I've got a Fountain 12 meter with new power built by ATECO, they are 540's 700 HP natural aspirated with roughly 75 hours. They are starting to purge oil out of the dipstick tube when running, not a lot but enough to make a mess. I run very low oil temps, around 140 deg with oil pressure around 60-75. No oil out of vented valve covers, only the dipstick. Anything i can do to prevent this from happening or check for? Hard to imagine piston ring wear as for how fresh they are. Any advice would help. THANKS

usually one of the three

- Not enough crankcase venting
- oil level too high
- poor ring seal

oil level is right were it needs to be on the stick so inst overfull. Is there a way to vent the crankcase more? it does have Teague style valve covers with the 4-5" stacks for breathers.

The the oil level is correct and if the vent system is clear (clean the filters/breathers if it has them)........time for a leak down check.

Im assuming that the engines just started to do this? Meaning the crankcase ventilation has been OK for ~70 hrs....thus indicating it is big enough.

cannot check or clean the breathers as it has this style venting. It just started doing this in the last 5 hours or so

Pull the valve covers and check for blockage in those breathers (I dont believe there is a media in them...but I have been wrong before and will be again).....with low oil temps like that condensation can make a milkshake gel in those and plug up. IF they are clean/clear it is time for a leak down check.

My 454s with blowers did that after i replaced the valve cover vents ( 2 per motor ), it was the foam in the vents saturated with oil causing the pressure. I removed the foam and no more oil out dipsticks or the rear main seal.

I will pull the valve covers and inspect for blockage and go from there. Thanks

our 502 Mpi did the same thing after fresh rebuild and ended up putting a puke tank in with 1/2" lines going to it. The fittings in the valve covers are just plastic hollow PCv style fuittings. the fitting in the Stbd valve cover under flame arrestor had a second port pointed straight up so put small hose cut on angle to bottom of flame arrestor and it cured the breathing problem and also dont get any oily mist in eng compartment from tank breather.

call bill and ask him what the deal is ,, my motors from pfaff did it from day one . put on a locking dipstics problem solved .. also get some oil stats on those motors , way to cold, need to get to 212 to rid water in the oil . oil temps, that cold hard on everything .