Weirdy Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I had a great weekend, apart from 'Minty' at top rev's spewing oil out through what I thought was the water pressure release bottle. IE the two pressure hoses that come off of the top of the engine to the bottle at the front with the release holes, only water has come from thier till now. Of course the bottle has release holes in the top, so oil has covered the nice shiny looking engine and sprayed the windscreen. Upon further inspection the Oil and Water levels where low and I topped them up, she seems fine now apart from an oily mess which I am continuing to find coated on everything. My question is this, I thought that was a water release chamber, not oil, and If I am correct what have I broken? The only time oil and water mix as far as I remember is if a gaskit seal has gone. Any thoughts? Weirdy One Happy SV VHPD speeding Monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Barbie Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 I'm not 100% from your description but that sounds like oil in your catch tank to me. It's not a real concern as the oil will find its own level and spit excess into the catch tank. If you are dry-sumped, you'd have a pipe from the top of the oil tower on the gearbox to the catch tank ?? The catch tank will end up spitting fumes/specks of oil, it needs to be vented to ground and decently sealed, I replaced mine with something much better than Caterham's washer bottle cheap crap. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdy Posted June 9, 2003 Author Share Posted June 9, 2003 You know that sounds about right, I assumed it was water, DOH, but one thing I have learned is thier are very few experts on the VHPD, the fact that over 60 people read the question and only one replied I think shows my point, we se7eners are not with out a few opinions on matters lets face it :-) So panic over, oil topped up, water checked and the Sun is out, time to scare the locals in thier Essexed up Saxos again. cheers Weirdy One Happy SV VHPD speeding Monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Is it a wet-sumped VHPD, as Count suspects? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tight fart Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 On my VHPD the bottle at the front is water (expansion tank), the bottle on the bulkhead is the oil catchtank. Are you sure it's not antifreeze, that can feel quite oily. SLR for sale T.F@O.F. www.griptv.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul McKenzie Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 Head gasket's gone Paul Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
New Barbie Posted June 9, 2003 Share Posted June 9, 2003 If we are talking about the coolant expansion tank mounted high and directly in front of the engine then it's a different story. If you have oil in there, I'd say Paul is correct and you have a head gasket failure - assuming it's definitely oil contamination. What is the state of the oil cap, are there any signs of oil/water mixture (like mayonnaise) under the cap ? shrewdcookie - my site Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdy Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 Having had a look over the engine, I am confident its the Oil catch bottle, my lack of understanding of the VHPD is something I am going to rectify even if it kills me, it is I beleve wet sumped, Oil capacity is 7.5 litres. to clarify the point, its the two hoses that come from the head of the engine next to the oil inlet, they go to a bottle on the side of the bulkhead, nowhere near the water header, ( I actually know where that is ) 😬 it had been filling up bit by bit over the last few weeks, I do drive in the 5k to 7750 rpm range most of the time, (hey its designed to do that right?) and I have noticed when I hit the limiter occasionlly that water comes from the engine and sprays the windscreen, Obvioulsy when I was in erm max trajectory at almost max rev's and oil was sprayed I was a bit worried, (although its not the first time I have gone to the max). Needless to say all your comments and thoughts have helped again, so thank you one and all I reckon I will need a new engine before I hit 10k miles just through no knowing how to do stuff and what things are, but hey..... Weirdy One Happy SV VHPD speeding Monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdy Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 No mayo under the cap, no water contamination, *PHEW* all I have is a dirty oily engine to clean thanks again chaps.... Weirdy One Happy SV VHPD speeding Monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Arrf. You have a wet sump VHPD with an Apollo tank if it takes 7.5 litres of oil. The water on the windscreen usually comes from the washer jets at high speed. You should keep the catch tank empty otherwise oil will tend to get everywhere. With the wet sump, there is no way to avoid oil coming out of the breather occasionally and it is no indicator of oil level (unlike dry sump), so keep doing what you have been doing and check the level regularly and keep it topped up. Also keep an eye on your oil temperatures and back off if it gets above 110 on the gauge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdy Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 The Oil temp lives at 105/110 and when it hits the top mark 110 I switch the heater on, especially in traffic. But I reckon thats cos I thrash it constantly once shes warmed up :-) Weirdy One Happy SV VHPD speeding Monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Its because the wet sump allows far too much crank windage. You might want to consider a Laminove oil/water heat exchanger (from Think Automotive) which is an easy fit if you already have an Apollo tank. You should also pay very close attention to the oil level. Best practice is... Run engine until oil is warm. Leave idling for 2 minutes. While still running. Dip using a sharp action to get a clean measurement. You can shutdown first as long as you dip immediately, but if you leave it for 30 seconds the oil drains from the head raising the oil level. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Switching the heater on will do "Bugger all " to affect oil temperature. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdy Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 Peter thats good advice but I fear I lack the quick dip experiance to get it right. I now monitor the oil pressure after a quick run then decide to dip or not...... if she's dropping pressure after five minutes she needs dipping if she doesn't I go for a blatt and then dip when at idle after a garage stop and shes stood for a few minutes before restarting and dipping. this seems to werk well, after all the troubles I have with the few minutes warm up and dipping not being accurate at all So if I had her dry sumped it woild solve alot of troubles I am having? would it make it easier to measure oil levels, or just make it clearer when it over dumps to the bottle? So many questions and I am just warming up Weirdy One Happy SV VHPD speeding Monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Peter Carmichael Posted June 10, 2003 Share Posted June 10, 2003 Dry sumping is a very good thing. It will solve the oil temperature problems and [whisper mode] you will get all the power back that is currently heating your oil [/whisper mode]. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdy Posted June 10, 2003 Author Share Posted June 10, 2003 So the question is when to Dry sump :-) and how much does it cost...... Hyperion are my Local Caterham Heros, So I am spoilt a bit, but would this need to be done By Caterham? Weirdy One Happy SV VHPD speeding Monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Weirdy Posted June 11, 2003 Author Share Posted June 11, 2003 Well the problems have resolved themselves, thankfully. Thanks for all your comments, yes I know the heater will not cool the oil, but it will keep the engine cooling system cooler and stop it from getting hotter as the water system starts to boil. I have rechecked all the levels and went for a blatt last night, and although I don't notice the accelaration anymore, the wife reckons it was fine The oil catch bottle has been emptied and the whole water system checked for levels. She is now runnong at 90 on the water and 100 on the oil whne I give it some thrash. Huzzah the VHPD is good natured when abused. Thanks again one and all, I think Dry sumping will have to wait, I don't have 2250 notes spare, but its worth considering for the future I suppose. Weirdy One Happy SV VHPD speeding Monster Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now