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 How To Avoid Common Causes of Blow-
By and Oil Consumption
January 11, 2019 / by Jeff Smith

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Here are some common causes of blow-by and excessive oil consumption
and how you can avoid them on your next engine build.

The combustion process is never perfect. Even the best street engine never seals all
that combustion pressure. A certain amount of cylinder pressure will always find its
way into the oil pan. Mixed by a spinning crankshaft, combustion by-products churn
with partially vaporized oil in a witch’s brew that, if not properly vented and managed,
can be problematic.

Windage is also involved in any discussion regarding crankcase pressure

since oil is the viscous fluid that we must deal with. It’s the combination of oil
and pressure that creates this windage so we must deal with them together.
Excessive oil consumption causes carbon to build up on the piston's crown
surface. This can affect compression ratio and combustion efficiency.

Have you ever seen a street engine with the dip stick partially pushed out of
its tube? If so, that’s a subtle clue that sufficient pressure has built up in the
engine to force that stick upward enough to unseat it and vent the pressure.
Few street engine builders monitor blow-by and yet it can have a significant
impact on performance. Most deal with it by either installing a PCV valve or
just additional vents. While sufficient vents will alleviate pressure that can
otherwise push gaskets right out of place, all this really amounts to is applying
a band-aid over an arterial wound. The real fix is to address the source of the
problem.

It doesn’t take an aeronautical physicist to know that the majority of any blow-
by issues can be traced to leakage past the rings. But there are several
different paths. Yes, a weak connection between the ring face and the
cylinder wall is a common source, but don’t ignore the possibility that the
pressure is squirting past the back side of either the top or second ring due to
worn ring groove clearances. Rings are designed to fit with very specific
clearances to allow the rings to function properly. Twist is built into both the
top and second rings to allow them to function at their highest efficiency. If the
ring lands are worn or not completely flat, this will reduce sealing efficiency.
The only proper repair for this issue is a new set of pistons.

JE's Pro Seal rings are offered in .005" oversizes to allow builders to tailor ring
gaps to each bore, minimizing blow-by and maximizing ring seal.

Wide ring end gaps are a common source of leakage. This is the reason that
JE offers 0.005-inch oversize rings to allow the engine builder to set custom
end gaps for a performance engine. We should even add oil control rings into
this discussion since choosing low oil ring tension can overload the amount of
oil the second ring must handle and therefore contribute to both excessive oil
consumption as well as increased blow-by. Standard tension oil rings are the
best choice for a street engine.
The best way to minimize crankcase vapor pressure – blow-by – is to seal the
engine as efficiently as possible from cylinder pressure. One way is to
minimize ring end gaps by custom setting the end gaps on the top two rings to
fit the way the engine will be run. Supercharged or nitroused engines require a
wider top ring end gap compared to a normally aspirated engines.

There is increasing information out there on the advantages of what used to

be called plateau honing technique. This process essentially removes the
peaks of a standard honing procedure which creates a slightly smoother
upper portion of the honing marks while leaving the valleys that retain the oil
that lubricate both the piston and rings. This process is more difficult and time
consuming to produce but the result is well worth the effort since it produces a
finer honing pattern that improves ring seal and stabilizes oil consumption.

Another classic approach to reducing windage is to control the amount of oil

whipped around the crankshaft as it spins. There are catalogs full of oil pans,
windage trays, scrapers, and other devices that can contribute. We’ll look at
just a few simple ideas that may help reduce this windage issue.
Over filling an engine's crankcase can cause a loss of oil control and major
increase in oil consumption when the oil- and second-rings become
overworked and begin to let oil into the combustion chamber.

The easiest and least expensive way to minimize windage is to avoid over-
filling a wet sump engine with oil. This may sound simple, but we’ve seen this
happen many times. In a situation that recently occurred at Westech
Performance, dyno operator Steve Brule’ witnessed a significant dip in oil
pressure above 5,000 rpm on a 600 hp 468ci big-block Chevy. The owner had
inadvertently over-filled the engine by two quarts of oil in the deep-sump pan
–adding 9 quarts in an advertised 8-quart pan.

Steve first tested this oil pressure problem by adding a half quart (to be safe)
and recorded an even greater pressure drop. He eventually drained 2 ½
quarts of oil from the engine and not only did the oil pressure stabilize, but the
power improved by a solid 20 hp as well. This reveals just how much
horsepower can be lost to oil whipping around the crankshaft at high engine
speeds.
Oil control is critical to preventing excessive oil consumption. A high-quality
oil pan should be considered mandatory for any high performance build.

Not all windage issues will be that simple, but often just using a high-quality
synthetic oil will improve the oil’s high temperature stability and reduce the
amount of vapor created in the crankcase. It’s a small point but worthy of
consideration.

Another simple addition that will reduce the amount of crankcase pressure at
part throttle for street engines is a properly functioning PCV valve. A company
called M/E Wagner has produced a highly functional adjustable billet PCV
valve that allows the user to custom tailor the amount of crankcase vapor
pulled from the engine. It is a two-stage valve that offers tuning advantages
that were previously not achievable with stock valves.
M/E Wagner builds this nicely-machined billet PCV valve that is also fully
adjustable. There are actually two separate circuits for idle and part-throttle
where the volume of crankcase pressure pulled is fully adjustable.

This valve works so well that it is often accompanied with a catch can or a
vapor separator system. These simple devices work to separate liquid oil from
the crankcase vapor to minimize the volume of oil pulled into the intake
manifold through the PCV valve. This can be an issue with the adjustable
PCV valve as it performs far superior to common PCV valves that often do
very little.
Vapor separators help keep oil mist from entering the intake in a PCV system.

Vapor separators are an excellent idea for many street power plants –
especially LS engines which have difficulty managing crankcase vapors. Early
evidence of this was LS intake manifold runners and plenums coated in
engine oil. Many enthusiasts thought the oil came from poor factory cylinder
wall prep but the truth is that poor baffling of the crankcase vapors and higher
crankcase pressure from the compartmentalized engine block caused most of
these early oil control issues.

While a crude catch can be fabricated out of your favorite aluminum beverage
can, the better systems use some type of internal baffle to allow the can to
cool the hot incoming vapor, separating the liquid oil vapor into a separate
reservoir that can later be drained.
 A worn cylinder bore is probably the
biggest contributor to oil consumption and blow-by. However, it is equally
important to begin any build/rebuild with proper cylinder wall preparation. Bore
dimension and surface finish are vital to a healthy and long-lasting engine.

Another popular technique to reduce windage is to increase the volume of the

crankcase with a deeper oil pan. Competition engines will often use a very
large oil pan to move the oil away from the spinning crank as far as possible.
Often this is not possible for street cars due to low ground clearance issues,
but a wider pan can contribute to improved oil control while containing a
sufficient volume of oil that is far enough away from the crank to reduce
windage.

If you are planning a new engine, consider the advantages of using a

standard pressure and volume oil pump. If the oil clearances in the engine are
set properly, a standard pressure and volume pump will deliver more than
sufficient oil pressure. Adding a larger high-volume pump often results in the
pump merely by-passing more oil which only increases oil temperature
because most oil pumps internally re-circulate the oil rather than dumping it
back in the pan. Either way, this is wasted effort.
If your street engine tends to pull too much oil through the PCV valve or the
valve cover breathers are constantly wet, check to ensure the valve covers are
equipped with vapor separators like these. If the valve covers are not equipped
with these separators, the PCV will pull way too much oil into the intake.

Another idea that works extremely well is a vacuum pump that runs off the
accessory drive. The pump is connected to the crankcase through a baffled
connection with the rest of the engine sealed. This creates low pressure
inside the engine. Drag racers use these vacuum pumps to free up
horsepower otherwise expended to push the pressure around inside the
crankcase. It’s not uncommon to see 8-10 hp gains from a simple vacuum
pump. A further advantage is vacuum pumps do a wonderful job of virtually
eliminating engine oil leaks. The disadvantage is their high initial cost.

If you are considering investing in a vacuum pump system, keep in mind the
crankcase will now need to be completely sealed. This will also require a
dedicated sealed inlet to allow you to add oil to the engine easily. Several
companies also offer a spring-loaded vacuum relief valve that can be pre-set
to a given vacuum level.
A healthy PCV system, properly gapped rings, and recommended piston to
wall clearance will help keep your pistons and combustion chambers clean.

Despite many of these gadgets that are often can be as much prestige bling
items as functional, the best way to control crankcase pressure and vapors is
to minimize the leakage past the rings. That will do more to improve
performance and operate with a cleaner engine than anything else you can
do.

Topics: FEATURED, PISTONS 101,ENGINE TECH, TECH

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Written by Jeff Smith

eddie petrocelli

29/1/2018, 3:52:24 μ.μ.

my 454 if it sits for a week my dip stick will get condensation on it keep in
heated garage

Reply to eddie petrocelli

Tom Dadian

26/7/2018, 12:52:29 π.μ.

Nice article. I have a 2011 BMW 535i. The crankcase pressure, regulated by
the PCV, runs between 0 and -.5 psi as measured with a manometer; most of
the time the pressure is sitting closer to -.3 to -.4 psi when driving on the
highway. Rarely does it go to zero.
I checked the line from the PCV leading to the inlet air duct that is before the
Turbo and found that there is virtually no blow-by oil in the line. Do you know
what this means? I can't believe my engine does produce any blow-by or is it
all going into the intake manifold?
The reason why I did these measurements is because I was trying to see
what would happen if I eliminated the line/s that go from the PCV to the intake
manifold so I would not get Carbon buildup on the intake valves.
If I could do this successfully, I would just put a catch can on the line that
dumps into the intake duct before the Turbo and let all the oil/gases settle
there.
My second question is; Why should I allow the PCV to dump crankcase
oil/gases into the intake manifold directly on the hot valves, is this needed?
This engine has direct injection into the cylinder therefore the valves do not
get cleaned by the incoming fuel; therefore carbon buildup on the valves. This
carbon has to be blasted off with walnut shells..expensive.

I hope I did not confuse you.

Any input you could provide would be appreciated.

Thank you, Tom

Reply to Tom Dadian

Gregory Borzewski

2/2/2019, 5:08:31 π.μ.

What is the proper piston ring positions to set them at around the piston. 180
Degrees, 90 degrees the oil rings position at. Never read anything about
piston ring positions.????

Reply to Gregory Borzewski

Jeff Clay

21/3/2019, 1:42:18 π.μ.

S&S pistons just had my engine cylinders rebored 3.508.5 the rings was past
max gap book called for 17th -22th ring gap. New ring gap was .028th I used
them long story short I ended up with blowby Piston is 3.505 , I honed the
cylinders with a flex hone it is at 3.508.1 I have .003 clearance piston to wall .
but the new set of rings are as bad as the first set , can I get 20th oversize
rings 3.518.0 and file them down to .019th ring gap will they work ?? used a
bore check top center bottom in 4 places + my number match with in a few
10ths of a thousand 000.5 000.2 the main number is 3.508. 2 , some odd
reason the rings gap is way past what the book is calling for . pre cut rings
max of 22th but are over 28th , 2 sets of rings sent back to the seller . Thanks
for any help , I have been told yes , and others say no , the ring will never be
true in the bore At a lose . JC

Reply to Jeff Clay

Evan Perkins

25/3/2019, 5:41:42 μ.μ.

Jeff, please give us a call and speak with a tech, there is a lot going on here
and we want to make sure we give you the most accurate information
possible. 1-800-321-1364

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