I've been motoring around in my 3.2 conversion car and generally having a trouble-free time of it (much to my surprise). Tonight driving home from work I look in my mirror after pulling away from a stop light and just prior to NAILING it and see a plume of smoke coming out the drivers side rear of the car! I mean this is one of those plumes you see from cars that have had something go seriously wrong.
I immediately shutoff the ignition and coast to a stop at The Shack which is an ice cream stand on PCH north of Laguna Beach. If I've boogered the 3.2 at least I've got some nice scenery to ponder the next conversion. I'd decided while waiting for the tow truck that the next engine would be a 3.6.
I can't really see anything and everything is frigg'n hot so I just dial up AAA and sit down for a spell. After the tow truck arrives (note to self: add a pair of those neat looking tow loops to the front and rear of the car) and we load the car on the flat bed I've reconciled myself to locating a 3.6 and decide that I'll do the conversion in 1/2 the time it took to do the 3.2 (22 days instead of 45).
Three hours later at home after having dinner and some adult drinks I decide that I'd like to acess the damages. After all if I'm gonna have to do a 3.6 in 22 days I need to get right on it. After looking EVERYTHING over it's clear that the oil came out of the crankcase vent. I hadn't terminated the hose from the vent to the puke bottle in the rear trunk so the hose was blowing oil over the place.
I think that I understand why this happened. I'd just decended a steep and fairly long hill. I reckon that during the decent the scavange pump pickup wasn't picking up much oil because it was all sloshed to the front of the engine. When I hit the level ground the oil wound up getting whipped around by the crank and other various works and puked out through the crank case vent.
Does this make sense to experienced -6 hands in the house? What other conditions should I plan on seeing this happen? I suppose this could happen during long hard cornering as well. Oh well, another lesson learned I suppose.
Later,
Kevin