<VV> Oils and moisture in engines

[J R Read]

Beyond that - I suspect that a heated oil dipstick (are they still around?) 
might "burn" the oil near the hot spot of the dipstick and end up leaving 
carbon deposits in the crankcase.

Later, JR


----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Mark Durham" <62vair at gmail.com>
To: "jay m" <jaysplace at laserpubs.com>
Cc: <virtualvairs at corvair.org>
Sent: Wednesday, March 27, 2013 10:54 PM
Subject: Re: <VV> Oils and moisture in engines


> Jay, I do not think a oil heater will heat the entire engine enough to get
> rid of all the moisture, unless it was driven enough to get it dry, first,
> then kept in a dry garage and so on. But once it is dried out, there is no
> need to do more. Engines won't collect moisture any more than the rest of
> the car would.
>
> The internal condition of the engine determines how much moisture is in 
> the
> crankcase as well. So a healthy engine with good even compression and
> correct valve guide to valve stem clearance that actually lubricate but
> more importantly seal them, stops most moisture.
>
> For instance, a new engine like mine, I have close to 2000 miles on the 
> oil
> and it still is looking a pretty amber color, but just before I overhauled
> the engine, 2000 miles and the oil was almost black already. So, the 
> amount
> of combustion byproducts that get into the oil is in direct proportion to
> engine condition.
>
> Mark
>
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Mar 26, 2013 at 10:13 PM, jay m <jaysplace at laserpubs.com> wrote:
>
>> On 3/23/2013 4:02 PM, Mark Durham wrote:
>>
>> > How often you need to change oil is more dependent on the condition of
>> > the motor and how it is driven than oil type. If you are not out on the
>> > highway enough to keep the oil hot when you do drive it, then
>> > combustion by products will built up and cause corrosion on internal
>> > engine parts.
>> Just an off-the-wall thought or two:
>> I wonder if an engine heater (maybe dipstick style?) could be used to
>> bring a motor up to temp every month or two to drive out any moisture?
>>
>> I guess you'd have to circulate dry air through to carry out any
>> moisture anyway - or bleed some Nitrogen through the crankcase when
>> putting it away for the winter?
>>
>> fwiw
>>
>> -- Jay