Spitfire gwater/foam from valve cover of spitfire

[bobmga62]

My wife and I took the spitfire out for the first time in quite a while... we did about 20 miles, but never really any speeds higher thant 35 to 40 mphj..

Near our return the car smelled quite gassey, and when I got home, Innoticed the clear breather tube that runs from the valve cover to catch tank was foaming anexpelling milky looking water. There was about an inch of milky water on the bottom of the coke can sized catch tank.

when I pulled the vale cover cover, there was the same layer of milky foam..

pulling the dipstick, there was no foam or bubbling or trace of water on the stick (although, I do belive, the crank may be overfilled..)

checking the raciator, nicely topped off and no foam and a good clear green of antifreeze...no tell tale white exhaust and the temps were fine.

pulled the plugs as well, and they looked fine, and no apparent weeping around head gasket..

Checked other forums, and got answers like too much moisture in the air, to overfilling the crank...

I did have to replace the head gasket 500 miles ago due to a little weeping in the rear of it, , but all still seems fine.

any suggestion from this group?...maybe I just need to get the car on the highway and do an iitalian tune up.. just let the thing whine a bit?

thank so much...

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Well, when the engine gets warm, any moisture in the crankcase evaporates, goes to the top of the engine, and condenses, or "rains".
If it's not turned into a milkshake motor, i.e. the water has gone through the oil pump and become "homogenized", making ALL the oil a big milkshake, it's most likely condensation.
Did you change the oil after the HG replacement?
Was the vehicle stored inside, heated, since the HG?
Wipe it all out, run it again until good and warm, change the oil AFTER pulling the VC again to re-check.
Best you can do for now.
If it goes away, you're okay.
Dave

 

[karls59tr]

Anytime there's milky foam doesn't that indicate a blown head gasket? maybe oil/water mixture hasn't circulated thru the system yet

 

[Deleted member 8987]

Generally, except if he didn't change the oil, or if it sat in a wet environment.
The fact that the oil was clean is odd, as usually wash from the rockers will circulate the stuff down.
Cheapest test is to wipe it out, change the oil, and if it does it again, head gasket and pressure test the head.

 

[SkinnedKnuckles]

Yeah - if it had been sitting a while in a garage water can condense in the crank case from "breathing" & temperature changes. Sounds like a lot has already been purged by the drive. may want to change the oil if close to time. Might want to consider adding something to the gas tank as well - I bet there's water in there, too.

 

[tdskip]

Fingers crossed for you Bob. Let is know how you get on with this.

 

[bobmga62]

thanks guys, have not checked as yet, but, yes sat in the garage for two three months, and with a concrete floor loves to grab moisture from the air...

In the inter, will go in and find the floor is damp...

Hate to dump out those four or five quarts of synthetic, I had just put in less than 4oo miles, ago, but, if that is it, its a cheap fix!!!

The MGA sits in the same garage, and have never noticed the same (then again it doesn't have a clear breather tube or catch bottle!!!



r

 

[Deleted member 8987]

The possibility exists that you have boiled all the moisture out of the oil, and if it's not milky, may be fine.
Wipe off the rockers, springs, head, wash the VC out in your solvent wash tank, dry it, re-install and drive it and see, same oil.

 

[bobmga62]

Thank you TOC... BTW.. Had Jag 3.8 for half a dozen years. loved it.

My wife commuted to Boston in it every day...
Mid 80's to early 90's... got stopped all the time as to what was the car?

But just too much rust, a bad rear end and brakes said it was too much to restore for the value at the time.. sold it to a guy who came up from argentinia and send back about half a dozen jags....

enjoy