PCV Problem

I was running my car under boost (About 20psi which i have been informed is too much for a stock engine) at full throttle and the PCV disconnected which caused my dipstick to pop out of place and blow oil all over the drivers side of the engine. There was ton of steam rising from the engine bay and smoke coming from the rear of the car (seen from rearview mirror.) Both were just from the oil burning off the engine right? There was no way of telling if any smoke was coming out of the tailpipe, I dont think it was though.

As i was braking to get off the highway i noticed there was no power steering. I have no idea how this is related if it even is (maybe something with the hard braking?) I'm only 17 and have no true knowledge of cars yet but I'm almost positive the pcv's my problem. Just looking for a little reassurance for the turbo coupe pro's! [Image: biggrin.gif]

I was running my car under boost (About 20psi which i have been informed is too much for a stock engine) at full throttle and the PCV disconnected which caused my dipstick to pop out of place and blow oil all over the

Not quite but you're on the right track. The PCV blew out because the big hose the the PCV fits into (on the bottom) gets old and sloppy and when the boost blew through it it probably forced it out. You have two problems both of which should be easy to fix.
1. test the old PCV by holding it straight up and down, big end down. Try to blow through the small end. If ANY air can be blown through it, it is bad. If it is not a Ford valve to begin with it is probably bad and even if it is the correct Ford valve, it can go bad with age. Assuming it is bad replace ONLY with the Ford part: Ford P/N: E5ZZ-6A666-A, The Motorcraft box will also have EV-127-A on it

It was most likely the boost that got by the PCV valve that built up pressure in the crankcase and caused the dipstick to blow out and the oil to follow it. This is a classic sign of bad PCV. When you get a new valve, also get a heater hose clamp of the right size and clamp it into the bottom hose.

Check your coolant but I doubt that you lost any. You should check your oil level if you haven't already done so. I'm guessing that spraying oil got on the accessory belt and temporarly limited the power steering.

20 psi is past the range of efficiency for the IHI Turbocharger. I would recommend you turn it back to 17-18, if you are running prem fuel. Cut it back further if not, especially when the weather warms

[This message has been edited by Pete D (edited 03-28-2005).]

I drove to school today after checking the PCV and the hoses they were all fine but in the parking lot it would not stay running, which is telling me its still got vacuum issues Right? I get it started and running but i'm burning oil like crazy out of the exhaust and there is white smoke coming from the back of the engine just the same. NOTHING is leaking. I really dont know where to start on this. Did i drop a cyclinder, break a ring, the engine still runs strong but very hot. The PCV has been replaced as of 3:00PM today. Another thing is that The turbo is not active during engine load.(usually under light acceleration will spool maybe 2-3 psi i have noticed) Could that be the source of my Prob?

Thanks for the tips lately they've really got me learning and wanting to know more about this car! [Image: smile.gif]

The turbo is not active during engine load.(usually under light acceleration will spool maybe 2-3 psi i have noticed) Could that be the source of my Prob?

Take the short inlet tube off the compressor inlet and check the compressor wheel. Try to move the shaft back and forth and from side to side. Do the wheel blades touch the housing at any point? Are there any signs the the tips of the blades have touched the housing.There should be slmost no back and forth movement and almost no side to side. How much oil is in the compressor housing or the black tube from the VAM (near the air filter) Any oil in the intercooler?

In that intake hose off the VAM there were a few ridges filled with oil and out of the intercooler a small puddle poured out. The inlet of the turbo has a little bit of oil near the lip but none further back near the compressor wheel. I spun the wheel and it was very free but I couldn't get a hold of it to check for play. An aftermarket boost gauge was included with the car so I connected it to the vacuum tree where the stock one was. As I revved the engine turbo vacuum increased...is that normal? My biggest concern is the car is idling very rough at 1,000 rpms exactly and when revved theres white smoke coming from the back of the turbo by all of the exhaust. The amount of smoke depends on how high you rev. The car hasn't been driven in almost 2 days so not sure if theres boost. By the way the vacuum gauge showed 14 in. hg. vacuum at idle.

One last thing is I was wondering where the engine temp. sending unit is so I can get my gauge in the cluster working. Thanks

[This message has been edited by brizzle88tc (edited 03-30-2005).]

14in/hg sounds a little low. check vacuum hoses if they are hard or cracked, replace them.
make sure the turbo to IC hose is on good and not folded over, that thing can be a PITA to get it on right.
its possible if it keeps blowing smoke after a week you may have blown a HG or a turbo seal. its hard to tell at this point. but it could still just be oil all over the place and its burning it off.

check your power stearing fluid. if its low then fill it to the proper level. mine i gotta fill like twice a month because it leaks so much. you'd notice that the stearing starts making a whining noise, that tells you its low.

14" is low. Is the gauge needle steady or does it fluctuate?

Have you smelled the white smoke? Does it smell like oil or does it smell sweet?

It sounds like you might have more oil than normal in the VAM hose, compressor housing and especially the intercooler. You still need to take that metal piece that the VAM hose attaches to, off the compressor inlet so you can actually check for shaft play in the turbo.

The needle on the gauge was steady and only moved when the engine rpms changed. I couldn't get the car to stay running long enough to smell the smoke but from a previous time when it was able to run I'm going to say oil. What if it smelled sweet? I've heard of that before. I took the compressor housing off to grab the wheel and there was no play in the shaft, not back and forth or side to side. I took the intercooler back off and there was oil on the neck just from tinkering around with the car running in neutral.

Sweet smelling, light colored smoke from the exhaust can be a sign of burning antifreeze which means internal problems like blown head gasket or cracked head.

If you are getting oil in the IC neck just from idleing the car, I would guess the turbo seals are shot.

[This message has been edited by Pete D (edited 03-31-2005).]

Theres no coolant disappearing that i know of so I dont really think it's a head gasket. The engine runs fine past 1500 rpms. 1000 and below is really rough, the engine rocks in its mounts when it runs at lower rpms, if it runs at all. I'm going to do a compression test tomorrow. My buddy gave me another IHI and an intercooler so I'll swap those just for the heck of it. Also I'm replacing a majority of the vacuum lines so we'll see what happens. Thanks.