Oil Everywhere!!

[trapspeed]

ok so I just got my festiva running needed spark plugs only I'm pretty sure (they were the worst I have ever seen). but I got a whole distributer from the junkyard also and it looks brand new. car I pulled it from looked like it hit a deer and looked to be in great mechanical condition.



so this is what it looked like before I took it for the first spin...



and this is what it looked like after... it ejected all of its oil through the hose I circled in red. It did not come off between pics, I just removed it from the air filter before that pic..

does anyone know why it would be doing this? it only did it when I was driving not while it was sitting. I tried to get it to do it while it was parked I revved the engine, held it at different rpms and it did nothing.(oh! before the 1st run I checked the dip stick and oil was easily 1-2qt's too high) so I figrued maybe it was just over filled cause the guy I bought it from obviously diddn't know anything about cars(or just really hated the festiva). so I took it for another spin same thing happened again! it got hot because there was no water in the radiator+ it was spewing oil out of the hose thingy. The oil had gas in it because the carb was tottaly flooded from the former owner pumping the F out of the gas pedal in a very sad attempt to start the festy. so what I am thinking is that the oil was thinned by the gas+the car was hot which further thinned the oil. and it just was seeping past all the seals cause it was so thin. my plan is to change the oil and see if the problem persist's

has this happened to anyone else? more importantly does anyone know how to fix it?

[collegeboi]

Theres only 1 picture

[trapspeed]

fixed

[getnpsi]

omgosh poor festiva. that happened to me with a carbed honda i was helping a friend get on the road. undo-ing the friend's help took an extra 2 hours. you can have the valve cover off completely and not see as much oil...lol

just as you stated oil too high can make a disaster like that. i would take off everything that is easy to get at and brake cleaner/degrease it all, inspecting hoses for cracks naturally. once its back together it might run funny if a hose gets pinched or damaged...or forgotten =o also check compression. if it's cool, fill up the radiator with almost all coolant and drive it around a while like that, so the extra additives will work on the junk that could have freed up from the extreme temps of being empty. Drain it flush it then do 50/50. Also give her a good degreasing and take new pics. A little garnish and this is a festiva of the month story for sure

[trapspeed]

I checked compression right after the first incident it was all fine so I am pretty sure that it was just over filled with oil. now I have a lot of clean up to do before march 1st and with no garage and it raining 99.9% of the time here in good ol' Oregon this is going to suck

by the way anyone know how many quarts of oil the festy is going to take?

[Pu241]

EFI's are 3.9Qts with filter change!
But, have never owned a carby before, hopefully someone with one can answer you.

Get the big bottle of simple green and spray the hell out of it and hose her off.
Preferably in a car wash with "engine cleaning" ability, even if you don't use the "engine cleaner" there. cover the alternator and do not spray the distributor or coil.
should get a lot of it!

[getnpsi]

beware of do it yourself car wash things. in california they have cameras[at least they say they do] if you lift your hood you get in trouble.

[ohsoslow]

here in ny we actually have a setting that says engine cleaner at most car wash's

[Pu241]

here in ny we actually have a setting that says engine cleaner at most car wash's

That's what I was refering to.
Never washed a car, rentals usually, in CA to know that.
What about WA and OR?

[mechanicaldj]

first make sure you wrap the distributor with plastic or a rag well , before you clean the engine compartment

that hose is for the PCV valve ventilation tube( at the six oclock position of the air cleaner) and about the nine o'clock position is the PCV valve which you may want to pull and shake to see if everything is loose, if not--- to clean it

[88FestivaLX]

I was gonna say, how's the pcv in it? I had a bad one in my Mustang one time. I opened the hood and thought I blew the motor, ha.

[trapspeed]

wait where is the pcv? The big metal thing on the side of the air cleaner?

[Pu241]

wait where is the pcv? The big metal thing on the side of the air cleaner?

No, its the little plastic assembly to the left of carb air intake to the back of the top of the valve cover.
Just pop it out of the valve cover and remove it from the hose.
If you shake it up it should rattle, it should act as a one-way valve, passing air in only one direction.
If not get a new one, they cheap, or soak it in a small jar of carb cleaner.
Being cheap I do the latter.

[trapspeed]

ok I checked the pcv and it rattled so it is good . what else would make it eject oil everywhere? if it helps when I drove it and it shot oil I did not have the aircleaner top on. I am changing the oil tomarrow and would not like to keep buying oil for it.

[FestYboy]

you're missing an A.I.R. hose to the cat. depending on the condition of the engine, you may want to remove the valve cover (new gasket) and check for blockages in the oil return holes.