Oil leak, crank case breathing and Scat Porsche Style Fan shroud

[bally]

The engine in my bus is a 1776, mild cam (Engle 110?) 044 heads with dual springs and from day 1 it has leaked a little oil - I think from the fan belt pulley.

I have read that this is most likely due to excessive crank case pressure so was looking to improve breathing. The Scat Porsche Fan style kit from VW Heritage (https://www.vwheritage.com/ac11925085-porsche-fan-housing-kit-twin-port-1300-1600cc-vw-spare) blocks off the normal oil filler point and fuel pump area so my filler is a type 3 style filler into the deep sump.

There is therefore nowhere to connect a crank case breather in the 'normal' way. Both rocker covers have a breather port

and these are normally connected to the breather box that came with the kit - I'm told this should provide sufficient breathing for an engine of this spec but doesn't explain why I have an oil leak symptematic of excess crank case pressure.

What are my options for getting better breathing - if I can fit a port then I'll connect it to the breather port on the air filter.

Apologies for the quality of the photos - I'm aware thefan belt has inverted itself but I'm not sure why - it will be replaced.

Many thanks,

Dave

[esde]

My guess: venting the valve covers is not going to make up for eliminating the vent from the top of the case. The issue is possibly exaggerated by the shallow/ poorly cut grooves on some aftermarket crankshaft pulleys.
_________________
modok wrote:
Bent cranks are silent but gather no moss. I mean, ah, something like that.

[modok]

Rarely have I ever seen such a strange combination of parts bolted together.
If there was a contest for that, you win!!

Machine it for a lip seal with the berg tool, and gt a Berg pulley to match.
No more leaks. I don't think the breathing "problem" is worth "fixing", IMO just take the right vent tube, put it in a loop and aim down. Plug the left. Good enough.

[bally]

Thanks for the compliments Modok - it's nice to be in line for a prize!

Is this the tool you refer to?
http://www.geneberg.com/cat.php?cPath=14_403&osCsid=eff454d83c06401db6f5bd3a776c50a2

I'll pull the pulley this weekend and check the grooves. I'd still like to get the case to breath if there is an option - I cannot be the only person on the planet with this fan housing kit?

Thanks, Dave

[modok]

yes. that tool works OK, I have had a few cases done that way.

I take a stock pulley and turn down the diameter to fit the seal. A steel pulley is the way to go. The darn aluminum pulleys are a blight upon us, good for nothing.

[esde]

[bally]

Thanks for your comments.

Berg's website would suggest that unless you are racing in dirt or sand (which I am not) then you should not need a seal and a leak at the pulley should be fixed by rectifying whatever engine problem is causing it:
http://www.geneberg.com/cat.php?cPath=7_228_2835

I do need to check the pulley has adequate oil grooves and it has been suggested that a mild 1776 should not suffer in this way, even without good crank case breathing, but I cannot help but think the lack of breathing and the oil leak are linked... I had considered fitting a breather pipe to the oil filler but as that comes off the deep sump it should be permanently submerged in oil and therefore won't breath so well that way.

I'll remove the shroud tomorrow and see where I can tap the case and route a breather pipe (but I'm still open to suggestions )

Many thanks,

Dave

[modok]

[modok]

[mark tucker]

Ive never had any issues with the cb push/glue in sand seal's.Ive even used just the seal and machined stock pully then add the spacer kit for clearance. so..I would sand seal it with push in/glue in sand seal kit(cb or scat) and vent both valve covers with 1/2" min hose dia.(5/8 wood be better and make sure the fittings have big id) dont vent them to the carbs!!!.

[bally]

[bally]

[modok]

The reason the case vents to the airfilter is to reduce emissions.
it's burns it's own burps, for the sake of smog....or something.
However, burps do not have a good octane rating, and slightly unpredictable, so if you are pushing the limits of that it's an advantage NOT to do that.
In the mid 2000's a lot of the turbo subarus broke ring lands. Why? not sure but, One possibility is the breathers were actually the cause. It was a highly convoluted system, and after all it is difficult case, being a essentially 2.5 litre type1 VW engine......too much engine packed into a small box with very short rods.

You can go really nuts with the breather system, bring it up to modern standards and beyond, however it's just not very exciting. I've been meaning to make a PCV system for years, but never got around to it. Always bigger problems or more interesting things to play with.
The one hose pointed at the ground is working well enough for me, as it did for basically every engine prior to 1966.

Thinking about it more, yeah I was wrong you can't just vent one valve cover. What if you turn left? All the oil will fall out.
Vent the top. You never drive upside-down. Never thought about it

You have a GOL fan....how did the breather on a GOL work? Need to ask our Brazil members.....

[modok]

Or google

[bally]

Good detective work Modok and thanks for the breathing lesson - I'm not after fire breathing performance - just the ability to go up hills at modern highway speeds and not leak oil.

Google is great if you know what you're looking for - I'll do some more research on Gol parts. My fan base looks to be slimmer than that of the Gol - I'm not sure there is room for that oil filler/breather shown - I'll get a better look, and better pictures, tomorrow

Thanks, Dave

[74 Thing]

Add a breather box and maybe tap the case and add another fitting for a vent (lots of guys do it but when the case is apart).

If that does not work measure your pulley and get a bolt in sand seal (Empi, JayCee, and CB have alum pulley with a steel snout sleeve so wear is not an issue). Either that or cut your case and your existing pulley and use a press in sand seal like Glen recommended above.

[Dale M.]

[old gh bug]

I have a similar setup but on a 2110 and I also had crank case pressure problems I thought it was the pulley so I fitted a sand seal but it still didn’t solve the problem. I also vented the fuel pump location . But what i did find that worked was to vent the oil filler, this may work for you.

[Stripped66]

[bally]