Too much blowby

[61 Cad]

Hi I was wondering if anyone knew how to install breather valves on valve covers for a 1961 Cadillac with a 390 or if someone made a new set. I installed a cam and noticed I have a lot of blowby ....    Would old oil cause more blowby to be produced?     

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

'61,
Blowby is typically caused by combustion gasses  escaping downward past the piston rings and into the crankcase where they "look" for someplase to vent.
Worn or broken piston rings are usually the cause of excessive leakage.
Greg

[Glen]

Stuck rings can also cause blow by.  Short trips and not getting the engine warmed up can cause the rings to carbon up and they stick in the grooves. 

Glen

[61 cad]

thats sounds about right i never drive it but i do start it up so is there anything i can do now?

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

Plus, don't forget that without driving it, you could end up wiuth severely Glazed Bores.

Just starting an engine and not putting any load on it is the worst thing that anyone can do.   Doesn't do the engine any good whatsoever.

Bruce.

[homeonprunehill]

03-06-09
"61 Cad. THE SHORT ANSWER IS NO . old oil will not cause more blow-by then new oill. But you may olook in your favorite
auto patrs store for some magic liquid to add to the oil them next timeyou change it. Good Luck,jim

[Mike Josephic CLC #3877]

Here's something that may help if the problem is your rings filled with varnish, crud
from neglect.

Change the oil and filter and put in some (about 1/2 quart) Marvel Mystery Oil.  Do not
overfill the oil level.  You can find it at most auto parts stores.

The "Marvel" is a very old product but has a very good solvent for cleaning out crud.  Run
the engine on the road for a few hundred miles at highway speed then drain, change the
oil and put a fresh filter on.  This may clear up the problem.

Lots of more expensive ways to go -- but I'd try this first before tearing the engine down.

Mike

[61 Cad]

Thanks guys for the advise... I changed the oil over the weekend it did get little better. Can too advanced timing cause more blowby?

[Otto Skorzeny]

If your timing is too advanced , some of the gasoline might not be burned and could make it's way past the rings. That's not good for lots of reasons.The unspent fuel can also end up in the exhaust system, etc. Set you're timing as close to spec as possible.

[The Tassie Devil(le)]

The only thing that too much advance will cause is Pre-ignition, or Pinking, which will cause internal problems if allowed to continue.

Bruce.

[homeonprunehill]

03-09-09
I know for a fact that if the timing is set too low, the engine will run hot. Set too high,  all I have ead is that it will cause hard starting and pre-ignition or spark knock. Good Luck,Jim

[61 ad]

thank you  i will look into my timing

[61 Cad]

So I found my problem I think its a blown head gasket... I did a compression test and all cylinders and they were around 165-170 pounds and number 5 came out to be 35lbs and my oil has little white haze to it.  Time to take it all apart
 

Can the oil dip stick be removed?

[Otto Skorzeny]

Yes. The dipstick is normally just pressed into the block. Hopefully it's just the gasket that was damaged and not the deck or the the head itself. After removing the head, check the block with a metal straight edge and look for cracks or pits.

[61 cad]

i tried to pull on the tube but it wont budge dont want to remove the manifold its really hard to get the back bolts since i installed new power buster and its much bigger than stock for the disk brakes in the front

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

'61,
The dipstick tube is installed from the top (outside) of the block, through the hole in the casting and then bent inwards to allow the dipstick to clear the rotating pieces.  You cannot successfully remove the tube without dropping the pan and straightening the tube.
Short of dropping the pan, you probably have a lot of wrench work ahead of you.
Greg

[61 cad]

thank you i will try to get the head off without removing the oil tube it seems like a lot of work ... does anyone make adapter to install a  different engine and use my stock trans like a 427 or chevy?

["Cadillac Kid" Greg Surfas 15364]

'61,
This seems like the "easy" way out, but believe me the work involved and the mediocre results with anything but a Cadillac engine makes pulling a cylinder head look like a walk in the park.
Greg