Tach Cable Oil Leak?

[old1500]

Vent tube clear all way through the valve cover. I just did it the old fashion way (having siphoned plenty of gas in my time). I simply cleaned the end of the vent pipe and blew. I blew-up a good breath and it abruptly stopped, like blowing into a milk jug. I loosened the oil filler cap and can suck and blow clean through. It does seem to me that the cavity filled-up rather quickly, and I would suspect the passage from the head down to the crankcase may be plugged, but the top-end is getting oil and it is not building up. The oil is getting back down to the pan, so I assume the air is also.

My dipstick shows as much as....maybe a quart over full and that could be aggravating the problem. The spec. I read on this engine says it takes 4.5 quarts and that's what I put in.

JC...how much are you using at changes?

I really can't tell if I am getting diesel into the oil, but the injector pump is sealed-off...we have already pretty much proved that. The only other way would seem to be blow-by.

 

[JC-jetro]

Vent tube clear all way through the valve cover. I just did it the old fashion way (having siphoned plenty of gas in my time). I simply cleaned the end of the vent pipe and blew. I blew-up a good breath and it abruptly stopped, like blowing into a milk jug. I loosened the oil filler cap and can suck and blow clean through. It does seem to me that the cavity filled-up rather quickly, and I would suspect the passage from the head down to the crankcase may be plugged, but the top-end is getting oil and it is not building up. The oil is getting back down to the pan, so I assume the air is also.

My dipstick shows as much as....maybe a quart over full and that could be aggravating the problem. The spec. I read on this engine says it takes 4.5 quarts and that's what I put in.

May be you can a washer with the outer dia same as inner dia of the tube with the hole in the middle for the cable. That might be just enough to keep the oil from coming up.. may be.

JC...how much are you using at changes?

I really can't tell if I am getting diesel into the oil, but the injector pump is sealed-off...we have already pretty much proved that. The only other way would seem to be blow-by.

It is so funny old:laughing::laughing:. I just could not bring myself to suggest the way you checked it out I just did exactly as you did originally....of course when only when nobody was watching

I usually put one 4 quarts in with a filter change, run the engine for a minute, go back to do clean up and come back to top it off with the 5th quart bottle. I know it takes about a 1/3 of qrt to get the level to the middle of dip stick. I'll go to my place on Friday, I can take the cable off and take a peek on both end, I just wondered how they keep the cable centered, may be thee is a washer or some oil slinger seal. if the oil level is too high then you'll have oil coming out of tube when you remove the tach cable. When I opened mine nothing came out.

I wondered if a guy could put a washer with the outer dia same as inner dia of the pipe and middle hole for the tach cable, that might be enough to dam the oil and keeping it from creeping up.


JC,

 

[old1500]

Before I opened this thread...I actually made a rubber washer to (tightly) fit inside the connector with a hole in the middle for the cable. It SLOWED DOWN the leak, but did not stop it altogether.

I am going to drain some oil out down to below the full mark on by dipstick. I know I have a little too much oil in there....I don't know how, but I do. Maybe I had a "senior moment" when I changed it. If it fills back up, I'll know that I have to be getting fuel or hydraulic oil in there somehow. Could it be a seal in the hydraulic pump?

 

[JC-jetro]

Before I opened this thread...I actually made a rubber washer to (tightly) fit inside the connector with a hole in the middle for the cable. It SLOWED DOWN the leak, but did not stop it altogether.

I am going to drain some oil out down to below the full mark on by dipstick. I know I have a little too much oil in there....I don't know how, but I do. Maybe I had a "senior moment" when I changed it. If it fills back up, I'll know that I have to be getting fuel or hydraulic oil in there somehow. Could it be a seal in the hydraulic pump?

Hmm, we're thinking the same on the washer thing. When I had issue with my pump prior to overhaul appeared that the pump shaft seal failure sucked air in causing disruption of pump activity. Now ,if the shaft seal is totally blown you'll for sure have hyd oil in timing cover and then to crankcase area. But if that were the case then you'd have lift issues. I don't suspect it is your pump. Why don't you transfer a mark on the transmission body where your oil level is after checking the dip stick. Either eye ball it or use a water level (clear tubing and with water in it to see how that mark relates to pipe where the tach pipe is. That'll show you if you are below or above it. Do you get oil coming out when you remove the tach cable for inspection. Of course,
you're not operating always in perfectly flat areas and bump here an there, up and down can slosh the oil around. We eliminated positive pressure in the crankcase pushing the oil up. I wondered if the cable itself wicks the oil up:confused2:

JC,

I'll look at mine to see if I get a clue.

 

[old1500]

No hydraulic or lift issues at all. I did just complete a changing of the hydro-fluid and a filter screen cleaning, but the level on the transmission dipstick still shows to be about where I had it after I changed it. I have bush-hogged with it several times over the past few days and the lift works perfectly.

No oil "drains" out of that connection where the tach-cable attaches to the fitting when I remove it...only what has been pulled-pushed up to the connector. I have not simply ran it with the tack cable disconnected...I my try that to see if anything drips with the cable out.

 

[old1500]

I may as well go ahead and bite this bullet. I have crankcase pressurization and we all pretty much know that that means. The vent tube only blows...it doesn't suck.

I am gaining oil and it is not hydraulic fluid. The injector pump is not lubricated by the engine oil, so that's out. I drained some oil out down to between the add/full marks on the dipstick and put around 30-minutes run-time on the tractor, resulting in the continued leak from the tach connection...just like before.

I am going to run it around a few more hours and see how fast I am gaining oil, but I think I am headed for an engine tear-down. I think it's simply blow-by from worn rigs or a broken ring, etc. Maybe just plain normal engine top-end wear. I plan to just change the oil at frequent intervals to prevent any bearing damage and maybe all I will have to do is tap out the pistons and do a ring job....hopefully find one broken.

Unless somebody has some other "miracle cure" for blow-by....I think that's my only choice.

 

[JC-jetro]

I may as well go ahead and bite this bullet. I have crankcase pressurization and we all pretty much know that that means. The vent tube only blows...it doesn't suck.

I am gaining oil and it is not hydraulic fluid. The injector pump is not lubricated by the engine oil, so that's out. I drained some oil out down to between the add/full marks on the dipstick and put around 30-minutes run-time on the tractor, resulting in the continued leak from the tach connection...just like before.

I am going to run it around a few more hours and see how fast I am gaining oil, but I think I am headed for an engine tear-down. I think it's simply blow-by from worn rigs or a broken ring, etc. Maybe just plain normal engine top-end wear. I plan to just change the oil at frequent intervals to prevent any bearing damage and maybe all I will have to do is tap out the pistons and do a ring job....hopefully find one broken.

Unless somebody has some other "miracle cure" for blow-by....I think that's my only choice.

Old,
I went to my place today and took a look, I took the cable off and as you know the cable is keyed and mates with a fitting inside the pipe. Could not take a fitting out, it appears the device has an oil slinger of some sort. I do not get any oil coming out, my oil level was actually a bit (1/8") than the middle and that oil level is at least several inches below the tach pipe. No way by gravity the oil is going up. You might be right on the blow by. you might do a compression check thru glow plug connection.


JC,

 

[old1500]

Yep...that's what mine looks like too and I don' think a man could get enough oil in the motor to bring it up high enough to simply "run" out of that port. It's got to be case pressure. I have not had the oil analyzed, but I think it would be a waste of time. I obviously am getting some diesel in it from somewhere and I think the somewhere is past one or both cylinders.

The thing cranks right up and runs like a champ. No smoke of any color while running.

I have dropped the pan and bumped many-a-piston out the top of small block Chevy's and such, this does not look to be any more complicated. I will just make frequent oil changes until I feel like doing that.

A compression check would tell me about the condition of the cylinders, but to get to the bad one...you have to get to both anyway.

 

[old1500]

Does anybody have any ideas about the possibility of stuck rings? Is there a fuel additive I could try just for giggles?

This tractor was well used before the guy that I got it from got it. It has been used only during yard-mowing season for the past 2-years to pull a finish-mower. It just sat-up for most of the year. I suppose a far reach may be stuck rings.

Just straw-grabbing before I start slinging wrenches and pulling heads and such.

 

[old1500]

I think I have a snafu in my gauge, because it will not hold pressure and the best I could do was watch the needle bounce. On both cylinders through the heater openings...I have the needle bumping up against 200. Like, swinging from 185 to 210. Is there anyway that someone could offer an opinion on the validity of this compression test?

I must have a bad valve in my compression testing gauge....won't hold.