MantisX620 Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 So I checked the oil today on my L20 and the dipstick was as dry as my ass. Let me say that my truck doesnt leak an ounce of oil(engine oil at least) and it doesnt smoke at all even under hard acceleration. So if it doesnt appear to be leaking or burning oil, where the hell is it going? Thanks all MantisX Quote Link to comment
Laecaon Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 into the radiator! Quote Link to comment
Uncle Laulau Posted July 26, 2011 Report Share Posted July 26, 2011 I've read people speaking of the main seal going on the engine? Even if you can't see a cloud of oil can't you still be burning it? Hope you figure this out soon. I would hate to hear that your engine failed. Keep asking I all ways get answers on ratsun. Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 once a motor uses oil its pretty much the way it is till its rebuild. But if you could post a photo of the driver side of motor so you can see the valve cover the the crank case vent pipe maybe there is a hose routed wrong where its overpressurizing the crank case.Or plugged Quote Link to comment
datsunaholic Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 You'd be amazed how much oil you can burn before it smokes... or conversely, how much smoke a little oil will make. It's a crapshoot. I've had cars that smoked like a WWII Destroyer that burned less than a quart/1000 miles and a car that didn't smoke at all go through a quart every 200 miles. Depends a lot on where the oil is going internally. Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted July 27, 2011 Report Share Posted July 27, 2011 So I checked the oil today on my L20 and the dipstick was as dry as my ass. Let me say that my truck doesnt leak an ounce of oil(engine oil at least) and it doesnt smoke at all even under hard acceleration. So if it doesnt appear to be leaking or burning oil, where the hell is it going? Thanks all MantisX Hahaha you need to include a time frame here. If it took 3 years/ 20K miles to get this low then I would say it's fine. If in 3 months and 2K miles I would start looking for answers. Low oil happens, that's why we check it every couple of weeks. A leak will spray all over the area leaking or the underside of the vehicle. It will also drip overnight and leave a wet spot in the driveway or at work where you park. Quote Link to comment
MantisX620 Posted July 28, 2011 Author Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 I took a crappy pic with my phone. I hope this helps. One thing I noticed was that the previous owner stuffed a spark plug in one of the hoses on the driver side of the motor.. Could this be the crankcase hose that was mentioned above? Where does this hose normally route to? As far as a timeframe, id say I had the oil halfway on the dipstick the last time I checked it maybe 3 weeks ago. Then dry. Now ive gone to autozone and picked up a jug of oil and topped it off where it should be. I guess ill drive it around a little more to see how much it burns from full. Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 i would remove that spark plug. the crank case vent tube is mettal and goes to the block. Usually this hook up to the lower part of the intake manifold via a PCV valve.Its better to have this OPEN instead of Pluff if a PCV valve is not used. hopefully you didnt run the motor dry to long as once you do this it might be a oil burner for life. Quote Link to comment
DanielC Posted July 28, 2011 Report Share Posted July 28, 2011 If the PCV system is operating correctly, the crankcase is at a slight vacuum when the engine is running. This helps prevent oil leaking out of the engine. On the other hand, if the crankcase is sealed up, blowby gases will pressurize the crankcase, and that will tend to push oil out of seals, and gaskets. Quote Link to comment
MantisX620 Posted August 1, 2011 Author Report Share Posted August 1, 2011 If the PCV system is operating correctly, the crankcase is at a slight vacuum when the engine is running. This helps prevent oil leaking out of the engine. On the other hand, if the crankcase is sealed up, blowby gases will pressurize the crankcase, and that will tend to push oil out of seals, and gaskets. So I removed the spark plug out of the hose as seen in the pic and the truck wont start with it removed!! I plugged it back up with the spark plug and it started right away. Ive been looking for pics to see where this hose is supposed to go/do but nothing so far. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment
yello620 Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 How about getting us a better pic so we can actually see what it is? Quote Link to comment
datzenmike Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 The spark plug is obviously plugging the hose to a missing (or badly leaking) PCV valve. Without the plug the intake has a massive leak. Someone has removed the PCV valve and it needs replacing and have the system working. Quote Link to comment
banzai510(hainz) Posted August 2, 2011 Report Share Posted August 2, 2011 at first i thought it was on the crank case vent tube. But L20s have the funky PCV metal line also but just couldnt see it. Datzenmike is right with this. If crankcase vent is open then most likely you just have a oil burner anyways. Just ck it every 3 fill ups Quote Link to comment
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