My brother was driving the car over a pretty steep pass, he said the car started pinging, sputtering and that smoke was comig out the back, when he got home noticed the car was leaking oil, I popped off the air filter cover and the filter ( see pic) was saturated on the left side with oil. I guess this is some kine of blowby problem, but I wanted to float this by you guys first. BTW I had already changed the pcv valve and the hoses that had hardened over the years. any Ideas on how to proceed?
Thanks!

 

I also asked what cokor the smoke was and he didn't remember

 

Can you tell which side of the filter it is coming from. I just looked at mine and I can't see where or why it would come from the "outside" air side.
There is the hose from the valve cover (just to the right, pass side) of the oil filler cap that I would check. It leads to the front of the tb intake. If some how oil is getting push out that hose it could be running back down to the filter.
All of that "plumbing" comes off very easily. See if removing that stuff will help in finding the source.

PS. If you ever have to replace the alternator, remove all of the stuff I'm talking about (including the part of the air filter base that is bolted to the intake/tb) and just pull that alternator right out where the air filter is...a whole lot easier than removing the CV Shaft.

 

Yeah,
I just took off that elbow tube that goes from the air filter box to the intake manifold. I think the oil is coming from that smaller tube coming off the valve cover to the elbow. What do you think causes that? should I go get a leak down tester and proceed or is there something else going on I don't know about?

 

the first pic is of the air box, the second is the tube off the valve cover and the elbow where it connects, if that helps at all.

 

You said you replaced the pcv valve, was that before or after the issue. If after we might be looking at left over oil. If before then, don't get mad at me, are you sure it is in the right way (very easy to turn around, not much difference in the sizes on the ends...did it myself once many moons ago).
Either way, I'd clean all the plumbing as best as you can (carb cleaner and a rag). Also if you can clean the tb intake, moving the butterfly full open to get what ever might have gone into the intake. Leave it open (don't reconnect all the hoses yet), just know there is a large amount of air coming into the tb (rags clear ect, it will suck your hand right hard) Crank her up and see if you can feel/find oil coming from the hose on the valve cover.
There may still be issues with performace for a few minutes, oil left over in the intake/tb.

 

the pcv was before this issue which was eerily just like what is going on now, by that I mean that the car had pinged and smoked before, but there was no oil in the air filter box like now. I take alot of pictures when I work on cars because I started turning wrenches when I lived back east where everything rusts together and there could be a week or two before you could get specialty parts which usualy were the ones that broke. I will do the cleaning and post what happens,
Thanks a million.

 

I cleaned the TB and started it up and the small metal tube below the valve cove tube has a pinhole leak that was spurting antifreeze out of it (see pic). the valve tube was puting out a lot of smoke at the beginning but after I shut it down for the first pic I wanted another one of the leak in action, there was no smoke coming out of the valve tube. is that of any significance? the engine was shut down for less than a few minutes.

 

Well my friend we might be in for bigger issues. I'm hoping for an easy answer...
The two tubes are close together, best is hope the coolant part in coming into the oil part. What does the oil, on dipstick, look like? Is the coolant level where it needs to be and no aair? As a temp try, bypass the metal tube coolant part. A piece of like 3/8 hose, not through the metal "connector".
From there we are down to the "leak down" test you mentioned before...sorry I wish I had better advise/news....ps I'm having to go on memory as the boy isn't home today for me to look at his 88 LXI.

 

Thanks poorman,
I called my local honda guy to order that tube thing and he said it has been discontinued. Needless to say I have a fabrication job on my hands, just like you suggested. I am going to bypass both of those, probably using the 3/8" tube for the valve and maybe some brake line for the coolant. I will post what happens no matter good or bad. if bad, I concur its time to get the leakdown tester. Am I being too cheap by getting it from harbor freight?

Thanks for all the help, I wish these forums were around when I was 19 and had my 1963 fairlane. I loved that car and I am not really a ford guy.