I need my own oil well

[thomasinnv]

At the rate I am using oil now I should have my own oil well. The last trip I made was around 375 miles and used over 1 1/2 gallons. Not good!

[Ed Hackenbruch]

Are you trying to keep it at the full mark?  Are you letting it set for about 20 minutes after shutting down before checking the level?

[Scott & Heather]

Wow. I have been tracking my oil usage on this trip and from florida to Michigan so far I haven't had to Add oil at all. Dipstick still showing full. It was a bit over the full line when we started so my guess is we've used somewhere in the couple of quarts range. Are you seeing blue smoke?


Sent from iPhone via Tapatalk

[thomasinnv]

Ed, it doesn't matter what level I run it, it all comes out. Having said that, I do usually try to keep it halfway between the add and full. It doesn't seem to effect how much it goes through, but running it lower will only cause the oil to run hotter on those really warm days, and that I would rather do without. My end plates have been leaking for a while, and are starting to get really bad. I will be following in Sean's footsteps before long. (remember his thread about his leaking end plates?). A friend has offered the use of his shop, so hopefully this fall our schedules will coincide to where I can pull the engine and go through it. I have about 2000 miles to run between now and then, so hopefully it just continues to leak at this rate and not get even worse. Getting tired of having to wash the towed after every little trip. Such is the nature of the beast though.

[oldmansax]

Gerry has an 8v71 in an MC7 he's parting out. Maybe it's time to look into another engine.

TOM

[luvrbus]

Better round up some more parts don't sound like the gasket set at my shop is going to be enough

[thomasinnv]

what are you thinking as far as parts Cliff? liner kits? It's not smoking much to speak of. I think it's leaking most of it. It covers the towed pretty good.

[RickB]

When we were going through serious amounts of oil the culprits were the air box drains needed to be cleaned and the compressor was causing a huge part of it. Do you have one or more big puddles of it when you idle for a few minutes? The reason I never felt it was a major wear issue is my bus would start instantly in temps below freezing so I assumed my rings were not the problem.

[Scott & Heather]

Ditto that. My air box slobber tube was full. I emptied it. I misspoke in my earlier post too. It appears we used 1 gallon of oil on our 1300 mile trip. My toad gets nasty too. Part of life with a Detroit. What is an acceptable amount of consumption or leakage?


Sent from iPhone via Tapatalk

[luvrbus]

I helped Derrick install Jakes on his bus last year he does have problems the PO cobbled up a oil bath to use paper filters he had some dirt the filter was doing no good he has a good filtering system just a little late he has so much blow by now it is leaking at every seam and we will get him lined out this fall 

good luck

[thomasinnv]

Cliff pretty much nailed it. It spins a few times before it starts now, but it still runs great. I think excessive blowby is causing it to blow out more oil than before. I have catch cans on my airbox drains, and the lines are not plugged. The left side bank has blown out maybe a quart in about 5k miles, the right side just a few drops. Cliff and I looked it over real good last time I was at his place, and it's pretty obvious that 90% or more of the oil is coming from the end plates. I'm thinking a set of liners and all new gaskets and I should be back in business. Probably do all the bearings while I'm in there, only seems prudent.

Sure wish I had caught the air filter problem sooner. The PO had put a brand new filter in it when I bought it, but I didn't realize that it didn't fit right. poor filtration system = dusted motor.