Oil Drain Channel Cleaning

wewantutopia · Post by **wewantutopia** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 9:58 am

I just finnished reading several posts regarding oil out the dip stick. I too have this problem; also lots of pressure @ the oil fill cap. My valve from the valve cover is flowing freely. Now starting today my oil pressure light would come on for just a second and go back off. I'm sure a rebuild is in store, but do you thing the drain channels could be plugged? If so how would I get to them to clean them out? Just taking of the valve cover, or more labor intensive than that?

dieselsnowmobile · Post by **dieselsnowmobile** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 10:32 am

I doubt that your drain channels are plugged. You most likely have a hydro lift head with 2 oil drains. If you want to milk some more miles out of the car before having to rebuild, then disconnect the hose that goes from the valve cover to the intake. Fold over and zip tie the current hose so no air gets in the intake, then vent the air coming out of the valve cover with a new hose. I would recommend one long enough to go to the back of the car. If your blow-by was as bad as mine, it will put out lots of white smoke, especially after cruising down the highway and then stoppong at a stop light. See the pictures below so see how I vented the blow-by to keep oil from coming out of the dipstick. I also had a hard time getting the car started below 40F. It would just crank and crank. This lasted for about 3,000 miles until the main seal went. My oil light also starting coming on as the main seal was going. I thought my oil sensors were bad, but I was just loosing lots of oil. In the end, it was about a quart a mile. Having said this, you might want to make sure that oil is only coming out of the dipstick and not out of both the dipstick and the main seal.

As you can see in my signature, this engine got replaced by a Rabbit engine.

VanagonMark · Post by **VanagonMark** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 11:15 am

I love that garden hose at the back tail pipe!

I actually had a 1958 Ford Truck F-100 with a very very loose 292 in it. I used a garden hose to go from the intake to the back bumper to nurse another couple of months out of that old beast....

I guess that is why God created the Vanagon....puts the motor out back

Homer T. Coyote · Post by **Homer T. Coyote** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 4:33 pm

Is that a snake in your exhaust pipe or are you just happy to see me

VanagonMark · Post by **VanagonMark** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 5:37 pm

Homer T. Coyote wrote:Is that a snake in your exhaust pipe or are you just happy to see me

We in California are always happy....

My original Diesel Vanagon has 166K on the original motor, never been apart, idling on a hot day the blow by will drift up out of the back vents

to cure that and buy me some more time before I am forced in putting in a new motor I ran a rubber hose into the airbox, which sucks the blow by back into the motor

works....but making an awful mess
this spring.....Vitovan gets a new motor, but first the caddy then the Helios Jetta then the automatic GL Vanagon...

Homer T. Coyote · Post by **Homer T. Coyote** » Mon Feb 19, 2007 8:54 pm

Yes, except for the taxes, I would be happy in California too. I spent a couple of years in both the North and South and I have had a love affair w/ it ever since. Back to engines, it's amazing what these marvels of engineering will take and keep on running.

Post by **Fatmobile** » Tue Feb 20, 2007 1:46 am

I just finnished reading several posts regarding oil out the dip stick.

Did you read the one about drilling out the restrictors?
The pressure pushing oil out the dipstick is also pushing seals out.

wewantutopia · Post by **wewantutopia** » Wed Feb 21, 2007 8:35 am

I was reading the various posts about oil out the dipstick and started this post on monday. Monday after I got home from class I drilled out the restrictors on the intake manifold. Yesterday I drove ~80 miles round trip to school @ speeds up to 70 mph (I wanted to test before I reported back)............100% improvement!!! Not a drip of oil!!! I drilled out the restrictors to 3/8", the biggest size I could fit in the hole. Man is checking the oil WAY easier now oil isn't being forced up the dipstick!

I do have 1 more question though. Now the front of my block and all things in the front of my engine compartment are COVERED with oil. Can I take my car to a self-serve carwash and pressure wash the engine or will the water hurt it (electrionics/get in the block etc)?