TR TROUBLE

If water is in the oil, then is the oil level getting higher, and is the water level getting lower? The pressure of the coolant system shouldn't be higher than about 16psi or so, the oil pressure is higher than that. Do you see oil in the coolant? I'm not exactly sure, but I think it is possible for coolant to get into the oil at the water pump. A head gasket problem would probably show up upon close examination of the spark plugs. Is there any coolant in the exhaust?

 

The oil tank getting significantly pressurized is not a good sign -- either:

1. you have so much blow-by that the blow-by system is working, but getting overwhelmed, or

2. The venting valve (item 8) in this jpeg has failed (or the little vacuum lines that tell item 8 to "open" have failed, come off, etc.).

(I'll say this not knowing how difficult it may be to check, but) You need to confirm/deny if blow-by vapors are exiting valve item 8 and flowing in lines items 9 into the intake system. If you got no flow in lines 9 and valve item 8 is stuck closed, this would cause an overpressurization (I noted in the SPC that they redesigned item 8 once ). Alternatively, if a huge amount of blow-by is coming out lines 9, you'd have to suspect some serious internal mechanical engine trouble.
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My mistake, but that's even stranger because on a TR the venting of the blow-by system has no valve (so the oil tank should never pressurize), but still same advice -- remove hose item 8 that enters the back of the airbox. Either hose 8 is blocked/kinked, or the amount of blow-by must be extreme.
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The water pump should have a "weep hole" that will allow coolant to drain on the ground before pressurizing the oil seal. It is possible for this to get plugged. If you examine it underneath you should be able to check if it's clear with a thin wire. The cooling system pressure is around 15 psi. Oil pressure at the water pump might be less. It is possible for coolant to enter here but head gaskets or cracks are also good possibilities. It doesn't take much water to make the oil "milky". If you don't find an obvious source it will be time to systematically evaluate the possibilities.

Putting air pressure into spark plug holes one at a time (piston at TDC) with radiator cap off, look for bubbles.

Alternatively you can pressurize cooling system (no more than 15-16 psi) with spark plugs out and check for coolant in cylinders.

 

Hmmmm....please forgive me for asking a seemingly stupid question. How are you checking the oil level? NEVER EVER check the oil level when the engine is cold. ALWAYS check the oil level after a short drive to get the engine up to normal operating temperature. After shutting down you have about 30 seconds or so to get back there, open up the bonnet, and check the oil level. If your car is cold right now, go out and check the oil level, if the oil level is between the min and max lines while the engine is cold, you have way way too much oil in you engine.

 

You might want to drain the oil and inspect it, change the filter, and put new oil in to make sure you have proper amount in the engine. You will confirm if there is water in the oil by letting it seperate. Start simple. Work up from there.

 

How about taking it to a professional rather than wreck your engine. If you have coolant in the oil due to a headgasket (which is possible) then get it fixed rather than continue to feed milky oil to your crank bearings and cam journals. The consequential damage will be much worse by farting around and taking shots in the dark when you dont know how to diagnose it yourself.

 

+1

This doesn't seem to be one of those obvious do-it-yourself-ers, IMO.

 

I agree. Anti-freeze destroys bearing material. STOP running your engine!!

From past experience.................

Excess heat (or pressure) in the cooling system sounds like combustion gases being forced into a water jacket somewhere, possibly through a crack in the head (combustion chamber), headgasket or cylinder liner. The resulting excess pressure in the coolant could be forcing it past a gasket or seal that would otherwise prevent leakage between the two. This in turn could be causing excess crankcase pressure hence the oil spitting out of the oil cap (plus being over full).

The engine can still run somewhat smoothly under these conditions but not for long.

Coolant temps will be higher because of the hot combustion gases being injected into the coolant.

I've seen this exact same thing before on more than one car.

 

I wanted to add that sometimes, due to corrosion in the water jacket, pinholes will form in the heads allowing transfer. Deteriorating headgaskets will do the same thing for the same reasons.

A common cause for excessive corrosion is the lack of coolant flushes throughout the life time of the car, lack of corrosion inhibiting additives and high mineral content of the water used to "top off".

If the car has been over heated numerous times due to non-functioning radiator fans the head gaskets can be compromised.

 

Whoa. Punctuation break...

Well, obviously you're more mechanically gifted than I am if you can pull the engine. Good luck with it.

And yes, I know of a couple of Ferraris that have had broken belts.

 

Thats nothing new, you can take it out the top or bottom. Post pics of the problem you find. Might be tough to find if its a liner o-ring.

 

I beg to differ.
You ARE LOSING COOLANT! You are losing it into your lubrication system. It may not be hitting the ground but you are indeed suffering a loss, enough to turn your oil milky.

There may not be pressure in your coolant but going from what you have written it sounds like the pressure is being transferred into your crankcase.

The absence of white smoke only means none of it is making it's way into the combustion chambers. Usually a good sign.

 

I have never heard of TR's having sleeve problems. The Ferrari flat twelve is one of the toughest ever built.

The first thing I would do on your engine BEFORE taking it out is pressure test your cooling system. If it won't hold pressure you will have a starting point to trouble shoot from. Sometimes you can actually hear the leak during the test because the engine isn't running.

Next, do a compression test and ESPECIALLY a leak down test. This will at least tell you if you are losing anything through your combustion chambers or headgaskets.

 

It can come out the top too.

Im not saying thats the problem, just never say never because thats how you miss things.

 

You guys are arguing two different points. With the clutch housing, axle shafts, and bonnet removed, the TR engine/gearbox can be lifted out the top -- obviously, you can't pull the whole powerplant & rear suspension out the top.

tr512 -- If you are concerned about the oil tank getting pressurized, you should also be concerned that a lot of liquid engine oil is getting blown out hose #8 into the air cleaner -- I'd still say that your easiest 1st test is to just remove hose #8 from the back of the air cleaner and see what's happening there (i.e., massive blow-by coming out hose #8 = shut-off and big repair; absolutely nothing = maybe not so bad, but the air volume at the top of the oil tank and air inside hose #8 should be at equal pressures so that indicates blockage; a normalish amount of gentle blow-by = would be a surprising result given your report of a pressurized oil tank).