Oil catch tank

[pugwash]

Having had a reasonable run yesterday I find I have about 2 cm in my catch tank. It may not have all come from yesterday afternoon and I only really noticed it as a fine dribble of oil started to appear coming out from the side of the bonnet. I currently have the breather pipes all the way to the bottom of the bottle (there are two pipes on the supersport). I guess I have been blowing bubbles through the liquid in the tank and generating a fine oil spray. I will be shortening the pipes to have them just hanging in the catch tank.

 

Question. Would you expect to find this much in the catch tank? Engine is brand new with 900 miles on it. Oil level is still on the top of the dipstick.

 

Regards

 

Mark

 

 

 

[anthonym]

what engine is this?

 

I often end up like a Zebra after hours through the mountains.. prevents rust 😬

[Doug]

How hard are you driving the car? New engines need time for the pistons in particular to bed in and if you're giving it welly when it's not properly run in then you may well get more than usual blow past. Once the pistons are bedded into the bores it should lessen but I suggest you keep an eye on it.

[pugwash]

It's a sigma 1.6.

 

Up to 4000 revs for first 500 miles and now building up with mixed usage of throttle.

 

 

 

 

 

[Doug]

4000 in the first 500 miles is quite high for a normal car. There used to be two schools of thought regarding running in:

 

If you want the engine to last, keep the revs down to 2500 for the first 500 miles, rising to 3500 until 1500 miles. Drain the oil at 500 and 1500 miles and then keep the revs below 4000 until you've done 2000 miles.

 

If you want a nice, free revving engine for competition use, don't go over 3000rpm for the first 500 miles then do as you wish thereafter, changing the oils at 500 and 1500 miles. You'll need to rebuild the engine every 15,000 miles but it will be competitive.

 

Sounds to me as if you're doing the latter and you'll end up with a responsive engine if not the most long lasting 😬. The oil in the catch tank may well be blow back because the pistons haven't bedded into the bores yet.

 

Edited by - Doug on 29 Jul 2012 22:50:55

[diggerman]

Mark,

 

This is totally normal. I have a Sigma 150 now 10000 miles old and it produces at least as much gunk in its catch tank.

 

The contents of the catch tank are nothing to do with piston leakage or similar sinister goings on. It is a mixture of condensation from engine warming and cooling and oil mist from moving parts. In past times these substances were simply vented to the atmosphere, but in these environmentally cleaner times we are required to catch them.

 

Makes you wonder what most do with the catch tank contents, down the drain?

 

Peter

[pugwash]

Thanks all,

 

1000 mile service today and factory says what Peter says. Now I have shortened the breather pipes so I am not running my own mini oil fogging machine under the bonnet, it is as it should be.