353 Detroit Air Box Drain Solution

[Dieseldog5.9]

Tuning up an old Detroit 353 in a timber jack, changed the oil thought I had a leak from old cartridge filter turns out it is the air box drain.  Oil leaks aren't as acceptable as they may have been in the past, but the drains need to be open, thought I would fabricate an air box catch can, anyone do this before?

[BargeMonkey]

 We made a catch tank for an 8-92 with an old propane tank, I dont think you've got quite that amount of room but a smaller decent tank would work. Biggest thing is plumbing them so they drain and you've got a way to drain the catch tank ? If your blowing enough out of the air box drains for it to be noticable in volume a catch tank is just lipstick on a pig at that point. 

[Dieseldog5.9]

Well she is a pig so lipstick would be better.  I believe the sticks and dirt in the belly pan were collecting the oil so it didn't leak on the ground, I cleaned out the pan now dripping on floor.

How much oil is to much oil from the drains? 

[BargeMonkey]

Everyone jokes about how much the Detroit's leak, and they do but theres a limit. If your getting close to a quart a day you need to figure out if it's a drip or going up the stack ? Pan gaskets, balance shaft gaskets, valve covers, valve guide seals, that's what tends to leak the most. Your airbox drain forward on the block on righthand side in the seat ? I'm used to dealing with EMDs which would eat 10-15gal of oil every couple days, this 12/149 is good for 2-2.5gal a day ran hard, just have to figure out which end it's going out of. 

[bushmechanic]

You may have some bad blower seals if the airbox is filling with engine oil. I remember installing kits on the 6V-92 where the oil would drain right back to the sump, they were that bad! Normally the inline engines went that bad unless they was an underlying problem, bad blower seals or rings dusted out.

[pdxh20]

On my '74 IH S-8 3-53 that sat for years with no air filter & was seized up tight with 4 gallons of rainwater in the pan before I got it running again...I took an empty 1 gal oil bottle after filling the crankcase and wedged it in between the starter and the block with the copper air box drain tube in the mouth of the bottle. Tied the handle of the oil jug up to the governor with a piece of baling wire. Now I can look at the translucent "gauge" on the side of the jug to know when it needs emptying and the oil pad I place on the front axle pan below it to catch the "drips" stays clean ! 8)

[J 5]

    We ran them on our silver 92's {city transit}.   A 5 inch light gauge pipe capped at each end, with a pipe nipple 3/8 at each top end with the unit horizontal. A drain at the bottom center with a 3/4 inch pipe welded on and sticking up inside over half way so it could vent all the time. We would drain them , when doing an oil change or if they were slobbering when the bus was on the hoist for other work.
       I can take a pick if needed, as I have 1 on my 3 71 generator
                                                             J 5