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1. So, what can you do about blow by anyway?
Blow by is the result of wear in a gas or diesel engine.
Blow by is the gas that is blown past the piston rings into the crankcase on a worn gasoline or
diesel engine. Blow by reduces the power driving the piston resulting in a drop in compression
and horsepower.
When an engine is new, the rings and cylinders are designed to match each other. Using the oil
from below in the crankcase, the rings create a seal that keeps the oil out of the combustion
chamber and the expanding combustion gases from blowing by the ring into the crankcase.
Hence the term blow by. The combustion energy is fully used to push the piston downward,
driving the crank shaft and ultimately turning the wheels. New cars have more power and better
fuel economy.
The ring is actually a spring that presses against the cylinder wall. Viewed from the top, the new
cylinder is round, as is the ring. As the piston moves up and down, a properly functioning ring
actually rotates around the piston in its groove, reducing uneven wear. As long as the cylinder is
cylindrical (round as seen from the top), and the ring is rotating, the ring does its job and seals
the oil below and the energy above.
During normal operation, both the cylinder and the ring begin to wear. The cylinder wears the
most on opposite sides, 90 degrees off the wrist pin. This creates an oval shape to the cylinder.
Ovality of the cylinder is one of the primary causes of blow by because the ring can no longer
seal that worn area. Combustion gases are blown by the ring into the crankcase, hence the name
blow by. This is seen as a reduction of compression as measured by a compression test. Ring and
cylinder wear are not the only causes of compression loss. When valves are worn, they will also
allow combustion gasses to escape. Mechanics have specific tests they can perform to determine
if compression loss is caused by ring or valve wear.
Blow by is also caused by stuck rings.
As mentioned above, the ring is designed to rotate around the piston in its groove. However,
carbon deposits are often left behind in the combustion process. Complex fuel molecules simply
do not burn completely and are often left behind as a black deposit. A common complex fuel
molecule is the asphaltine molecule. I like to use this example because even the casual reader can
easily visualize the black tarry substance that must be left behind on the surfaces inside the
engine. Not even Chevron's detergent, Techron fully cleans up carbon deposits.
One of the primary areas that these deposits accumulate is on the upper surface of the top ring of
the piston. As these deposits accumulate, the ring movement becomes restricted, eventually
resulting in the ring actually getting stuck. The deposits block the top surface and even wedge
between the ring and its groove. When the ring sticks, the ring seals poorly and actually
accelerates wear.
Blow by can be seen by the casual mechanic (car owner) without having to pay for a

2. compression test by removing the oil filler cap while the engine is running. Be careful - if the
engine is hot, the oil is too and can burn you. Do this test when the engine is cool. In moderate to
severe cases of blow by, the oil actually spits out the oil filler opening. When you see this, turn
off the engine or put the cap back on or you will have a big mess to clean up.
Blow by is also detected in older engines and diesel engines as oil dripping from the breather
tube of the engine. As the combustion gases are injected into the crankcases of older and many
diesel engines with breather tubes, the pressure splashes the oil (remember "oil spit") into the
opening of the breather tube. There is much to say about emission control and why the newer
engines do not have breather tubes, but that is for another discussion. Nevertheless, the result is
oil on the pavement under where the vehicle is parked. This is not to be confused with leaking oil
gaskets, but the result is the same, a puddle or oil spot under the vehicle.
Excess oil usage or burning oil is another clear sign of cylinder/ring wear. This is probably the
most common sign and although it is not blow by in the sense of combustion gases blowing into
the crankcase, it is the opposite. The oil leaks past the ring and burns in the combustion chamber.
Probably the earliest sign is that your oil level is low and you need to add oil between oil
changes. You are using oil most likely because of cylinder wear. The other sign and it is hard to
miss is smelly exhaust. Burning oil is distinctive and it emits a blue smoke out the exhaust pipe.
Pay attention if you are using oil - you are probably burning it. (If it is not on the driveway).
You can get a blow by monitor at Labcell. Usually valuable for fleet maintenance and repair. The
M400MR has both flow rate and totaliser modes and therefore supports both types of
measurement. There are no moving parts in the meter and the vortex shedding principle ensures
pefect zero stability.
So, What can you do about blow by?
OK - what can be done about this? Engine rebuild, overhaul or replacement are the options on
the table. How much does that cost? For a car, between $2,000 and $8,000 depending on the
engine and who you have do the work. For a Class VIII truck, between $7,000 and $25,000,
again depending on what needs to be done and who is doing it.
BUT - there are some options to those big repair bills and just putting up with the problem or
running the engine into the ground until it just dies.
Here is where things get interesting and this fascinated me. Engine ceramics have been around
for several years and they are inexpensive compared to that engine overhaul. When added to the
oil, they create a ceramic coating on the inside working surfaces of the engine. This new surface
is sintered on - think of fire glazing, powder coating and tungsten carbide. Yes - tungsten
carbide, the material that revolutionized the drill bit, saw blade and machine tool industries. They
are all sintered into place. If your blow by is caused by cylinder wear, then these will do the
trick. Leaking valve guides just require repair.

3. Benefit of sintering is that the new surface gets down to nanoparticle, liquid state and embeds
itself in to the crystalline structure of the metal surface. It is a permanent resurfacing. It will not
flake or peel off.
Remember the engine harmonics above? These engine ceramics balance the harmonics of the
engine. Can you imagine the power increase from a balanced engine?
Are they safe? Over 10 years of commercial use and no failures. Use the quality ones like
CerTech or Quality Ceramics made in USA. Avoid the cheap imports. Remember, you are
creating a new surface that will last a long time, so use the good stuff. Prepare to spend about
$100 for 4's and 6's and $150 for a V-8.
Temporary fixes like Restore, Bardahl and other engine additives sometimes work for a short
time, but you have to add them at every oil change. If you are limping and on a $20 budget, they
will get you by.
What else? replace the car. This might be the proper time to just plain get a new car or truck.
Look around. Are repair bills mounting up? Are parts all over the car going out? Rust damage
too much? Do you just plain want a new car or truck? Well, stop putting all those repairs into it
and get yourself another vehicle. If you buy used, do it with your eyes wide open, Know what
you are getting. You don't want to buy another person's headache. But now may be the time to
dump the junker and replace it.
Enough said.
So now you know more about blow by.