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Thanks, Don. I
forgot to note in that post that this is a big deal item because the engine
quickly sucks the crankcase dry. The vacuum is strong enough to pull all the oil
up and, if the leak is large enough, it can do so in a tank of gas. Obviously, a
leak that large would not be likely, but this problem is more common than one
might guess. Now that I've seen it with my own eyes, I'd bet money it is a
culprit in many "blown" engines where the oil inexplicably and rapidly
disappears.
Luckily, my
engine had run less than 50 miles with this condition and it still drank two
quarts of oil. I still don't know why I thought to check the oil when I did
because I usually do not. I guess it's another compelling reason to follow my Dad's
advice and check the oil EVERY time you fill the tank, if not every time you
start the motor. I got out of that habit twenty years ago but am back into it
now...
Craig
Very interesting & informative
post Craig.
Thanks,
Don
Just wanted to post a note to say thanks
for the warm welcome, not to mention the info on tires and wheels. Thought I
would also mention an unusual problem solved in the hope that a mistake is
avoided in the future for others.
When my 402 was rebuilt, the intake was
hot tanked and, in preparation for this, the heat shield removed. When the
shield was re-installed, whoever drilled and tapped the rivet holes to
accept screws drilled through on one of the holes. Ordinarily, this is of no
consequence but, when they tried to reinstall the shield, the holes were not
exactly lined up and they put only two of the four screws in. Not even this
is an overly big deal, but as luck would have it, one of the missing screws
was the one that had been drilled through. Engine vacuum when the motor was
run sucked oil up from the crankcase resulting is a whole bunch of oil
smoke. It was a perplexing problem because it only smoked when hot. The
natural thought is cracked ring or valve seals, etc. But my mechanic found
it because cylinders 1 and 7 and 4 and 6 were very wet with oil while the
others looked almost (but not quite) normal. Dual plane manifolds feed
"banks" of cylinders (1,7,4,6 and 2,8,3,5). So there you have it -
re-installed the shield by enlarging the screw holes to mate to the tapped
holes, plugged the holes with a dose of RTV and screws. Engine now runs
flawlessly.
Craig
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