When it rains it pours!!!

[DustinC1989]

-50 was just the windchill, not sure if that could freeze the oil. Actual temp only reached about -20.

Could be wrong though.

Did you watch for visible leaks the second time?

[Aries]

James, I was envisioning one of those motors where it looks like somebody eptied a tub of grease under the valve and cam covers. Basically blocking off everything and pressurizing the crank case.

"Quaker State" Back some time 1980 /81 (can't remember exact, they were my Grateful Dead days) I worked at a lumber yard where we blow the engines out of two trucks due to bad Quaker State Oil. The garage bought one of the valve cover in to show the owner and it looked like someone had layered used axle grease in the cover an inch thick. QS rep hand delivered a check for the cost of two new engines, plus install. Owner had to sign a contact stating he would keep his mouth shut.

[dvanbramer88]

-50 was just the windchill, not sure if that could freeze the oil. Actual temp only reached about -20.

Could be wrong though.

Did you watch for visible leaks the second time?

Mechanical devices aren't affected by wind chill. An object outside can only get as cold as the actual temperature. And TBYODA is talking Celsius and you guys are talking Fahrenheit.

Wind chill is just a comparison of how the wind makes the air feel to your bare skin. It basically means that, because of the wind, -20 degree air has the capacity/ability of removing heat from something as -50 degree air standing still. But the object can still only get as cold as the actual.

[dvanbramer88]

Also oil doesn't freeze. It has what is called a pour point. Below the pour point it will not flow. Normal 10W-30 is -30*F And 5W-30 is -35*F. Synthetics can have pour points as low as -50*F or -60*F

[Trail X]

yeah, I did some googling too and see 15C not F but most of the hits are like you mention much cooler.

15 degrees C is 60 degrees F...

-50 was just the windchill, not sure if that could freeze the oil. Actual temp only reached about -20.

Physics lesson! Wind chill is similar to a wet bulb temperature reading, which factors in the effects of evaporation of water. Basically its just a normal "dry bulb" thermometer, with a bit of wet cloth around it. Interestingly, it actually does get colder than the dry bulb, which we commonly refer to as ambient temperature. The reason it gets colder is because water needs a certain amount of energy to evaporate, called the latent heat of vaporization. Same reason water cannot get hotter than the boiling point. As the wind gets faster, and the humidity level drops, it increases the rate of evaporation of water... and therefore lowers the wet bulb (or wind chill) temperature.

[TBYODA]

Also oil doesn't freeze. It has what is called a pour point. Below the pour point it will not flow. Normal 10W-30 is -30*F And 5W-30 is -35*F. Synthetics can have pour points as low as -50*F or -60*F

???? Ok so if the oil was below is pour point and it will not flow would not the oil pump have a very hard time trying to pump the oil at all before the motor heats up? I should write myth busters on the subject and ask them to test it.

[DustinC1989]

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yeah, I did some googling too and see 15C not F but most of the hits are like you mention much cooler.

15 degrees C is 60 degrees F...

-50 was just the windchill, not sure if that could freeze the oil. Actual temp only reached about -20.

Physics lesson! Wind chill is similar to a wet bulb temperature reading, which factors in the effects of evaporation of water. Basically its just a normal "dry bulb" thermometer, with a bit of wet cloth around it. Interestingly, it actually does get colder than the dry bulb, which we commonly refer to as ambient temperature. The reason it gets colder is because water needs a certain amount of energy to evaporate, called the latent heat of vaporization. Same reason water cannot get hotter than the boiling point. As the wind gets faster, and the humidity level drops, it increases the rate of evaporation of water... and therefore lowers the wet bulb (or wind chill) temperature.

That was actually my point... wind chill is just how cold it feels, not what the actual temp is.
So since we had a -50 windchill, the temp only ever reached as low as -20 and that was in few places.

Wasn't very clear on that, but my brain is about fried. Lack of sleep dealing with the snow and vehicles of all my family members who have never heard of preparing for winter

[Moots1288]

Also oil doesn't freeze. It has what is called a pour point. Below the pour point it will not flow. Normal 10W-30 is -30*F And 5W-30 is -35*F. Synthetics can have pour points as low as -50*F or -60*F

We had to replace some of our oil jobs from 2 oil to kerosene cause the "gel" temperature is -21 compared to 2 oil 32 F gel point. So I agree

[navigator]

yeah, I did some googling too and see 15C not F but most of the hits are like you mention much cooler.

15 degrees C is 60 degrees F...

sorry, it was -15 C

[Trail X]

That still +5 degrees F.

[Spot u 3]

Ok here is an update. I topped off with oil and took the resonator off. For some reason I can't duplicate the problem. My PCV hose had ice blocking the passage from the cam cover to the intake resonator. Every since i switched to this synthetic blend ive been getting more condensation. I'm kinda lost! I'm going to flush and go with mobil 1 synthetic, however as of right now I have no clue why I lost so much oil at one time. My camshaft actuator connector was filled with oil. I'm going to change out and see what happens. Any suggestions?

[Trail X]

If your PCV hose is filled with ice, that could potentially cause pressurization of the oil chambers. The weak link when pressurized might be the cam cover gasket.

Could also have something to do with the low temps and the oil not wanting to drain properly out of the top of the head. But you'd think it would quickly heat up and melt after a few minutes of idling (which I assumed you did after starting in -20 weather).

[Spot u 3]

Exactly!!!!!!

[Trail X]

But you shouldn't get a bunch of ice in your PCV either.

[Spot u 3]

Don't know where the condensation is coming from!

[Trail X]

How long are your drives? Have you taken drives longer than 10/20 minutes recently?

[ErikSS]

How long are your drives? Have you taken drives longer than 10/20 minutes recently?

He drives about 45min each way to work. I think he's getting a lot of condensation for some reason. Has anyone heard of the cowling (sp?) dripping onto the air box? It's just a shot in the dark for me.

He came out and spent HOURS helping me try to diagnose a P0300 random multiple misfire (and massive loss of power) on my truck. Thanks man! I've got 5 days to get it running right. haha

[Trail X]

The airbox should be a sealed element, with the only way of water or air getting in being through the air filter.

I think it is somewhat common to get some amount of condensate in the PCV, but it shouldn't be enough to completely block the tube because it should fully evaporate out after a 45 minute drive.

[Spot u 3]

Ok everyone here is the skinny........My PCV hose was clogged due to the fact of condensation. The condensation froze and built up so much pressure that oil blew out of my cam cover. This was a huge relief!!! I did two motor flushes with conventional oil and it looked like I hadn't done a oil change in 10 years! I refilled with Mobil 1 Synthetic and let me tell ya my engine runs so much better. More importantly, no more condensation on the oil cap. I also replaced my cam actuator. Now this is my OPINION but I was running Valvoline synthetic blend and came to the conclusion that synthetic blend is more hygroscopic than full synthetic or full conventional. I drove the TB to Erik SS's shop and she purred like a kitty cat! Also Per Erik SS walmart sells the mobile 1 synthetic for $26.99 per 5 gallon jugs. "Damn you Autozone charging me $33.99"

[TBYODA]

What flush brand did you use or was it just Dino?