Road Racing - LS powered 240z track car, oil spilling out breather

Road racers, I need a little help!

I installed an LS6 in my old z car earlier this year. My first track day I found that under hard right turns the oil would spill out of the breather on the left valve cover. It was a small breather pressed into the stock grommet. My solution was this:

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/240dans/2011-06-09_14-00-42_986.jpg

This is a weld-on kit from Speedway Motors, the tube is about three inches long with a pressed in baffle. Unfortunately the problem was not solved. The next track day the oil spilled out again on hard right handers.

For comparison, I took a look at a friends stock 2005 vette and found the breather nipple on the valve cover is plugged. Is this the case on newer LS engines (no breather)?

run -10 an line to a catch can with a breather should solve the problem

run -10 an line to a catch can with a breather should solve the problem

I could do that but I think I would just have a full catch can every session. I may install a catch can but I need to baffle the valve cover more effectively.

Pull the valve cover and tach a piece of sheet aluminum under the baffle. Leave the 4 sides open, also lower the shift rpm to 5 or 55 hundred rpm.

Also put some steel wool under the breather.

A moroso catch van with breather would be better.

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27030

Pull the valve cover and tach a piece of sheet aluminum under the baffle. Leave the 4 sides open, also lower the shift rpm to 5 or 55 hundred rpm.

Also put some steel wool under the breather.

A moroso catch van with breather would be better.

http://speedtalk.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=27030


Exactly what I was thinking! Just need to be sure I have room inside the cover, the rocker (Yella Terra) is pretty close. I bought some 3M stuff (looks like scotchbrite but has bigger pores). So the plan is to install a baffle plate inside the cover if there's room, put the 3M stuff above the baffle that's already installed in the Speedway tube, and install a catch can.

If there's no room for the baffle plate, I'm going to move the breather to the center of the valve cover. Hopefully that will stop the "right hander effect" of oil sloshing from front to back, hitting the radius on the back of the head, and straight up the breather tube.

I'll just add that in my case rpms are not part of the problem. Straight line acceleration, shifting at 7300 rpm, dyno pulls, etc. have not caused this issue. On the first track day with this engine, it did it on the first lap (smoke coming off the exhaust kind of gave it away).

The lower shift rpm stops so much oil from being pumped up top. My buddy had the same problem on his at Barber, blowing oil all over out of the catch can. Lowered the shift point and it quit.

yea, you definately need a catch can setup - we had the same issues when translplanting the LSmotors into the Panoz cars -- the Moroso does a great job.

I am also thinking of running a line from the petcock valve back to the oil pan -- then, no worries about oil loss (which is probably only a pint after a hard weekend) or blow by.

Don't do the line back to the pan, it Will drop water into the pan.

I pulled the valve cover yesterday, cleaned it, threw it in the oven for 20 minutes (don't tell my wife), and welded in this little baffle. I think it will stop the majority of the oil from blasting straight up the tube. I couldn't believe how much oil was getting past the baffle in the Speedway Motors part. Hopefully this does the trick.

Before:
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/240dans/2011-06-10_19-27-38_798.jpg

After:
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/240dans/2011-06-10_20-00-54_691.jpg

A good start on my catch can:
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/240dans/2011-06-10_21-25-14_939.jpg

Speedway Motors tube baffle:
http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/240dans/2011-06-11_12-33-45_954.jpg

Next track day is a week from today so I'll definitely post the results. I'm hoping to find very little oil in the catch can.

AN stuff showed up today.

http://i656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/240dans/2011-06-15_17-19-40_962.jpg
Done and hopefully fixed, thanks for everyones suggestions

the LS1 heads drain toward the valley with only a very shallow angle, and so the heads readily pool oil under the valve covers under lateral accel. The crankcase vent location at the valve covers will always carry some oil with it since it pools under the vent during certain conditions. The better place to vent the crankcase is from the valley, such as with the LS6 vented/baffled valley cover.

Good idea..is it works good?????

the LS1 heads drain toward the valley with only a very shallow angle, and so the heads readily pool oil under the valve covers under lateral accel. The crankcase vent location at the valve covers will always carry some oil with it since it pools under the vent during certain conditions. The better place to vent the crankcase is from the valley, such as with the LS6 vented/baffled valley cover.

It's an LS6 with AFR heads and a FAST intake. It does have a vent from the valley to the intake (pcv inline). That was my original question - Is it safe to block off the valve cover breather on the left side cover? My friend's '06 C6 has no vent on the left cover. I just figured I'd err on the safe side and allow it to breath from the valley and the covers. The right side cover has walls in it and an internal baffle, my solution there has been to use a scothbrite type material to stop the splash inside the baffle. It's been perfect so far. The left side though is wide open and really needs some help IF you want to let it vent on that side. Is it really necessary? I don't know.

Anyone running the valley breather to a catch can? I haven't checked the intake for oil yet.


Good idea..is it works good?????

We had a little track night on Saturday and it worked fine. I ran it in five 15-20 minute sessions on a very tight and twisty track. I checked the catch can and found about 1/4 quart of oil or less in it. I'm satisfied for now.

Here's a little trackside video my friend took with his phone:

http://s656.photobucket.com/albums/uu283/240dans/?action=view&current=2011-06-18_22-23-28_98-iPhone.mp4

Good lord that must be fun. LS engine in a 240 or Miata (insert google eyes)

Good lord that must be fun. LS engine in a 240 or Miata (insert google eyes)

At Barber in May there was a Miata with an aluminum 5.3 390 to the wheels, it showed a new Gallardo the way around the track for 30 minutes. The in the Gallardo passed me like I was tied down earlier in the day.

Good lord that must be fun. LS engine in a 240 or Miata (insert google eyes)

At Barber in May there was a Miata with an aluminum 5.3 390 to the wheels, it showed a new Gallardo the way around the track for 30 minutes. The in the Gallardo passed me like I was tied down earlier in the day.

Yeah it's a blast all right, over 200hp more to the wheels than my old stroker 6 cylinder. PLUS this one runs on pump gas and gets econo box mileage on the highway, I do mix in some 100 for insurance on track days.


Back on topic, I did find some oil in the tube after the PCV so I'm sure it's getting in the intake. I think I'll need to build a small sealed type catch can in the pcv line too.