Oil tanker required

[bob hughes]

Woweee

Was out yesterday with the club on what is called a 'Reasonable Wednesday Run', we had 9 cars out, ( 'Reasonable' is weather wise - drizzled on and off during most of the run, our weather man needs retraining) Not sure of the exact mileage covered as I did not think about recording it, but I am guessing around 100 miles give or take a few. However, I did check the oil before I set off and it was spot on the dip stick. The old girl is due for the MOT today and I have just checked the oil again before I drive her around to the station. How does 2 English pints sound - excessive I should think. :lol: I know that I leak some and I know that I was burning some but I did not recon on that sort of quantity.



Bob

 

[tri_carb_healey]

I have a leak as well not when the healey is running and when i shut it off, i dont see any leaking yet when look down there then next morning the puddle gets a bit bigger? should i replace the oil pan gasket? where else could the car leak from?

 

[Frankenhealey]

should i replace the oil pan gasket? where else could the car leak from?

Eveywhere

 

[bob hughes]

Try placing a sheet of paper at various places under the engine, one at a time of course, to locate the main area and then home in after that. If you have a puddle on the floor you will need to cover that with a board or raise the paper up on a small wooden pad or something.

A good start would be under the bell housing on the gear box where there is a drain hole with a split pin in it. That usually indicates oil coming from the rear engine main bearing where there is no oil seal unless you have fitted an after market seal to the rear of the engine, though it could also be coming from the gear box front seal. Then move to the front of the engine under the timing chain, after that - any where you fancy.

On another note, my old girl just passed the MOT test - whoopieee



Bob

 

[bighealeysource]

Love Frankenhealey's comment - "everywhere", couldn't be more true words ever said !

 

[RAC68]

Bob,

The Healey is truly advanced and has been designed to provide excellent upper cylinder lubrication. Being designed in, and for, a moderate but rather wet climate, it was designed to provide a steady flow of oil to the undercarriage for both lubrication and rust inhibiting.

Since you were driving in light misty rain, the intelligence of its designer made sure that you may have been exposed but your Healey was well protected.

Go with the flow,
Ray (A well oiled 64BJ8P1)

 

[Bob_Spidell]

One phenomenon I've noticed on my BJ8 is that oil loss is greater on stop-and-go missions than on the long haul missions. That is, a short trip--hundred miles or so--with several stops (gas, lunch, sightseeing, etc.) will consume more oil per mile than one where the legs are longer (100m or more between stops). I'll lose--most of it ends up on the pavement or my garage floor--an (American) quart every 1,500m in stop-and-go driving, but can get upwards of 3,000m on a quart on the long haul drives. I believe this is because the spiral groove 'seal' on the crankshaft--I believe it's a 'reverse Archimedes screw'--works reasonably well when the engine is turning at higher speeds, but when the engine stops oil is forced out past the rear main (possibly due to latent pressurization in the sump).

 

[TimK]

Have you examined your rocker shaft for wear. If oil is spraying from a worn shaft and pedestal bushings, it will be sucked into the rear carb air cleaner and burned. I have a lot of leaks, but they don't lower the engine oil level significantly. The transmission needs topping up more often.

 

[daily]

howdy all,
i too enjoy the out flow adventure in my bj8,
before & after installing[4yrs ago] rear lip seal, [she still flows qt per 500mi] pcv,front crank sleve,every gasket available,etc.etc.
my latest area of suspicion is the rear engine plate gasket,my
question is, how does this gasket address the rear end of cam
shaft sealing,
the telltail out of bottom of bellhousing would portend clutch
slippage, but no such condition exists
where the H--- IS IT COMMIN FROM ??????
with respect 59er

 

[TimK]

Here is my new plate seal. The cam area is sealed by the circle shape.
The plate has been modified for the rear lip seal and so has the gasket.

 

[daily]

TIM,
thanks for the image,
question,is it concievable that the cam portion of plate gasket if compromised,
[loose bolts etc]can the leak migrate to the forward face of plate thus causing
no problems with clutch assy??????
with respect 59er

 

[daily]

TIM,
thanks for the image,
question,is it concievable that the cam portion of plate gasket if compromised,
[loose bolts etc]can the leak migrate to the forward face of plate thus causing
no problems with clutch assy??????
with respect 59er

 

[elrey]

Leaks migrate, and can compromise the operation of the clutch.

 

[Johnny]

Tri carb, if it's clean oil it's coming from the transmission, usually where it meets the engine; if it's dirty oil it's coming from the engine, most likely the pan gasket. Those are a good place to start anyway.

 

[bob hughes]

My rockers have been refurbished so I doubt that they are the cause of my probs though I might as well take the cover off and start her up to check that.

I have an after market seal on the rear end of the engine and though it passes some even now, the flow has reduced considerably. When I cut the back plate to accomodate the seal I made sure that all the surfaces, especially around the end of the cam, received a dose of the blue as well as the paper gasket before it all was put back together, so I should be reasonably tight there. I reckon that I am burning more than I am leaking - you can smell it, and I am promising myself an engine rebuild in 2013 and I hope that will cure it.

Cheers

Bob

 

[HealeyRick]

Here's another tip, after you've located the general area of the oil drips under the car. Sprinkle the area on the motor where you suspect the leak is originating with talcum power (I recommend "Old Spice". it has that vintage manly smell in keeping with 50s and 60s cars)Start the motor and the talc will darken at the spot the leak is coming from. Don't forget, the cardboard under the motor may give you a false placement of the leak. Oil can travel quite a distance before it hits the lowest point of the motor to drip from.