First, thanks to those of you who volunteer your time to help the rest of us. I can't say how much we appreciate it, and it has restored my belief in the inherent goodness of people.

Second, I have oil coming out of my fill cap on top of the engine. I'm thinking this is a drain that's plugged with gunk, and that I should snake it out and change the oil. Any advice? I've never had the valve cover off of this car, so I don't know how many drains there are or where they are located. Any advice and tips are muchos gracias...

TIA

Bill

Hi Bill:
Everything everyone said below is great. One more thing to add: Make sure that the small nipple on the flame trap housing is not clogged (the one that has the small hose fitting on it) and clean out the brass nipple on the intake manifold that the small hose connects to. Unscrew the brass nipple with a wrench (box end wrench works best) and clean it out (I use a small drill bit, but the paper clip works ok too). Its surprising how clogged the little brass nipple can get....

Hope this helps.

Mike
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Mike Brown Greenville, NC 1996 965 105K 1994 940 135K 1986 244 137K

The brass fitting on the intake was not bad, but the small port from the side of the flame trap housing was plugged solid. With some considerable careful effort, I pushed through a 1/8" thick plug of gunk. This, along with replacing the innards, I believe has solved my problem, including the not-previously-mentioned fuel smell coming from the heater, which I'm guessing was caused by crankcase ventilation being achieved via the oil filler cap and adding to my run-on sentence!

Again, thank you guys for all your help, and no, I don't speak japanese with the exception of what you find in Styx music.

Eternally grateful,

Bill

Thanks for the replies. I successfully located and removed the flame trap, and found it to be almost completely plugged. Since the dealership won't be open until tomorrow, and Autozone has no clue what a flame trap is, I used a bent paper clip and copious amounts of carb cleaner to free up the honeycomb of little holes. I also replaced the smallest (diameter-wise) piece of hose since the old one was rock-hard and didn't let much air pass through it. I hope this works until I can get the replacement part.

Domo arigato and thank you very much for your help!

Bill

Dear Bill,

Good p.m. Do itashimashite.

Yours faithfully,

spook

They got it all, in the words of Nike "just do it!"

maybe a blocked flame trap

Dear Bill,

Good p.m. I'd like to amplify Dan's message. If you're not familiar with the flame trap, then you need to become so, urgently.

It is located atop and beside the valve cover, between the 3rd and 4th cylinders.

It is the crankcase vent. If the plastic filter is plugged, pressure builds up, and oil is forced past seals. If through the front seals, it can lead to premature timing belt failure.

No tools are needed to access the flame trap. You can gently disengage the holder from the hoses. Be careful with the small hose: the nipple can be snapped easily. Remove the plastic insert. If it is clogged, replace it. You can clean it with brake cleaner, as a stop-gap measure. The part will cost $2-3 at a dealer.

Clean the trap every 5K miles and change it every 10K miles.

Hope this solves the problem.

Yours faithfully,

spook

flame trap, breather box, replace gasket on filler....see the faq...

sort out IMMEDIATELY if its a flame trap it can take out your engine seals...

My old 240 would do this when the oil cap rubber gasket would dry out. A new gasket and no more leak, sometimes, I would bend the metal spring steel to get a tighter fit on the cap. Maybe that will work, I would check the flame trap while you are at it. Excessive crank case pressure would seek the easiest way out.

DanR 94 964 244,000 miles*
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DanR