HEMI oil consumption?
#2345610
07/30/17 10:17 AM
07/30/17 10:17 AM
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Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 984 Tennessee
Hemi ragtop
OP
super stock
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OP
super stock
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 984
Tennessee
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I love to read car magazines, I have a collection that includes the first "Super Stock and Drag Illustrated" that I bought in 1968. Reading articles on original, often brand new HEMI cars is interesting. One item that is mentioned in at least four original articles is oil consumption, lots of it! The worst case was the Ray Brock article in 65' about the single four barrel, 4 speed "rally" car that Chrysler loaned him. With a 4:30 gear, a quart of oil every 150 miles! Another, on a 69 Charger with 3.54 gear, stated a quart every tank of gas, (200 miles?) An article in a modern Muscle Cars, issue talks about a 66'Satelite 3.54 gear four speed that slowed? his consumption to a quart every 600 miles by using Royal Tritan straight 60 weight! I have a HEMI that is strictly cruise/street car. It uses more oil than I like although all clearances, valve seals, intake sealing and spark plug tube, no compression washer on plugs, etc. has been done. My question is, if you put MILES on your HEMI, have you noticed more oil consumption than a similar build wedge engine? Or do any of you have any experience, or theory as to why this is? Just curious. Another thought, If HEMI engines used this amount of oil, how did the early NASCAR teams deal with an engine that turned 7,500 rpm for 500 miles? Also, did the Ford and GM NASCAR engines have oil usage? Being built for this type of racing, I assume clearances etc. were optimized for the continuous high rpm, so as the HEMI was made "street able" in 66', did the "race" clearances/design that caused oil consumption just come along to the street version? I have found MANY comments about oil consumption being one of the high cost/high maintenance reasons that so few were purchased. The word was out, buy a HEMI and have it worked on all the time and add oil all the time! Your thoughts, experiances?
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Re: HEMI oil consumption?
[Re: Hemi ragtop]
#2345644
07/30/17 11:49 AM
07/30/17 11:49 AM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,210 Benton, IL.
DaveRS23
Special needs idiot
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Special needs idiot
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 12,210
Benton, IL.
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I have only had 2 Hemis and both sucked oil through the intake gaskets. Never had that problem on any of my wedges. I have fought it and fought it on both Hemis. On the first one, I slowed it down a bit but never got it stopped.
Paper gaskets will let oil wix through them. The Superformance gaskets helped mine a lot.
On my current one (World block, MP Eddy heads) I think I have it slowed to a crawl. Haven't added oil for about 600 miles. But I do notice blue puffs at cold start-up.
Check your intake ports in the heads for oil.
Master, again and still
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Re: HEMI oil consumption?
[Re: 69hemibeep]
#2345722
07/30/17 02:55 PM
07/30/17 02:55 PM
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Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,976 Chilliwack B.C. Canada
RUNCHARGER
I Live Here
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I Live Here
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 15,976
Chilliwack B.C. Canada
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Back in the 80's when I drove my Hemis quite a bit they seemed to like a quart about every 1,000 miles or so. Loose pistons, so-so gaskets and valve seals I imagine were the cause. No way I ever used a quart of oil per tank of gas however my friend Bruce had an LS7 crate engine in his 67 Corvette and it did use a quart of oil per tank of gas.
Sheldon
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Re: HEMI oil consumption?
[Re: calrobb2000]
#2577385
11/12/18 02:28 AM
11/12/18 02:28 AM
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Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,881 Pittsburgh,PA
RTSrunner
top fuel
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top fuel
Joined: Nov 2003
Posts: 1,881
Pittsburgh,PA
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hi have it honed with a torque plate for sure ! If it just needs a hone,you can have the pistons coated to adjust the piston to wall clearance within reason.
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Re: HEMI oil consumption?
[Re: Hemi ragtop]
#2577886
11/13/18 01:02 PM
11/13/18 01:02 PM
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Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,665 Stuttgart, Arkansas
rickseeman
master
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master
Joined: Jan 2012
Posts: 2,665
Stuttgart, Arkansas
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I was hoping you were closer. I'm 125 miles southwest of Memphis. If you feel so inclined you could bring your block, pistons, head gasket and head bolts/studs down here and we could find out where you are at. I have a Sunnen CV 616, Sunnen dial bore gage in tenths, Sunnen setting fixture, Mitutoyo profilometer and a torque plate. We could measure where you are now, then hone it until it's clean. Then we could decide if you need pistons or not. Hopefully not. Might have .001" more piston clearance but so what? The profilometer will tell you the surface finish is good. Then I have some Edelbrock heads here that we could put on there to check the intake to cylinder wall clearance. Your fix might all be very easy. And may not really cost you anything.
2011 Drag Pak Challenger
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Re: HEMI oil consumption?
[Re: Hemi ragtop]
#2578683
11/15/18 12:14 PM
11/15/18 12:14 PM
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,457 Washington
madscientist
master
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master
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,457
Washington
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I had a friend suggest that the 4.5” stroke would make the engine harder to seal, also said that it promoted pre mature wear of the bores. With a 6.86 rod, my engine has the same ratio as a 454 Chevy, do any of you have an opinion on stroke vs. longevity and oil consumption? Thanks To me, bore geometry and surface finish are way more important than what your friend is saying. I personally don't like to get the piston hanging out the bottom of the bore until you can see the oil ring, but if the ring belt isn't abhorrent and everything else is correct, your combo shouldn't be an issue. I think most guys are still running too much piston to wall clearance. I've seen stuff come through the shop that was on it's first freshen and it would need to be taken to the next over to save it. Sometimes, you could coat the Pistons and save them for one rebuild. Now, with the Line2line coating, you can save more stuff that's too loose. The L2L coating is a very good product. I've only seen it used once, but the results were better than expected.
Just because you think it won't make it true. Horsepower is KING. To dispute this is stupid. C. Alston
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Re: HEMI oil consumption?
[Re: Hemi ragtop]
#2580067
11/19/18 01:40 AM
11/19/18 01:40 AM
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Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,457 Washington
madscientist
master
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master
Joined: Sep 2014
Posts: 4,457
Washington
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You should be able to use Line2Line coatings on those pistons and save some money. Unless you want to change parts.
Just because you think it won't make it true. Horsepower is KING. To dispute this is stupid. C. Alston
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