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Member
Posts: 16
| Hi, all, I'm still getting familiar with my '56 DeSoto and I'm seeing a pattern that I'm not understanding. I checked the oil when I bought the car and it was full. I drove the car home, under 10 miles, and checked the oil the following day and it was down some but less than a quart. Over the next few weeks, while trying to get it running properly, I checked the oil several times and got varied readings. Finally I got it to run right (condensers matter, among other issues) and checked the oil again -- it was low, so I added over half a quart, and it read full. I then drove it a couple of days and parked it for about a week. When I came back out after leaving it for that time, the oil read high, well over the full mark. I drove it (watching the oil pressure gauge) and checked the oil the next day and it was back around full.
After doing some reading, I thought it might be having trouble draining out of the heads, maybe the drain holes were plugged, so I pulled the driver's side valve cover and found no sludge, no standing oil, and I was able to poke bailing wire all the way down both drain holes without real resistance, down into the block (I got about 2' of it down there before I stopped, having not hit bottom) and the wire came back out clean. So: I'm not storing oil in the valve covers (or at least not the driver's side) but I have about half a quart of oil that's suspended in the engine somewhere that takes days to work its way back down into the pan. Any ideas on where this could be hanging out and how concerned about this I should be? I don't really care if it wants to store oil somewhere other than the pan, but as I get more confident with this car I'd like to take it on longer trips and don't want to run dry while still having 5 quarts somewhere in the motor!! |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 6500
  
Location: Newark, Texas (Fort Worth) | Maybe just check it cold. We have 2 quart range in our C-750 airplanes. the warmer it is, the more you have. check it, drive it, check it the next morning. Yes, keep and eye on the oil psi gauge. Marc. Out. |
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Expert
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Location: Chestertown, NY ( near Lake George) | Could be in the lifter galley for one, also the oil pan may have a layer of sludge in the bottom, skewing your reading, had that issue on my 55. |
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Expert 5K+
Posts: 9670
Location: So. Cal | Make sure you are checking it on a flat, level location. If your car is tilted significantly, it can change the reading alot. |
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Board Moderator & Exner Expert 10K+
Posts: 13049
Location: Southern Sweden - Sturkö island | Old engines are usually to some degree full of sludge. New oil quality will dissolve the sludge, little by little, this will raise the oil level.
If your heads are clean, there's the lifter gallery that might have a lot of sludge and could have partially clogged evacuation holes.
I recommend an engine clean, Rislone work very well. First a 15 minute rinse, new oil, then add the Rislone made for to be left in the engine until next oil change.
Change the filter as it might be clogged very fast.
I had this puzzeling problem with my 60 Chrysler - oil level always rising when using modern oil 20W50. I rinsed out the engine and thereafter had no problems at all. When I changed the timing chain, I could see inside the engine that it was indeed very clean. |
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Veteran
Posts: 101
Location: Palm Beach County Florida | The bailing wire is not enough to check the valve cover oil returns. I used a foot long zip tie. The notches on the zip tie pulled out some sludge. You could also use an old speedometer cable on an electric drill. Now that my oil returns are clean, I do not get that puff of burning oil on a cold start. |
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Member
Posts: 16
| Powerflite - 2023-01-20 5:03 PM
Make sure you are checking it on a flat, level location. If your car is tilted significantly, it can change the reading alot.
Thanks, I am aware of that and factoring it in. The car is parked in the same spot after driving, so the readings are apples to apples. |
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Member
Posts: 16
| Shep - 2023-01-20 2:28 PM
Could be in the lifter galley for one, also the oil pan may have a layer of sludge in the bottom, skewing your reading, had that issue on my 55.
I was wondering if the lifter valley had any known potential drainage issues, or if that was unlikely. The oil pan layer of sludge is more likely than not, but I'm not sure how that would change my readings? I mean, I get how if I added the correct amount of oil during a change I'd be reading high, but to have the level change after sitting for a couple of days?
Thanks for the response regardless! |
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Member
Posts: 16
| wizard - 2023-01-20 5:27 PM
Old engines are usually to some degree full of sludge. New oil quality will dissolve the sludge, little by little, this will raise the oil level.
If your heads are clean, there's the lifter gallery that might have a lot of sludge and could have partially clogged evacuation holes.
I recommend an engine clean, Rislone work very well. First a 15 minute rinse, new oil, then add the Rislone made for to be left in the engine until next oil change.
Change the filter as it might be clogged very fast.
I had this puzzeling problem with my 60 Chrysler - oil level always rising when using modern oil 20W50. I rinsed out the engine and thereafter had no problems at all. When I changed the timing chain, I could see inside the engine that it was indeed very clean.
Thanks, I was wondering if the lifter valley was a possibility. I'm currently running some Seafoam and Marvel Mystery oil in the current batch (I have a couple of lifters that were ticking, now down to one that seems to be getting better) and I expect that will probably cut some of the sludge as well. I will remember your rec on the Rislone and may get into that at some point!! |
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Member
Posts: 16
| JedRhule - 2023-01-20 5:49 PM
The bailing wire is not enough to check the valve cover oil returns. I used a foot long zip tie. The notches on the zip tie pulled out some sludge. You could also use an old speedometer cable on an electric drill. Now that my oil returns are clean, I do not get that puff of burning oil on a cold start.
That's super helpful! I already have valve cover gaskets and valve seals that I've picked up and not yet installed because, yep, I get a puff of smoke on cold starts. When I go in to do the seals (once it gets a bit nicer out, honestly), I'll try both the zip-tie and speedo cable ideas to verify the drains are clear. Thanks for the feedback! |
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Expert
Posts: 3396
Location: Chestertown, NY ( near Lake George) | About the sludge, it can move around in the oil pan. Drain the oil, get a bore scope and look around in there. |
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Hide-and-go-seek with oil?
