Oil level indicator cap.

[ian Howell]

Alan: -

Did you get hold of a replacement oil level indicator cap yet?

I will check mine when I get a chance, but I have a feeling that the thread is 1/8" BSP.

If it is, then I could turn up a replacement using mine as a pattern.

I don't have a knurling tool (to put the 'grip' on the outside), but I could probably file a reasonable approximation - it would grip anyway.

Of course, if someone saw and commented on an 'unofficial' one, they MIGHT have a real one laying about somewhere. I bet they are not unique to Jowetts, or even to car engines.

Do you go to car boot sales? Have a look at things like garden syringes.

[AlanBartlett]

Hi Ian, Ive found one of my spares, It wasnt where I thought it was, it ended up out the garage in a pile of leaves, when i stumbled round and put my foot in the pile i discovered a round shaped thing in the pile pulled it out and low and behold was a spare cap

[ian Howell]

Well done!

Now, what's next?!

[AlanBartlett]

Find out where this oil is going and why the pressure guage reads on the idle/driving range line, but when it first starts up its in the 30 range but once driving a while its down to the 20 15 range. First rally on sunday in weston super mare 120mile round trip

[george garside]

[quote="AlanBartlett"]Find out where this oil is going and why the pressure guage reads on the idle/driving range line, but when it first starts up its in the 30 range but once driving a while its down to the 20 15 range. First rally on sunday in weston super mare 120mile round trip[/quote]

quite normal for oil pressure to be higher when oil cold, particularly if using a non multigrade oil. Take a can of spare oil on your trip along with your newly made dipstick! I would dip every 30 miles if you are losing oil , once this trip is done you will then have some idea of oil consumption and be able to decide on future frequency of dipping.

george

[ian Howell]

Alan: -

A glimpse of the flamin' obvious, but if you are LOSING that much oil there must surely be drips falling off the engine when the vehicle is stationery, so should not be too difficult to trace.

If you are USING oil, then again there must be a trail of blue smoke enough to make James Bond think again!

If NEITHER of these, then you will need all the advice, guidance, intuition and speculation you can get (and you WILL get it!).

How did the rally go at Weston?

[Alastair Gregg]

Alan tells me there are a few drips on the floor but nothing major, yet says he is using 2 pints in a hundred miles!!!!!!. Faint blue when stationary but no clouds whilst running. I have advised (for what its worth) he drains his water then looks at the result, cos if its not venting to air or on the floor it has a limited number of other ways of escaping.

I wait for his comments

[ian Howell]

Alastair / Alan: -

It SEEMS like it only loses oil when under load - i.e. running along the roads, so where could it go?

One POSSIBLE escape route is through the crankcase vent pipe (Alan: - The one where you fitted a new 'star' shaped valve plate).

This MIGHT only happen when there is a higher pressure on the pistons, then the gas leaks by the pistons, into the crankcase and carries oil with it out the vent.

I don't know if you could either wire a can to the vent to catch 'evidence' or perhaps wrap a clean rag around the vent? You shouldn't need to go very far to prove the point - not at a rate of 2 pints per 100 miles!

Alan: - Does the drip rate when stationary, rise if you run at a faster tickover?

[AlanBartlett]

Hello,

The drips Ive noticed are when i have the engine running stationary from the leaky tappet covers, was for the water its blue, anti freeze blue . I'm going to fashion a collecting tray for the oil if it comes off the engine, underneath the engine to catch any drips and see how much is coming out.

[AlanBartlett]

Just another thought, Thinking back to when i changed the star plate and backing plate, when I had it all off, because I had that tappet leak then still, when it was all off and free, I had no leak so I'm wondering if I undo the tightness of the star shape just enough to let enough pressure out to cure it so that tappet doesnt leak. maybe it would easy pressure all round? What do you think? It could work?

[george garside]

at a slow tickover you should be able to feel the air from the crankcase being 'pulsed' out of the end of the breather pipe. If this is happening the breather valve should be ok. Make sure the holes are covered by the 'star plate' and that the oil drain hole back into the crankcase at the bottom of the breather valve housing is clear. Slacakening the nut is not likely to be much help.

try running engine with valve spring covers off to see if much oil is coming via tappet block ( if so rmove tappets, turn so oil hole upper;most and partialy block with copper wire as has been previously mentioned here) the correct amount of oil going into tappet/valve spring covers is 'very little'.

The other fundemental possibility is as Ian has mentioned - blowby past pistons. if so crankcase presssure will be higher than intended and possible cures include check piston rings correctly fitted, new piston rings, new pistons, rebored cylinders & new pistons in that order of preference., according to amount of wear in cyls/pistons.

george
george

[ian Howell]

George (and Alan!): -

Arguing with myself here, but if there was excessive blow-by at the pistons, wouldn't there be lots of blue smoke too?

I think George might be on a better (and cheaper!) track, with attention to the breather valve and the drain.

Keep at it Alan - it's not a problem, just an opportunity!

[AlanBartlett]

Right I think this opportunity is slowly ending, as I was slight puddling when parked up from a drive, so ive tightened up from where the drips were coming from, still got the tappet leak but i figure thats probaly what it need to lubricate valve springs. Ive tightened and re hylomared the timing cover which is it seemed to be dripping from which made me thing it was the oil pump. So hopefully problem solved, and no blue smoke, plain white is that good or bad? :S

[ian Howell]

White SMOKE is unusual! More likely to be condensed STEAM - especially in this cold weather.

When petrol is burnt, one of the by-products is water in the form of steam. Because there is not a lot of heat when the engine is cold, and because the exhaust pipe is so long, there is plenty of time for the gases to lose heat and produce 'white smoke'.

Once an engine and the exhaust system is warm, the steam is not usually visible.

Nothing to worry about, unless . . .

If the white smoke is there AFTER the engine is warmed up, then it MIGHT indicate a cylinder head gasket leak. HOWEVER, you would probably also notice a loss of water from the radiator and/or oily traces in the radiator header tank. You said earlier that the water was blue with antifreeze, so oil in the rad seems unlikely.

Keep an eye on things. Check the water level before and after the car has stood overnight (don't forget water expands when it is hot), turn over on the handle to see if there is water in a cylinder (you will hear the swooshing and possibly feel the compression) before trying to start it.

Watch for other (better) advice from George and the others.

Good luck!

[AlanBartlett]

Yeah the white smoke was from cold as thats the only time i could see it as the garage was enclosed abit for the smoke to build up, hold your breath, then once i leave it running outside of the garage warming up u are right there is no visible smoke. Im pretty sure the leaks are now just from not tightend up covers. im gunna have a tricky job of re sealing the timing cover. as i dont want to distube the induction pipe as it works dont wana stop it working if you get my drift