Oil coming out my crankcase breather tube - New Holland TC29D

[Apollowalker]

Hi All,
I have excessive oil coming out my crankcase breather tube. I will go through a quart in about 2-3 hours of use. I had a small leak for some time but in the last week it all the sudden got much worse. The engine does not smoke at all except when first started, and then it only smokes for a few seconds. The tractor has about 700 hours and is a 99 model I believe.

I do not believe it is bad rings, bad piston or head gasket because it seems that it would smoke a lot and this is not the case. This tractor has been a workhorse for me and has never given me any problem.

Any ideas anyone?

Thank you!

 

[pmsmechanic]

Is the tractor getting harder to start with time?

 

[Apollowalker]

Not really - when it is very cold in the winter and I have not had it plugged in (block heater) it is hard to start. But in comfortable temperatures it fires right up.

 

[pmsmechanic]

Ok so that rules out worn rings. The only other thing that I can come up with is that there might be something plugged or wrong with the baffles in the valve cover that separate the oil from the air coming out of the breather tube.

 

[Apollowalker]

Thanks pmdmechanic!. I think you are right base on other things I have read. I took the oil fill spout riser tube off and it looked down to see if I could see a clog. The breather tube looks like it goes into the oil spout tube but they are just part of the same casting. The breather tube takes a 90 degree turn into the valve cover where the oil fill spout riser tube bolts on. I did not want to take the valve cover off because I did not have a replacement gasket but that is my next plan.

Just curious, If the oil breather tube were clogged, why would it be leaking oil out the breather tube? Seems counter intuitive.

Any other ideas are welcome. Thank you!

 

[pmsmechanic]

Thanks pmdmechanic!. I think you are right base on other things I have read. I took the oil fill spout riser tube off and it looked down to see if I could see a clog. The breather tube looks like it goes into the oil spout tube but they are just part of the same casting. The breather tube takes a 90 degree turn into the valve cover where the oil fill spout riser tube bolts on. I did not want to take the valve cover off because I did not have a replacement gasket but that is my next plan.

Just curious, If the oil breather tube were clogged, why would it be leaking oil out the breather tube? Seems counter intuitive.

Any other ideas are welcome. Thank you!

I was thinking that it would be the baffles inside the valve cover that would be clogged. The breather tube might have some steel wool or equivalent inside to keep the insects out. I'm kind of out of ideas for now!

 

[Raw Dodge]

You can have excessive blow by and still have decent cold starting. Our 1910 was huffing pretty good out the breather, actually blowing oil mist onto the ground...but cold started great, it was a scuffed piston skirt on one cylinder, which caused the rings to not seal, the others were fine and it fired immediately, and on all 3 cylinders. .with the amount of oil he's pushing this is more than a blocked breather tube...I'd look over the intake system real good for holes between the intake manifold and air filter. ..even a small spot that rubbed thru will draw in enough dirt to quickly eat the rings enough to cause this kind of wear.