It's Alive!!!

[ewave]

It\'s Alive!!!

It's Alive! I finally got my 97 GTS Viper running that I bought on November 26, 2001. It has been a long long long 6 weeks. Owning the car, but never having driven it was driving me crazy!

The car still doesn't have a hood, and no exhaust on the drivers side-- Just an elbow and a 12 inch straight pipe from the headers. Talk about a loud and uneven exhaust note!

I only drove it around the block in first and second gear, not going past 2500 RPM. I wanted to check to make sure everything was OK before opening it up.

I got it back to my driveway and backed it up and then parked it facing down hill with the engine running. That's when I noticed a large puddel of oil under the car. The oil appears to be leaking from the front of the left valve cover gasket. This is the highest location of oil covered parts. I took the valve cover off, and looked at this closely. The cover and gasket look fine, however someone has modified the valve cover vents. Basically the left and right valve vents are joined with tubing to a T junction. The third side of the T junction is plugged.

This is were I need help. I guessing that because the vents are plugged that pressure can build up in the valve cover area, and eventually the pressure is sufficient to break the valve cover gasket seal. I couldn't see the oil seeping out, but when I got in the car, put it in reverses and revved the engine under load, lots of oil (like 1/2 a cup), could be seen soaking the engine and leaking onto my garage floor.

Does this seem like a plausible theory, and isn't it really bad to seal the valve cover vents? Shouldn't they be vented to the air cleaner?

You can check out some before pictures of my car at:

http://www.electrowave.com/viper

Also here's a nasty picture.

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I'll take some pictures tomorrow of the repaired car and post them.

Hope to see you on the road some time soon!

Paul Adams
Dallas Texas

 

[JonB]

Re: It\'s Alive!!!

<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>Originally posted by ewave:
.........The cover and gasket look fine, however someone has modified the valve cover vents. Basically the left and right valve vents are joined with tubing to a T junction. The third side of the T junction is plugged. Does this seem like a plausible theory, and isn't it really bad to seal the valve cover vents? Shouldn't they be vented to the air cleaner?

<HR></BLOCKQUOTE>

Crankcase pressure is building up from some OTHER reason, probably a bad reason. The PCV stystem being plugged is a jury-rig due to the OEM, NACA-DUCTed, Ram-Air intake box being replaced by those hot-air-sucking, droop-snoot, (but cool-looking)cone filters.

Most folks put little 1" K+N vent 'filters' on the ends of the valve cover PCV ports, but they dont filter anything, nor to they provide air-box vacuum to draw crancase pressure.

But YOUR problem is probably worse than the plugged Ts, Im afraid

 

[ewave]

Re: It\'s Alive!!!

JonB,

Thanks for the reply. I already bought a stock air box, with K&Ns and smooth tubes. I will put it on soon.

So if I understand you correctly you agree that the oil leak is being caused by excess valve cover pressure. If the problem goes away after unplugging the vents, then there is no problem right?

BTW the car has 1.7 Crower Roller Rockers, and the heads have been ported and polished.

 

[SteveBCloud9]

Re: It\'s Alive!!!

E gads, I assume you took the pic way before you drove it.... no seat, computer box/fuses/master cylinder, etc. Good luck in your reserection!

 

[SapphireGTS]

Re: It\'s Alive!!!

Thats awesome you are taking this project on!!

Are these yours too. LOL

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[ewave]

Re: It\'s Alive!!!

Thanks for all the advice and input.

Turns out, it's NOT engine oil it's POWER STEERING FLUID!!!

OK, so shoot me. What was happening is that I have a steep driveway that I back up into, and have to crank the steering wheel all the way over. So I am revving the engine, and slipping the clutch and cranking the steering. There is a pin hole in the power steering hose that was spraying onto the edge of the valve cover. I figured it out, because I went for a 30 minute drive, stopping frequently looking for oil. Nothing. Then I got home, backed up and SAW oil spraying up from the front of the engine. (I still don't have the hood on the car so I can see this all while I'm driving.)

What a relief! JonB had me really worried all last night. I'm quite embarrassed to confuse power steering fluid with engine oil... But when the engine oil is really new, they do look similar... That's my story, and I'm sticking with it.

Paul Adams
Dallas Texas

 

[Martin D]

Re: It\'s Alive!!!

While the third hole should not be plugged, it should have no effect on the problem you are describing.

I agreee with JonB. You have a more serious problem.

Keep us posted.

Regards,