fbekholden.com

Harv I dont want to be an alarmist but please dont run it anymore until you definitley find out what the water in the oil cause is. In my time I have seen so many crankshafts and bearings destroyed from engines being run with water contaminated oil. As you could appreciate corrosion is one issue but worse than that is the impact on bearings when the water changes it state to steam when its heavily compressed, particularly on the big ends during combustion. As water by volume expands by approx 1600 to 1, when it turns to steam there isn't much space for it to exit out with respect to the bearing clearance so it actually splays the bearings out when it makes an exit path. I have seen it so bad that the last engine I checked out when I removed the sump I found it full of what looked like aluminium steel wool. And I mean full.
With cylinder pressures on a petrol engine being a lot lower than a diesel you have some leway, but I still wouldn't risk it. I hope it's minimal what you find.

Gotta agree Craig... water in oil can do a lot of damage. I've seen a lot of industrial kit (large pumps and compressors) run with water in oil, often where the oil top-up can was left open to the weather and had water in the bottom. They don't last long, though haven't seen one run down to the disaster-bushes yet (...at least not because of water in oil).

Gave the engine builder a call, and am feeling (slightly) better. Apparently the run-in oil that he uses is green. The run-in oil was drained before I got it, and I refilled with normal honey-coloured Helix engine oil. The slight green colour could be all the run-in oil caught in the various galleries/sump bottom. He acknowledged that the older Chevs are known to leak from the head studs, though was pretty confident that when they do the oil should be milk-shake white (I agree with him... this is the first time I've seen green oil).

Plan now (under his advice) is to change the oil/filter out, then keep a very careful eye on it for a while. Still uneasy, but feels better than yesterday. I reckon this might be the "my engine oil is green and I don't know why" emoticon: . Hoping to soon move to the "my engine oil is green for an acceptable reason" emoticon .

Cheers,
Harv

Harv maybe drop the oil, pressurise the cooling system to 10psi, and leave it overnight with the sump plug out and a clean drain tray underneath. If there's any coolant loss you'll know the next day.

It’s a wonder I didn’t set the wagon on fire. Changing the oil out should have been a ½ hour job… not a full day.

Got a new oil filter ready, and even bought one of those shiny new Ryco oil filter sockets. Dropped the oil out, and found out that my fancy new Chev sump holds 6½ litres… cause my drain pan only holds 6. Cleaned that up, and tried to get the old oil filter off.

Can only get at about 1/3 of the filter circumference. No way was it coming off by hand. Fancy Ryco socket did not fit the fancier Cooper filter. It also laughed at the strap wrench. Something was clearly wrong, as the strap wrench has a 2’ handle. Thought I was turning the wrong way (lefty loosey, righty tighty…. checked a dozen times)… nope, turning it the correct way to remove.

Figured it was desperation time, so punched a screwdriver through the filter (OK, now we are committed). Still wouldn’t turn. Got a bigger screwdriver. No turny either. Got stuck in with a podgy bar, and a wood block. Managed to drop the wood block square between my eyes, and crack myself in the mouth with the podgy bar. Number 1 Son was wise enough to ask if I was OK before laughing, then rapidly departed. Wise boy.

Demolished the filter all the way down to the spin-on ring part. Tried tapping it off with a screwdriver and hammer. Busted the handle out of the screwdriver. By this time I have taught the neighbours kids to swear like a sailor.

Made up a pin wrench with ½” steel rod, and engaged it on the spin-on ring drain holes (see photo below). Bent the ½” rod. Straightened the rod (multiple times) but no turny. Managed to slice my finger open on my marvelous pin wrench metalwork.

Figured it was beyond desperation time, and broke out a cold chisel and 3lb lump hammer. Finally got the damn thing to spin off.

For sale: 1 SBC oil filter, barely used. Looks like the rubber seal had not been given a smear of oil when it was put on. Rubber hadn't vulcanised, but sure did grip the engine block well. Forgot to pressure test the coolant. New filter (with oil-smeared seal), new oil and run up. Oil is still honey coloured... so far.

Cheers,
Harv

You have to admit it's hilarious from anyone else's perspective. I don't usually have a problem smearing the entire engine bay, the shed floor and myself with new and used oil whenever I do a change. The old screwdriver and hammer was the first thing that came to mind when I started reading this. That was the standard way that I learned when I did my first change on my first car the 186 HK Kingswood wagon.
At least you got it off without whiping the donk out. Welding a bar to the base plate would have been your next move or maybe oxy I suppose.


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Bloody hell......... don't you hate those jobs which should be straight forward but very quickly turn to shit?

Got a bit more done on the wagon.

Got the seatbelts bolted up temporarily so that the engineer can see the layout. The belts have to come out again for the carpet to be fitted.

Got the horn working again, courtesy of a loose crimp connection. I bought one of those fancy ratchet crimpers years ago for crimping spade terminals. The crimper worked beautiful over the last few years, though I have found a few of the "red" terminals I did on the wagon are now loose. Perhaps the "red" jaws on the crimper are not tight enough... if you re-moosh the crap out of the red terminals with the multigrips, they tighten up OK. Forgot how much I like the sound of a klaxon (though reckon it won't be to everyone's taste).

Fixed the high beams (another loose terminal ....grrrrrrr )

Fixed the indicators (worked out that if you drop the LED flasher can onto a concrete floor, it shits itself and you have to buy another fancy $30 LED flasher can ). This got the fancy LEDs in the park lights to work. They are pretty cool - they come on white when the parkers are on, but flash orange when the indicators are on. Pretty smart LEDs, no idea how they work (electrical sorcery).

Fixed the noise coming out of the wipers. The new 2-speed wiper motor made the linkage arms rub on the dash/firewall brace. A little grinding and some bending and the arms now clear.

Fixed the dashlights. This one had me buggered, until I realised that the new fancy LED bulbs I put in were the problem. LEDs only let current flow one way, and the dash lights/idiot light bulb holders are factory-wired two ways - some put +12V to the centre of the bulb, some to the outside of the bulb. Had to hunt through the LED collection to find the right polarity bulbs for the various bulb holders. Was lucky to have both types on hand.

Pulled off the old TH350 transmission pan (fluid everywhere) and replaced it with a deep cast ally pan. The old pan rails were really lumpy... little wonder they wouldn't seal. The new plan has a fancy drain plug - looking forward to changing trans fluid without making it look like someone slaughtered a beast on the garage floor. Had to grind a recess into the side of the ally pan to let the floor shifter cable arm clear, but all good. Leak cured - no more fluid on the floor.

Aiming to get the engineer over for inspection when I'm home next weekend. Plenty still to go (glass, trim, and the banished door belts) but getting closer now.

Cheers,
Harv

Getting there


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harv

. This got the fancy LEDs in the park lights to work. They are pretty cool - they come on white when the parkers are on, but flash orange when the indicators are on. Pretty smart LEDs, no idea how they work (electrical sorcery).

Did you get the LED's out of China? . I have been trying to get them of two sellers on Ebay that advertise them the 1st seller sent them and one LED didn't work at all the other worked for a short time then nothing . The 2nd seller sent the wrong one's still trying to get refund of both seller's looking at a 3rd seller at the moment but have to wait a while as I am going on Holidays and have to time it so I will be home to collect. if you got them some where else let me know Please or a link to your seller
Thank's BILLY

Harv,

I'm keen to see a pic of the drain valve fitted to this new alloy pan.
Although not warranted for a grey or red motor sump drain plug, because draining the oil out of them is so easy, but when it came to the LC200 - I fitted a "Futomo" drain valve.

Take a peek here -

http://www.fumotousa.com/

There should be one for the TH350 drain... if not listed, hole and thread size will find one.

The clever little valve has a lever latch which opens the valve held closed by spring pressure.
If you get the one with a barbed end, you can leave a short length of rubber hose attached (and stored up underneath out of view).

Draining oil is simply a matter of placing a oil packaging container underneath, slipping in the hose and opening the valve.

Of course, the orifice of the valve is much smaller than that of the hole which it screws into the sump with.... but it drains freely and has proved to be a most satisfactory inclusion when I have to do an oil-change on the road.

For security, I simply fit a small cable tie around the body of the valve..... this prevents any possibility of the latching lever moving to the slotted "release" position.

I had the trans oil in the 200 changed - a complete drain and re-fill. They have to force feed new oil through everything to get the old oil out... a simple "drain" only removes about 3 litres of the 12 litre capacity. I don't know how the 350 fluid is changed, but the 750F in the 200 is a mongrel of a thing to service... supposedly one of these modern "sealed for life" transmissions... which it is clearly not (and I fully expect many other such units aren't either)..... in a sneaky little sub-folder under maintenance, in another subfolder under towing - at the back of the book.... it states to change the ATF at 80,000 km's.... I can guarantee, there are a lot of 200 owners (and other makes) out there who are totally oblivious to this.... $24k for a replacement trans!.... pending.

frats,
Rosco

For harv
Thank's very helpful

G'day Billy,

Can you post the info below on the forum on my 327 wagon thread please? When I try to post it, I keep getting an error message from Crazy Domains that the FB/EK site has a security issue. Not sure why it is doing that, perhaps I broke the internet.

I got the fancy yellow/white two-tone LEDs for the EK parkers/indicator lamps from Classic and Vintage Bulbs. You can see them on this page:
http://www.classicandvintagebulbs.com/page4.html

Contact details:
Telephone: (08) 82784393
Mobile: 0401123316
Postal Address: PO Box 408 Blackwood 5051 South Australia
E-mail. acpearson@chariot.net.au

Cheers,
Harv

Thanks for that Harv, just yesterday I was fiddling around with a front indicator base looking at how I was going to modify it to fit 2 bulbs in there to do exactly what this globe does

That security warning thing is a pain in the arse

Looks like I can post again... that Crazy Domain thing is annoying.

I like the idea of a tap on the transmission Rosco - I work with a lot of heavy industrial gear, and almost everything is fitted with petcocks (that's a noun, not a verb!). The only thing stopping me would be the worry of the thing coming loose or passing unexpectedly. Its a greasy, dirty location in the road of all the rocks and road debris... just my luck to snag the safetywire on something and have it open.

Not sure I like the idea of sealed for life transmissions... when you see the amount of worn clutch material they accumulate over time, and the way ATF degrades (then again, maybe that's just me driving like I stole it ). Reckon you are on the right path doing a force-feed oil change on it.

Cheers,
Harv

Harv,

. . . train-of-thought response . . .
The LED parkers/indicators . . . I wonder if your LED flasher can has a positive-to-negative DC/DC converter in it. The white LEDs will conduct with positive voltage, but the amber LEDs are probably set up to conduct with negative voltage. This is where you'd need an oscilloscope to see what comes out of the flasher can. I wonder . . .
Or if you had access to a '60s Pommy car, you'd probably find that the parkers would light up orange. That, I think, is the result of the different-coloured smoke that English electrical systems are charged with. Hmm.

Rob

I really got to get that oscilloscope running. Bought the right probes, but life managed to get in the way.

There are days when I need a tin of Magic Smoke, either the normal SAE stuff or the special Lucas positive earth variety. I have a nasty habit of letting the Magic Smoke out of stuff.

Cheers,
Harv