Darth Linux

Ok, lets suppose in a hypothetical way that I accidentaly added too much oil to the oil pan. Like maybe an extra quart. Now the engine seems to make very little power and likes to shoot oil out the crankcase ventilation nipple on top of the center housing (below the oil/air seperator nipple on the oil filler tube). Now let's suppose that eventually the engine shot enough oil out that nipple that eventually the power came back and things seem normal (in addition to dousing the hypothetical engine compartment with fresh oil).

Is this an instance of oil cavitation causing such a burden that the e-shaft literally can't spin quickly anymore? Said another way - has the extra friction caused by the excess oil and oil foam robbed horsepower by causing the e-shaft to have chug it's way through all that extra oil?

thanks for your thoughts.

Project84

why not just drain the oil? Just drain some of it and then top it off to the proper level. If your car is stock and still has the emissions stuff, the oil is going through the crank case vent line into the intake manifold. If the engine is injesting too much oil, maybe this is the explanation for the lack of power.

Darth Linux

it's not stock. I want to understand what was happening. The oil wasn't going into the intake at all . . . .

ddewhurst

***has the extra friction caused by the excess oil and oil foam robbed horsepower by causing the e-shaft to have chug it's way through all that extra oil?***

Just for info, the e-shaft does not rotate in the crankcase oil like the piston motor crankshaft. There is nothing in the crankcase except oil, the oil pump & a couple sensors.

Not smart enough to tell ya any more about where your hp is going.

David

Darth Linux

jeesh - I should have known that - you are right. The e-shaft doesn't touch the oil in the pan at all . . . perhaps the extra volume of oil created extra crankcase pressure?

I literally blew the dipstick out of my engine, which then got lost on a major arterial I was driving on at the time. The engine then sprayed oil all over the engine compartment. My OIL light came on, I panicked, pulled over and added two quarts because I had no idea how much oil I'd lost. I got a replacement dipstick (for an RX-7, not RX-2) that was a tighter fit, and then it started shooting oil out the CCV inlet. It eventually stopped doing that which coincides with my power return. Since I have the wrong dipstick for the oil pan on this car I still don't know how much oil I have in the engine. I just know it's enough to keep the OIL light OFF, and not too much to cause a power loss or a big mess. Once I get my RX-2 correct dipstick I'll check and see how much oil I actually have.

thanks for the input.

Project84

The front part of the e-shaft between the front cover and the front end plate would be exposed to oil. This is the area of the shaft where the CAS gear engages the shaft, and the oil pump, chain and drive gear sit in this area.

Darth Linux

OK - would you get a lot of drag on the engine then if the oil pump, chain and drive gear are overwhelmed with oil?

i'm not really seeking a solution per se, but want to better understand the symptoms I experienced . . .

jeremy

iTrader: (1)

not really sure why its doing it to you. most of my group runs 1/2-1 quart over when autoxing due to oil starvation during heavy cornering. never encountered a drain on power.

Darth Linux

yeah, it's really confusing. it might be that the extra oil was blocking some part of the crankcase ventilation system and causing parasitic drag in that way. it's definately normal again after the oil level was reduced . . . I just neeed to find an RX-2 correct dipstick so I can see how much is actually in there . . .