Triumph Repair: OIL PASSING INTO DISTRUBUTER GT6 MK3, crankcase pressure, delco remy

Question
QUESTION: I JUST BOUGHT A PRISTINE TRIUMPH  1973 MK 3 GT6 ,AROUND TOWN THERE WERE NO PROBLEMS,BUT AFTER 20 MILES ON THE MOTORWAY AT A STEADY 70MPH ,ENGINE STARTED MISSING AND FINALLY STOPPED .FAULT TRACED TO OIL LEAKING INTO DISTRIBUTER CAUSING THE ENGINE TO STOP.DISTRIBUTER IS A AC DELCO REMY D204 SO EITHER THE SEALS ARE GONE (NEW DISTRIBUTER REQD ) OR EXCESSIVE CRANKCASE PRESSURE IS FORCING  THE OIL UP THE DISTRUBUTER SHAFT ANY HELP WOULD BE GREATFULY APPRECIATED  JIM


ANSWER: Hi Jim,
I have seen many Triumphs and other British cars running around with loose distributor shafts and seals long gone and they did not have excess oil migrate up into the distributor. When you drive around town you do not build up a lot of crankcase pressure but out on an expressway at todays cruise speeds, you have a lot more "Blow by" even with good rings and when that pressure can not escape, the pressure builds and oil comes out of every place it can.

I would do a accurate "Dry & Wet" compression test and then look at your crankcase vent system. Most vent systems are orifice so pressure is built up at speed and that vent system was not built to cruise at 70 MPH. Not that it won't do it. You just need to open up the vent system and be sure you don't have excess crankcase pressure.
Does this car have an overdrive in it?
Howard

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Hi Howard, Thanks for your swift reply ,As the crankcase pressure is a known problem with these engines, a quick solution would be to fit a stainless steel catch tank ,supplied by Quiller on the bulkhead ,do you see any problems with this set many thanks

Jim

Answer
Jim, I have never looked into their system but anything is better than the stock system. I'm sure the stock system was designed for running around town and cruising around back curvy country roads and BLM had no idea the cars would still be on the road 3 and 4 decades later and cruising on expressways. This speaks good for the car but some of the systems on the car are not quite up to the task.
But with a little modifications, they can be.
Howard