20-30 minute drive to burn off water in oil

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
When I worked for a man locally with a HUGE car collection his one steady rule was never start the cars unless you could drive it for at least 30 minutes.


This has generally been my rule, but it may be outdated.


Yes, this was a car collection of primarily older vehicles. The advice was not based solely on the engine either.

While I agree the info I provided is dated I would also say that the OP's question is wildly platform specific as per your example. My sig car also has no problem warming the oil in any weather, but the mega sized cooling system has a bit of a delay coming up to full operating temps. Transmissions and differentials also can take a lot of time to warm up if not driven aggressively.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: jayg

Points are cheap, easy, and I find them less prone to completely dying for no reason as opposed to electronic ignitions, and you can keep a spare set in the glove box. Set them with a business card to get home. For the carb, lightly dose the gas with Stabil Marine formula (about 4-6 oz per fillup). Since the car sits for long periods of time, this will help mitigate the ethanol breakdown.I can go over a year between drives in my Datsun and it still cranks first try. Getting the carb sync tool (Unisyn I believe was the brand) and watching the video from Z therapy really helped me understand syncing SU carbs optimally for my 240Z. Lots of that would translate word for word to the AH3k. CHeck out the zinc content of the Maxlife 15w40 Heavy Duty Diesel, VERY strong Zinc numbersand looks like a great contender for a budget vintage/hot rod oil AND has seal conditioners which British cars need BRAND NEW.



Trust me, I'm well acquainted with the various ills of points

.

Unfortunately, I find most of them these days to be universally poor quality. I always have at least one new set kicking around in my MG, although I also keep a points file in the car and that will usually get me home.

I ran electronic ignition for a while(Pertronix) but when I had the original Lucas distributor rebuilt a few months back I opted for points again. The guy who rebuilds these full time has points made to his own specs that are at least a bit better than the current production Lucas-branded points. I did have to regap them after about 200 miles(which is typical, and was what I was told to do) but aside from that it's been trouble free. I also have the complete Pertronix distributor in the car, though, just in case.

My comment about finding them was if I could buy them over the counter at NAPA for the Big Healey. Granted, I ALWAYS order them for the MG since at least the Lucas points are better than most of the others, and I can just add in a set of 3000 points...heck they might even be the same. Both are Lucas distributors although I don't know if the 6 cylinder points are different from the 4 cylinder ones.

And, yes, my Unisyn has been a life saver.

For a car that sits this much, it's also probably worth carting in some of my valuable ethanol-free gas or even some 100LL AV-GAS to sit in the tank. I've had a couple of different car museums tell me that they use AV-GAS in their cars that are occasionally driven.

In any case, thanks for all the advice.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Almost any car with a points ignition setup can benefit from a spark box. Many different manufacturers.

Choose the type that remove almost all current from the points and simply use them as a switching device. Then they hit your coil with several hundred volts of juice instead of 12.

I owned a 1970 240Z that never required even a touch after fitting a CD ignition box...

 

[bunnspecial]

One of the ones I like the most at least on design is the Winterburn CDI box. It's handmade in Canada by the grandson of the guy who invented CDI, and one nice thing about it is that it contains a bypass to allow you to revert to Kettering ignition just in case. It's designed to be triggered by points or whatever electronic trigger you choose.

The folks running them report 75,000 mile or better point life.

The downside is that I don't want the box in the engine bay of the MGA I'm currently starting a restoration on, or in the bay of the Big Healey if I do buy it.

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: turnbowm
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
On my V8 Taurus I ran a catch can on the PCV line. The intake line on the valve cover for the PCV I plugged. This created about 5-7"Hg of vacuum when cruising. But it really help drive off the water as the can was usually culling a lot of the yellow mustard milkshake. I also had a vacuum dependent drain plug on the can. When ever the engine saw 0"Hg vacuum the valve opened.


How do you pass state inspection with those emission system mods?
No state inspections.

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: B320i
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
On my V8 Taurus I ran a catch can on the PCV line. The intake line on the valve cover for the PCV I plugged. This created about 5-7"Hg of vacuum when cruising. But it really help drive off the water as the can was usually culling a lot of the yellow mustard milkshake. I also had a vacuum dependent drain plug on the can. When ever the engine saw 0"Hg vacuum the valve opened.

And where does the oil drain to?
It wasn't all that much oil, rather a water and lighter hydrocarbon mixture. It drained on to the cement driveway and evaporated. Did not even leave a stain. When it was below freezing it was a bit different.

 

[semaj281]

Originally Posted By: SHOZ
Originally Posted By: B320i
Originally Posted By: SHOZ
On my V8 Taurus I ran a catch can on the PCV line. The intake line on the valve cover for the PCV I plugged. This created about 5-7"Hg of vacuum when cruising. But it really help drive off the water as the can was usually culling a lot of the yellow mustard milkshake. I also had a vacuum dependent drain plug on the can. When ever the engine saw 0"Hg vacuum the valve opened.

And where does the oil drain to?
It wasn't all that much oil, rather a water and lighter hydrocarbon mixture. It drained on to the cement driveway and evaporated. Did not even leave a stain. When it was below freezing it was a bit different.


Isn't it advisable to have that intake side of the PCV open with a breather of some sort? For Mustangs they sell catch cans that have a vacuum line from each valve cover connect to the can and the chambers inside it separate the moisture and oil.
If your can setup is catching the milky stuff then it's obviously working but I assume you could relieve more crankcase pressure by opening that valve cover port or running a line to the can.

 

[SHOZ]

Originally Posted By: semaj281


Isn't it advisable to have that intake side of the PCV open with a breather of some sort? For Mustangs they sell catch cans that have a vacuum line from each valve cover connect to the can and the chambers inside it separate the moisture and oil.
If your can setup is catching the milky stuff then it's obviously working but I assume you could relieve more crankcase pressure by opening that valve cover port or running a line to the can.


Only time you would have outflow (pressure) from the PCV intake side would be from blowby. I never had a problem but some people who did this had whistling noises from air being sucked in somewhere past a seal I presume.

 

[barryh]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Almost any car with a points ignition setup can benefit from a spark box. Many different manufacturers.

Choose the type that remove almost all current from the points and simply use them as a switching device. Then they hit your coil with several hundred volts of juice instead of 12.

I owned a 1970 240Z that never required even a touch after fitting a CD ignition box...




I'm a fan of points ignition boosters and they do make the points last a very long time. I've used the same set of points for 10 years. That is their main benefit though as all they do is switch the ignition coils primary current with a transistor instead of points. There is no change in voltage being switched in either case. Although they are switching a 12 volt circuit the back emf from the coil is more like 200 volts. It's the coil that determines spark energy and that would have to be changed to see any significant improvement.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Almost any car with a points ignition setup can benefit from a spark box. Many different manufacturers.

Off topic, but you'll appreciate the bit of trivia that I have a stock of new, genuine Chryco points hanging out in my garage someplace.

 

[SteveSRT8]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Almost any car with a points ignition setup can benefit from a spark box. Many different manufacturers.

Off topic, but you'll appreciate the bit of trivia that I have a stock of new, genuine Chryco points hanging out in my garage someplace.

Mopar Madness! Indeed I do appreciate this fact!

 

[Bunny]

im sure the water won't burn off but rather evaporate, and based on my experience, because my car came with an oil temp indicator it takes 15-20 min depending on ambiant temperature and driving style for the oil to reach 100c wich is the temps when water boils at atmospheric pressure. Coolant temp is not a good indicator since it takes like 5 minutes for my car to reach normal coolant temps. a good indication of water in the oil problem is looking under your oil cap for some beige creamy residue.

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Almost any car with a points ignition setup can benefit from a spark box. Many different manufacturers.

Off topic, but you'll appreciate the bit of trivia that I have a stock of new, genuine Chryco points hanging out in my garage someplace.

If you still drive a car that uses points, a spare set(even an old one) can be a lifesaver. They're cheap enough that I often tack one onto a parts order...so far two set have left my spares to rescue stranded motorists that I just happened upon(MG guys look out for each other).

In any case, I took one of my tool boxes into work the other day since I was working on another project and needed some of my own odds and ends. I had both a used set and a new green box Lucas points and condenser set laying in the top tray. Someone saw the old set and asked me what on earth they were-that was a fun lesson in Kettering ignitions.

I'm going tomorrow to look at an 1980 MGB LE, a car that I've always liked although they really weren't that "limited."(not too long ago, I saw a 1979 B-L bulletin to US dealers that instructed them to apply the LE appearance kit to every black MGB in inventory). In any case, these cars have a lot of "stuff" that make the engine bay of my 1970 look fairly plain. A lot of British car folks consider the Lucas 25D distributor the pinnacle of design. The 1978 and later cars have a Lucas "Opus" distributor that is based on the 45D mechanism. At the time, they had sort of a poor reputation. If I buy the car, one of my first projects will likely be having the Lucas distributor expert build/curve a 25D core from his inventory for the car...along with either installing a pair of SUs or a Weber(with a VERY strong preference for the former).

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Mopar Madness! Indeed I do appreciate this fact!

If I remember and come across them, I'll take some pictures and post them.

bunnspecial: My late father was an old [censored], and even he hated points.

I noted to him that some people with the straight six Ford trucks were reverting to points, and he shook his head and called it moving backwards. They can be a lifesaver if you have spares and need them, and I can understand not wanting to retrofit electronic ignition over points ignition, at least for a couple reasons. Retrofitting points ignition instead of electronic ignition is a bit strange, though.

 

[Merkava_4]

If I'm gonna make a short trip during the winter, I just let the car sit there on fast idle for 10 minutes. Makes me feel good. A "Feel good idle moment."

 

[bunnspecial]

Originally Posted By: Garak
Originally Posted By: SteveSRT8
Mopar Madness! Indeed I do appreciate this fact!

If I remember and come across them, I'll take some pictures and post them.

bunnspecial: My late father was an old [censored], and even he hated points.

I noted to him that some people with the straight six Ford trucks were reverting to points, and he shook his head and called it moving backwards. They can be a lifesaver if you have spares and need them, and I can understand not wanting to retrofit electronic ignition over points ignition, at least for a couple reasons. Retrofitting points ignition instead of electronic ignition is a bit strange, though.

For a system engineered with electronic ignition from the ground up(i.e. modern cars) or even most of the factory set-up that still used distributors are unquestionably better than points.

The problem comes in with a lot of the retrofit units that are out there. The Pertronix is probably the most common and has a couple of advantages in being easy to install and virtually invisible once installed. The basic Pertronix unit consists of a magnet ring around the cam and a hall effect sensor mounted to the breaker plate. Again, this is all there is to it. A trained eye can only spot the presence of one by an extra wiring coming out the side of the distributor.

The Pertronix system is not perfect, however. I've read some specific criticism of how it handles dwell during decelleration of the engine, although I don't know that. Overall though it's a good system and I ran one for a while without much thought. It can have two fatal flaws, both of which are ultimately operator error, but still can cause problems. One is that the original Ignitor is very much polarity sensitive. Install one of the wrong polarity and it's immediate death. That may not sound like a huge deal, but don't forget that a lot of the target cars for these were built with positive ground electrical systems. The second is that leaving the key on without the car running for an extended period of time(~2min) can burn out the unit-the latter can happen easily if you're under the hood on the side of the road trying to diagnose/repair a problem. Granted doing this still causes issues for your coil regardless of the trigger.

In addition, the Pertronix is somewhat intolerant of low voltage. I think their documentation states that 12V units will only trigger reliably down to 7.5v or so, while 6 volt units like a minimum of 3.5V. Points will fire at voltages below this, which can help start a reluctant car when the battery is low.

One other thing is that points usually give some warning of impending failure, while electronic triggers typically work until they don't. Granted this isn't common either, but does happen.

The guy who I send distributors to lives and breaths them all day, and will only install an electronic trigger if you twist his arm to do it. He supplies points but his are price competitive with other vendors(they are around $8 for a points and condenser set-more than the standard $4 ones but less than the $11 "premium" ones from one of the major players). He charges a decent mark-up on electronic units, especially the Crane/Allison one which is optically triggered and more difficult to install than a Pertronix. I'd pay him the extra to install one if I were going to do it, but I think it's telling that he won't install items that would likely net him more money.

The Opus distributors were just a bad design all around, which is why folks talk about putting points in the car in their place.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: bunnspecial
For a system engineered with electronic ignition from the ground up(i.e. modern cars) or even most of the factory set-up that still used distributors are unquestionably better than points.

Retrofitting, I'm sure, has it's own set of pitfalls. I've found the Ford electronic ignitions from that era to be relatively reliable, so I'm not exactly sure what the fascination was with some owners going back to points. I had much bigger concerns with the feedback carb. The electronic ignition was the least of my concerns.