radiator reservior leaking

[LuLusTurboTalon]

I recently had a ton of work done on my 92' TSi. New bottom end with .40 weisco pistons eagle rods, new 16g turbo, I mean the works done on it. I had a guy out of Conover, NC to do it and I was very very pleased with him. It now has 500 miles on it since rebuild and boosting 10lbs until I hit 1000 miles then turn it up to 20-25lbs. Me and my dad checked plugs and all everything looks good. The only thing is, I am still getting blow by. Meaning getting oil on the valve cover like where spark plug wires are. I am sure rings have seated by now, not sure how long that takes, but car is running good, nothing to be worried about, all gauges run where they should when I drive it. Does anyone know what can still be causing this blow by? Before the rebuild oil came out of blow off vavle, none now, but my oil cap cover is loose. No like really bad, but its got a little play in it. I have replaced it twice and still get the wiggle movement out of it. Also, I was driving home from work today and radiator light came on. I stopped at a store and checked levels. The coolant reservior was low but when I took the radiator cap off near the thermostat is level looked good, so I filled reservior back up and drove home. The light never came back on but level dropped a little in reservior tank. Is it common for the reservior tanks to leak any or get a hole in them after a certian period of time? It is still leaking a little bit so I am thinking there is a hole in reservior tank, I know it isn't a hose because the guy that built my engine replaced all coolant hoses and new clamps on them all. Any advice for me on blow by or leaking reservior tank?

 

[LuLusTurboTalon]

i am not so sure that it is the radiator though, im leaning more towards the reservior

 

[Ravenous]

my radiator was leaking and i jsut went to the store and bought some radiator leak stuff until i could replace my radiator, try that for now?

Do not put stop leak stuff in your cooling system, especially on a new build. You may run the risk of plugging up your heater core or it may reduce your ability to dissipate heat. It is always best to fix the problem rather than band-aid it. I know that the hoses are new as are the clamps but have you inspected them all? Was your system properly "burped" after it was first filled? Is the radiator drain plug tight? Your coolant overflow reservoir will empty out into the cooling system if it there was air in the system, it is a two way system. Your coolant is most likely going into the system and the motor is either consuming coolant or you are leaking coolant or it is just displacing air that was in the system...

The coolant reservoir could leak but that should be rather obvious with the amount of coolant you were loosing.

 

[LuLusTurboTalon]

I "burped" the radiator hose and drove it around the block a few times, level did not drop anymore. Maybe it just needed to be burped as I call it and filled back up, will check back again in a little bit to see if water level is the same. Any advice on the blow by?

 

[1boostedtalon]

It might not be blow by, check to see if your valve cover has a crack in it. They tend to crack really easy if you tighten the bolts to tight, check the little things first before you think it might be a big problem

 

[LuLusTurboTalon]

Ive told my dad that I think it is cracked, he is a good mechanic with V8's, hes gotta 347 stroker in his shelby cobra and we are both kinda "new" to these turbo 4cyl. cars. Where can you get a good newer valve cover?

 

[Ravenous]

Did you put in a new PCV valve when you did the rebuild? If it isn't functioning properly then that could cause excessive pressure which would make the oil come out of the breather, oil cap, or gaskets themselves. Even if it is new, it just takes a few minutes to check as they are known for causing issues. Also your oil cap shouldn't be loose or have play at all. It should be a snug fit, are you using aftermarket units or OEM? Is there any damage around the rim of your oil filler hole?

 

[LuLusTurboTalon]

Yes I replaced the PCV valve but it was before build. Like 200 miles before we done the build so it should be good to go. I got oil cap at AutoZone, i looked at the one on some website that says mobil 1 on it and a bunch of motor shot pictres I see of Talons and Eclipses they have the Mobil1 oil cap cover. No damage around oil cap cover though so....I'm just stuck on this one. Also it kinda idles up and down some. Not bad just even once in a blue moon.

 

[olmytsi]

Just find a used uncracked valve cover.