Author Topic: Question about Blow-by  (Read 11240 times)

listerboy

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Re: Question about Blow-by
« Reply #15 on: October 24, 2008, 11:41:53 PM »
Thanks for the replies bob g and Tom, I think I'll dump the Rotella and try the 30w for a while. Any suggestions on brands? I don't have access here on the east coast of the USA to the Morris Golden Film "Running In" oil that 1958Steve linked to. It looks like a UK brand, at least from the first page of google hits.

Here's something else for you great group of experts to explain to this amatuer shade-tree mechanic; when this thing is running, at just about any rpm or load, there's a pulsation coming from the intake. You can hold your hand about 2 inches away and feel a puff of air coming out with every revolution. I understand a little about valve overlap but should you be able to feel it? 

SHIPCHIEF

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Re: Question about Blow-by
« Reply #16 on: October 25, 2008, 06:55:36 AM »
You can get 40W mineral oil at any small airport. It's call Aeroshell 80 mineral oil. It's used for breaking in airplane piston engines, like Lycomings and Continentals that power Cessnas etc. Most active airports have a gas station, called an FBO where you rent planes, buy pilot supplies, socialize etc. You can buy break in oil there.
The blowby obviously comes past the rings, so if the vent is from the valve cover, oil that drains off after lubing the rocker / valve assemblies has to drain down the same passages that the blowby vapors are comming up thru. That could be the cause of oil droplets in the blowby.
A crankcase vent from the crankcase cavity might be better for now, if it can be done easily. Use a long large diameter hose, slope it uphill. The oil will condense out in the hose and run back down into the crankcase. Run the hose outside the engine room. It's not healthy to breath it. :P
I agree, find some way to verify your oil level is not too high (or too low). If that's the problem, you would feel sheepish to have taken the engine apart ::)
On the other hand, you could be suffering from a long break-in, so if you continue to get less and less blow by, then keep on running and checking and running and checking....
Most 2 cylinder 4 stroke diesels have a 180 degree crankshaft that sounds like a "pop-pop-swish-swish' firing cycle, so that might be the source of the inlet pulsations you noticed. I can't imagine an intake valve leak given the compression readings that you got.
If you can administer a static compression test (Piston at top center firing, add compressed air thru the injector port, also known as a leak-down test) you could listen for the leaking air at the exhaust pipe (leaking exhaust valve), the air filter (leaking intake valve), and the crankcase vent (leaking piston rings). And you could tell if cylinder #1 is the leaker, or Cylinder #2. Or you could get satisfactory readings, and keep running the engine, because 'not all third world engines are honed properly' and you might need a longer break-in. ;)
Scott E
PS; I'm not a big fan of break in oil, You already have one of the finest oils made in your engine. Many engines break in on it, heck they probably run their whole lives on it. Run it short to collect and drain the swarf, change the filter and put in your new oil. Check the drain pan to see what came out (start with a clean drain pan). Cut open the filter with a pipe cutter and see if it caught anything nasty.
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listerboy

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Re: Question about Blow-by
« Reply #17 on: October 25, 2008, 03:58:29 PM »
SHIPCHIEF,

Being somewhat like a politician at times (flip-flopping back and forth on decisions) I think I'll take your suggestion on just running it as it stands for now since I have seen an improvement in the amount of blowby. With only 90 hours on the engine it could just need more time.

As for the short run, that was done early on. I changed the oil and filter (cartridge type) and did notice some nice shiny flakes in both. The drain plug is basically the same design as the breather cap (without the cross-drilled holes of course) and had a nice recess for some high strength magnets. I changed the oil and filter again at about 50 hours and installed the magnets then but haven't had a chance to look at what's there yet.

You mentioned a crankcase vent and that reminded me of the 400kv generator we had at work for a shutdown last year. It was a V8 Cummins and was pumping out quite a bit of blowby and oil form the crankcase vent. They ran the hose to a 5 gal bucket to keep it from running into the storm drain. That sort of made me feel that I didn't have so much of a problem.

I do have a leakdown tester but haven't used it yet. It was one of the last toys I was able to convince the boss (read--wife) that was necessary after I got the generator including a compression tester, injector tester, IR thermometer and two Kill-a-watt meters. Most of it's in the shed and she forgets quickly so I can just keep on playing. When I get some down time I'll do that leakdown test to see exactly where the problem is.

Thanks for the reply.
Dave