Engine Oil & Oil Leak Question

[325_driver 422]

1 hour ago, Jacko said:

This is the one on my 330

Apparently they are the same kit between the b30 and b25 etc

[325_driver 422]

On 7/8/2019 at 4:48 PM, Driftit said:

Replaced the PCV and all the problems were solved.  That was a stuffed PCV though.  After that she stopped eating oil and became as fuel efficient as they get.  Engine light for running lean stopped coming on too.

So the OBD tool arrived today, found a code

P0174 

"Code P0174 indicates that there is a lean condition detected by the Engine Control Module (ECM). A lean condition will be created if there is too much air, and not enough fuel, in the air fuel ratio (AFR)."

And with the 

- Smelling oil on idle

- using a bit of oil

Should i assume the CCV is probably the culprit here?

[Gaz 1061]

20 minutes ago, 325_driver said:

Should i assume the CCV is probably the culprit here?

Never assume anything, will end up costing you more time, money and hassle. Get a smoke tester and check the intake system for leaks

[325_driver 422]

46 minutes ago, Gaz said:

Never assume anything, will end up costing you more time, money and hassle. Get a smoke tester and check the intake system for leaks

I was more on the hunt for the culprit for the oil consumption and smell (But no sign of oil leaks any where)

and the lean code was something that seemed to be around the forums combined with those symptoms that could also indicate CCV 

Edited July 10, 2019 by 325_driver

[Jacko 2156]

Do the simple stuff first, check for vacuum leaks etc.

Taking the manifold off and doing the CCV system is more work than doing the waterpump etc. I wouldnt be surprised if its poked, but if rule out the simple/cheap/easy first. 

 

Id clear the code, drive it for a week, and recheck for leaks and if the code comes back. 

[325_driver 422]

7 minutes ago, Jacko said:

Do the simple stuff first, check for vacuum leaks etc.

Taking the manifold off and doing the CCV system is more work than doing the waterpump etc. I wouldnt be surprised if its poked, but if rule out the simple/cheap/easy first. 

 

Id clear the code, drive it for a week, and recheck for leaks and if the code comes back. 

from the service history i have access to, in the last few months it looks like they were pretty pedantic with it, and they checked for leaks

i was just a bit confused how maybe they can do all this work on it, but miss a CCV

I've got like $8,000 in receipts from the last 12 months, under the hood it looks pretty tidy, new pipes etc everywhere.

[Jacko 2156]

8 minutes ago, 325_driver said:

from the service history i have access to, in the last few months it looks like they were pretty pedantic with it, and they checked for leaks

i was just a bit confused how maybe they can do all this work on it, but miss a CCV

I've got like $8,000 in receipts from the last 12 months, under the hood it looks pretty tidy, new pipes etc everywhere.

Im not familiar with the manifold on those, but on the 3 stage disa x30i's you can remove the big DISA valve with the intake manifold installed. If you can access it, pulling it out and seeing how wet the innards are will be big tell tale of failed CCV. 

[325_driver 422]

1 minute ago, Jacko said:

Im not familiar with the manifold on those, but on the 3 stage disa x30i's you can remove the big DISA valve with the intake manifold installed. If you can access it, pulling it out and seeing how wet the innards are will be big tell tale of failed CCV. 

thanks

[Driftit 2078]

I agree.  Smoke test first just in case there is a vacuum leak somewhere else.

For me it was a double issue.  They had caused the vacuum leak to stop the CCV from functioning.  The CCV had failed and caused a vacuum leak to stop it from smoking but allow the car to run so they could sell it.

My CCV was 110% rooted though.  As I said I plugged the leak and ended up pumping burnt oil and moisture into the Embassy garage.  Took me like 3 hours to get enough air through to blow all the smoke away.  Yours might be just on its way out or have a small tear in the diaphragm.

[325_driver 422]

16 hours ago, Driftit said:

I agree.  Smoke test first just in case there is a vacuum leak somewhere else.

For me it was a double issue.  They had caused the vacuum leak to stop the CCV from functioning.  The CCV had failed and caused a vacuum leak to stop it from smoking but allow the car to run so they could sell it.

My CCV was 110% rooted though.  As I said I plugged the leak and ended up pumping burnt oil and moisture into the Embassy garage.  Took me like 3 hours to get enough air through to blow all the smoke away.  Yours might be just on its way out or have a small tear in the diaphragm.

now that there is actually good lighting i had a nosey down the intake manifold gaps, it is wet as anything with oil, looks like oil is coming past the intake seals, over the head and down onto the block.

must be nearly 50ml+ of fresh oil just sitting round there
 

on the pro side, it looks relatively fresh, i.e. maybe the CCV just went recently, as theres no old oil caked on down there

 

[Jacko 2156]

Jebus that guy is rough

Looks pretty certain that ya CCV system is poked. Dont forget to order new intake manifold seals. 

This is the a/c disconnect tools, without them you will invent entirely new swear words for hours trying to get the line off the sump drain. https://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/p/toledo-toledo-a-c-and-fuel-disconnect-set/SPO1351694.html

 

[325_driver 422]

9 minutes ago, Jacko said:

Jebus that guy is rough

Looks pretty certain that ya CCV system is poked. Dont forget to order new intake manifold seals. 

This is the a/c disconnect tools, without them you will invent entirely new swear words for hours trying to get the line off the sump drain. https://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/p/toledo-toledo-a-c-and-fuel-disconnect-set/SPO1351694.html

 

lol i know, those clips i've had some very intimate moments with in the past

i'm just glad i caught it now, for a second after everything i was reading, apparently 1l of oil every 3,000 is perfectly normal, so i was just going to live with it lol

in this case - NOPE

And wouldnt it be funny, if the CCV is actually fine, but its the head gasket that is stuffed because the shop that put it back together didn't do it right XD that would be a grand start to this car

Edited July 10, 2019 by 325_driver

[325_driver 422]

34 minutes ago, Jacko said:

new intake manifold seals.

Thats those 6x individual round seals aye?

i'm too used to a single gasket 

[325_driver 422]

So, for future reference for anyone else searching

Got the manifold off today, oil pouring out of the intake

The CCV is GONE BURGER 

So for anyone in the future experiencing a combination of 

- Lean Codes

- Rough start up idle

- Oil consumption

Get a good torch, check down the side of the block, if you see oil, your CCV is probably the culprit

[Driftit 2078]

Yep. It's always that. Or a leak stopping it from working. 

[325_driver 422]

Do you mean like a leak between the valve cover to the CCV? Or like that joiner pipe between the CCV and behind to the other side of the plenum?

[325_driver 422]

So given it a day of driving, noticeable performance and fuel efficiency improvements.

Had a look down the back of the head/block behind the manifold, and noticed a small amount of oil there again.  (in the circled areas from last time)

It's possible i didn't clean all the oil from those spots (pretty sure i did though), but I was wondering, is it plausible that there could be a remnant of oil in the manifold from the previous blown CCV, and for the next 1-2 weeks, it will be flushing its self through (and leaking past the gaskets) for a short while. As there was quite alot in the intake, did my best to get it all out.

When i had it all apart i couldn't spot any hints of other oil leaks i.e. valve cover gasket, oil filter housing seal etc.

If oil still persists to keep coming through the CCV and back into the intake, @Driftit did you say there is an oil leak that can stop the CCV from working?

Cheers

Edited July 29, 2019 by 325_driver

[325_driver 422]

Update

After cleaning it up again and regular driving im guessing it was probably residue oil floating round in the manifold,

it's dry as a bone now on the head / block after driving it, and improved fuel economy used to average 10.5/11l per 100km round town, but now i'm getting 8l/100 being careful with the throttle. That blown CCV was really killing fuel consumption. Open road back to it's former glory averaging <7l/100km for a straight 6 is astonishing.

Guess people should be aware that if your CCV is poked, that after the fix you could expect oil to keep finding it's way down the manifold seals onto the head for a short while after as there might be a remnant in the system.

Thanks all for your responses through this!

Edited July 30, 2019 by 325_driver

[qube 3570]

this is good news for my upcoming ccv job on the ol e46

[325_driver 422]

@qube let me know how much oil you drain out of your manifold - the oil warning light came on just before the fix, so thats 1l of oil over 2,500km, and i drained about 150ml out of the manifold (what i could get out) but apparently there was still more!

[325_driver 422]

Outstanding that this tiny tear in the rubber caused such horrific oil being sucked back into the intake

Feels really good not having the car sound like a rotary now on first start or smelling like an oil refinery when I pull up to the lights