Crankcase breather cap

[ew1usnr]

My 1963 260 has a PCV valve that draws fumes off the crankcase.
Make-up air is drawn in through the original-type oil filler cap / crankcase breather cap through the oil fill tube that leads to the crankcase:

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Is there a recommended replacement interval for breather caps?

The cap just plugs on so there is no tight seal. There has to be air leaking in around the filter. I am guessing that this was not considered to be much of an issue because (1) The amount of ventilation air would be small. There is not a powerful suction of air flowing in through the crankcase. (2) Any dust that was carried into the crankcase would be caught by the oil filter. (3) The plug on cap is easy to remove and replace when adding oil.

That being said, would a clamp-on oil filler air filter keep the crankcase oil cleaner than the original-type breather cap? Would there be much value in making that replacement?

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PS: On thinking about it further, it appears that a disadvantage of the the paper air filter is that it would be relatively delicate and easily damaged if it were knocked sideways. In comparison, the original-type cap is built like a steel can and you would have to use a hammer to damage it.

[Jeff W]

Interesting thoughts...

I had to look further to see where modern cars place this intake port. I know my Honda has a tightly screed on cap with an o-ring for adding oil. Looks like modern cars place the intake inside of the air filter. I would assume it as after the paper filter element and this provides particle free air.

Doesn't help us unless you want an ugly cobble job.

I feel safe assuming the coarse mesh filter that is inside of the current oil filler cap becomes saturated with oil vapor and captures dust. Their is the small area where the cap presses onto the stem that is not sealed perfectly so some unfiltered air may get in that way. Maybe there is a way to get an o-ring in there to provide a tighter seal.

Good or bad, when I change engine oil I also squirt carb cleaner in the removed cap and shake it out to clean the filtering material. Maybe I should be leaving that oil in there to offer better dust capture.

I can think of another disadvantage to the paper filter you show. You would need a screwdriver to loosen the clamp when adding engine oil.

My current engine has the draft tube but still needs the intake type cap. According to the wiki page, this draft tube does not work at slow speeds as the tip of the tube, placed in the vehicles slip stream, does not provide the required vacuum., a problem for mail vehicles and us city dwellers. Interestingly the PCV system was developed during WWII for tanks which never get to a speed where a slipstream is created. Then the government got involved and now we can all breath easier:ROTFLMAO:

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crankcase_ventilation_system

[ew1usnr]

Looks like modern cars place the intake inside of the air filter. I would assume it as after the paper filter element and this provides particle free air. Doesn't help us unless you want an ugly cobble job.

Hello, Jeff.

Yep. The back of y air cleaner has a plugged off nipple that could be used to draw clean air, but I would have to run a hose across the engine from front to back. It would probably interfere with the throttle or transmission linkage and would be more bother than it would be worth. The paper filter would be better in a theoretically, but it would probably tear in actual use and its appearance would probably bother me every time I lifted the hood.


Maybe there is a way to get an o-ring in there to provide a tighter seal.

Theoretically that might work. In actuality, the o-ring would probably pop off and fall down the oil fill tube the first time I tried it. :WHATTHE:


My current engine has the draft tube but still needs the intake type cap. According to the wiki page, this draft tube does not work at slow speeds as the tip of the tube, placed in the vehicles slip stream, does not provide the required vacuum., a problem for mail vehicles and us city dwellers.

I never understood why in 1963 Ford put a PCV valve on the V-8s butl left draft tubes on the sixes. The Wikipedia article explains that a PCV valve is partially closed at high vacuum when the engine idles and opens to allow maximum ventilation at low vacuum when the engine is producing power and the blow-by is at its maximum.

Your draft tube does the same thing. It produces a maximum draw when the car is moving and none when the car is stopped. A draft tube might be more dependable because it might be less likely to become blocked than would a PCV valve, but PCV valves are pretty dependable and are supposed to eliminate some pollution. I read where they were initially promoted as a way to get better gas mileage by burning otherwise "wasted" oil vapors.

The 260 had a draft tube and an optional PCV valve for California in 1962. They were evidently all given PCV valves by 1963 (see picture). That means that I could always retrofit my engine to a draft tube and eliminate the PCV valve if I ever really wanted too. The drawing shows that the 1962 260 also had a water-heated carburetor spacer that was eliminated on the 1963 version. I am guessing that it must have been a source of water leaks. Having a hot-water heated carburetor would have been nice in cold temperatures like what you might see in a Detroit or Montana winter, but it is not necessary for the little bit of "cold" weather that we get here in Tampa. :)

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[Jeff W]

The 260 had a draft tube and an optional PCV valve for California in 1962. They were evidently all given a PCV valves by 1963 (see picture). That means that I could always retrofit my engine to a draft tube and eliminate the PCV valve if I ever really wanted too. The drawing shows that the 1962 260 also had a water-heated carburetor spacer that was eliminated on the 1963 version. I am guessing that it must have been a source of water leaks. Having a hot-water heated carburetor would have been nice in cold temperatures like what you might see in a Detroit or Montana winter, but it is not necessary for the little bit of "cold" weather that we get here in Tampa. :)

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Actually my 1963 straight six was from California and originally had a big clunking PCV that was inserted where my downdraft tube now lives. The PCV was beat up from years of getting pounded back in after the o-ring friction first let loose. I thought it was ugly, especially with the giant 1.5 inch diameter tube connecting it to the air cleaner.

I cut the nipple off the air cleaner and welded the hole shut, took the downdraft tube off of Gary's displaced engine and took a step back in time. The block already had the hole tapped and ready for the mounting tab.

[ew1usnr]

Actually my 1963 straight six was from California and originally had a big clunking PCV that was inserted where my downdraft tube now lives.

Hello, Jeff.

Do you have a photograph of what your original PCV setup looked like? Both the 1963 Falcons with 170's that I had in the past had draft tubes. What year did PVC valves become standard on all six cylinder Falcons?

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It looks like my Falcon will stay in the garage this week. "Tropical Depression 9" is coming and I do not like driving the Falcon in the rain (foggy windows, spinning-sliding tires).

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[Luva65wagon]

Batten down the hatches!

If you consider most new engines, if you open them up after 100,000 miles appear fairly clean compared to opening up a 1960's engine after 100,000 miles, much of what you see is due to stuff getting sucked into a motor that isn't designed very "clean and green." New motors really have no means for dust/dirt getting into it being a totally closed system. Plus fuel injection has done away with the often polluted and ruined oils from dilution. Synthetic oils and para-synthetic oils are also gooder at keeping things clean.

So, I think if you can seal it up and still let it breath, you will prolong the life of the motor. Aluminum valve covers on new cars have nice threaded and sealed oil filler caps - not something you are going to get on the original valve covers without some serious modification.

You could probably use some large O.D. heat-shrink and shrink a layer or two onto the spout on the valve cover until the cap fits tighter. I've never tried. Would need to measure the two. It might be hard to come exact. Using a large washer at the top of the cap (beyond the spring retainers) might help, but I've never seen these push-on caps stay pushed on all the way. Every time I pop the hood on any of my three '60's vehicles, these things are canted.

Suffice it to say, the engineers back then did a lot, when asked, just to save $1.43 if they could, so don't always think it was the best they could do. Or if they could do it to one model, they would do it on all. It was often the bare minimum they had to do to satisfy the bean counters. At some point it was often cheaper to shift everything over - or it was government mandated.

:doh:

[Jeff W]

Hello, Jeff.

Do you have a photograph of what your original PCV setup looked like? Both the 1963 Falcons with 170's that I had in the past had draft tubes. What year did PVC valves become standard on all six cylinder Falcons?



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Took some searching but I found a picture of when I first got my rig. You can see the bailing wire that is holding the 'PCV" into the block. Also note how dented it is from the gentle re-insertion after it popped out over the last 50 years...

I am also including the shot of the wagon being delivered to me from California...

With all the Pokemon Go excitement... how about my car featured on a card?

[ew1usnr]

If you consider most new engines, if you open them up after 100,000 miles appear fairly clean compared to opening up a 1960's engine after 100,000 miles, much of what you see is due to stuff getting sucked into a motor that isn't designed very "clean and green."

Ford bragged that the Falcon could go 6,000 miles between oil changes.

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In keeping with what you describe, I err on the side of caution and change the oil and filter every 3,000 miles.

I went out and re-looked at the oil breather cap. It fits firm and flush and is not loose and wobbly. I will leave it on, but will get a can of carburetor cleaner and wash it out. The mesh filter in it appears rather dirty.

[ew1usnr]

Took some searching but I found a picture of when I first got my rig. You can see the bailing wire that is holding the 'PCV" into the block. Also note how dented it is from the gentle re-insertion after it popped out over the last 50 years...

I am also including the shot of the wagon being delivered to me from California...

With all the Pokemon Go excitement... how about my car featured on a card?

Hello, Jeff.

I do not understand what I am looking at. The PCV valve should connect from above the crankcase to the intake manifold. It looks like your PCV valve was connected between the base of the (FRAM?? :WHATTHE:) oil filter and a big hose going to the air cleaner? How would that work?

I see a rubber hose coming off your fuel pump and then to a silver in-line filter as it crosses the valve cover while going to the carburetor. What is the steel line connected to?

I am surprised at how the car ended up being blue when you received it as green. Changing colors is a lot of extra work because you need to paint the insides of the doors and tailgate, etc.

The wagon looks nice sitting on the delivery trailer.

Having a daughter must be what keeps you current with Pokemon. That whole Pokemon-go phenomenon leaves me completely baffled. :)

[Luva65wagon]

I'm not sure what made them think 6000 miles was advisable. Perhaps that too was a "cost savings" marketing deal. You save on the front-end and pay on the back-end.

All early 6's used a 1.5" hole on the side of the block to either attach the draft tube to, or in Jeff's case attach the PCV doodad into. I could find no pictures of what Jeff's thing looked like new, but here's a picture of where it attached, which is where the draft tube enters the side of the block.

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Eventually they punched a hole in the valve cover and put a conventional PCV in a rubber grommet and used an expansion plug in the draft tube hole.

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[Jeff W]

Roger is exactly right (again). The "can" has a nipple that is 90 degrees from the top tube and that nipple sticks straight into the hole where a breather tube would fit in a Non-California car. The other end of the large hose goes into a second, smaller snorkel that comes off the back of the air cleaner cover. If it sucked any oil vapor, I suppose it would contaminate the paper air filter.

The Fram Filter was there when I bought it, along with a lot of other things that I don't abide. It now has a WIX.

I didn't mind the color of the Green. It was a nice metallic emerald and if it had been a decent paint job I would have left it and been done with all the mechanical projects by now. As it was, and many agree, this was the worst paint job to have have ever been placed on a bird... I am including roller jobs in this comparison. It must have been done during the great masking tape shortage of 2005. Every latch, screw, bolt and bit of rubber sported a thick coat the green paint. The door seals were completely covered and would not seal out any water.

AT the risk of a thread hijack (but you asked), here are a few more pictures of the car as received. Note the covered latch seals, rubber door stop and overspray on the dash and everywhere else.

The car was stripped down to bare metal with disk sanders and wire wheels.

[ew1usnr]

Roger is exactly right (again). The "can" has a nipple that is 90 degrees from the top tube and that nipple sticks straight into the hole where a breather tube would fit in a Non-California car.

What had me confused was that I thought that the breather tube would have been on the right of the engine rather than the left.

Did you re-locate the gas filler cap, or did the previous owner? What is the advantage of moving it higher?

I saw custom upholstery up front and some original "cow head" upholstery in back. What upholstery do you have in there now?

Do you still have a padded dash?

Thanks, Dennis.

[Jeff W]

What had me confused was that I thought that the breather tube would have been on the right of the engine rather than the left.

Did you re-locate the gas filler cap, or did the previous owner? What is the advantage of moving it higher?

I saw custom upholstery up front and some original "cow head" upholstery in back. What upholstery do you have in there now?

Do you still have a padded dash?

Thanks, Dennis.

Kenny and I relocated the filler based on instructions by "RICKWRENCH". It uses a Jaguar Flip top. The goal is easier filling at the modern pumps as well as keeping the paint from getting damaged under the filler when gas sloshes out during right hand turns.

Below is a completed shot showing the finished cap and a strange shot showing it with two (2) fillers.

Rick's site is here:
http://www.rickwrench.com/index79.htm

Roger has also done this modification on the Ranchero.

My budget would not allow a replacement padded dash. I sanded and painted the steel. It has all the trim for the pad so maybe some day...

I have installed the original Steer head front and back. I also made door panels that looked great for about two years, but they are falling apart now. The tan material is shrinking leaving big gaps between the two materials and the self adhesive chrome strips are falling off. I would like to get some reproduction to swap out and just be done with it.

[dhbfaster]

Nice touch on the floor mats Jeff../:D:D

[Jeff W]

Nice touch on the floor mats Jeff../:D:D

Hand me downs from Kenny. He went to an Elvis theme.

My wagon sports many hand downs from at least five members cars.

Patrick, Roger, Steve (doghouse), Kenny, Gary... probably more I am forgetting. The Rainiers have been extremely generous with parts as well as advice and sweat. [BOW]

[ew1usnr]

Hello, Jeff.

Are the fender skirts and roof rack recent additions? I have not seen those before.

The interior looks beautiful with the painted dash, cow head upholstery, and custom door panels. It really is too bad that the door panels did not hold up.

I agree with Don. The "Joe Cool" floor mats are great. They are appropriate too because Ford featured Snoopy and the Peanuts gang in Falcon car commercials.

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1961 commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u43ExlkXmQs

"One year new. One year better for 1961": https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxkM6WbGHpY

1960 commercial: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wz1t_WqYZqI
(4,000 miles between oil changes!)

Dennis.

[Jeff W]

Hello, Jeff.

Are the fender skirts and roof rack recent additions? I have not seen those before.



I added the roof rack a couple of years ago. It came off of Doghouse's sedan delivery.

The skirts were purchased from my mom's neighbour in Wisconsin. He had previously sold his 1963 Ranchero and forgot to include them in the sale. He was happy to get rid of them and I was happy to ship them to Seattle. The skirts are Wimbledon White and my roof is Corinthian White. Close enough for me.

I guess I should update my signature picture...

[ew1usnr]

That being said, would a clamp-on oil filler air filter keep the crankcase oil cleaner than the original-type breather cap? Would there be much value in making that replacement?

After debating on it for a month, I ended up deciding "What the heck". I measured the oil fill pipe and found that it has a 1-3/8", or 1.375" diameter, and bought a Black Valve Cover Breather Filter, 1-3/8", Part No. 139966, for $8.99 + $5.99 postage = $14.98.

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See: http://www.speedwaymotors.com/Black-Valve-Cover-Breather-Filter-1-3-8-Inch,139966.html

The paper filter has a stainless steel wire mesh folder over the pleats. That gives rigidity to the structure and it is surprisingly solid. I smeared a little motor oil on the inside lip of its rubber grommet base and plugged it onto the oil filler pipe. It fit snug enough that I did not need to install the hose clamp.

Before:
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After:
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