TonyAus Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Well folks, not without several million small dramas, my 1925 roadster hit the road today. However, a larger drama has shown up. It is blowing oil out the crankcase breather and making a most unacceptable mess on every surface visited!My first thought was blowby, but there is no blue exhast smoke and the rings are relatively new. In fact the problem looks like one of splash as the oil is deposited in lumps rather than as a mist.I am sure there was no baffle in the breather. My second thought was to fit something lke a stainless steel scourer in the breather to catch the oil.The third thought was that was that there is something fundamentally wrong - is there too much oil presure (very heathy at no less than 3 psi) or are the rod dippers going too far into the troughs - replacement pan of unknown origin and the gasket is relatively thin modern bonded cork.Help - before the EPA get me.Tony:eek: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
platt-deutsch Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 There is a cone shaped screen in the breather/filler. Oil vapor will condense on it and not blow out. I cut the bottom part off of a Collander and put that in it.. works fine..Gary Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldodgeboys Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 My 25 roadster has no oil coming from the oil fill pipe. It didn't when when the factory pistons/rings were in it, and it didn't after the pistons/rings were replaced.It does't have the screen cone, although it probably should if it came with one.How about the oil type/viscosity? Are you using a break-in oil (typically a light oil)? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
72caddy Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 Here is what the screen looks like if you are curious Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
platt-deutsch Posted November 14, 2009 Share Posted November 14, 2009 I use 20W 50 Castrol..I put new rings in it and converted the pistons to use a oil scavenging ring in the 4th groove..Only 13,000 miles total on it.. Now it uses very little oil and was always damp aroung the oil breather until I put that screen in it.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwollam Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 I assume you are running 5 qts of oil? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyAus Posted November 15, 2009 Author Share Posted November 15, 2009 Thanks for the advice on the screen. There was certainly not one on the car but I do not remember having oil problems many years ago. Then again, she was pretty oily all over.I am using Penrite Shelsley Medium - an SAE 40 equivalent. But five quarts? By my reckoning that is only around 4.7 litres. I had to put in nearly eight litres to get the float rod up to the top mark. Could it be telling lies and causing my problem? If so, the oil level might be above the tray. I will check.Tony Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest oldodgeboys Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 5 to 6 quarts is recommended. It sounds like you have too much oil. Your float may have problems (?). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest John1918 Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 It does sound like there is too much oil for it to splash about like that but then 4.7 litres is just over 1 gallon (1.05 gallons) and the recommended 5 quarts (1.25 gallons) should be about the right amount of oil. I would think that the strainer was there to stop rubbish going down the oil filler rather than to stop oil splashes. It's the first time I've heard of this happening. John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hwellens Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 If you are getting that much pressure in the crankcase, could be a cracked piston. Do a compression check. If one is low that could be the problem. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 8 quarts is probably getting into the crankshaft swing, that's what is throwing it out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwollam Posted November 15, 2009 Share Posted November 15, 2009 Top casting mark is way too much. Correct amount is 5 qts which centers the rod between the casting marks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyAus Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 Looks like I stuffed up badly here. The book clearly states "between the marks"- I took that to mean the same as a modern dipstick - ie top mark is normal, lower mark is add. DOH!However, all is not lost in that I found one more bit missing which could compromise my attempt at total authenticity (read anal retention). Does anyone out there have a spare breather screen?And capacity still remains a problem in our communication - I notice in the replies a mixture of US, imperial and metric measure. I think I will just use five litres, which is our standard oil container here in Australia. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyAus Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 Another thought, perhaps someone might like to see the source of all this drama. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyAus Posted November 16, 2009 Author Share Posted November 16, 2009 Operator error - refer to last message. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickBrinker Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 Very Nice but you put the steering wheel on the wrong side Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dbbob Posted November 16, 2009 Share Posted November 16, 2009 And not only that . . . your garage/workshop is entirely too clean! Surely, some club or forum members can help with that. My '24 threw oil, too, because I overfilled the crankcase. Five liters is equivalent to 5.3 quarts U.S. or 4.4 quarts U.K. That should be about right. Nice looking DB. --Roberto Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nearchoclatetown Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Very Nice but you put the steering wheel on the wrong side Great minds think alike, Rick. And that scares me!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JACK M Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 So, if the steering wheel is on the wrong side on the right side. Then the Left side is the right side? ??I used to get into this argument when I had a Bentley. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwollam Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 I don't know, I think I may have to paint one of my roadster yellow! Beautiful car Tony!The trunk area is different than the US version. Kinda looks like a combo between 1923 and 1926-27 models. Very clean lines. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 32DL6 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Very Nice but you put the steering wheel on the wrong sideFeel better now, Rick? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RickBrinker Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Looks like and American car now Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwollam Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Pretty tricky there Phil, floppin' that image AND keeping the "Dodge" on the radiator reading correct! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keiser31 Posted November 17, 2009 Share Posted November 17, 2009 Ahhhhh....photoshop....what a great invention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil 32DL6 Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Ahhhhh....photoshop....what a great invention.Yeah...wish I could Photoshop away a certain nagging problem with my DL that easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TonyAus Posted November 18, 2009 Author Share Posted November 18, 2009 ARRGGH. Why didn't anybody tell me about Photoshop - I could have saved all those years all that money on the restoration!BTW, for those interested, the body couloured running gear is original but the colour is not. It had been repainted a dove grey in 1957 but I found a yellow under that. Subsequent investgation revealed that the grey was original and the yellow was undercoat. By that stage I had decided on the yellow and painted the wheels - no turning back.The yellow I used is a 1980s Australian Ford colour and it will be enhanced by a single red/orange coachstripe along the belt line when I can get my tame sighwriter off the nether portions of his anatomy.The body was coachbuilt by Holden's of Adelaide and shipped to Sydney where it was fitted to a CKD kit. I think they also used the kit packing crate for the trunk floorboards - pretty rough. The same style of body was also fitted to four cylinder Buicks. The kit was probably built in February 1925 and the completed car sold new by my grandfather, a Dodge dealer in country NSW, on 24 July 1925. It was one of 13 Dodges that he sold that year. It was bought back from the original owner by my late father in 1957. The dealership, now the second oldest Toyota dealership in NSW, remains in my brother's hands.Total mileage is 40,000, but I intend to add a few more to that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dwollam Posted November 18, 2009 Share Posted November 18, 2009 Great history! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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