Recently I swapped my Saleen S/C pulley from a 3.2" (12 psi) to a 3.0" (14 psi) pulley. Shortly thereafter I noticed after a spirited drive that the rear crankshaft seal and rear oil pan gasket were "sweating". This never happened until I swapped S/C pulleys. I took the vehicle to the dealer and they replaced the rear crankshaft seal retainer, crankshaft seal and the oil pan gasket under warranty. I brought the vehicle home and put it up on stands. Cranked up the vehicle and let it idle - no leak. I took it for a mild mannered drive - no leak. I then made several WOT runs and the leak was still there. I do not believe this is a failure of the gaskets or seals. I believe this to be a failure of the OEM PCV system to adequately evacuate the additional crankcase fumes at these boost levels. I should also mention this is on a stock long block.
So I plan on deleting the PCV and running crankcase breathers vented to the atmosphere. I have already located K&N breathers that fit the valve covers. Additionally I will cap the vacuum nipples on the C&L Racer intake tube and the Saleen S/C. This should delete the OEM PCV system, adequately vent the crankcase, and not affect the tune because both the intake tube and S/C ports have been plugged preventing unmetered air from entering the air intake after the MAF sensor.
I did not decide to do this on a whim. I read every thread I could find on 03-04 Cobra PCV delete as this is a common practice. I then spoke to 3 very capable shops & tuners (JDM, VMP Tuning & D'Agostino Racing) before making this decision. The only downside could be some smell from the crankcase vapors. However, given the choice of smell vs. leak - I'll take the smell.
If anyone else is interested here is the parts list:
3/8" K&N Breather (Passenger side) 62-1320*
5/8" K&N Breather (Driver's side) 62-1340
3/8" Vacuum Cap (C&L Intake Tube) 660-1698 NAPA
5/8" Vacuum Cap (Saleen S/C) 660-1696 NAPA
* I am not planning on running a breather in place of the oil filler cap, rather I will attach a breather to the 3/8" nipple on the valve cover and retain the oil filler cap.
All these parts are less that $40. The entire installation should take less than 10 minutes. If this resolves this issue, I may replace the breather on the driver's side with a vented catch can. Additionally this will prevent 100% of the crankcase vapors from entering the air intake system.
Jim III, Justin, Nori and others, please feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
Regards,
Todd
So I plan on deleting the PCV and running crankcase breathers vented to the atmosphere. I have already located K&N breathers that fit the valve covers. Additionally I will cap the vacuum nipples on the C&L Racer intake tube and the Saleen S/C. This should delete the OEM PCV system, adequately vent the crankcase, and not affect the tune because both the intake tube and S/C ports have been plugged preventing unmetered air from entering the air intake after the MAF sensor.
I did not decide to do this on a whim. I read every thread I could find on 03-04 Cobra PCV delete as this is a common practice. I then spoke to 3 very capable shops & tuners (JDM, VMP Tuning & D'Agostino Racing) before making this decision. The only downside could be some smell from the crankcase vapors. However, given the choice of smell vs. leak - I'll take the smell.
If anyone else is interested here is the parts list:
3/8" K&N Breather (Passenger side) 62-1320*
5/8" K&N Breather (Driver's side) 62-1340
3/8" Vacuum Cap (C&L Intake Tube) 660-1698 NAPA
5/8" Vacuum Cap (Saleen S/C) 660-1696 NAPA
* I am not planning on running a breather in place of the oil filler cap, rather I will attach a breather to the 3/8" nipple on the valve cover and retain the oil filler cap.
All these parts are less that $40. The entire installation should take less than 10 minutes. If this resolves this issue, I may replace the breather on the driver's side with a vented catch can. Additionally this will prevent 100% of the crankcase vapors from entering the air intake system.
Jim III, Justin, Nori and others, please feel free to chime in with your thoughts.
Regards,
Todd
