Engine blown on the Autoroute

[yon_pie_eater]

Hello All,
Every twelve months or so, I usually take the 3000 for a morning blast up the Autoroute for about six or seven miles to clear out her chest a bit....So this week I ran her up to about 95mph, and sat there wind in hair, sailing past the moderns, then after about 4 miles there was a nasty cough from the engine (no rattling or bangs...just a cutting out) accompanied by an oily whiff (not that chilling head-gasket watery oily smell)..the car more or less died on me, and the oil pressure dropped from its normal 60 to about 30-odd. I coasted to the side of the road, kept her running, then limped off at the next exit.
I stopped and had a look...head looked ok, no oil in water, no mayonaise in oil, but I noticed some dripping from under the bellhousing. I checked the oil level, then started up the engine and took her home.
The engine is now running with around 10lb less pressure than normal (usually 50-65, now 40 to 55), and at the end of a run this morning there was a small cup-full of engine oil (not the crystal clear stuff from the 'box) on the floor. Apart from the dripping oil, and the oil pressure drop, everything seems ok..no noises or significant drops in power...
Am I right in assuming that the extended fast run may have blown the rear crank seal?..but the oil pressure drop?...
Thanks for any advice on what it could be

Andy

 

[RAC68]

Hi Andy,

Many years back I would do the same; however, found the front end would get quite light when approaching 100MPH.

As far as your oil pressure is concerned, since you had enjoyed very good pressure previously, I would suspect you may have dislodged the hydraulic timing chain tensioner during your high-speed/high-oil-pressure run. The drip, or leak, at the rear may have been caused by high crankcase pressure as a result of increased combustion blow-by during this same run.

Hope this helps,
Ray (64BJ8P1

 

[John Turney]

...
Am I right in assuming that the extended fast run may have blown the rear crank seal?..but the oil pressure drop?...
Thanks for any advice on what it could be

Andy

Unless you installed a rear crank seal, the Healey doesn't have one. It uses a spiral grove on the crankshaft the push the oil back in (in theory).

You might check the rocker arm bearings. With the engine running, open the oil filler cap and see if oil is dribbling out between the rocker arms or spraying out. If you're getting a lot of oil, that would explain the drop in pressure. That oil then goes into the rear air filter (place #1 to drip) and into the intake header that has a small tube off the bottom to allow liquids to drip out (usually fuel, but it could be #2 place to drip oil).

 

[Keoke]

HI a backfire can reset the timing check your timing

 

[Legal Bill]

If oil flooded the rocker cover from a leaky oil line connection it could have both spilled out past the rocker cover gasket or hose line leading to the breather, and leaked past the valve guides in to the combustion chambers, fouling the plugs.

 

[Superwrench]

Like these other guys have said, Oil line on rocker shaft, Timing Chain Tensioner are oil weak points. The gasket under oil pump mount could of failed also. There is no rear main seal as JT has said. Keep looking and let us no ! Good luck ! :hammer:

 

[Keoke]

Unless you installed a rear crank seal, the Healey doesn't have one. It uses a spiral grove on the crankshaft the push the oil back in (in theory).-----

----

Nope that is called a Labyrinth seal the most expensive design they could have used--Keoke--

 

[bob hughes]

Last time anything like that happened to my car, I had a burned out valve. Not saying you have, but just check those cylinder pressures, one may be on the way out.

Note if it had burned out it would be firing on 5 cylinders only

 

[yon_pie_eater]

Ta for the replies everyone. I like the 'top end of the motor' suggestions, and I'll get to look at it asap. I'll let you all know how I fare. Thanks again.
Andy