Yep! I've got that one sitting in the garage. It was REALLY loud before, I need to reinstall it and see what it sounds like now that the car is actually tuned. It would probably help if I properly lubed it as well.

...though maybe the engine will take care of that for me? #badjoke #ohgodwhy #whatamIdoingwithmylife?

And it does not, so I'm stupefied.

Ah, OK, when you said VTA breather I was thinking you just had a filter on the breather and it could be dripping from there. If it's a hose to a remote catch can then not so much.

How is oil coming out between the manifold and head? That's supposed to be a gas-tight seal, how is oil coming out? Maybe it leaks a bit when cold or something, but...

Got a leak-down tester? If so, I'd do a quickie test with it just to validate the head gasket...

--Ian

I had the same thought about the breather leaking onto the mixing manifold, especially at high boost levels. The leak is above the level of the headgasket if the oil is dripping from the exhaust port like OP suggests.

I had an old turbo project of mine pop the valve seals up off their seats after running high boost levels and oil poured down, it's a possibility.

It's not. Cylinder head will be coming off block to fix this. I think someone posted in this thread that the machine work on the head was questionable.....

Or, more than likely, my manifold is warped.

I do not. Ungh.

It's not completely outside the realm of possibility.

You seemed to indicate that is was wet beneath all the ports. that would be a strange warpage for them all to be leaking?

Didn't you fill with T6?

Not sure how much smoke you're going to see with T6. My MSM's rings were horrible and leaked a lot of oil but I never saw smoke when driving. Only black soot/carbon & condensation coming out of the muffler, and I burned through 1 qt or so a week.

I hope it's something simple too. But I've never seen a warped exhaust manifold result in liquid oil leaking out between the head/manifold interface, but not exhaust gasses, on all the ports at the same time.

I have one that you're welcome to borrow. I can bring it down Friday afternoon, or if you're going to be up around here in the south bay you can stop by and we can test it.

--Ian

Agreed. It would be odd.

Currently filled with Amsoil Dominator 15w-50

Tip is carboned up on the inside but I'd suspect that at this point. 18psi said he added a little bit of oil while he had it for the last couple weeks or so, but before this during break-in (Amsoil SAE 30 Break-In Oil followed by Rotella T 15w40, note I did not say T6) it used nothing. I switched to synthetic about 350 miles sooner than I had intended, but it wasn't burning anything and it stopped making metal, and 350 miles should not have been enough to condemn the rings. It's also not currently low, so not 'using' a boatload of oil.

Right, all I'm saying is that a warped flange would be why the oil is escaping at that point. As to how the oil is GETTING there in order to escape is the actual problem.

I'm glad 18psi noticed and pointed out the drips super early on, so at least I know this has been there for a while.

Well easy test for the flange, just idle the car and put your fingers close to the flange. Do you feel exhaust pulses? I had a turbo manifold on my car leak a long time ago (exhaust stud broke off in my case) and it leaked on cylinder 1. Turbo would only make about 5 PSI boost after 5K RPMs, and it was noisy, and you could feel the exhaust pulses leaking out around cylinder 1 flange area. Easy enough to check to find out if there's a leak there.

First thing that happens when I get home tonight is that I pull the plugs, this should tell me something about the rings. I have no missfires at 18psi (226 kPa) with the stock 99/00 coils so I'm guessing the plugs will be dry, and that tells me oil is getting into the exhaust after the cylinder. The only thing this could possibly be is the exhaust valve stem seals.

Does that sound reasonable?

Does it blow a cloud of blue smoke like there's no tomorrow? Is it burning a quart every 200 miles? Do you have a catalytic converter (these will burn the oil and make it not smoke) If not, I doubt your exhaust valve stem seals are the problem.

Good idea on pulling the plugs.

Thanks Ian, I appreciate the offer, but I believe this is probably that point where I should break down and buy my own diagnostic equipment.

No.
No.
No.
Ungh.
Yes.

Gotcha, I was wondering if the synthetic would be noticeable if it smoked :dunno:

Were you already switched to synthetic when you put the manifold on & noticed oil in the exhaust ports?

Sounds reasonable. I'd start there too, if the plugs are wet then I'd pull the intake manifold along with the exhaust to check the tops of the valves. I doubt it's the rings. If oil is exhaust side only then valve seals :dunno:

GL, Post what you find! (I'm taking notes... for my BEGi inevitable fail build)

Sure, although it's unlikely to arrive before Laguna.

--Ian

Oh yes, synthetic will smoke when burned, and exhaust gets hot enough to burn it.

IIRC, still on dinosaur oil at the time. If that was the case it would have been the Rotella T

I'm hoping to not have to pull the intake manifold, because thats a damn nightmare with the engine in the car. Hopefully I can see something with the top of the intake manifold off. I wish I had a snake camera, we'll see if I can do it with a dental mirror or something.

We'll see! I enjoy a good mystery, but not this close to a trackday weekend.

This is a pretty industrial town, I'm sure I can find something somewhere. BUT I will be in touch. The other complication I should mention is that I do not own a compressor. :bang:

I have one of these:


$20 and it works with a smartphone (need a $5 USB on-the-go adapter too). It's not amazingly-high quality, but for $20 it's worth it.

As for compressors, yeah, that's going to make it harder. A leakdown tester doesn't need much air, you can get by with a little pancake compressor like is commonly used for nail guns.

--Ian

Work is crazy so I can't keep up the million pages of back and forth chatter, but:

1) I noticed the leaks within the first 2 seconds of popping the hood when you arrived, so it was there from the beginning, so boost didn't "create" it. So I don't think anything broke, per se.
2) I only added oil after a few days when it went from right on the "full" mark to about 2-3mm lower. It's not chugging oil, at least that I noticed.
3) I think it's valve seals. On startup this happens every once in a blue moon, and after a reallllly long pull, in decel
4) yes the head-to-manifold flange/gasket/surface is 100% leaking. Not sure if exhaust leaking form there too, but clearly it has to be if liquid is getting past it. AT least a little bit.
5) I did top off the coolant once, but it didn't seem to use any after that 1st top off.

ANy other questions text me cause I'm super busy right now and won't be able to keep up with thread (I'll try tho)

G
your more than welcome to use the compressor at my parents house.. just let me know and we can meet there...