oil leak

[Joe Miller]

Hello All,

Went out to the boat yesterday after a few days away, opened the bilge and noticed engine oil. Last time on the boat I ran the engine for 30 minutes or so to charge batteries. I did not notice any oil at that time.
I checked the oil level yesterday and there is oil in the sump, mostly full, didn't get an accurate read. With oil in the sump I don't think the pan is the issue although I will check tomorrow.

A little back ground, I spent 5 years rebuilding the boat and only ran the engine a couple of times as well as 2-3 times before re-launch this month and all seemed well.

Could a seal dried out in that time and where might I look.

I am going to the boat tomorrow and will follow up, just thought a little direction would be helpful.

Boat is a Grampian 30 I bought as a wreck; previous owner said he had the engine re built although his re build could have been a new spark plug and a can of paint, I just don't know. Not great access to underside of engine, all else is relatively good. I have the MMI manual.

Thanks,

Joe

[Dave Neptune]

Joe, oil leaks can be a bit of a pain. Check the galley plugs on the manifold side of the block, the valve cover plate. The seal on the back end of the engine can drip if failing. There is no seal at the front.

Oil leaks can often be spotted by looking for a cleaner spot or trail as the oil carries away dirt and dust on its way to where it drips.

How much oil are we talking about? Look around with a mirror or a go-pro for the places you can't see.

Dave Neptune

[tenders]

You can also get oil dripping out around the shaft seal of the water pump. This could be because the bolts holding the pump to the block aren’t tight (that bottom one is hard to get to, and is the reason Moyer sells the “extendo” version of it), or the gasket isn’t good, or because the shaft seals need to be replaced.

A little seepage might not be a reason to curtail the season to fix. It depends on your mindset/climate.

[ndutton]

Toss an oil-sorb into the bilge in the meantime to keep the mess at a minimum.

[Joe Miller]

Will check tomorrow and get back to you. Thanks for the replies.
Joe

[tac]

Oil Leaks

If you have a mechanical oil pressure gauge, or a remote mounted electrical sender, check to see if the brass NPT fitting into the front of the block, or its copper tube, has a crack. In my case, the cracked fitting leaked oil that dripped down and ran back under the carburetor side of the engine, then dripped off the back of the engine.

Also see,

https://moyermarine.com/faq-3-2-2-2/

[joe_db]

Generic oil leak advice - we used this to find hydraulic leaks in stabilizer systems back in the day.
1. Clean everything until spotless. You want to be able to eat off the engine room floor.
2. Lay out paper towels everywhere.
3. Run the engine briefly. You want to look for the first sign of oil, don't give it a chance to spread all over.

[Joe Miller]

oil leak

hello All,

Got to the boat and the oil leak seems to be coming from the lower bolt area on the pump. I was able to tighten but think I will have to remove and make a new gasket and check for any deformity in the mating surfaces.
I will give update later in the week.

Thanks,

Joe

[tenders]

Good, that’s about the easiest leak there is to fix. However, it can be difficult to discern between that, and a leak seeping down from just above that where the water pump shaft seals are.

[Mo]

Joe, I l have lots of oil sorb-all pads for the bilge if you want some. Currently in Newfoundland but will be home next Tuesday...or so. If you want some give me a call and stop over...I have loads of them.

[sastanley]

Mo...our dockmaster, Terry, at our marina (Zahniser's) gives those diaper things out on July 4th weekend in their own gallon sized-ish ziploc bags. She walks around with a box of them. I jam as many as I can into my 'misc' locker in the cockpit..I drape them around the fuel fill when I bring a jerry can down to absorb a splash, and have a couple in the bilge too. You never know when you might need them!

[Joe Miller]

Hi Mo, nice to hear from you, I will give you a call next week.
I am still trying to rig the boat, seems it never ends.

Thanks,

Joe