This is why you should use conventional oil for the break in period. Synthetic won't be absorbed correctly.
I just had my motor replaced, and this is what was explained to me.
Click to expand...


You may have been dupped. Unless the metal is porous it's not going to absorb any oil. Oil will coat the cylinder walls but not be absorbed into it.

In a new engine break-in, you may use some oil before the piston rings fully seat themselves to their respective cylinder but as soon as they wear correctly and are properly seated, that will be a non-issue.

For this example, I'll use a piston that uses two rings. The one closest to the top is to keep everything in the combustion chamber (air/fuel mix, flame and compression) actually inside the chamber and to keep it from blowing past the piston and into the crankcase.

The one nearest the bottom acts as a back up to the top ring and scrape the wall of oil on the downstroke.

Now, if the two rings aren't lined up properly on a new engine, you can also get blowby. Each ring isn't solid but has a small gap in it so it can be expanded during fitment. If the top and bottom ring have the same gap lined up together, you don't have a proper seal.
 
69Boss302 said:
You used the same ARP studs as he did or you're using the original ones?

No engine burning oil is normal, except for a few types of engines and those aren't in these cars. Think about it, all those passage ways are kept seperate by gaskets for a reason.

If you're using synthetic oil, it rarely burns blue like conventional oil so you may not see it.

Maybe the oil is hiding in the radiator?
Click to expand...

I have used the original studs. If it the seal wasn't good , I would have blue smoke and also bad compression .. Right? My compression is at 170 for all cylinders. What would I have on the thread of the spark plugs? It looked like oil but some friends keep telling me that it is fuel not oil. I hope that i don't have to take the pistons out to check the 2nd ring..
Thanks for the help
 
Still no luck

Still no luck

Hey guys
I changed the valve cover gasket and still no luck. In about less than a week I've added about 1 quart of oil. I checked everywhere for an oil leak and couldn't find it. I reved the engine when it was cold and my friend placed a piece of paper on the tail pipe , and nothing came out. I checked the spark plugs and they look normal , no oil on them. I also checked the coolant and there wasn't any oil in it.

I've ran out of ideas. Is the oil evaporating or what?:cry:

Thanks for any help
 
If you have a friend who knows a bit about cars, let him drive it for a few days. Sometimes a fresh mind will be able to figure out what the problem is, or will determine that something that you missed is a problem. You are too familiar with the idiosyncracies of your car that a "problem" might not be one to you.
 
acontour said:
Hey guys
I changed the valve cover gasket and still no luck. In about less than a week I've added about 1 quart of oil. I checked everywhere for an oil leak and couldn't find it. I reved the engine when it was cold and my friend placed a piece of paper on the tail pipe , and nothing came out. I checked the spark plugs and they look normal , no oil on them. I also checked the coolant and there wasn't any oil in it.

I've ran out of ideas. Is the oil evaporating or what?:cry:

Thanks for any help
Click to expand...
did you use the original head bolts or new factory head bolts. if you used the originals then im betting its coming past the head gasket. since you upped the CR you should be at more than 170 on a compression test i would think. i was at about 150 with lower compression. that was on a cold engine as well. also note that mine didnt burn oil until the engine warmed up and the smoke was white (any oil that is even a partial synthetic will burn white).
 
69Boss302 said:
In a new engine break-in, you may use some oil before the piston rings fully seat themselves to their respective cylinder but as soon as they wear correctly and are properly seated, that will be a non-issue.
Click to expand...

When do you think that the rings have fully seated themselves? I'm currently at 1100 miles.
Thanks
 
striker2 said:
did you use the original head bolts or new factory head bolts. if you used the originals then im betting its coming past the head gasket. since you upped the CR you should be at more than 170 on a compression test i would think. i was at about 150 with lower compression. that was on a cold engine as well. also note that mine didnt burn oil until the engine warmed up and the smoke was white (any oil that is even a partial synthetic will burn white).
Click to expand...

Yeah , I've used the original head bolts and also replaced the head gasket. How can I check if it's the head gasket?

I have used non-synthetic 5W 30 Valvoline oil . Will I still get white smoke? This is crazy.
 
Tony2005 said:
If you have a friend who knows a bit about cars, let him drive it for a few days. Sometimes a fresh mind will be able to figure out what the problem is, or will determine that something that you missed is a problem. You are too familiar with the idiosyncracies of your car that a "problem" might not be one to you.
Click to expand...

Haha , I will give it to my friend that helped me to rebuild it .
Thanks
 
Last question

Last question

Sorry for asking so many questions in this thread. I read somewhere that if you take your oil cap off and have air coming out than you have a blow-by. Is this true? I'm at 1200 miles and still adding oil every day.
 
Reebs said:
Are you saying that you used brand new original (OEM) headbolts or are you saying that you actually reused your original torque to yield bolts again?!?!
Click to expand...

I've reused the OEM headbolts.Is that really bad?:shocked:
 
acontour said:
I've reused the OEM headbolts.Is that really bad?:shocked:
Click to expand...

It can be, yea...

Canadian Driver said:
Torque-to-yield bolts are exactly what they sound like. They stretch to the yield point as they are tightened. These bolts are commonly used where exact clamping loads are required on parts. You may find them used to hold cylinder heads, connecting rods, crankshaft main bearing caps, flywheels and front engine dampers. When a shop manual indicates that a bolt is to be discarded and new ones used, they are almost always torque-to yield bolts.

Buying new bolts every time one is removed seems expensive and a waste of time. After all, the old bolts still look good, but looks can be deceiving. Reusing the old bolts can cause expensive engine failure. During the tightening process, the bolts have been pulled to their elastic limit. The bolts actually stretch. Only new bolts can provide the even clamping force needed on today's engines.
Click to expand...

A little of reading...
http://www.canadiandriver.com/articles/jk/040303.htm
 
Damn , why didn't I know this before. I told him that we should replace them , but he said that it'll be fine. This sucks
 
it's a leak

it's a leak

Ok so I guess the oil isn't evaporating after all .haha
I disconected my exaust to make sure my engine wasn't burning oil and it's good.

Looks like the leak is coming from the right side of the engine. It's all over the bottom side of the plastic timing belt covers. I disconected the first 2 and only found a little oil . It might be the oil pump or something.

I'll keep you guys updated this weekend.

One big question is how in the world do you remove the bolt from the crankshaft pulley?(When I rebuilt the engine I held the crankshaft from the other side) With an impact gun??
 
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