Triumph Repair: Oil Leak - out of dipstick, Spitfire, dipstick

Question
Hi,
I have a 73 Spitfire that has an oil leak.  When the engine is hot I noticed that oil was actually coming out of where the dipstick sits.  So not at the base of the dipstick tube, but the top where the diptstick sits.  I took out the dipstick, and it looks fine I think, and the felt washer is still there.  Any idea what could be causing this?

Darryl

Answer
Darryl,

I had the same problem on my '73 1500.

In my case it was a ring failure, allowing too much combustion blowby down into the crank case.  The vent in the valve cover didn't allow for enough excess pressure to vent in my case.

So, what's happening is either there is too much pressure in the crank case or it's not venting properly.

Try a compression test, dry and wet.  If you see a big jump with the wet test the rings are most likely worn.

It's also worth taking the valve cover off and making sure the vent is clear.  There may be a piece of something like steel wool inside the vent that can get gummed up by engine blowby.

The next step will depend upon what the compression test and checking the valve cover inspection/cleaning turn up.  I don't know the history of the car, but it is 36 years old.


Cheers,

Jim