HELP! This line disconnected and soaked in oil!

[thefaculty]

Hi everyone,

This one has me stuck. Check out the picture below for the line in question which, I believe, is the oil breather hose. So first question is:

• Is that correct?

Some background: My engine (3.0 in a 79SC) runs great, she weeps oil but nothing major. This hose is soaked in oil, has been for a while, so I followed it my feeling around the back of the engine, behind the airbag and CIS. I found loose clamps around the hose and the end of the hose is not connected to anything which I know is wrong. My mechanic says we need to drop the engine and is talking engine rebuild etc. I have done some research here and a few say it can be done without dropping the engine. Dropping the engine is not something I think I am equipped or skilled enough to do. So any help anyone can offer would be so great appreciated:

• Could anone clarify exactly what hose this is?
• Can it be replaced without an engine drop?
• What danger is there in leaving it as it is?

As always - thank you in advance to anyone you could help shed some light on this.

Thanks!
Dan

[mo-mon]

I have an '88 but that looks like the wrong hose for the crankcase or intake breather. It should be rubber, not braided cloth. Buy the correct one. Get a diagram to help you locate where it's supposed to attach to. Just last week I had to re-attach my crankcase breather hose as it was loose & leaking on the engine side. Had to take out the air filter cover to have space. No engine drop.

If your engine is running great but it seeps oil, don't worry about it. Adding oil is cheaper than an engine rebuild. Just monitor the consumption if any.

I'd start looking for a different mechanic or better yet, DIY.

[boyt911sc]

Dan,

The braided vacuum house with the green markings is the crankcase breather hose. The loose hose is the reason for your Exxon Valdez oil spill. Re-installing the end of the braided hose back to breather case cover is next to impossible with the motor installed. You will need at least a partial drop to gain access to the rear side of the motor.

Why would you need an engine rebuild? Correct the source of your oil leak and degrease the motor. If you are able to drop the motor, it would be a lot easier and convenient to install the breather and clean the motor.

Tony

[thefaculty]

Thanks Mon-Mon. So could this be done without an engine drop? I'm hoping the answer is yes as I could then do this myself!

[thefaculty]

Originally Posted by boyt911sc

Dan,

The braided vacuum house with the green markings is the crankcase breather hose. The loose hose is the reason for your Exxon Valdez oil spill. Re-installing the end of the braided hose back to breather case cover is next to impossible with the motor installed. You will need at least a partial drop to gain access to the rear side of the motor.Why would you need an engine rebuild? Correct the source of your oil leak and degrease the motor. If you are able to drop the motor, it would be a lot easier and convenient to install the breather and clean the motor.

Tony

Thanks Tony! Identifying the hose is a great help - thank you!
Regarding an engine rebuild - I completely agree, that is my hesitation about taking it in. What I'd prefer to do is to simply get these hoses replaced as see how that helps the oil situation! I'll try my mechanic and see what he says as I think an engine drop is out of my abilities sadly! Thanks Tony - really appreciate the advice!

[boyt911sc]

Originally Posted by thefaculty

Thanks Tony! Identifying the hose is a great help - thank you!
Regarding an engine rebuild - I completely agree, that is my hesitation about taking it in. What I'd prefer to do is to simply get these hoses replaced as see how that helps the oil situation! I'll try my mechanic and see what he says as I think an engine drop is out of my abilities sadly! Thanks Tony - really appreciate the advice!

Dan,

The braided vacuum hose looks like it is in good condition. And that is the correct hose. Ask your mechanic to reinstall the other end and tighten the metal clamp back and have the engine degreased too.

Tony

[Arne2]

There is an alternative to dropping the engine. The other way to access all this back there is to remove the entire intake and injection. Time consuming, but maybe less scary than an engine drop? Either way, when you have access to the back of the engine, you should proactively address the breather cover gasket, pressure sending unit, and thermostat o-ring. (AKA 'triangle of death')

[thefaculty]

Originally Posted by boyt911sc

Dan,

The braided vacuum hose looks like it is in good condition. And that is the correct hose. Ask your mechanic to reinstall the other end and tighten the metal clamp back and have the engine degreased too.

Tony

Thanks buddy! Really appreciate it!
Cheers!!!

[thefaculty]

Originally Posted by Arne2

There is an alternative to dropping the engine. The other way to access all this back there is to remove the entire intake and injection. Time consuming, but maybe less scary than an engine drop? Either way, when you have access to the back of the engine, you should proactively address the breather cover gasket, pressure sending unit, and thermostat o-ring. (AKA 'triangle of death')

I'm gonna check this out! Thank you! Researching removing the CIS now to see if it's not too terrifying!

[yelcab1]

Removing the entire intake with the engine in is a worse sin than dropping the engine a couple inches to reach back there and connect the hose back. I would just drop the engine all together and do other things while I am in there.

[timmy2]

My 2 cents, for your ‘79 3.0 with CIS, taking all the intake off in place is more work than an engine drop. Partial or complete.
Your mechanic needs at most 4 hours to R&R engine and transmission as a unit, 2 hours to fix all of the “triangle of death” oil leaks. Some cleaning time and that’s about it.
Max 6 hours labor plus parts if he is any good at all barring any other problems. Should replace the oil cooler seals too in that time.

[Arne2]

Even though I suggested it, I agree that pulling the intake in situ is not a fun option. But if you aren't equipped to drop the engine, it IS an option.

[nomore]

Your "S" hose at the oil filler looks bad also. This and the loose breather can mean lack of ongoing maintenance. Hopefully you are, or can become a "mechanic" for your car or repairing these maintenance items can get really expensive. I have not heard of an engine rebuild for a loose hose clamp.

[nomore]

edit: not THE, "S" hose; the air box breather.

[obscene]

Originally Posted by boyt911sc

Why would you need an engine rebuild? Correct the source of your oil leak and degrease the motor.

Tony is wise as he is good looking.

Take it from the pelican guru who TEACHES an engine rebuild class.

[Rich76_911s]

I haven't seen it mentioned yet, but the breather hose on the top of your photo, attaching to the oil filler neck looks to be cracking (red arrow), and may be the source of oil on the crankcase breather hose.

[targa80]

I would attempt to do the repair with a partial drop before going with the full engine drop.I have done several partial drops to do work on the backside of the engine. Granted you need to be very careful due to gas lines and other connections that you do not want to stress beyond their limits. visibility is limited and the use of a mirror wand or video on your phone helps with seeing what your working on. As others have stated you will be able to accomplish other repairs you may need to do with a full engine drop. The full engine drop is more time consuming and complicated but once done will make this specific repair easier.

This is a photo of the back of my 3.0L engine showing where the two hoses connect.

[Jack Stands]

I’d think that dropping the engine might be much easier than removing the CIS system and would give you great access to clean everything. Though you do need some equipment (jack stands or ramps, and a good sturdy floor jack), dropping the engine/trans is not that difficult).