This may not have made it out the first time, what with T.J.'s html
message. Here it goes again. I apologize to any of you that may have
already seen it.
Hi all:
After dropping a cylinder back in July, it has taken a bit of time to
get 'ol blue' back on the road. But thanks to Rick McCurdy (piston &
rings) and SS for lots of other stuff, it's back and runnin' again. So
- here's the question: How much oil can a Series V pump out of a broken
oil cooler line in less 5 seconds or less?
I decided to run over to my dad's this past weekend. No big trip, no
big deal. It's about 200 miles one way. The weather was great with a
blue sky, a gentle breeze pushing me from the backside, and light
traffic on I-94. I'm just rocking along at 4000 rpm's (obviously no
overdrive), listening to some tunes and really enjoying the day. About
the time a lady in a Buick Park Avenue comes along side me I saw a HUGE
cloud of smoke coming from the back of my car! A quick check of the oil
pressure gauge showed "0". I cut the engine and rolled to a stop,
noticing a decided unevenness to the left front wheel's braking ability.
After raising the bonnet and waiting a few seconds for the smoke to
clear, it was painfully obvious what had occurred. The oil line between
the cooler and the filter adaptor had opened just ahead of the carb side
of the engine. What a mess! Oil everywhere in the engine compartment,
oil on my windshield, oil on the drivers side door, oil on the wheels!
Man, oh man, I saw oil in places I didn't ever expect to find it, even
on a typical Series V.
A quick assessment of tools, rags and oil in my trunk produced the
following. No rags, paper towels or other appropriate wiping devices,
but there was, however, a good assortment of tools and two quarts of
oil. Good ol' South Dakota grass was gonna have to serve for whatever
hand wiping I was gonna need.
For whatever reason, the DPO placed an aluminum hose connector in the
return line from the oil cooler leading back to the filter adapter. It
was clamped with hose clamps on each side of the connector and was, I
thought, completely secure. Obviously, some gremlin loosened a clamp on
one side and the line separated from the connector. The result was the
mess described above.
I guess the learning curve must be falling now that I'm over 50. I was
sure all clamps were properly tightened, all bolts secure, etc. etc. I
was sure I checked, double checked and completely went over all nuts,
bolts, clamps, etc., both with the engine on the stand and again after
the installation back into the car. Obviously I missed at least one.
So, the answer to the question - about 3 quarts. After reattaching the
oil line and putting my two spare quarts of oil in the engine, the
dipstick showed nearly a quart low. I knew I was only about 3 miles to
the next exit where there were several gas stations, so I proceeded to
wipe off as best I could and started the car. The oil pressure came up
right away so I don't think anything was harmed. It took a while for my
GM alternator to generate any current, but it too eventually came back
to normal. My only other concern right now is how to effectively clean
the rotor and pad on the driver's side wheel. I'd welcome any
suggestions. Even after the 400 mile trip the brakes still pull to the
right, meaning, I think, that the driver's side braking is still
impaired.
The good news - following the near disaster (thank the Lord for oil
pressure gauges), the engine seems fine. It starts and runs very well
and has as good performance as ever. The gas mileage was good - some
over 30 mpg for the trip - even while running at 4000 rpm's for much of
the way. The next project is to install the Toyota 5-speed tranny I
recently bought. I'll keep ya posted.
Checking and rechecking from now on, I'm still havin' a great time with
'ol blue.
from sunny South Dakota,
Paul
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