Question: Could something as small as capping one side of the valvecover give enough crankcase pressure to push oil out the front seal?

Oil keeps coming out of the front of my engine hitting belts, flying everywhere ruining my shiny clean bay.
Trying to pinpoint the cause, I think it is coming from the front seal. Since it splatters oil on the bottom of the water neck, so oil is getting on the inside of the timing belt. This is all daily driving, no track time. But 100+ weather here in the midwest.

History: 95, 1.8 101k. NA ..... only for a month or two more, then boost... hopefully.
Engine neither leaked nor burned oil, then I took it apart ( sorta ) and did a whole bunch of stuff all at once.
New timing belt and pulleys, exhintake, adjustable cam gears, water pump, crank seal and cam seals, even a new pcv.
I also shaved the valve cover. And block off one port, and vented the pcv side.
I did not touch the oil pump.

At first it splattered a lot of oil everywhere, cam seal was not in straight, did it right the second time and used the FM seal tool ( 100 times easier. )
But I am still getting oil leak. Not as much, but it's still leaking.

Some pictures of the mod process.
Like this, perfect, no oil loss.

Like this, still splatters oil. Vented on pcv, right side port capped ( the one that has the metal tube stock )


I just did this today. After noticing I was still getting oil all over.
It's just some old air hose, hooked up like stock.
Have not put any miles on it, but I am hoping having vac on the crankcase will get rid of this problem, until I can drill/tap and get a proper vented oil catch can setup.


Sorry for the long post, I just wanted to mention all variables that changed.

 

Did a several hour drive, still getting oil, even with the factory pcv setup.

 

Is the A/C missing? I couldn't see it in the pics. If it is there is a bolt for the bracket that also gets used for the oil pump. I did it and leaked liked you describe. Funny thing was did it to my '97 years ago and never had a problem.

https://www.miataturbo.net/diy-turbo...-c-bolt-46614/
See post #14

 

A/C is still on, Power steering was removed.
I am using a 30? inch belt direct from crank to a/c. Ir works pretty good.

I will take a look and see if I missed any bolts, but I don't think I removed any used for the a/c or oil pump when I did all the timing/water pump stuff.

 

I like the color of the vc.

 

Thanks. I like it too when it is not covered in oil.

Drove so more and no more oil is adding up to the oil from previous dive today, so it may just be flinging off residual film from the belts.

I might try some engine de-greaser tomorrow.

I bought a wrecked turbo car but I want to make sure this car is 100% before I even think about the boost part.

 

Does the PCV valve work?

 

Get the tube on the drivers side hooked back up and run the pcv like stock. Either you fucked up putting in the front main seal your you've fucked it from having too much crank case pressure.

 

What PCV Valve? He replaced the vacuum line with a filter on the valve cover. This is seriously the only site I've frequented where removing PCV is a common practice, yet it goes against everything I've been taught about engines..

 

The bottom pic is the most recent setup. The vent was temporary since I wouldn't mount the chrome hardline thing back since the front of the valve cover wasn't there.

PCV on it is new isn't clogged, you can blow through it one way easy, not much the other way.

And the seal is good this time, first one was a little crooked and did leak. I then bought the flying miata tool and got it right.

But adding the pcv tubes back has fixed the problem I think. Still getting some oil, but I think it is just oil from before dripping back down. I keep trying to wipe it off, but there are so many places the oil got.
I will probably get a breather tank/ catch can in the future. Or maybe vent to exhaust.

 

I was told by someone WAY smarter than me about engine building that the Miata sometimes puts gasoline vapors out there along with the oil & a vent to exhaust is not a good idea. YMMV.

 

I think it might have been fixed all along I was.getting.less and less oil. Oissibly just oil that

 

Every car puts oil and gas vapors out the breather and pcv valve.

 

I don't get it either. I understand setting up a catch can for people that race or are in constant wot. However, my drive to work is seriously twisty and I am probably in wot 1/3 rd the drive and don't see the point. I have my breather valve recirculating and after 6 months i could wipe up the amount of oil with one finger. I'm only at 190whp and perhaps when you get a lot higher it's more predominate but it seems like everyone and their sister has catch cans.

 

I dont. I make 240rwhp and have zero oil consumption or blow-by. no catch-can. stock pcv valve. no breather-filter; hose back to intake.



sounds like the issue is that the cam seals are not sealing...next time you do the extintake, make sure you line up your seals before clamping down on the cam cap.

/thread.

 

Never leaked from the cam seal, just the crank seal. And the stock pcv routing fixed the issues. Learned my lesson, and I will keep some vacuum on the crankcase.

With a turbo, do you run pcv side to intake plenum like normal. And other side piped to intake somewhere pre-turbo?

I just don't want oil on my turbines. so I might run a non vented catch can.
Drivers ide VC vent -> catch can -> intake pre-turbo. Should keep most of the nasties out of the turbo.