Mike, I think your looking at a head rebuild. It's either the headgasket, bent valve, or leaking valve seals. I'm thinking headgasket because valve seals don't usually leak under positive pressure....just vacuum. You can maybe try and tighten your head nuts in sequence to the maximum torque spec to see if this helps as a quick fix.

Mike, I've seen this a bazillion times. The cheapest and easiest thing you can do is route your cam-cover breather correctly to see if that fixes the problem. $20 says it works, and all your problems go away.

I'm willing to bet that it's blow by. Do a compression test.

Lots of us run a filter off the valve cover with out problems. If you have a healthy engine and the PCV valve is working it shouldn't be an issue. Maybe no friend to the environment but what are you going to do?

did u get the mazda 323 pcv valve?

i think if u run it to the intake it will blow by too...

I dunno...maybe spend the 5 min. with a drill, some JB Weld and a hose barb to route it correctly?

Even if he does have piston ring blow-by, this simple, 5-10 min. fix could prevent it from smoking excessively, or even at all! So why the fuck doesn't he just try it? You think there's a reason every OEM and aftermarket manufacturer routes it this way?

plus i dont even trust those NAPA, autozone, advance PCV valves one bit, i had to go through 3-4 to find that that acutally sealsed under boost, and i suspect it's not doing a good job anymore.....

OK. I hear you guys, have to admit, I like the simplest route too.
But help me with my thinking, hey, I've been wrong before.
1st. Before I was turboed, the chrome tube that was attached to the nipple where I now have my breather was routed into a nipple on my intake manifold, was it not? Also, as I was "na", wasn't there allways "negative" pressure to vacumn/suck any vapor into the engine to be burned up?
2nd. Now that I'm turboed, isn't there positive pressure going into the manifold? Isn't it going to harder to suck/push this air/vapor/oil mist into the manifold?

Sounds as if some of you have drilled a new hole somewhere to route a hose to and from where my current breather is? I'll do that, sounds cheap and easy. Just tell/show me where to route this hose to? Pic's would be great LOL!
TIA
Mike

if the pcv line is failed, then your putting postive pressure into the crankcase...easiest place for that to exit, the breather filter you attached.

but even if the pcv valve is fully sealed in boost, you have no vacuum in boost, so the rings dont seal as well, and it can spit oil there as well if they aren't in the best condition...

the line should go from the breather to the intake....

like so:
https://www.miataturbo.net/braineack/MS/solenoid1.jpg

OK, now were getting somewhere!
If I'm interpeting your pic right, it looks as if you have a line running to the elbow between the air filter and inlet side of the turbo. Great fo you, not so for me. I'm spittin out some serious oil. If I were to run the line like I'm seeing in your pic, I'll gunk up the IC, most likely fill it up with oil after awhile?
Mike:confused:

I have the same setup with an oil catch can between crankcase and the elbow of inlet side of the turbo.

There's no way a line to the intake piping will solve his problem. I checked it out today, and he has a diaper around his filter on the cam cover. It's alot of oil....either way, it will burn in the combustion chamber or on his turbo mani and create alot smoke. A leak down test would be the best thing for him to do to find the problem. A compression test won't tell him much.

had the same problem...still isn't fixed 100%....but when u guys do figure it out let me know because it sounds EXACTLY like my problem... but my turbo seals are bad and need to fix that problem first...

i had to run a rag around my fitler, and everytime after high boost... oil would fly outta there... not cool.

but lets say he does normal driving, how much oil might be be burning or loosing.

if it's not a bad PCV, it's the rings or valve seals....the end.

I have a couple of weeks off in July, most likely will do what Miatanutca is suggesting.....go with a new head gasket and valve seals? I'm in the process of having a greddy type oil catch can made for me here at work. That will be available to me shortly. Till that's done, I'll do the dirty I mentioned earlier.:eek:
Thanks to all who posted.....:bigtu:
Mike

how often does yours fill up?

Just keeps getting better.........:vash:
Poped my dipstick, this time I did have an engine fire......:crx:
Took a couple hours to clean up the engine bay, now have the dipstick wired.
Mike

Dear Mracer,

You Are Pressurizing Your Crankcase. Please Stop.

You Either Have A Boost Source Into The Crankcase (Bad PCV or improperly plumbed setup), Or Your Rings Are Toast And Compression Is Blowing Past Them.

If the first, then it's an easy fix....STOP BOOSTING INTO THE CRANKCASE....If boost goes in it, it has to exit it VIA the dipstick, the breather line and the oil return port.

If the later, then you need a new engine.

I Worry You Are Just Making Things Worse And Going About This The Wrong Way. I Also Worry You and Your Miata Won't Be With Us Too Much Longer.

Love,

Scott.

PS. please by all means disregard this and rebuild your turbo and don't fix the problem, then be pissed that you wasted all that time and money and didn't solve the problem. Then come back here in a few weeks and tell us about how your car is no longer.

Easy big fella.

In my case I'm running a filter directly off the turbo. Routing the PCV back into that would be a trick. Second if I'm getting oil coming out I'd rather have it accumulate in a filter I can easily check than be injested by my turbo and I/C. Oil does very little for knock prevention.

I think you are making a big deal over the PCV "issue", routing the PCV into the intake pre-turbo is not a miracle cure. I'd suggest that he properly try to diagnose the problem he is having before using the shotgun approach.

I'm willing to bet that his rings are toast, I've seen this exact problem before. No amount of PCV voodoo will fix that.

the ones who don't make a big deal about the pcv & breather lines, are usually the ones posting about smoking issues and "blown" turbos...

The PCV valve IS A big deal. If that's working, and your rings aren't shot using a filter on the other side shouldn't be a problem. I'd put more importance on having a working good PCV valve and proper size drain that is routed properly on the turbo.

But hey, I've got a working PCV and my rings are fine.