Eagle Repair: blowby, mass air sensor, vent pipes

Question
i have a 94' eagle talon 4cyl. 1.8 ltr. with 99k miles i took it to a shop for a tune up, and the mechanic took off the air filter cover, and there was oil on the mass air sensor. he called this blowby?, i was just wondering if you have heard anything about this subject, and if you have any advice. the mechanic said i was better off just getting a new car than to have it repaired. i dont want to have to buy a new car if i dont have too. if you have any information on this i would appreciate any help you can offer. thank you.

Answer
Hi Michelle

The mechanic is in fact correct, the cause of the oil in the air intake is from blowby. The cause of excessive blowby is worn piston rings, which allows some of the combusted gas to pass into the crankcase. The crankcase is then under pressure and forces the engine oil up and into head which in turn pushes some oil out the vent pipes into the air intake. However some oil in to air take is normal as there is some pressure in crankcase, excessive oil is a bad sign of worn piston rings. So the situation has to be quantified, clean all the oil out and monitor the situation if the oil collects quickly again replace the piston rings, if not and takes a period of time, don't worry to much about it. Hope this helps.
Thanks Wayne