Curbing my enthusiasm, blow-by in a 1982 300D

[300DPETE]

Well, I thought I was doing okay. I have a 1982 300D with relatively low mileage (just under 147,000) that has been very well maintained by previous owners, is rust free, and runs great...perfect candidate for a nice VO conversion.

However, I did some blow-by tests this morning that weren't as encouraging or mixed at best.

Here were my tests:

--Oil cap loosened while running: a bit of "tea-kettle" action going on here with oil sputtering out a bit.

--Thumb on hose to air filter: shuts off in 6-8 seconds.

--Open end of hose to air filter: some steam coming out.

What I don't get, is that the air filter looks clean, and the air filter housing is dry other than a little bit of oil (maybe a silver dollar size of a thin layer) on the bottom of the housing.

.....Bummer. I thought I'd picked out a car in really good condition. Looks like the engine may only be so-so.

While it may run good now (starts in cold weather, doesn't smoke, etc.), it sounds like from the blow-by discussions on this forum that the engine life may be on the short side of a typical 617.

Pete.