Active Active   Unanswered Unanswered

Oil in the Bilge; How Much is Too Much

Keeping your powerboat under power is a lot easier with good advice. Post your power systems questions here.

Moderators: Don Ayers, Al Benton, Don Vogt

Moosemeat
Posts: 73
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:31 am
Contact:

Oil in the Bilge; How Much is Too Much

Post by Moosemeat » Sun Aug 10, 2014 9:10 am

After a the Clayton show and a three hour cruise on the Chesapeake, I noticed that my bilge was a bit more slimy than usual. I had it fairly clean before the show, so the engine had maybe four to five hours of operation before the next cleaning. The water had some oil blobs in it, but no standing pools of oil. I could not find any evidence of a leak on the engine or the transmission. I checked the engine oil level, and added about 3/4 of a quart to bring it up to the top notch.
What is normal oil loss for a KFL? I know that antique auto engines routinely lose oil, which merely drips onto the pavement.

Peter M Jardine
Posts: 697
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
Contact:

Re: Oil in the Bilge; How Much is Too Much

Post by Peter M Jardine » Sun Aug 10, 2014 11:42 am

To me, no oil in the bilge is permissible. After that lofty statement, I have finally caved to drip pans and oil diapers in the pans. There are reasons for oil leaks, first and foremost that mating surfaces on the engine are not exact.Most people will not go to the bother on rebuild to blueprint gasket surfaces everywhere. I won't put up with a lot of leaking... I will pull the engine and fix it before too long. I have one engine out right now because of a rear seal seeping... it just irks me. It's hard to fix or even find an oil leak while the engine is in the boat, at least in cruisers it is. TSP and some dishsoap is a great cleaner..... followed by a lot of freshwater rinsing.

User avatar
evansjw44
Posts: 1865
Joined: Wed Jul 05, 2006 8:46 am
Location: Grosse Pointe Farms, MI
Contact:

Re: Oil in the Bilge; How Much is Too Much

Post by evansjw44 » Sun Aug 10, 2014 6:41 pm

I hate oil leaks. My engines don't leak. I have a trans that looses a 1/2 pint every 50 hours and that is more than I like. I'll have to get that taken care of. My generator doesn't leak. I wash the bilge every fall with lestoil to get the oil out.
Jim Evans

Tightline5
Posts: 451
Joined: Thu Aug 30, 2007 7:49 pm
Location: Campbell Co. Va.
Contact:

Re: Oil in the Bilge; How Much is Too Much

Post by Tightline5 » Sun Aug 10, 2014 6:59 pm

How many hours is on the motor? I had a friend that rebuilt his motor years ago, but like some he used it infrequently and at low speeds. When he started to use it more last year he noted that the oil was running low even on short outings. He pulled the pan , and motor looking for a leak, and found none, but occasional oil in the bilge. After pulling the motor twice he talked to a mechanic friend and he said get out and run the boat hard for a couple of hours. He did and it hasn't leaked or burned a drop since. The oil rings had never set.
Phil Jones

1948 US Plywood Executive Runabout Hull #1 "WeldWood"
1954 Racing Runabout R-496
1957 Deluxe Runabout D-17-2062
"MISBEHAVIN"

dmcmillan
Posts: 12
Joined: Wed Jun 25, 2014 7:56 pm
Contact:

Re: Oil in the Bilge; How Much is Too Much

Post by dmcmillan » Mon Sep 15, 2014 1:27 pm

My dip stick is leaking in my 1950 CC U22 with a 351W. My wife and I noticed the oil in the bilge, lifted the motor cover and the dip stick wasn't sealed tight.

Any ideas on sealing dip sticks?

PS the oil pressure was fine and the oil level was fine.

David

Peter M Jardine
Posts: 697
Joined: Sun Mar 18, 2012 10:27 am
Contact:

Re: Oil in the Bilge; How Much is Too Much

Post by Peter M Jardine » Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:02 pm

Ugh. 351 windsor have a flange that holds the dipstick tube, and it has an O ring in there.... it's a pain, because you have to push the flange into the oil pan while holding on to it, and then replace the O ring and put it back together.

Moosemeat
Posts: 73
Joined: Thu Oct 15, 2009 10:31 am
Contact:

Re: Oil in the Bilge; How Much is Too Much

Post by Moosemeat » Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:09 am

During a recent bilge cleanup, I noticed a slight film of oil on the pipe to the oil pressure gauge. The fitting on the engine was loose. This prompted me to go on a tightening campaign all around the engine. Bolts securing the transmission to the engine block, bolts on the valve cover, bolts securing the fuel pump to the block were all not very loose but did need tightening, and I could see where some oil had oozed out.
We're going to take it for a run tomorrow and see if it runs cleaner.

Post Reply

Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 18 guests