Avanti excessive oil leakage

Does anyone have any idea why an Avanti R2 would be spraying excessive oil out of the passenger side engine compartment? It's litterally spraying the entire lower engine including the passenger side right front tire and wheel with oil. It doesn't appear to be leaking anywhere so much, just spraying oil when driven. It appears to be coming out of the dipstick tube believe it or not. I used about a half a quart of oil in 85 miles today driving it around in a combination of city and highway driving. This is a just acquired car with 78,000 original miles that had been sitting alot of the time before it was acquired. Any suggestions by anyone? Any help or ideas or where to look would be greatly appreciated before I really tear into it. I'm wondering if something is plugged up, I'm soaking the oil filler caps in karosene and letting them sit for the night at present, not sure if that could cause the problem or not.

Thanks, Everett

Reply to
Chick
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stuck rings? excessive blow by and its putting too much pressure on the lower end and were the oil filler caps FILLED with stuff?

--Shiva--

Reply to
me

If this thing has a road draft tube instead of PCV, check to see if it is blocked. Years ago a friend had a 63 station wagon with an R2 and one day it started blowing oil all over everything. Turned out the road draft tube was plugged with mud.

Reply to
rwhughe

Have you:

1) Serviced the pressure relief valve/

2) Removed the valve covers and cleaned the oil return passage?

Reply to
Deepnhock

...and you might add bad PCV valve. Sorta sounds like a ventilation problem. Another possibility is poorly seated oil filter..

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

If it's "spraying" oil under pressure, sounds like a ventilation problem to me or maybe the oil filter is seated incorrectly since it is involving the right side of the engine.

While the oil filler caps are important on Studebakers, the R series engines have another vent direct from the oil pan to the air cleaner so that minimizes this issue.

OTOH, the low original mileage may be an indicator of sludge and poor return of oil to the pan.

Keep us posted,

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

I had a Lark that I overhauled the engine in that routinely ran at 60 psi (or more) at highway speeds and idled at 40 psi. Never leaked a drop. The only way that I know of for oil to "spray" out is because of blocked ventilation or a compromise in the oiling system. As Jeff pointed out, plugged oil return passages in the head(s) would reduce the engine's ability to ventilate.

Since the Avanti uses two means to ventilate the crankcase, this possibility is reduced but not eliminated. That leaves the oil filter an/or bracket assembly. That would fit in with problems of oil "all over" the lower right hand side of the engine and adjacent areas. Of course it could also be some sort of weird damage to a head gasket etc. but not likely.

Just my 2¢ worth...

JT

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

Good point as these things become brittle and can break easily after all these years. However, the original poster complained of excess oil at lower levels for the engine so I discounted this possibility.

JT

(Who needs to replace that item on the '56 Power Hawk)

Reply to
Grumpy AuContraire

I bought a 1963 Lark with a V-8 that also threw oil on the inside of the tire, along with everything else on that side. In my case the u- shaped front cork oil pan gasket had shrunk. This left a void on the passenger side front corner, about 1/8" square. The oil mileage was about the same, as you indicated. Once the pan gasket was changed, it went up to 500 miles per quart. New umbrella seals on the valves increased it by another 300 miles. Lastly, a new felt seal behind the vibration damper gave another 100 miles. The rear main seal was OK on that one.

Reply to
keith_kichefski

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