Trixie69757

Hey! I'm new to the forum, and this may be in the wrong place, so forgive me plz.

I have a 99 convertible, with a 347 stroker and a lot of extras. I'll list below. Anyway, there's no oil showing up on the dipstick, but I haven't seen any leaks. I don't know if it's related, but when she's warmed up, and in 3rd running 3k rpm or higher, there's a vacuum (almost sounds like a tape rewinding) that's kinda high pitched. Steering is also recently a little crunchy occasionally. I know enough to cause trouble, so what do I do? I don't want to keep adding oil if she doesn't need it. Is this three different problems?

Thanks!

Fully built 347stroker
Forged bottom end
Lunati cam
Edelbrock performer rpm aluminum heads
Edelbrock Performer rpm upper and lower intake
Edelbrock valve covers
Edelbrock roller rockers
42lb injectors
90mm tb
Pro m maf
Stainless bbk headers,
MSD 6al box,
MSD distributer and wires
Fully built tremec 3650 tranny
Lakewood scatter shield
Stage 3 clutch
Steed tri-ax shifter
Full adjustable qa1 suspension
Steeda camber plates
Aftermarket upper and lower control arms
Long Subframe connectors
Fully built moser 8.8 rearend
31 spline axels
Posi
Wide nitto radials
Perfect launch diff
Slp X-pipe exhaust
10% Tint

JeffBall

Dang... You know more about your car than most guys... If its not leaking oil...but its losing it, It can only mean your burning oil...does your exhaust have a blue tint to it by chance? under hard accel it should be more noticeable.

As for the vacuum, its odd that it only does it in 3rd gear at that RPM range...it probably does it at other times, just not as noticeable. Does it do it if you hover 3k rpms, or under load?

One common area for leaks is the rear seal. Id fill the oil up the the top of the cross hatching, leave it parked over night on a flat surface...and check in the morning.

Trixie69757

No blue smoke, vacuum thing happens at 3rd and above, but only at 3k or higher. I've left it in the garage overnight (flat) after adding oil, and there's no leak there. I even put a pup-pee pad under it to make sure I wasn't looking at old oil marks. A few drops leak, but that's because it doesn't have a catch can under the breather. ( I can't find one that doesn't leak, so for now it's plugged)

Lol thanks, I grew up around mechanics, so I LOVE fast and loud.

JeffBall

I don't understand why it would only do it in 3rd and not 2nd to be completely honest. Does the sound go away when you left off the throttle?

And for the crunchy steering...is it when your accelerating? Could be your motor twisting and the exhaust is pressing up against the steering shaft... I have the same issue with my long tubes. I wanna say they have a term for it "ratchet steering" maybe.

A few drops coming from breather could mean more drops when engines running I suppose. Fill the oil. ..park the car outside on the pup pee pad... (warm it up) and let her run for 15 to 20 minutes and see what that results.

Trixie69757

It does, goes away completely when it's just idling, even if I pull the throttle when she's sitting still, no noise. Just 3rd and above when over 3k. It's strange. The steering, crunchy when turning, I was thinking probably rack/pinion, though I RLY don't want it to be that. I'll try letting it run over the pad for a little bit and get back to ya.

Thanks again!!

GTgeezer

Do I understand you right that you plugged the breather?

Trixie69757

Yeah, I had a trick flow breather that leaked, switched to the edelbrok breather and it leaked too, so I plugged it until I can find one that doesn't leak. Would it have been better to leave it on but leaking?

GTgeezer

that may increase your crank case pressure causing a possible blow bye condition which will burn the oil. pull a spark plug see if its fouled.

Trixie69757

Spark plugs are fine, oil drips a tiny bit from the transmission seal, so I still can't figure out where it's going. The sound, I've isolated to the shifter, when I move the boot it gets louder. Would throwing a bottle of Lucas oil in there be an okay thing to do? Like put it in directly at the shifter?

GTgeezer

Never use additives unless Ford says ok.