Oily Exhaust at Flange

  • Thread starter Thread starter laverlesmains
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laverlesmains

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So my Odyssey PC680 arrived today and I stole a few hours from the work day to install and go for a test run.  Per my other thread, I was having problems with starting but with the Odyssey installed she started like a champ.    I had no idea that the starter motor actually spun that fast.  I took it for a couple of runs down the street, and as always the GEN light was on the whole time - but that's an issue to sort out next week.

When I parked it back in the cave, I noticed oil on the exhaust flange of #1 and #3 cylinders.    I did a compression test and it was 135, 130, 135 across #1, #2, #3.    I figure it's either a valve guide or a leaky header gasket and will check that tomorrow.

 
shhhhhh  !!  don't say it so loud, everyone will want one ..
 
Was it blowing any smoke ?? as me thinks that would have to be to have oil coming out of the flanges.. you would need to have a fair bit going through the ports to come out the flanges and cause them to be oily. Even if it was coming down the exhaust valve guides then you would expect at least some to be going into the combustion chamber and on start up especially would have been some good blue/whiteish smoke coming out of the pipes.

Say wouldnt be that you have a leaking cam cover and it is tracking down the head and pooling around the flanges ?? which to me would seem a more logical explanation for what you are describing.  That is where I would be starting having a good look around first before considering anything more drastic.

Good to hear that you have sorted your battery issues however.
 
laverlesmains said:
So my Odyssey PC680 arrived today and I stole a few hours from the work day to install and go for a test run.   Per my other thread, I was having problems with starting but with the Odyssey installed she started like a champ.    I had no idea that the starter motor actually spun that fast.   I took it for a couple of runs down the street, and as always the GEN light was on the whole time - but that's an issue to sort out next week.

When I parked it back in the cave, I noticed oil on the exhaust flange of #1 and #3 cylinders.    I did a compression test and it was 135, 130, 135 across #1, #2, #3.    I figure it's either a valve guide or a leaky header gasket and will check that tomorrow.


The gen light is usually permanently wired in, or not at all from new!
Ciao
Paul
Click to expand...
 
2 easy things to check.
Are the downpipes fitted to the correct exhaust port? If not they never seat properly at the head and put incredible stresses on the collector box.
Secondly, does it have the copper crush washers fitted? If not that may be the problem in itself (assuming the downpipes are correctly located).
Always use fresh crush washers each time the downpipes are removed.

As said previously a poorly fitting downpipe can create a vacuum which pulls oil down past the exhaust valve guide.
 
This oily discharge from an exhaust port was caused by an ill-fitting gasket on my SF3. Replacing it and 'flatting' the flange to get a 'square' pull on the pipe did the trick.
 
once the headers are off, you can peer in to the ports with a torch ;you may see a line of oil from the bottom of the guides. In my case  it was not  leaking out of the joint because they were well sealed, but caused by shagged guides. I had heavy oil consumption though, so if you don't it is hopefully just the exhaust sealing. I found that the finned clamps do bow reducing the liklihood of a good seal, so have a look at those and replace them if they are bowed;there are some good aftermarket ones now..got mine from Wolfgang but Keith nairn/red do them too ..oh, and I would consider replacing your regulator with a new one if that has not been done , or lose your new battery before too long(I speak from experience there...)
Nick7
 
thanks all - removed and checked the flanges and found the washers were there. 
Tightened it all and took it for a test run - no oil seeping.    Must have just been a loose nut or two.
 
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