1978 SBC 4bbl Breather Sludge

[havoc1482]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5L_xsRMnJjg&feature=youtu.be%5B/youtube

[JUSTA6]

The breather filter has never been changed. Check or replace the PCV too.

[havoc1482]

The breather filter has never been changed. Check or replace the PCV too.

That doesn't explain the sludge.... it came from within the engine and saturated the filter....

[JUSTA6]

That doesn't explain the sludge.... it came from within the engine and saturated the filter....

Thats why I also mentioned your PCV. Positive Crankcase Ventalation. If it plugs, it forces the crankcase pressure out the valvecover breather (relieves normal pressure). A compression check would be next. You will always have some blowby of your rings on any motor. If your rings are getting too worn/bad, your cookin the oil and adding waaay to much pressure in the crankcase. If there is water on your dipstick, it'sa head gasket.

[havoc1482]

Okay for clarification, this is a PCV right? I pulled this off the Phoenix

ahhh, yeah thanks Justa. His truck just threw a whole bunch of problems. He having the same issue I had with the Phoenix when I first got her. His heater core just shit the bed and is dumping coolant into his HVAC system.

He had a dagerous lack of coolant in the radiator and I'm wondering if the seperated solution in the video was oil and coolant? I know he lost quite a bit in the heater core, but that just happened today.

The PCV has quite a bit of buildup in it and I just told him to replace it, its not an expensive part anyways.

[JUSTA6]

Okay for clarification, this is a PCV right? I pulled this off the Phoenix

ahhh, yeah thanks Justa. His truck just threw a whole bunch of problems. He having the same issue I had with the Phoenix when I first got her. His heater core just shit the bed and is dumping coolant into his HVAC system.

He had a dagerous lack of coolant in the radiator and I'm wondering if the seperated solution in the video was oil and coolant? I know he lost quite a bit in the heater core, but that just happened today.

The PCV has quite a bit of buildup in it and I just told him to replace it, its not an expensive part anyways.

Hopefully the new PCV and air cleaner breather will be a cheap/easy fix. Not uncommon to find moisture build up in the top end of engines that are past due for oil changes. Condensation from running overly hot. Check the pan oil. Are you getting milky oil on the dipstick? Have you guys ever done a compression check? You can Borrow tools from Orielly's, Autozone or Advanced. You basicly buy the tool, but get your $$ back when you return it. Simply screw the gauge into each spark plug hole. Start the engine N read the gauge. Write down pressure for each cyl @ idle. If they vary alot or anything 80lbs or less = bad rings/valve seats. If you have milky oil in the pan. Points you towards a blown head gasket. Compression check will tell you what cyl. Sorry but replacing the heater core is the only fix. Adding sealer/stop leak might be a very temporary fix, but WILL let go at the worst possable time down the road. Good luck guys.

[Frosty]

JUSTA6 is dead on with this one. The PCV will vent oil and gas ladden air to the filter. It is designed to saturate the filter in the air cleaner. So replacing this filter and the PCV are dirt cheap. The compression check and possible coolant in the oil would be much larger concerns if you find a weak cylinder or a blown gasket (or worse cracked head or block). Replacing the heater core is a nasty job but it will have to be done properly to insure peace of mind and keep people in the truck warm this winter. Since you have to disassemble some of the coolant system to remove the heater core, I would also suggest flushing the entire cooling system, removing the radiator and the thermostat. Have the radiator cleaned and inspected for leaks or blockage.

Check to see of the thermostat is any good (and replace it if necessary). You can test the thermostat by heating some water in a pot on a stove. Have a thermometer to measure the temperature of the water. Throw the thermostat into the water once the water temp reaches about 160. Watch the thermostat and thermometer closely, Note the temperature at which it opens fully. Depending on the thermostat is will open at 160, 180, 190, 195, or 200 degrees.

Also does the truck have a coolant capture/recovery bottle connected to the radiator or does hot coolant spill on the ground when it gets too hot ? If it spills on the ground, a capture reservoir might prevent future coolant loss.

[havoc1482]

Hes getting the heater core replaced. I installed his PCV yesterday and I also told him that he desperately needs an oil change, and they if he provides the oil/filter I will do it for him. I'll check the radiator, but if I'm not mistaken I believe the radiator is reletively new, I'll have to get back to you on that one.

And yes Frosty, he does have a capture/recovery bottle connected. It was empty, but that wasn't what raised the first red flag in my mind about a lack of coolant. I had squeezed the large raditor hose and felt no movement of liquid. I was like "What the f*ck?" Because the Phoenix you can squeeze it and hear the 'slosh' of coolant. He has the exact same motor only difference is that the Phoenix has Rochester 2GC and he has a Quadrajet. Then it hit me that the solution in the vent could be a mix of oil and coolant because coolant it water-based.

The truck was a hand-me-down from his late grandfather, so he did everything himself and any problems he might have known about this motor he took the grave.

His 305 hasn't had an oil change in a long time and that and the PCV for whatever reason could be the sole problem and the lack of coolant could be from his rotting heater core. Only time will tell what exactly the problem it though.

[Frosty]

Has the truck sat for a long time without running (I'm talking years, not months)? When a vehicle sits for a long time, it can build up condensation in the engine. So when you go to start it, the engine heats up the oil and the water at the same time. So the heated water and oil vapors seek to escape upward, through the PCV valve or valve cover breathers. That is what you are seeing in your friend's truck air cleaner. So using the truck will get rid of the excess moisture from condensation in a short period of time.

Now if this persists after running the truck a little while, then we need to consider the possibility of a cracked head gasket, block, or heads and coolant is getting into the engine. An oil change might be an indicator. If you drain the old oil and it is all milky, then you have a lot of water/coolant in the oil. This is definitely a bad thing.

Another concern I have, assuming the truck has sat awhile, is how diligent his grandfather was on changing the oil? Between poor oil changes and sitting a long time, paraffin sludge can build up in the motor. That is a really bad thing that will require a serious tear down and rebuild to clean it up. Here is a picture of paraffin build up in a 21-bolt Ford flat head V8 motor for the Satan's Chariot '35 Ford street rod project. This is the original '35 motor and it was seriously abused. Now I am not saying this is the case with your friend's 305 but it is a possibility.

[notallthere]

Check the muffler bearings and the left handed spark plugs used on those motors.

[Frosty]

Check the muffler bearings and the left handed spark plugs used on those motors.

:lol2: