Re: [VintageLambo] Re: Smelly Espada

Jack, I"m curious, is there air inlet to the motor? I had to device a breather system on my QV when the airpump and associated mounting bracket was scrapped for the Motec. Dennis > Jack Riddell wrote: > > Hi Doc, > > Welcome back. Hope the vacation was excellent. Your observations about the smell in Espadas also applies to the 400 GT cars. I fought that battle for years and came up with the same conclusion about the pressure differentials causing the suction into the passenger area via the poorly seal rear of the car. I did pretty much what you have been doing - plugging leaks, and it helps, but I never completely cured the problem. The only sure way to eliminate the exhaust odor is to close up the car and run the air conditioner. That creates enough positive internal pressure to keep out the fumes. > > As to the PCV issue, I ran into that problem some years ago when California decided that my car needed a positive crankcase ventilation system in spite of the exemptions the state had granted these cars when they were originally imported. So I asked Bill Stewart and he showed me a method he had devised that seemed to work well and satisfied the smog people. You run hose from the breather tube (pictured below) to a Pep Boys PCV valve and then to a fitting on the back side of the air cleaners. I used commonly available brass hose fittings to do the job. It eliminated the vapor smell from the engine immediately. That was probably 10 years ago and the system is still working great. > > [PCV Drawing] > > Best Regards, > > Jack > > docmirror wrote: > > > Hi guys, I"m back from vacation. didn"t buy anything in Fl, but had a > > good time. > > > > As for the smelly car issues, I think Laust is right about the vacuum > > in the cabin. I believe it"s caused by the louvered roof vents at the > > back of the roof which are there to "remove stale air and smoke" from > > the pass cabin(from Espada owners manual). Adding to the problem is > > the open air passage to the rear compartment, coupled with the poor > > seal around the tail lights which are directly above the exhaust > > exits. Knowing a small bit about air flow, there is an area of low > > pressure created over the roof which will suck air from the top vent > > while under way. > > > > My car has the same crankcase vent as all early Euro cars, namely that > > the tube goes down near the front of the engine and vents to air. > > There is no carbon recovery of fuel gasses, most cars have some, or > > many worn wind seals, and the cars run rich to boot. > > > > Well....It"s no wonder they smell! I"m going to tackle this by several > > ideas. First, I want to find a way to recirculate the crankcase gas > > into the intake. Haven"t figured a clean way to do it yet, without > > cutting into the air cleaner box, but I might just have it discharge > > at the front air horn pickup. > > > > Next, I"ve removed the rear lamp assemblies, and found my rubber > > gaskets were not seated to the housing in many areas. They shrink with > > time, and are a perfect location to pick up exhaust fumes. So I"ve had > > a gasket shop reproduce them in thicker material, and will be using > > anerobic sealant to reinstall them back on the car. > > > > I took the time to find and plug as many of the air leaks in the > > firewall as possible. Used a flashlight in a dark garage to find them. > > This also helps with noise reduction. At the same time, I replace the > > door seals, and window seals in my car and this made a HUGE difference > > in wind noise. Easy job too. > > > > Later, I want to add an air dam chin spoiler just behind the three > > holes in the front pan. Again, It"s going to require drilling a few > > holes, but I think the benefits of low air pressure beneath the car > > are so many-fold it will be worth it. > > > > Finally, I"m debating blocking off part of the louvers in the roof > > vent to keep the vacuum from devel