smckeown 1 Posted December 2, 2006 Hi all, Well I have been plagued with oil leaks since anglesey and again at goodwood today. Oil keeps leaking out of back of the sump, oil cooler and cam cover. All these areas have been meticuliously joined and it's still leaking, indicating too high crank case pressure. A good neighbour believes it could be a sticking oil pressure release valve within the oil pump. I provided a brank new OE oil pump when the engine was being build so i'm perplexed why this happening. I'm assuming it's not blocked breatherss, here are the pics of them, and i'm just checking each of them for blockages, so far they all seem unblocked.. I'm putting the pics up to see if anyone believes they have been plumbed in wrong.. This breather looks like it's on it's last legs.. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Thomson 6 Posted December 2, 2006 Crank case pressure has nothing to do with oil pressure, so leaks from sump and cam-cover aren't related to the oil pump. Other than that I have no constructive comments! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smckeown 1 Posted December 2, 2006 Matt from QEP popped over with a few bits for me and he believes it's because thre engine can't breathe enough through the existing breathers. Strange it was fine initially, and now just a sounds test is enough to make it leak Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
nick 3 Posted December 2, 2006 Sticking piston rings? Combustion blow-by would pressurise the bottom end. Nick Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
max0 5 Posted December 2, 2006 Where the breather pipe comes out of the bottom of the block to that dodgy looking connector? Reason why i think that is it looks like there is a bit of oil on the starter motor and there looks like a stream of it on the block? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smckeown 1 Posted December 2, 2006 yes that connect was indeed loose, but thats just the oil filler right ? so shouldnt cause much of an issue ? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Thomson 6 Posted December 2, 2006 The second 'hole' on the catch tank is open, right? When you run the engine can you feel gas escaping from there? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Miles 331 1 Cars Posted December 2, 2006 What size hole have you got in the filler cap? The 16v single outlet one's running a bigger vent hole so it won;t do any harm in drilling it out to suit the pipe dia, Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
max0 5 Posted December 2, 2006 yes that connect was indeed loose, but thats just the oil filler right ? so shouldnt cause much of an issue ? not 100% sure if its a breather hole? Sure someone will know for sure. If it is a bit of oil vapour could be escaping? What was your oil presure like on track? Shame to miss the track day And nice warm up video Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madvalver 0 Posted December 2, 2006 You need to measure your crank case pressure using a manometer. Faling that u can put a finger over the dipstick tube with it running and feel for heavy breathing. Sound a bit basic it should give you a hint. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smckeown 1 Posted December 2, 2006 What size hole have you got in the filler cap? The 16v single outlet one's running a bigger vent hole so it won;t do any harm in drilling it out to suit the pipe dia, Julian @ Balance Motorsport enlarged the hole in the cap that feeds the catch tank, seemed to make no difference Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madvalver 0 Posted December 2, 2006 You already said you found no blockages on the breathers. Im right in thinking you have checked your oil level to insure it not over filled. You need to have checked crankcase pressure to make sure your not barking up the wrong tree. If i found the pressures to be high with all the breathers venting to atmosphere, I think the next step i would take is a compression test dry the again with a teaspoon of oil down each plug hole to establish if it is ring sealing problems. There arnt that many reasons for high crankcase pressures. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smckeown 1 Posted December 2, 2006 yeah oil level is not an issue, and all breathers are clear. I checked compression test about 2 weeks ago when I first went to balance motorsport with a leaky sump; all cylinders were good Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Rob Thomson 6 Posted December 2, 2006 What about the catch tank?! Can it 'breathe' and can you feel it puffing when the engine's running? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smckeown 1 Posted December 2, 2006 What about the catch tank?! Can it 'breathe' and can you feel it puffing when the engine's running? yep, and can visually see the fumes as i dont have a filter on there currently Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madvalver 0 Posted December 2, 2006 yeah oil level is not an issue, and all breathers are clear. I checked compression test about 2 weeks ago when I first went to balance motorsport with a leaky sump; all cylinders were good In that case i think you need a manometer to check you crankcase pressures as i think you may be barking up the wrong tree. You can make one your self out of a length of clear hose and some water. If you do a google search im sure your find a pic of one. Also good for checking exhaust back pressures! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
madvalver 0 Posted December 2, 2006 In that case i think you need a manometer to check you crankcase pressures as i think you may be barking up the wrong tree. You can make one your self out of a length of clear hose and some water. If you do a google search im sure your find a pic of one. Also good for checking exhaust back pressures! Found one http://www.efunda.com/formulae/fluids/manometer.cfm Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smckeown 1 Posted December 3, 2006 I remember now this all started towards the end of the day at anglesey; it started to bog down on track and lose power, then started to leak slightly. Seems to have gotten worse now. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
veloce200 3 Posted December 4, 2006 (edited) I remember now this all started towards the end of the day at anglesey; it started to bog down on track and lose power, then started to leak slightly. Seems to have gotten worse now. Sean I've got a manometer at the workshop we can test on there. if we test mine as well we'll get an idea of the difference between each car. Although I appreciate it seems like a blowby issue what oil pressure are you getting when cruising at say 3500 rpm? Maybe it's a combination of both excess pressure an inadequate breathing? Edited December 4, 2006 by veloce200 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smckeown 1 Posted December 4, 2006 The car is now booked into des-developments, mainly because I need some exhaust work done, so might as well do the whole lot up there. Going in for: - Reduce exhaust noise, maybe make a custom 2.25" system - Fit catcam 3900340 (as as the original one) - Investigate/resolve oil leaking issues Sean Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Robsbc 0 1 Cars Posted December 4, 2006 (edited) The car is now booked into des-developments, mainly because I need some exhaust work done, so might as well do the whole lot up there. Going in for: - Reduce exhaust noise, maybe make a custom 2.25" system - Fit catcam 3900340 (as as the original one) - Investigate/resolve oil leaking issues Sean One more thing to add to your list :- Sort out the wiring routing it looks messy compared to the rest of the car... Edited December 4, 2006 by Robsbc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
smckeown 1 Posted December 6, 2006 As blow-by is the possible culprit, I have been reading up on it, found a good site here describing piston issues, so the potential causes are: poor ring tolelrance badly honed liners worn liners oil glazing - what ever that is basically all not what you'd expect on a new engine Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
