Seagull Grey EK 2106

[Blacky]

good to see you getting all these dramas out of the way before you point it towards W.A. Craig

[Craig Allardyce]

The blow outs have made me a bit nervous about the trip. Knowing the weight of the spares I'll end up taking it will surpass the effect of new tyres! Managed this week to do some tyre changing by hand. Man its been years since I've done that! I think I may have a been a bit slower than I was back then haha.

[Craig Allardyce]

Another little update this week. All my mods on my side plate didn't make much change to oil dripping from the breather. The last one I even tried to mimic a red motor rocker cover baffle which had little effect. I even used an amount of stainless gauze and some foam which also didn't do much. I now know the cause of the problem is two fold. Firstly its constant high speed driving as we do out here in the sticks, and secondly the resultant high amount of airflow across the crankcase pulls oil into the area behind the breather plate and out the vent tube.
Believe it or not the fix I have found is restricting flow into the breather cap. It has stopped the oil issue and my thinking is restricting air flow reduces the amount of oil pull over, and as you can see it was pulling it uphill towards the pipe as per the incline of the engine. Secondly I am hoping it will impart a slight vacuum in the crankcase and reduce any leakage at the rear main. I will be fitting up a crankcase pressure gauge soon so see what the outcome is. I just don't want to risk turning a good engine into a sludgy mess.

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[FJWALLY]

Looking Good Craig - for your blowouts I would think heat would be one of the big contributors - have you thought of investing in a TYREDOG set- for a couple hundred the tyre dogs are a simply screw on sender unit for the tyre and receiver /display/alarm you can put on the dash - I use them all the time for our four wheel driving as we tend to run at low pressure and often very high temps - it can give you warnings when tyre temps are getting high(can set alarm at your desired level - around 40-45 degrees would help save your tyres) and also pressure - if you start off with tyre pressures in the high 30's on hot days and hot roads that can quickly pass 40 or even 44 psi which puts you in the high risk area - worth a thought - my 4wd tyres are worth 500$ plus each an not easy to find so if it saves me one tyre and it has several times it has well and truly paid for itself financially - and as far as convenience of trying to buy tyres in remote locations then it's worth it's weight in gold.

[rosco]

Hi Craig,
couple of things I'll throw into the mix here.. and, I'll try to keep it short - email me if you want expansion.

I also tried and tried to prevent the breather pipe from dripping oil on both grey motors I had - nothing I did was as elaborate at your attempts.
I tried restrictions in the breather cap - even cutting away some of the "bell" of the cap.... oil continued to drip until the red motor went in.

With the V8 diesel 200 series Land Cruiser - they are very well known for picking up oil in the crankcase ventilation system. So much so, that it gunks up and eventually kills the left hand turbo (2 on these motors). I fitted a "Pro-Vent" 150 oil/condensate separator to mine.
It is a huge job on an engine that size - lifting the intercooler put threat on dislodging a small sensing tube at the rear of it - and there is simply no access to re-fitting the blasted thing. I was lucky, I was warned.
This Pro-Vent (Mann and Hummel, Germany) unit separates everything which comes out of the crankcase fumes.... it does this by the use of a special membrane filter... which reaches full efficiency after some 1,500 km's. A catch can, mounted remotely under the vehicle traps the oil/condensate until it can be drained out during an oil/filter change.

Now to your tyres issue.
As you are aware, we drag some 2.5 tonnes of tandem caravan around the country. The compliance plate requires us to fit light truck tyres to our wheels. The ones we have chosen this time are "Supercat" - 195R14C a division of Bridgestone.
They have a load capacity of 850 kg per tyre and are 8 ply construction. The four of them combined have a load capacity of 3.4 tonnes.. with only 2.5 on them we are well under treating them harshly.
Your teardrop probably has 13" wheels to match your ute..... these tyres come in a 185/70 13 with a load rating of 86 which equates to 530 kg's per tyre. They have an OD of 590 mm, which is probably something similar to the standard cross plies on your ute.... if needed for a temporary spare.

Tyre pressures.
I had struggled with what was a correct tyre pressure for the van. We joined a caravan club (Banjo's ACC) and through the national forum learned a technique which simply works.
It's called the "4 psi" rule. Inflate your tyres to what you believe to be appropriate at cold, then run them at your normal "load" and speed for 100 km's or so for them to reach running temperature. Re-check the pressures and subtract the cold temperature from the "hot" one....
The aim is for an increase in 4 psi.
The next bit is a bit of a paradox......if you have more than the 4 psi - you have to "increase" cold pressure. If you have less than the 4 psi - you have to reduce it.
Of course - this is going to vary a bit between winter and the very hot days of summer.... your summer cold temperature base pressure should be lower... maybe by 1 or 2 psi. In winter, it will need to be higher by the same amount.
Again, this differs on the terrain you are running on - if on the black top - you can run with pretty much the full 4 psi increase. If you venture off into the scrub or on red sand - running them down will save them from rock spikings. Any roads which have a very severe shoulder are the ones which rip the guts out of van tyres...due to its wider track.... and more likely to run over the edge when passing oncoming traffic or being overtaken/overtaking etc.... that serrated edge does wonders to the walls of radial tyres.
The more vertical tread of a light truck tyre gives a moderate level of protection on these shoulders....

Coupled (excuse pun) with the high loads imposed on them, and these terrible roads we find ourselves on - radial tyres are not really appropriate.

Finding a tyre with the same OD as your ute would be my recommendation - especially if you intend to do some big trips.

You would have a lot of experience in this dragging that wonderful boat around (well, the boat trailer really) - but the suggestions above are equally as pertinent....

See, I can type "short" novels...

frats,
Rosco

[Craig Allardyce]

Thanks Wally, I'll certainly have a look at them.

[Craig Allardyce]

Hi Rosco, it's been a while mate. You must be touring around as usual. Have missed your write ups!
Just out of curiosity was you old grey motor well worn? Been thinking how much of an influence blow by would be. I haven't done a compression check as the motor isn't that old but in saying that I'm worried I at have ran it to rich towing the boat to Renmark and back. I'm hoping I haven't flushed the rings due to too much wash down on the bores.

Tyres - I have managed to get some 165/80 R13's Commercial tyres which I'll fit to the ute and teardrop too. I'm not expecting issues after that.
I've narrowed the tyre failures to mismatched profiles on the rear axle. The inside tyre was taking more torque being the smaller diameter. Add heat, load, and age, after that and it was all over. Last spare fitted being the original Olympic Air Ride got us home and is still going and matches the profile of the outside tyre. Either new boots are coming for car and trailer.

[FJWALLY]

I normally run the 130A model with 5 sensors but you can get them with as many sensors as you like - price jumps for 6 and up though

http://www.tyredog.com.au/store/6-wheel-wtpms/

Don't get the colour versions - they look great but battery life on the display is rubbish

new radials will help a lot

[rosco]

Hi again, Craig - yes, we've just come back from another one. Home for a short bit now and away again in March. Unlike many who are retired and own caravans - we make good use of ours.

The original grey, I blew up... well, blew the rear and front seal by thrashing the guts out of it coming back down from Milton, NSW... it wouldn't go any faster on some of those long sections... I know how fast a stock grey motor can go.

I should have had that motor done up... it only had 78k on it when I got a Repco changeover. That motor was crap from the start.... although bigger bores - it was never a good motor, did not have the smooth flexibility of the original and I could never shut the tappets up.

I put up with that one for far too long, and to be honest - it really convinced me to make the poor decision to fit a red.

Blow by, I don't think the pistons went straight up and down even from re-fit. It didn't burn oil, but by the time I'd run it in and checked compression - the original one had more. It might have been a head issue, no idea... could have been a badly positioned ring issue... it just wouldn't "pull" like the original... I complained about it to the supplier, they had it in for a compression test and tune up and told me it was perfect (gee, I wonder why). If it had been burning oil, I might have stood a chance... but it didn't - and yes, contrary to popular comment by "blue oval" drivers about grey motors which did not burn..... it did have some in it!
It had a lot of blow by, which is a good hint as to what was going on in the bores. This took some time for me to observe.
The original had a little bit, but never to the point where it dropped oil out the end of the vent pipe... it dropped vapor condensate, yes -which was black, but not oil.
The replacement motor did drop oil out of the pipe... but I didn't find out about it until my parents had their drive-way concreted.... and "my" oil showed up on it... I had to put a tray under it after that and became quite agitated that it was dropping it - the stick went down about 1/4 of a pint in the 1,000 mile oil changes I always did with those two motors. The only good thing about that motor was that it did not leak any oil from the side-plate, rocker cover (which I had fitted an alloy one - "The old Tin Shed") or sump and both crank seals.... Repco did a good job of sealing gaskets.... petty they didn't do such a great job with re-conditioning engine components.

I tried playing around with both the vent pipe - fitting a small can under it to catch the oil... but, as you and I fully know - this would have interfered with extraction by the air-stream under the vehicle... it did stop the dripping onto concrete... but once I realised what I had done, I removed it. I tried fitting a flap in the pipe... one which would close off by gravity when the engine wasn't running... it "sort of" worked... worked well on the bench.... and the theory worked as well..... until I started the engine and the built up oil immediately dropped..... that one was probably the most advance modification I had ever done. I was still working on a way to fix this, but once the oil and crud got working on the inside of it, it stuck in the closed position.... and, I went to the wreckers to get a replacement. I gave up after that and put up with the drops of oil under the car.....embarassing when you park at your girlfriends place and her parents complain as well...so, out in the street from then on..... it wasn't much, Craig - but it was "oil".... and it was coming from my car.

Tyres - yes, I believe you'll have no further issue with the taller profile light truck tyres.... careful of them in the wet though - they won't pump water out as well as radials... the "sypes" in them are almost non-existent... in fact, the tyres I have on the van do not have any.. just the zig-zagged tread pattern with four grooves around it. Noise, I haven't noticed any more noise in these than the "Westlake" originals, which were more of a passenger tyre than the required (by compliance plate) light truck type. They do "yell" though - when locked up.... now that I have the brakes on the van working..... long story, not here - but if anyone is having issue with electric brakes - PM me and I'll tell you why ... you will simply not believe what/how was the issue/s.

So, I'm now keen to see where you get with your vent pipe..... the obvious answer is to fit some form of almost "invisible" PCV system.
The breather pipe can be left in situ.... for cosmetics. Extracting condensate up and out of the rocker cover with a PCV valve shouldn't be too difficult to keep under the radar... you are expert with shaping and polishing pipework.. I could very well envisage some "eye candy" arrangement to compliment the fuel and vacuum pipe array up there. The inlet manifold of a grey motor has a great little port on the side of the heat box for such an addition. Idle mixture would need messing with.... maybe the main jet might need to be up-sized slightly as well - I would expect a great place to start this determination would be to study the different sized carby jets between a HR and HK 186... if my memory serves me correctly, the HK was the first to get the PCV system... I don't recall them being fitted to HR's... only the water heated manifold.... may be wrong....

One thing I would stress heavily though - is not to tap the manifold at all.... by adding a connection to the rear of it... this was the huge mistake made in the HQ series... they fitted the system to the rear (brake vacuum port) and #5 &#6 piston ran very lean... burning #5 out time and time again until Holden found the "cause"... stick to the central tapping port..... and find a PCV with a strong spring to keep it sealed at anything just above slight vacuum.... I would expect something in the vicinity of 10"... "moderate" power.
I'd leave the rocker breather in place - it would act as both a filtered input and also a vent for any build up.

I fitted a sealed system to my red when I first installed it... from a HJ. Worked a treat.... until I realised the intake air was not filtered through the air cleaner element.. but through a flimsy little dry gauze pad inside a plastic holder.. why, GMH - why?.... Toyota simply made the connection under the bowl... which is filtered air......

I now have the factory HK system... PCV and vented rocker breather... washed in petrol and oiled during oil changes.

Ok, really hitting my straps this time...we were talking about tyres... from memory... oops...

frats,
Rosco

[Craig Allardyce]

Thanks Rosco, all very valid points I might add. Restricting the breather cap slightly actually fixed the problem. I only used some light foam and packed it into the back of the breather so it covered over half the holes. I think slowing the air speed down around the breather exit in the sideplate is important as the air is funnelled from a volume area to the diameter of the pipe. This I think speeds up the air (like rapids in a river) and that has the effect of syphoning any oil near it out the pipe. I'm not one for PCV valves, I don't like the effect it has on mixture control with carby engines. Like I said, just some pressure testing to go so I'm sure there is a minor negative pressure across the crankcase at all road speeds where possible. I know air flow wont be an issue as I can blow air through the breather quite well. Just a matter of balancing the inlet restriction amount to air flow across the bottom of the pipe for the average road speeds that I travel at.

[Harv]

Restricting the breather cap slightly actually fixed the problem. I only used some light foam and packed it into the back of the breather so it covered over half the holes.... Like I said, just some pressure testing to go so I'm sure there is a minor negative pressure across the crankcase at all road speeds where possible. I know air flow wont be an issue as I can blow air through the breather quite well. Just a matter of balancing the inlet restriction amount to air flow across the bottom of the pipe for the average road speeds that I travel at.

This is smart thinking. I like it, especially the verification with a temporary crankcase gauge .

Cheers,
Harv

[Craig Allardyce]

Todays little effort is brought to you by "I'm sick of coolant stains in my engine bay"
Managed to source an old mower/stationary engine fuel tank, cut an 1" out for the length of it so it could fit between the radiator and inner guard, fit pick up tube, knocked up some brackets so it bolts to the existing radiator support bolts, pressure test, and paint. Didn't want an alloy or polished recovery tank, just something that looks old and period. Love the instructions on the cap the most!
Between this and Harv's work with new improved head gaskets I should be good cooling system wise.
Now toying with the idea of a 1 piece rear main.

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[FJWALLY]

Thats Beautiful Craig - did you extend the pipe down into the bowl so it will work both ways or can't the radiator cap be modded to work both ways?

Oh and the most important question - how much and when can I get mine?

[Craig Allardyce]

Yes it has a tube welded to the bottom of the tank but has a feed hole in it about 1/2" above that. Cap is a double sealed recovery tank cap 7 psi. These are readily available. System is designed to expel from radiator under expansion and draw coolant back to it when it cools as per normal.

Cost $50 parts and consumables, labour $800. Let me know when you want to order.

[Errol62]

Schmicko Craig. Beats my plastic Rocca Bros one.


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