Small Oil drips

Or you can be like Marty Grezwenskiovitch:  

Put an Oriental Rug under your car to catch the drips.  It will mask the drips AND look good doing it.  A busier pattern looks better.  El Cheapo versions can be found at Home Goods.

If you're really OCD (like me) just slip a piece of plastic sheet under the rug.

the oriental rug should match ur driving gloves and shoes

Use kitty litter. It's cheap, and a couple broom sweeps and you're done.

Or they actually make absorbent disposable mats for oil spills.

Putting a pan under your car? Nah.

After I vented my valve covers it seems to have reduced the drips to next to nothing.

Most every air cooled engine will eventually mark it's spot. Oil just stains concrete, but oil on asphalt will eventually make a hole. Ask me how I know.

I use a piece of cardboard. BUT, when we have people over, I hide the stained piece and use a fresh piece, because one must keep up appearances. Just kidding, I couldn't give a hoot what people think.

If I park my 4runner inside, well out comes all the cardboard. It leaks in 3 different colors, 4 if I fill the windshield wiper fluid too much.

i have never greased or changed oil in both my 60s British bikes, just add oil when it drops,

Should a small oriental rug be added to the list of things to always carry with you?  You know, so as not to sully the driveways and such of friends and celebrities we visit?

I have seen some of the local VW/bus guys use old buggy skid plates ( or the standard cheap oil drip catch pans - attached like a skid plate- some of us slide under our cars in the garage- and line with kitty litter or an old newspaper) to catch the random oil drip.

https://www.hemmings.com/stori...y-and-get-a-drip-pan

seems like to munch trouble to me... I don’t mind marking my turf when I go out for long hot drive.  And the catch pan in the garage with an old newspaper seems to catch my random drop or two... which only seems to drip during really warm days and long drives.  

@Jon T asked "Should a small oriental rug be added to the list of things to always carry with you?  You know, so as not to sully the driveways and such of friends and celebrities we visit?"

That's actually an interesting question for which there is probably not a ready answer.  I suspect that @Marty Grzynkowicz might have one stowed discreetly, but these days, with his leanings towards Italian cars it has, I suspect, been changed from Oriental to an Italian Rosso or Dalia.  It's always best to compliment the car make with the drip rug.

If we're out on a "Cruise Day" we're probably not stopping anywhere long enough to worry about a wayward drip.  Days like that, for me, mean gravel or gravel/grassy parking areas at best and the longest we'll be hanging around is over lunch, so for that I wouldn't bother.

The opposite instance might be at a car show or cook-out for your local club members and then you kind-of have to judge the host's/hostess's mind-set.  I've been to gatherings near Boston where the host offered (and it was impolite to refuse his offer) individual drip shields for attendees, both original 356 and replica, to shield his precious, hand-laid, polished granite, cobblestone driveway from our dripping terrors.  (To be honest, here.....   I have no idea if mine drips that much or not but he's actually a nice guy so, since he knows I drive a replica, I asked for two.  And his driveway probably cost more than my entire house.)  In this instance, offering to use your own Oriental Drip Rug instead of using his known-absorbancy drip shield might be taken as an insult, so play that card carefully.

Other times I've been to club gatherings where the host is a true "Cah Guy" and doesn't really care what his driveway looks like.  He's more interested in showing off his small collection of much sought-after, rare German ferrous oxide and the custom carriage shed that cost three times my house that shields his toys from the elements.

OTOH, at my house I have a short asphalt driveway with a cheap Home Depot sealer top coat and both my Speedster and Nissan Rogue have leaks (Gasp!) so I could give a Rat's Pitootie what the heck is leaking out there.  Still, I could only fit 4 - 5 Speedies in the driveway - The rest would have to park in the street and I don't care what leaks out there - especially after the trash truck goes through.

So to answer your question, bring it along if you must, but don't expect to use it.

My Turbo Subaru was bone dry on the bottom. I doubt I'll be so blessed with the Italian hot rod once complete.  I always like the little carpets at Menards. they're rubber on the bottom and synthetic ribbed fabric on top.  They last for a couple seasons and if they start getting a little mushy or smelly, I just tossed them. 

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The real problem isn't the oil, it's gravity.

Porsche is supposedly working on anti-gravity oil that requires neither a wet or dry sump or an oil pump. The oil just stays in the engine and, like, hangs out there.

There aren't any heat buildup problems because, being Porsche-branded oil, it's just naturally cool.

The only serious issue may be cost, but Porsche predicts that most customers will be leasing the oil and writing it off as a business expense.

So...I went to a "yard sale" at a local storage facility where people were selling the stuff in their storage units because it was being bulldozed for a new Olympic size pool.  I spy this Oriental rug rolled out on the ground that the woman was selling , as well as a lot of other junk.   It was kind of worn in spots but I could tell that it was authentic and could be worth a few bucks.  Asked her what she wanted for it and she said "make an offer,"  I pulled out 30 bucks , and it was mine.

200 gallons of carpet cleaner later, and it became apparent that this rug spent a lot of time in the garage under someone's model A.  I finally got it clean enough to bring to a professional carpet cleaner and had it appraised. It was over 125 years old, took over a year of some Iranian's  life to weave and in better shape it would be worth 15k.  Prolly only worth 2k in present condition but looks ok on my 80 year old wood floor.

Bunch of amateurs. My engine has a solar powered crankcase evacuation pump that is Speeduino monitored. It maintains a -.283 kPa vacuum, thus sucking air into the 20 places that leak on my car, eliminating complicated solutions like oriental rugs and cardboard. Of course I'm still working on the oil spray from the pump that seems to paint the ceiling of the garage an interesting rainbow sheen.

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I don't know, Michael.

The EFI stuff I sort of get, but I think you're pushing this Speeduino thing just a bit too far here.

Everyone knows that nature abhors a vacuum.

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@Michael Pickett posted:

My engine has a solar powered crankcase evacuation pump that is Speeduino monitored. It maintains a -.283 kPa vacuum, thus sucking air into the 20 places that leak on my car, eliminating complicated solutions like oriental rugs and cardboard.

Seems legit.

🙂 Too much? I thought I'd reigned it back enough when I wrote "solar powered" rather than "nuclear powered."

Oh, and my backup oil drip device in case the Speeduino approach develops a credibility gap.

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@Michael Pickett posted:

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...I thought I'd reigned it back enough when I wrote "solar powered" rather than "nuclear powered."

Well, that would make it easier getting CARB approval.

There is a certain irony that EFI systems must get CARB approval. Who says those faceless legions of state bureaucrats have no sense of humor?

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As I told Danny, it ought to be "Speeduini."

Ed:

How is that pronounced... "speedweenie"?

@Michael Pickett posted:

Bunch of amateurs. My engine has a solar powered crankcase evacuation pump that is Speeduino monitored. It maintains a -.283 kPa vacuum, thus sucking air into the 20 places that leak on my car, eliminating complicated solutions like oriental rugs and cardboard. Of course I'm still working on the oil spray from the pump that seems to paint the ceiling of the garage an interesting rainbow sheen.

Michael, is that the Vacuuini (pronounced Vac-you-wee'-nee) add-on module?  The jingle was something like "Itsy bity teeny weeny oil drop sucking Vacuuini".

Knew I should've trademarked it...

@Sacto Mitch posted:

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Everyone knows that nature abhors a vacuum.

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And it doesn't much care what it fills it with.  My posts being a shining example.

^

What he's talking about is a diaper for his car, not just a drip pan or carpet to put under his car.

That's what he meant by "Depens" (Depends) in his original post.

My Speedie leaks likes an old Harley, and so far everything I've tried to get it under control has made no difference. The major culprit is the studs that hold that miserable oil strainer to the bottom of the Empi deep sump I installed a couple of years ago to solve my problem with losing oil pressure in not-so-hard corners. The oil leaks down the threads of the studs, past the nylock nuts, and drips in a neat pattern of six spots every time I park it warm. Thankfully the only time I care is when I accidentally drag a body part or article of clothing through the small puddle while I'm working under the car. Then out comes the kitty litter. I should probably just put a turkey pan under there to catch the drips, but I'm too cheap/lazy. My garage is not a showplace. It's for working on cars and storing used parts I just might need 20 years from now.

VW designed and used acorn nuts with copper washers to seal. The Ny-loc nuts will cause it to leak.

Gotta use those Sainted German Single-Use Copper Crush Washers

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Helpful hint:

If you have an external oil filter (that's doing 98% of your filtering), you don't need to clean the oil strainer every change (or maybe ever). So, you can install one of those drain plates with a threaded plug in the center that lets you drain oil just like on a real car. That way, once all those acorn nuts and copper washers are snugged down, you hardly ever have to mess with them.

EMPI makes a few of those plates like this one and this one.

I have a CB Performance sump that didn't come with a central, threaded drain plug, but the aluminum plate is thick enough to tap (with tapered threads) to accept a plug (that requires no washer to seal):

Note the thin, copper washers under the acorn nuts. No leaks!

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@Eric (McGruff)-  What Alan said- you need the copper washers and acorn nuts.  Don't overtorque them!  And as @Sacto Mitch said- use a drain plate with the drain bolt in the center so there's no need to be removing the plate if you have a remote filter.  Al

One thing to watch out for if you do fabricate an oil pan/skid tray is to ensure there's still sufficient air flow over the sump for cooling purposes.

When I bought my car one of the previous owners had made a steel skid tray to protect the sump. However, the way it was fabricated and the mounting points made airflow over the sump almost non-existent. As a result, the engine ran quite hot. Since working through the car over the winter, I removed the sump guard (and raised the ride height to a more reasonable level) and the engine runs much better at 'normal' temps.

@Sacto Mitch posted:

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Helpful hint:

If you have an external oil filter (that's doing 98% of your filtering), you don't need to clean the oil strainer every change (or maybe ever). So, you can install one of those drain plates with a threaded plug in the center that lets you drain oil just like on a real car. That way, once all those acorn nuts and copper washers are snugged down, you hardly ever have to mess with them.

EMPI makes a few of those plates like this one and this one.

I have a CB Performance sump that didn't come with a central, threaded drain plug, but the aluminum plate is thick enough to tap (with tapered threads) to accept a plug (that requires no washer to seal):

Note the thin, copper washers under the acorn nuts. No leaks!

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Excellent, Mitch. I did similar when I ran that sump extension. I milled the entire "Claudes Buggies" area flat, then drilled and tapped for 14 x 1.5mm. I got a nice low profile allen drain plug from a modern Audi/VW, it is almost flush, even with its copper "sainted German" crush washer. It now lives on someone else's car. And doesn't drip.

I'll add my 2 cents about the need for those copper crush washers.  

I've bought more than one sump gasket kit with steel washers and they ALWAYS leaked.  Copper washers are the only way to go and with an external filter I haven't messed with my sump gaskets/washers in a decade.

About those acorn nuts, though.....  They are only successful when the studs are threaded into the sump to the proper length/height above the sump.  If they stick out too far they won't allow the nut to crush the washer to make a seal.  I've had great luck using Nylok stop nuts in place of the acorn nuts and as long as you use the "Sainted Copper Washers" they seal fine AND they don't care how far the stud is threaded in.

And don't forget to only torque the sump nuts to 5 foot pounds.  That's running the nut in til it contacts the washer (finger tight) and then 1/2 turn more.  They're easy to strip out.

5 lbs torque on the acrorn nuts, use your pinky finger in a short wrench, then wait a couple of hours and retighten a 1/4" ( not a 1/4 turn) and walk away .

Great advice guys. I'll replace the copper washers with fresh on the next oil change, use acorns instead of nylocks, and install a machined billet plate instead of the stock steel strainer. We'll see how it goes. I'll probably relocate the oil cooler to the rear fender well and install AN type fittings  and lines too. After this weekend's travels, I have 1500 miles left to settle on a plan. Until then I'll live with the drips. It's better than wasting ZDDP. Kitty litter to the rescue!

@Eric (McGruff) posted:

Great advice guys. I'll replace the copper washers with fresh on the next oil change, use acorns instead of nylocks, and install a machined billet plate instead of the stock steel strainer. We'll see how it goes. I'll probably relocate the oil cooler to the rear fender well and install AN type fittings  and lines too. After this weekend's travels, I have 1500 miles left to settle on a plan. Until then I'll live with the drips. It's better than wasting ZDDP. Kitty litter to the rescue!

Just checking Eric but you do have an external filter correct? If you don't you'll still need that strainer. It will attach to the new billet cover though. I replaced my cover with a JayCee cover from CB Performance but I don't see them on their website anymore. Probably because EMPI bought out JayCee. You could replace the cover with this one from MST. The strainer attached to my JayCee and I left it in even though I have an external filter. I figure it'll help keep any large pieces out of the system. I use the drain plug to drain the oil and I only take off the whole plate every other oil change to clean/check the strainer. I also use a magnetic drain plug.

It's still available, the site is not intuitive. The parts are the same as before from what I see, they just have a new owner. I'm pretty sure Jack is still there overseeing operations as before.

I just bought one (and No-leak pushrod tubes) for a customer motor I'm building with the CB Dry Sump pump and external filter.

I plan to install the screen also. This is for the stock 6-bolt engine case.

https://jayceevw.com/products/jaycee-mag-plate/

They also sell one that fits CB's 8 bolt sump extension.

https://jayceevw.com/products/...-8-bolt-style-sumps/

They are very well-made parts. There is a main o-ring, and under each stud there is another o-ring. Combine that with the closed nuts and new copper washers and you should be leak-free, at least from the sump.

I know we stress about trying to stop oil drops from these ancient engines, but we're not the only ones...

I see that they have the "Easy-Off" pan, too!