Ron Pope Motorsports                California Custom Roadsters               

Blow by?

tfeverfred

Well-Known Member
Well, last year LumenAl sent me a set of ribbed valve covers (short ones). I loved them then and still do. The problem I always had was a little oil seaping from where the breather goes into the cover. VERY LITTLE, as in a few drops. I made a little "koozie" to go around the lower portion of the breather cap and while I still had only a little seapage, I dealt with it. I have now decided I don't like wiping up a little oil off my firewall ( it's white) and valve covers. It didn't happen when I had the tall valve covers, but I want to keep the short, ribbed covers. Any of you guys have a solution or should I stop whining and continue to keep a shop rag under my seat?

Oh, the weathers a little cooler and I am trying to buy a used digi-cam to make a video of my rebuild on the road. Stay tuned!:run:
 
debgeo said:
Nice to hear from you. Hope all is well:):run::):):)

Thanks! It could be better, but it ain't that bad.
 
You could try some baffeled grommets like these.
Mr. Gasket 5425 - Mr. Gasket Baffled Breather Grommets - Overview - SummitRacing.com


mrg-5425_w.jpg
 
Glad to hear your still around Fever.....I have the same problem with mine and thanks to GT's post maybe that will take care of it. I thought it was just me having the problem with blow by.
 
I had the same problem on the grommet on the PVC side. I took it out cleaned it real well and then ran a small bead of silicone around the groove and reseated it and gave it a 360 degree twist. Hasn't leaked a bit since. It also increased my manifold vacuum to 15inches.:run:
 
Nice to hear from you fred where are you living now? How's the new job?
 
Hey Yogi, check the website. I posted a coming event. A good friend of mine has a Chassis Dyno and he is hosting a Dyno Night Sept. 26th. 3 pulls for $40 and he offers 3 passes on the quarter mile simulator for $50. He is about 5 miles from me and Tom.
 
putz said:
Nice to hear from you fred where are you living now? How's the new job?

I still have my home (inherited from my dad and not going anywhere), but the VA job has not come through yet.:mad: They had a hiring freeze right after I applied, but the word is that they will restart hiring in the next week or so. I'm still looking at other places and keeping my head up.

Now that the weather is cooling down, I am driving and tinkering with the T a lot more. I still have not gotten the rest of my settlement from the city, but my lawyer says it's coming soon. Of course this is not the first time I have heard that.
 
Good to hear from you Fred, hang in there brother.
 
Update

Tried out the baffles from Summit and they seem to be doing the trick.
 
tfeverfred said:
Well, last year LumenAl sent me a set of ribbed valve covers (short ones). I loved them then and still do. The problem I always had was a little oil seaping from where the breather goes into the cover. VERY LITTLE, as in a few drops. I made a little "koozie" to go around the lower portion of the breather cap and while I still had only a little seapage, I dealt with it. I have now decided I don't like wiping up a little oil off my firewall ( it's white) and valve covers. It didn't happen when I had the tall valve covers, but I want to keep the short, ribbed covers. Any of you guys have a solution or should I stop whining and continue to keep a shop rag under my seat?

Oh, the weathers a little cooler and I am trying to buy a used digi-cam to make a video of my rebuild on the road. Stay tuned!:sob:

Need to increase your motors base vaccuum.............more airflow on the venting.............let me rephrase that....use your manifold vaccuum to keep the slick stuff inside the motor if you got too much base pressure.
Are you pulling vaccuum from one valvecover and the other has a breather?????
 
Yes, to the last question. Am I missing something or can I make it better? It seems to be okay now, but if it can be done better, I'm open to thoughts and suggestions.
 
I'm going to do like David with the Rat......I'm installing the crankcase evacuation kit from Summit. He did that to stop the oil leak and he even noted the increased HP. Of course I still might go with taller Valve covers.
 
My old neighbor used to build and race circle track cars. he used to get the engines together then tape up oil fill holes, etc t...then hook up a vacuun hose from another running engine to the dip stick tube... then get his stethescope and go around the new engine and listen.... when he found a leak he would get a dab of rtv and let the vacuum suck it in.... pinch the hose to decrease vacuum.
 
tfeverfred said:
Yes, to the last question. Am I missing something or can I make it better? It seems to be okay now, but if it can be done better, I'm open to thoughts and suggestions.

Pontiacs, especially the 389/400/421/455 motors would spit a mist out the breathers.....cause of the long stroke, and if you had decent manifold vaccuum.........they already had a PCV stuck into the lifter valley cover......we would run full manifold vaccuum there straight out of the intake and vent both covers..........only after running really hard would you get a slight oilyness to the area right below the valvecover breathers.

You can do the same with your Chevy......vent both covers and pull the vaccuum at the liftervalley.....or put the breathers at the front and pull a vaccuum at the rear of both covers.........
Or if you like the racing look........do the exhaust scavaging thing......I believe Summit and Jegs sells kits that come with the weldin nipples that goes in the collectors...........if your running the T pipes.....I believe you could put them right behind where the4 indivdiual pipes end up in the collector.........:cool:
 
Depending on the inlet manifold you can usually find a place to drill and tap a fitting to put a PCV valve in to pull case fume from the lifter valley.
I don't like sucking crank case fume into the intake system because it can fill the intake tracts up with tarry doos.
SBC's tend to "breathe" a bit so the best solution is to use one of the Speedway kits that give you a couple of 1 1/2" baffle tubes and filters to go on top - put 'em in the valve covers, I just use one each side at the back but two per side at each end of the cover look pretty cool and work fine.
 

     Ron Pope Motorsports                Advertise with Us!     
Back
Top