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Odd Oil issue

5K views 27 replies 10 participants last post by  amc49 
#1 · (Edited)
I take my car over (Insert Fast Speed Here) ((happy?)) mph often... I just installed a 2.3L motor about 3 months ago.. no issues till recently I am getting a engine oil lite flickering after I abuse the engine, but there is plenty of oil and oil pump seems to be working fine.. no shavings or anything.. Wondering it engine pressure has something to do with it, installed a Valve cover filter and killed the vent line to intake, since at these high speeds I was sucking oil out into the intake and killed a motor. Doing a BSD in the next few months to get more oil in motor. need to locate a oil baffle. So does anyone know the relationship of the oil pressure switch and the motor with this 2.3L?

Light flickers at idle, on braking, when under load, no issues, when not abused no issues.. I assume just get a Real Pressure gauge and find out the real deal, anyone install one yet?
 
#2 ·
A few questions:

1. Are you hitting those speeds on public roads?
2. What made you think you were sucking oil out of the engine?
3. Why did you disconnect the PCV system? (At high engine speeds, where is the increased volume of "oily byproducts", generated by the crank flying through the oil, going since there is no vacuum to open or close the PCV valve?)

I can see the advantage of disconnecting the PCV system but if you left the stock PCV valve in place then all that byproduct is trying to force its way up and out of the valve cover. If you don't want to get a PCV valve delete plate then you can gut the stock PCV valve (See sporadic's first turbo build thread).
 
#4 ·
Pull the balance shafts out & add a plug & stake it. Thats what I did. A baffle works for corners. I used a PT performance windage tray & their bsd plug. Look up the speed3 section.
 
#10 ·
Pull the balance shafts out & add a plug & stake it.
I would agree with this.

From what I know about the PCV system, air enters the valve cover from intake system (after the MAF so its already metered), flows down through the engine collecting contaminants finally exiting through the PCV valve to go back into the intake manifold to be burned off by the engine. If you pulled the PCV hoses and left the stock PCV valve, the valve is closed and probably won't open letting the nasty stuff out.


I would suggest the balance shaft delete and get the crankcase venting system setup correctly. Maybe even look into a oil cooler. IIRC the Ford Escape has a oil cooler setup from the factory; the oil filter adapter bracket will bolt right onto our engines; just need to find a suitable place to tap into the coolant lines after the radiator.
 
#7 ·
Closed track.. the RPMs at them speeds is the issue.. not the speed. Edited the speed in original post as to not offend cops..

so anyway, the oil issue seems to be fine when the engine is cool.. it is 100 degrees but I have had this car in hotter weather..
get on it again today and sure enough same issue, I will change out the oil and see what it does..
 
#8 ·
BTW its the not PVC that is disconnected, that is still there making Positive air flow, this is the vent at the rear of the valve cover, and why did I think it was sucking out the top, simple, No oil in blown engine, thick oil film in intake.. muffler and that was just in three weeks of the new engine that has been replaced, beside 3 techs that were from the company who sold me the engine came up with same idea. That is why you should never use synthetic when you break in motor, never seen smoke since it wont burn easy to show that problem, here I am with a Breather Filter at the rear of the engine and not using a hose to the intake and I still have oil... when you hit 7k RPM it is not the same as 4.5k RPM.. it turns the oil into a mist in the valve cover.. sucks it out. So either a Oil catch can is needed or a filter, since I am not using turbo yet I went with Filter..

like this one...
 
#11 ·
ok, so I am a bit confused then, the Valve cover vent on top rear of motor is the PVC you people are mentioning? I thought thought the PVC was the device on the front lower passenger side that has a Valve on it that can be made to be cut to back off the system.. I assumed doing just one half was ok for now, so I need to revent to the intake would kill the oil light? until I do the PVC valve delete...??



when I posted "like this one" the picture never showed up... so I will repost Picture of what I put on the Valve cover

 
#12 ·
Air needs to "flow" through the engine for the PCV valve (located behind the intake manifold) to work. If I'm understanding your setup right the valve cover is vented but the PCV valve is stuck closed because there is no vacuum to open it.

Here are some options:

1a)Run a hose from the valve cover to the ground
1b)Pull the intake manifold, pop out the PCV valve, cut the bottom off carefully, remove guts, re-install valve body (its now open all the time because you removed the guts) and run hose to ground, close off intake manifold port (Sporadic did this on his first turbo build, pictures in that thread)

Or you could setup a catch can: (Must be vented!)

2a) Run hose from valve cover to catch can
2b) Gut the PCV valve (same as above), run hose to catch can
2c) Throw that little filter on the top of the catch can so air can escape and the nasty stuff stays in the catch can

I think that would help your oil issues, plus the balance shaft delete for more oil capacity.
 
#14 ·
Well I have a catch can.. just didn't install it yet. Dunno where to bolt it, the PVC valve behind the intake I have never touched and was working last I knew properly. But I planned to gut it per the directions on the PVC Delete thread..

Just filtered right now on valve cover so it sounds like ther eis a flow/vent, didnt plug anything.
 
#18 ·
Isn't it a mostly stock engine? Because the oil pump probably is a waste of time and effort. If you are getting low oil pressure, you probably are over-heating the oil. Switch to a synthetic 5w30, or install a cooler.

These engines tend to have low pressure at idle.
 
#19 ·
stock as in what, cams and valves, yes, but I have it at 6000 rpm most of the time. overheating I don't think so.. it is running motorcraft synthetic blend 5/20. but will be swapping back to Royal Purple 5/20 - if the tolorence levels were that of a 50k mile motor I might consider 30 weight, but its less then 3k miles. it would just add more undo pressure. I will be doing more then the CAI and header soon, going with cam, head and intake soon.. Doing everything shy of turbo. Currently at around 185hp
 
#20 ·
Still, I think you are better off switching to a full synthetic at a thicker weight, and adding an oil cooler. I wouldn't worry about the pump unless you are about to tear apart the engine again, and even then, probably would not have the same effect as switching to a better thicker oil.

What are you doing at 6,000 most of the time? Please tell me this is a dedicated track-only car.
 
#21 ·
Before you install upgraded pumps, oil coolers, etc, you need to add some instrumentation. Find out your oil temp and pressure under operation. I think synthetic 5w30 would be a good idea.
 
#25 ·
The car shouldn't be having issues with oil pressure with all the stock equipment on it and if it truly is, deleting the balance shafts for a very small bump in oil pressure is only going to mask the problem for a short time.

Its not unheard of that an oil pressure sender goes bad. I'd be spending a 30 bucks on a test gauge, plug it into the sender port, and take it for a drive and see what the oil pressure is truly doing. Might just be a bad 20 dollar sender. Then at least you know if there is a problem or not.

Personally I would leave the PCV system stock. Even though its a small amount, the air that is entering the engine via this system (in stock form) is metered and while the car has the ability to compensate for it with its long term trims it shouldn't have to. Your not seeing any gains going the other way and if a very light oil film is of concern you can always splice in a small catch can in line with the feed from the intake to the valve cover.
 
#26 ·
You dont have the full picture.. Leaving the vent connected to the intake is not a Option, it killed a motor doing this. I am not risking $4000 again. This time the warranty is not there since I got a warning that since my car came with a 2.0L that they wont replace it again, I drained all the oil out of my last motor Via the Vent on the Valve cover.. when the motor runs at high RPM for over half a hour the oil becomes a mist and gets sucked out the intake into the chamber and out the rear of the car.. I am not guessing this, I have tested it AFTER trying to find out why my new motor I had died in 3 weeks with no oil after I know I put in Royal Purple 5w20 for $60

I reconnected stock and revved motor for 10 minutes at 6000 RPM and sure enough, the CAI from FSWERKS was getting a fresh coat of oil. after a week, I noticed 1/2 qt. Low.. I stuck a Filter on the Valve cover vent and no more lose then a normal issue.... so that PVC is a issue to me.

Been 2 months now, no issue till the light flickering..

Here is a video... http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yPLSSasxlIA

I have a strong feeling its a Pump issue myself.. since 90% of the motor was replaced and high RPMs can kill a pump.

I even need to use a Tranny Cooler on my Power Steering pump to keep from burning it up. Learned that 3 pumps later..

I know you keep saying its stock, but Other then Cams and Turbo, its not... and Cams are in the near future and since its a Automatic, no turbo for me.. I would kill the motor and tranny in a few weeks.

And I have a Oil catch can BTW, I removed it.. it does not put the oil back in the motor, so what good is it.. I know oil comes out.. why not just use a filter to keep the oil in??
 
#28 ·
Never in all the hundreds of motors I've built including many that ran way over 7000 rpm would I ever, EVER dream of running an engine hard in extreme heat at 6000 rpm longterm on FIVE W-TWENTY weight oil!

Don't be surprised if the bearings are dead, that probably killed the other engine as well. You got all the earmarks of it.

If the pump looks good it IS, there will be undue wear on a bad one. You can't pump what is not there (almost zero oil weight).

No one in their right mind dogs an engine like that with no true oil pressure gauge on it, where I come from it's considered stupid. I mean mechanical not electric gauge. If the oil getting too hot you would have seen it in gauge behavior a long, long time ago. You would have also caught pressure flutters that disappear almost instantly too that would have alerted you to oil getting pumped out too if paying attention.

You are running water for oil that when it gets hot turns into less than water. And using a stock light.............?!?!!

Nothing personal at all of course but I see some pretty serious error there.
 
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