Well I'm visiting my brother with the plan on getting his '89 running. Here is the problem. It would start and run for a few minutes and then blue smoke would start billowing from the exhaust and then it would die. It wouldn't start again unless the fouled plugs were cleaned. I was thinking the fuel pressure regulator but that didn't help when changed. Then we looked into the intake hose and it was full of oil. I pulled the flametrap, it was clean. Pulled the breather box, it looked okay. I laid a rag across the breather box openings on the block and plugged the open hoses and the car now runs fine with the exception of the excess oil its burning off through the exhaust. Could the breather box be plugged inside? Why would all this oil be pulled through the intake?

Thanks for any suggestions

Erich
Ottawa Ontario

It could be worn bores or worn or stuck or broken piston rings, causing crankcase pressure. Try removing the oil filler cap while the engine is running, and holding a piece of paper flat over the opening. If the ventilation system is drawing properly it should be sucked gently in. If it blows out then there is either excess crankcase pressure, or the suction in the crankcase ventilation system isn't sucking enough.
That could be the small pipe from the flame trap to the inlet manifold, and the small orifice in the nipple, being blocked.
When the engine idles or there is high vacuum in the inlet, the small pipe draws air into the manifold from the flame trap. When the throttle is opened the vacuum drops, but there is then suction on the air intake side of the throttle body, and the large pipe to the flame trap draws in air, again through the flame trap.

So either way, if oil is getting up into the flame trap it then gets sucked into the inlet.
The oil separator black box has to be free from clogged up residues. An airway through isn't really good enough, because then it doesn't catch the oil properly, which then passes on up the pipe to the flame trap.
I'd do a compression test, as suggested, then thoroughly clean all the breather system. preferably fit a new separator box.
Could be failed inlet valve stem oil seals, or a combination of all these things if the engine has done a high mileage. The usual way to distinguish oil burning from worn bores from worn inlets is to note the circumstances when it happens.
Blue smoke on acceleration = bores, blue smoke after idling or deceleration, when you open up again = valve stems.

There have been threads on replacing valve stem seals without removing the head - see my own contribution from some months ago.

I hope some of this helps.

Thanks for the suggestions. Cleaned the oil breather box and was quite clean as well as all plumbing and orifices for the flame trap. Then I thought I'd check the oil return pipe to the sump. Not wanting to remove it I put a solid wire into it and it was plugged. I poked at it until the wire broke through and tapped the bottom of the sump. Started the car and there is no oil flowing up from the flametrap anymore. I had never considered this plugging up. From now on I'll check this pipe when I change or clean the breather box on my cars.
I will do a compression check to see if any engine work is needed.

Thanks again,

Erich Zappe
Ottawa

Only thing I can think of is excessive crankcase pressure caused by a lot of blowby. Something has to be forcing that oil into the intake.

Maybe the rings are stuck/worn. I'd be inclined to do a compression test to get an idea of where you are at.

My 2 cents ... maybe some experts will chime in.
--
Norm Cook; Vancouver BC; 1989 745T 208,000KM