OK, my B2 quit leaking oil.

[Duggo]

Riddle me this...

Last spring my 1989 B2 with 297K miles started leaking oil. Real bad. Like a quart every 20 miles. See attached pic of where I park. It was bad enought I bought a different vehicle to use as a DD.

Last week, winter hit, it's been about between -10 and +15 degrees. Oil leak all of a sudden stopped. I topped the oil off about 150 miles ago and it is still full.


Why would cold weather cause this. I do run it up to operating temperature daily. Any ideas?

 

[IMenriched]

you must have the rare arctic version.

where does it leak from ....ordinarily at a quart every 20miles, it's got to be noticeable.
did you recently replace the catalytic converter or muffler ?? PVC valve??

 

[RustedRanger]

Cool when a good thing "just happens". Sounds like some things I have had happen to me..... I found a 71 Cougar XR-7 351C 4V at a farm once long ago, when I went to ask if they wanted to sell it he said he was getting ready to call the junkyard and have it hauled off,it was parked because it leaked AT fluid bad. I gave him $75 bucks,put in a battery and some tranny fluid and it started right up and I drove it home. Funny thing is that it never leaked another drop of ATF. The last thing like that to happen was that I took a trip and was gone 2 1/2 weeks and left my truck parked at my Dads house,for quite awhile it would run really crappy when I would first start it of a day for about a minute,after getting home it now starts good and runs good right off the bat....I'm not complaning

 

[Duggo]

you must have the rare arctic version.

where does it leak from ....ordinarily at a quart every 20miles, it's got to be noticeable.
did you recently replace the catalytic converter or muffler ?? PVC valve??

Leaks a little from the valve covers and most from the rear main seal.

I replaced the PVC valve and valve cover grommet, but that was probably 2 months ago. Hey, the PVC valve hose looked fine so I did not replace it. Could it be the cold weather is giving it a tighter grip making the PCV valve more effective? That might explain the rear main seal...

 

[IMenriched]

Leaks a little from the valve covers and most from the rear main seal.

I replaced the PVC valve and valve cover grommet, but that was probably 2 months ago. Hey, the PVC valve hose looked fine so I did not replace it. Could it be the cold weather is giving it a tighter grip making the PCV valve more effective? That might explain the rear main seal...

Could be....have you checked the upper intake for excessive carbon build up??

or have you recently tried a can of motor oil flush and or seafoam in your daily dose of oil to keep oil level topped off?

 

[Duggo]

Could be....have you checked the upper intake for excessive carbon build up??

No. Please school me on this.

or have you recently tried a can of motor oil flush and or seafoam in your daily dose of oil to keep oil level topped off?

Tried a quart of seal conditioner probably 2 months ago, but I would think it has all leaked out by now.

 

[IMenriched]

No. Please school me on this.


Tried a quart of seal conditioner probably 2 months ago, but I would think it has all leaked out by now.

the thought line/theory is this...that you had over pressurizing of the block. Via either excessive back pressure from a collapsed catalytic converter or muffler, or not ventilating properly by the PVC.

Well, if there was excessive carbon build up inside the upper intake (UI)....and was maybe covering or mostly covering the port where the PVC dumps into the UI, not allowing the PVC valve to function....when you changed the PVC it may have loosened it up a bit...now with aid of sharpy colder temps helped shake this carbon loose...thereby opening the port back up. Now your new PVC valve has a opportunity to work...and releaving the over pressurizing of the crank case that was forcing oil out your crankshaft main seals or anywhere else it could as you drove....in your case, the rear main and valve cover.

Couple this with the oil additive to soften/rejuvenate seals , it may have been enough to get it to be drip free now.

 

[Duggo]

Other than sound, how can I check the muffler and cat to see if they have collapsed? They look and feel OK, and it sounds normal...

Dang I am happy to have promoted my B2 to daily driver status. I hate that effing Nissan.

 

[IMenriched]

Other than sound, how can I check the muffler and cat to see if they have collapsed? They look and feel OK, and it sounds normal...

Dang I am happy to have promoted my B2 to daily dricer status. I hate that effing Nissan.

Considering that it is not leaking...or at least slowed way down. I'd say that the bigger issue was with the UI and PVC valve. then there maybe the option/thought, that some rings set out again, giving better seal on the cylinder wall....hence less blow-by...=less pressure in the crankcase.

 

[idriveafordranger94]

Hahahaha that picture is hilarious!! My Bronco II does the same thing but not to that degree - yet. I think my valve cover gaskets are toast. About 6-7 drops of oil drips down whenever it is parked. Would valve cover gaskets fix my problem and possibly yours too?

 

[beauknowz]

.

i had really bad blow by on my 84 ranger. i was having so much oil shoot out my dipstick tube i ran a hose from it to the pcv return in the fill cap. took me about a year to figure it out. pcv hose was hard to get too. once i actually removed it, it was solid build up on the inside. i mean solid. reamed it out with tools and brake clean.