470 Mercruiser losing oil from dipstick. please help

tripbarb

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Ok so in early spring my 470 overheated on me and got the head gasket. so i had the head reworked surfaced valve job and reinstalled with a factory mercruiser gasket. boat runs great not even offering to get up to 165 on temp. However now i am losing oil from my dipstick and i mean like check the oil put the boat in run for about an hour and it has pumped all the oil out of. What gives boat runs great as always plenty of power real smooth hold 40 -60 psi oil pressure in gear. my dipstick tube has threads on the end of it like the dipstick is supposed to screw down on it but my dipstick looks like just a common dipstick with nothing to screw down on the tube. anyway like i say boat is running fine other than losing oil. please help im at my witts end
 

stonyloam

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Re: 470 Mercruiser losing oil from dipstick. please help

Well your dipstick tube goes all the way to the bottom of the pan (so oil could be pumped out), so if your crankcase becomes pressurized it will push the oil out. Sounds like for some reason your crankcase ventilation is blocked.
 

Don S

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Re: 470 Mercruiser losing oil from dipstick. please help

Your crankcase is pressurized now. Did you by any chance plug up the vent opening in the valve cover that should have a hose going to the flame arrestor?


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tripbarb

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Re: 470 Mercruiser losing oil from dipstick. please help

no i didnt change the way anything was hooked up. and i guess thats why i am at such a lossbecause i put it back just like it was and like i say it is running flawless other than this. but it is absolutely wearing me out i dont know where i need to start to find what would cause this. thanks for the quick reply
 

stonyloam

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Re: 470 Mercruiser losing oil from dipstick. please help

The only thing I can think of is try removing the oil filler plug and try running it, or try blowing air back through the ventilation tube going up to the flame arrestor. Seems like something is plugged somewhere.
 

Don S

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Re: 470 Mercruiser losing oil from dipstick. please help

When you run the engine, do you feel any air coming out of that vent hose? if not, it's plugged up, probably inside. You will have to pull the valve cover to get to it.
 

tripbarb

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Re: 470 Mercruiser losing oil from dipstick. please help

i will check it as soon as i get in from work today and thanks again Don. I will let ya know what i find.
 
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