Massive oil leaks.

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It probably does have a lot of blowby. New engines usually do until they seat the rings. Blowby plus no PCV valve can equal a big mess. It's possible that's all it is, but I sure would like to have thought that a name as big as Joe Sherman would have known that. Is it possible a PCV was run on the dyno and omitted on the installation? The PCV serves two purposes here. One, it puts a vacuum on the crankcase and helps keep the oil IN the engine. Two it puts a vacuum on the back side rings and helps them seal oil from the combustion area. I'm actually kinda surprised you didn't have a fire.
 
RustyRatRod said:
It probably does have a lot of blowby. New engines usually do until they seat the rings. Blowby plus no PCV valve can equal a big mess. It's possible that's all it is, but I sure would like to have thought that a name as big as Joe Sherman would have known that. Is it possible a PCV was run on the dyno and omitted on the installation? The PCV serves two purposes here. One, it puts a vacuum on the crankcase and helps keep the oil IN the engine. Two it puts a vacuum on the back side rings and helps them seal oil from the combustion area. I'm actually kinda surprised you didn't have a fire.
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No PCV in dyno. Joe says they are not needed. Wrong! At the very least both valve covers should breath
 
wazoo64 said:
10second pulls. Not 30minutes down the highway. This is a crankcase ventilation issue. Also the installer drove the car quite a bit to make sure no leaks. He never ran it hard enough to get the pressure high enough though. The installation is not the issue.
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Have you called the engine builder to see what he has to say?
On the first fire up on the dyno he should have ran the motor at one giving rpm ( 1800- 2000 rpm) for ten to fifteen minutes to break in the cam and get some heat into the engine before putting any pulls on it. Did he do that?
 
Also one more thing to look at, check the oil level and make sure it does not have to much oil in it. I know it sounds stupid but humans do forget sometimes.
 
The Grouch said:
Also one more think to look at, check the oil level and male sure it does not have to much oil in it. I know it sounds stupid be humans do forget sometimes.
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The dyno break in should be fine. Joe has been doing this for 50years but He doesn't believe this crankcase ventilation is a big deal. Not sure why!

We ran the 7 qt pan with 6 quarts because the windage won't work with the big stroker crank.
 
I would clean it all up the best you can, recheck the sender, and every bolt you can reach. then either drill the right side cover and install a PCV, or get you another set of baffled covers that are already set up with a good breather on one side, a PCV and hose running to the carb on the opposite side, top it off with oil , and see if that cures it. drive it for a bit, pull over and check it , repeat .

i had a buddy who had a brand new 360, no PCV , blew the dipstick and oil out into the fan , and it looked like someone had just taken a quart of oil and dumped it all over the engine bay.
 
I still believe if there is that much oil coming out of the engine, something was not tight, was broke or damaged before during or after the install. Have you put a wrench on anything, valve covers, oil sender, anything?

Oil does weird stuff once it gets everywhere it is hard to tell where it is coming form unless you can physically see it weepin.....
 
Mad Dart said:
I still believe if there is that much oil coming out of the engine, something was not tight, was broke or damaged before during or after the install. Have you put a wrench on anything, valve covers, oil sender, anything? Oil does weird stuff once it gets everywhere it is hard to tell where it is coming form unless you can physically see it weepin.....
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Nope. It's all crankcase pressure. Close up your PCV and drive hard for a half hour on a new 670HP build and it's gonna pop.
 
I'm gonna clean every drop of oil and drop in another breather. Cross my fingers the leaks stop. Doubtful now that everything has popped.
 
I don't run a PCV. 410 stroker with a 200 hit of NOS. I never popped my gaskets and I have ran it with 1 breather as well.

Figured you wouldn't check anything. I have never heard of anyone who would continue to drive their car with oil leaking everywhere all over the headers in the wheels under the car and all over the place. It did not get like that in 10 seconds it took some effort. I bet it looked like a choo choo train going down the road and smelled like an oil refnary and you just kept going like the energizer bunny. The problem is installation & operator error if I've ever seen it. :violent1:

You would rather throw someone under a bus than actually figure out what it is. :wack:
 
I tend to agree. Lots of engines never ran a PCV system. They were OCV, or open crankcase ventilation, with a pipe running usually out of the intake valley straight to under the car and venting right onto the road.

The only reason I brought up the PCV is because since it's a street car, he may have inspections, plus, the PCV does aid in evacuating the crankcase while putting a positive vacuum against the rings. But it's certainly not a requirement. Engines were around what.....50 plus years without them? Using a PCV system works best for me, so that's the only reason I even brought it up.

Something more than a lack of PVC or proper venting is the cause. Maybe too much blowby, maybe a leak, maybe both, but something is certainly wrong.


Mad Dart said:
I don't run a PCV. 410 stroker with a 200 hit of NOS. I never popped my gaskets and I have ran it with 1 breather as well.

Figured you wouldn't check anything. I have never heard of anyone who would continue to drive their car with oil leaking everywhere all over the headers in the wheels under the car and all over the place. It did not get like that in 10 seconds it took some effort. I bet it looked like a choo choo train going down the road and smelled like an oil refnary and you just kept going like the energizer bunny. The problem is installation & operator error if I've ever seen it. :violent1:

You would rather throw someone under a bus than actually figure out what it is. :wack:
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how much oil did you lose? i hope you checked it when you picked it up, how much lower when you parked it. what exactly is "massive oil leak" for me its a few drops every time i park it.. so was there a small puddle under it when you parked?? The one vent should be fine for a trip down the highway at 2 to 3K
 
RustyRatRod said:
I tend to agree. Lots of engines never ran a PCV system. They were OCV, or open crankcase ventilation, with a pipe running usually out of the intake valley straight to under the car and venting right onto the road. The only reason I brought up the PCV is because since it's a street car, he may have inspections, plus, the PCV does aid in evacuating the crankcase while putting a positive vacuum against the rings. But it's certainly not a requirement. Engines were around what.....50 plus years without them? Using a PCV system works best for me, so that's the only reason I even brought it up. Something more than a lack of PVC or proper venting is the cause. Maybe too much blowby, maybe a leak, maybe both, but something is certainly wrong.
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Doesn't have to be a PCV. Just needs to breath. When you have leaks top to bottom it's a pressure issue. Tightening up some hardware is not the issue. Only thing I don't know is the oil pump part # and builder has yet to deliver that to me. If it's melling HP then that could be compounding the issue.
 
Well you seem to know exactly what's wrong so that leaves me wonderin why you even asked for any help?
 
RustyRatRod said:
Well you seem to know exactly what's wrong so that leaves me wonderin why you even asked for any help?
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When I started this thread today my hair was on fire and thought the oil pressure could be the issue and needed some clarification. That still maybe a concern as well but other builders think its crank case pressure. My small block doesn't have nearly this kind of oil pressure so it concerned me. I've been told now that 50-70 is not going to cause this type of leaking. If you know any different please chime in.
 
wazoo64 said:
When I started this thread today my hair was on fire and thought the oil pressure could be the issue and needed some clarification. That still maybe a concern as well but other builders think its crank case pressure. My small block doesn't have nearly this kind of oil pressure so it concerned me. I've been told now that 50-70 is not going to cause this type of leaking. If you know any different please chime in.
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If everything is right, 100 plus PSI will not cause it. Even with no PCV.
 
i would bet my *** it's a loose oil filter or they forgot the o-ring on the oil filter.

it's an actual leak. if it was crankcase it would be mostly on that one side with the breather. but it's up front the fan is blowing it everywhere.

so if you are positive it's actually motor oil not trans fluid or pwr steering fluid, then i'll bet oil filter.

p.s. when they dyno an engine they run it for like 15 minutes to break in the cam before they test the power. better check that "only 10 seconds" idea you have with the builder. so it was run at least 15 minutes and run at power as well so if it was a breather leak he would have seen it.

the oil filter... could have got bumped or you changed it and didnt put oil on the o-ring or something. o-ring could be off track.
 
As was said - if it was blown by the fan it was not coming out the breather - it was coming out somewhere from the front. Oil pressure has zero to do with crankcase pressure. Ring seal and gaskets have to do with crankcase pressure.
Personally I'd want to run the PCV, or I'd be running twin breathers but if everything is kosher it should be ok with only the one provided it's working properly. Did you pull that breather off and look at it? I've found plenty of those cheapo chromee ones to have the stamping that lets gasses pass through the nipple open a little so very little can pass. Take a screw driver and open that "flap" up a little more and make sure the non-cut part of that flap faces down when the breather's installed (or it will drip).
 
Start the engine and see where the leak is coming from (make sure the oil is full first).


We can spend all day/week/month arguing about this, the only way to solve the problem is:

1. Find out where the oil is leaking from.

2. Fix the oil leaks.

I would run it to find where it is leaking before tightening any bolts. You need to see where it is coming from to have any idea how to fix it or have any confidence that you did find the leak.

If you tighten the bolts first, and it doesn't leak anymore, how do you know with any confidence what the problem was???
 
See my first post (post #4 in this thread) and follow up on that while you run it hard with your head under the hood to see exactly where the oil is coming from. Two pages here and you seem to ignore the most basic advice and/or give incomplete, vague answers. We are trying to help through very basic steps. It is more likely one or two leaks spraying all over everything than it is to be leaking from everywhere, as you stated.
 
For some reason only a few of you fine subscribers want to believe this is a crank case ventilation issue. This was identified early on in the thread and now I have confirmed it. I am not turning one single wrench on a brand new $13k build. PCV installed and the is breathing properly and all leaks have subsided. Damage done and thread closed.
 
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