What did you do to your Lotus today...

[h20hamelan]

do people incorporate a crank vent to the cam vent, all going to a catch-can?

[mbell]

Only if you have an over pressurised sump. Rings?

Or too restrictive crankcase breather, or possibly too high oil level, or badly fitting dip stick.

[MrBonus]

"Not uncommon for oil to be pushed out of the dip stick pipe."

Only if you have an over pressurised sump. Rings?

My first thought was blowby but I’m not seeing any noticeable oil loss and the dipstick itself doesn’t seem to have moved nor do I see oil on the tube.

It’s just a drop or two so nothing crazy but will keep an eye on it.

[SENC]

Only if you have an over pressurised sump. Rings?

Or too restrictive crankcase breather, or possibly too high oil level, or badly fitting dip stick.

Yes, all of these - an old spark plug boot slipped over the stick (and over the tube on insertion) solves the problem - or eliminates this as a cause.

[MrBonus]

Only if you have an over pressurised sump. Rings?

Or too restrictive crankcase breather, or possibly too high oil level, or badly fitting dip stick.

You nailed it on the crankcase breather. I had taken it out to inspect about a month ago and jammed it in too far. Adjusted it slightly and took it for a spin. No more pair of drops on the floor.

[The Veg]

Has anyone had an oil pan gasket fail? I’m noticing a decent but not terrible oil leak and it seems to be coming from somewhere near the alternator bracket with some oil buildup on where the sump meets the block.

It may just be my cam cover gasket taking the long road down but it’s so hard to tell where it’s coming from and I’m at a loss.

If it makes you feel any better, my oil fill cap is leaking enough to make it look like everything on the side of the engine is failing to hold oil.

[baileyman]

...my oil fill cap is leaking enough to make it look like everything on the side of the engine is failing to hold oil.

That's what mine was doing until I made a little splash baffle to go under the fill cap opening. Somewhere on this site is a good pic of someone's design. It has four holes, two for the cover studs and two to sit on the rearmost cam studs, aluminum spans the space between and there are a couple slits to allow cam cover ribs to pass through. It just lays there. Dang thing works brilliantly.

I speculate that the standard cap leaks gasses all the time under a little pressure, and when the oil splashes up there it seals the exits, and then the pressure builds and the gasses squirt the oil out, too. But I do not know for sure.

Meanwhile, to keep with the thread here, today I widened my throttle pedal just enough to help blipping but not enough to tangle with braking. And i adjusted my radiator ducting, made of 1/8" coroplast. And I replaced an intermittent hydraulic brake light switch. The car is doing yeoman's work keeping me out of viral trouble by keeping me in the garage.

John

[h20hamelan]

Why would some elans need this and others not?

How brittle is your filler cap ring?

[StressCraxx]

In addition to the oil cap gasket leaking, one seldom noted leak is from the rear cam bore plug on exhaust side. The rubber hardens and the accumulated oil starts to weep past the plug. The oil accumulates in that area too.

[pharriso]

...my oil fill cap is leaking enough to make it look like everything on the side of the engine is failing to hold oil.

That's what mine was doing until I made a little splash baffle to go under the fill cap opening. Somewhere on this site is a good pic of someone's design. It has four holes, two for the cover studs and two to sit on the rearmost cam studs, aluminum spans the space between and there are a couple slits to allow cam cover ribs to pass through. It just lays there. Dang thing works brilliantly.

I speculate that the standard cap leaks gasses all the time under a little pressure, and when the oil splashes up there it seals the exits, and then the pressure builds and the gasses squirt the oil out, too. But I do not know for sure.

John

I've searched for this item & can't find it, if anyone can point me to this I'd appreciate it. My engine is pretty leak tight now apart from the oil filler cap.

[ncm]

Here you go :- viewtopic.php?t=21138&p=124741

Brian.

[pharriso]

Here you go :- viewtopic.php?t=21138&p=124741

Brian.

Thanks Brian, also found that Google's search tool is better than the inbuilt search tool!

https://www.google.com/search?q=lotus+twin+cam+oil+splash+shield also finds https://lotuselan.net/forums/viewtopic.php?f=39&t=39325&start=

Now where did I put that Ali sheet & tin snips....

[MrBonus]

Has anyone had an oil pan gasket fail? I’m noticing a decent but not terrible oil leak and it seems to be coming from somewhere near the alternator bracket with some oil buildup on where the sump meets the block.

It may just be my cam cover gasket taking the long road down but it’s so hard to tell where it’s coming from and I’m at a loss.

If it makes you feel any better, my oil fill cap is leaking enough to make it look like everything on the side of the engine is failing to hold oil.

I had my oil fill cap fail on me early on. A new one from RDent and it never leaked again, just the occasional drip from one of the bolts on the cam cover.

[Hawksfield]

Hi All
Repared my choke cable today as it finally jammed and the cable fixing,s on the Webers were missing strands.
Removed the cable in total and luckily I had some cable recovered from a lawn mower. Cut a replacement length soldered the ends, to fix the cable in the knob I cut old cable flush with end of the rod and filed it flat. This enabled me pop and drill into the rod, soldered in the cable job complete another Covid job removed from the list.

[tedtaylor]

took advantage of the global warming and took a cruise in the Sprint this afternoon around the Delaware Bay area.