*Big* Smokey Moment... +?Blowby +?BHG... WTF?

[ed]

correct, no return to sump. i might yet fix that

edit - something like a 6AN line mounted just below the exhaust line outlet, return it to the sump somewhere benign

Dave - thatsthe 500,000 dollar question

[oldcorollas]

might be ok as a bandaid, but better to tell difference if you are actualyl getting excess air.. or normal air plus poorly positioned oil.. first.

hmm, easy to disconnect/block the crankcase breathers? eliminate the breathers one by one? (during driving)

[Lambolica]

Have all the lines to the Oil catch have 1 way valves? your not pressurising the can at all and oil coming back from the can?

Still doesn't answer how that much oil got to the can.

[JustCallMeOrlando]

1 - what was the cuase of the massive rooster tail of smoke? oil overflow vs piston/ring? BHG?

I've seen both oil and water do this, given the full catch can though, my money is on oil. That and it being okay when you fired it up later.

2 - so it might have been that the catch can overflowed into the exhaust. but WHY would i have 1-2L of oil in my catch can so early?? maybe just from the first few mins before the rings bed in prior to the first oil change? something else more sus?

That one I can't answer, that's a lot of oil. My advice on that front is to just keep an eye on it, only then will you be able to determine the cause.

3 - why the white vapour type smoke? is it possible that there is a BHG lurking under all of this?

That's like a 2 minute test for a radiator shop or mechanic who can do a Teekay test. they didn't charge me, and showed the BHG even though I had no oil in coolant or vice versa. That said, I'd be surprised given you were only running it in, that you'd BHG in that short amount of time.

4 - what should i do next? let the suspected oil in the exhaust burn out and just drive it? keep an eye on the water levels? do a compression test? and again, whats with the blowby?

Go get a Teekay test, my last one didn't cost anything. It's likely to be false, but it'll make you feel a little better and you'll get a few more km's racked up. Keep an eye on everything, the fact it doesn't smoke much when you emptied the can, and it's still smooth signifies nothing terminal. It's bound to be something small and weird

It's something you've changed since last time. Oil-wide, the sump is a candidate, just make sure all your one way valves are functioning correctly as a precaution.

[ed]

all lines are open to the can, and inlets are at the top - see pic. only way out is to fill the can. positive pressure can escape via exhaust port which has 1 way valve only, but only if exhaust pressure isnt high - that remains unchecked.

perhaps a 1way atmo breather would be good in this setup too. i dunno.

again, 2L volume unexplained

and does anone think i should be looking to exclude BHG or am i paranoid? does it fit in this picture anywere

edit - nath, ill get the teekay test. considering a compression check too.

wish idbetter baffled the sump breather pickup. its definitely up on the list of suspicious things leading to 2L in the can

maybe the sump was overfilled

[oldcorollas]

you can fit an oil/air seperatore halfway from crankcase to catch can.. just an open space with baffle, to stop air pushing blobs of oil up... even as a temp measure before pulling off sump if you wanna baffle.

sump breather is from above or below the windage tray?
BHG form cylinder to oil return area is fairly major..should show up in compression test? you aren't running o-ringed block/head?

[ed]

sump breather is from above or below the windage tray?
BHG form cylinder to oil return area is fairly major..should show up in compression test? you aren't running o-ringed block/head?

breather is above windage tray, but to the side of, so no directly baffled. its basically in the side of the roof of the main belly of the sump.

i did a 'drop test' on each cyl whilst idling in the garage (ie took off plugs to coil packs onsequential cyls) and didnt identify any dead cyls...

teekay and a compression test seem sensible. if ok, maybe just run the breathers as is and watch the levels and see if how when things reaccumulate in the catch can. though a midway separator would be sensible too

[thechuckster]

back to dave's point - who filled the engine up with oil? and are you down 2litres in the sump?

[ed]

heres some pics of the sump

note how the roof of the trapdoor system in the sump is related to the port of the breather... i guess its possible that if the trapdoor works well and oil sloshes up over the roof of the trapdor, it'll get right up in the face of the breather outlet....

[ed]

back to dave's point - who filled the engine up with oil? and are you down 2litres in the sump?

i did the oil changes

initial fill was 5L then dumped at 20mins. i didnt measure what came out, but it was a lot. not 3L,,, probably 4L

refilled with 5L. didnt check sump level at that time tho.

sump level today was perfect tho

[emp?]

emptied the catch can after the last motor went bye bye?

[ed]

yup, was empty when we started

[SillyCarS]

breather blocked up?

engine heated up air inside, it expanded, oil level above the sump breather couldve been forced it up the line?

perhaps this is why you didnt see smoke straight way (also adding the time taken to fill the catch can)

[oldcorollas]

were you cornering so hard as to ake the oil slosh up the trapdoor that much?

then again, a quick U-turn might be enough to give a couple of second of full oil flow up the pipe

then again, you would hope that the upper breathers would have less resistance, so less air+oil would flow out the bottom one...

[LeeRoy]

Maybe the exhaust sucked it up through the catch can after the sump breather was blocked by oil?

Like a big straw perhaps.