Water in Oil

[Greg Carter]

I topped my engine (twice due to rings not seating the first time) and, after both times, have been unable to burn off the condensation that's accumulated in the engine during drives / break in process. At this point the breather and cap are covered in mayo and I'm also seeing it on the dipstick (both top and bottom) when I check the oil. Due to the colder days, I haven't managed to get the oil temprature much past "warm-up" green arc on the temp gauge (barely in the black) so I'm not sure I can burn it off. I made a few modificaions to the engine while it was apart to include new aluminum oil cooler, biral (vice cast iron) cylinders amd a PreMat full flow oil filter, all of which are contributing to oil cooling and may be part of the probelm.

Will this condensation build up cause damage if I can't burn it off or am I okay to keep driving? I've read where it's normal to see water vapor in the breather can and under the oil cap after short drives / low ol temprature but seeing it on the dipstick concerns me. I'm worried it will keep building up without a way to get rid of it (at least during rthe winter) short of changing the oil.

Greg

[Ashley James]

I think you can buy an oil temperature gauge that plugs into the dipstick hole. You need to know whether or not the engine is hot enough to optimise it’s performance and disperse condensation otherwise it will cause corrosion and all the problems that goes with it.

[DonCichocki]

What we need is an oil cooler with a thermostat. With the low sales volume of this item we'll never see one.

[Dick Weiss]

It seems that the so-called "short drives" aren't long enough; What's the time between starts and stops?
Oil temperature not getting into the 0900/1100 o'clock range isn't good to eliminate moisture and it shows
as 'muck' in the oil filer/breather. Also, a possibility of oil 'foaming' but w/today's mfg., it's kinda history.

BTW, what's the mileage since the rebuild and engine RPMs during the short drives?

[Greg Carter]

Mr. Weiss,

The oil temp only gets about 1 - 3 needle widths out of the lower green arc. My drives are 30 - 45 minutes and I try to keep the revs in the 3K range. I don’t think I drive it like an old lady (no offense to anyone intended) but it’s only got 100-125 miles since rebuild. I’m going to try and take it out later today and run it for an hour or 2.

Greg

[Dan Epperly]

you should not keep it at a steady 3k rpm, you need to alter the speed and rpm range when breaking an engine in.

[Greg Carter]

Sorry, I should’ve clarified.

I do vary the speed and don’t drive at steady RPM but I’m not driving 25mph in 4th gear was what I meant.

Greg

[Wes Bender]

Greg, I'd change the oil to get rid of whatever moisture is in the crankcase and then try to heat the engine up as best you can. Longer runs would definitely be better. When you get back home, open the engine lid and then remove the oil filler cap and leave it off until the engine is cold. Get in the habit of doing that every time you drive it. That will let the moisture that is accumulating in the top of the filler canister evaporate. I know, it's a pain to do that all the time, but it will definitely help the condensation problem. It's an old airplane mechanic's trick....

[Edwin Ek]

What about covering up the oil cooler? Temporarily of course, and keeping an eagle eye on the temperature gauge until the engine is warm enough and then pulling off the cover. Sort of a manual thermostat.

[George Hussey]

where are you storing your car? Really important to have it in a good environment with a dehumidifier, really a 356s best friend

[Larry Brooks]

Is there a vent somewhere the system (Vented valve covers or at filler). I ask because I have seen this happen when 912 valve covers are used and the vent pipe on the filler has a cap on it.

[Wes Bender]

That would cause the oil temp to rise, Edwin, but it would also be blocking part of the cooling air to #3 & #4 cylinders and the left head where it's really needed. It wouldn't be easy to access either. On paper, I've toyed with modifying a cooling air shroud with an air channel in the front side. It would have a sliding gate that would let full air flow go to the cooler in one position or, in the other position, block some of the air to the cooler while bypassing it around the front of the cooler. That way #3 & #4 wouldn't be adversely affected. It would be nice if Ron Ladow would design and build something like that, but his devices are simple, yet elegant, and my suggested device might have to many fiddly things.

[David Jones]

Check the timing and make sure it is around 35*BTDC at 3K rpm. According to Porsche the instructions for break in are to shift at 4K rpm for the first 600 miles then go up 500 rpm for the next 300 miles, for an SC increase the initial rpm by 500. Do not use 93 octane unless the engine is in the region of 10:1 CR. Do not floor the gas until it has around 1K miles on it. You could also put a little more slack in the fan belt and see if that helps to get more heat in the engine. I run all engines I build on the floor now I no longer have a dyne and I usually put about 2 hours on them before I install them.

[Geoff Fleming]

To minimize the sludge, when you come back from a drive in cold weather, remove the oil filler cap. This will allow the vent outside instead of collecting as droplets on the inside of the cap and in the filler housing.
Just be careful to replace the cap before the next drive.

[Ron LaDow]

Greg,
Try leaving the heat-shield off the filter adapter; you should pick up some heat from the muffler that way.
And I agree with Don. I've got sketches of a cooler with a thermostat built into the base; probably only cost $15K for the first run, and I'm sure five or six would move right off the shelf.
Make that the first and final run.