van engine blowing oil

[farmerpsv]

Hey all,
wife has a 94 plymouth grand voyager that is blowing oil out the top of the valve cover where a hose comes in. our mechanic at the local ford dealership says that means something pretty major is wrong but said to take it to the chrysler guys and they'd be better able to diagnose it. i checked the pcv to make sure it wasn't clogged. doesn't burn a drop of oil but does have 175k on the engine and has no knocks that i can hear. any ideas on what this is? old age? harbinger of dead engine to come? i havn't really worked on cars since they needed points and condensors, so i'm lost here.

 

[Junkman]

A hole blown in the top of the piston or badly worn piston rings...... remove all the spark plugs and do a compression test. Something has to be pressurizing the crankcase for that to be happening. Did it start happening suddenly, like a component gave out, or has it been gradual??????

 

[farmerpsv]

thanks junkman,
i guess suddenly. thing is the engine shows no signs, loss of power,etc. also, the exhaust is clean, no smoke, which i've always assumed was an indication of ring trouble. taking it in monday to chrysler, but they say unless it's smoking they don't consider a compression test necessary
paul

 

[Junkman]

A broken ring will pressurize the crankcase, but not necessarily show signs of oil burning.

 

[TractorLegend]

Is it a 3.0 litre, 3.3 or 3.8?????

 

[graybeard451]

<<I guess suddenly. thing is the engine shows no signs, loss of power,etc. also, the exhaust is clean, no smoke, which i've always assumed was an indication of ring trouble>>

Broken oil ring would cause smoke at the exhaust but a broken compression ring could cause pressure in the crankcase also a cracked or holed piston would do it. Does the engine ping? That would point to a hole. A broken ring will not make any noise but normally a cracked piston will make a "slap" noise at least when the engine is cold. But it might be a good idea to talk to someone that works on those engines all the time. Ford had a V-6 with gasket issues that would act like a bad engine? Maybe post which engine is in yours, maybe someone has been down the same road. I had a 3 L v-6 in mine that was perfect for 180,000 miles, but everyone else I knew had valve guide problems, smoking taking off and slowing down.
Richard

 

[farmerpsv]

thanks all.
the engine is 3.3L. it is sounding like a broken compression ring. no ping that i can discern, no slapping sound.
i'll know more tomorrow and let y'all know.
thanks again for the input
paul