Checking oil

[Scott Forman]

Last year, I took a trip to New Orleans. Checked the oil before I left
home...my parking pad makes the bus high at the rear. When I got to
New Orleans, checked again, and the oil level appeared to have risen
when it should have used some. Called my mechanic, he diagnosed it as
leaking fuel crossover tubes, which is apparently fairly common on the
8v92. This would mean that diesel was leaking down into the crankcase,
which is bad for the lubricity of the oil. The ultimate bad outcome
could be a spun bearing or other lubrication-related problem.

The suggestion was to get an oil change before leaving to drive home
and checking the oil every 100 miles to make sure the level wasn't
rising too quickly. I did as instructed.

Took the bus in after getting home. The drained oil again and analyzed
it for diesel, found none. Pulled valve covers and checked crossover
tubes, looked fine. They were puzzled. Then, by dumb luck, they
happened to check the oil at two different places on their lot and
discovered how the angle of the coach can make a significant
difference.

If the rear is high, oil will register lower than it really is. If the
rear is low, it will register high. By filling by bus to the full mark
when parked on my rear-high parking pad, I was actually overfilling the
crank (which leads to extra slobber and a mess on the back of the bus).

Scott Forman
86 PT38
Memphis

--- In WanderlodgeForum@yahoogroups.com, "Ryan Wright"
wrote:
>
> Thanks for the tips, gentlemen. I didn't think it mattered, as it
> never has on any car I've ever owned, but I wanted to check to be
> sure.
>
> Scott, I'll be sure to check that the coach is level, too - that's a
> good tip and something I wouldn't have thought of otherwise.
>
> -Ryan
> '86 PT-40 8V92
>