Engine breather oil leak

[PRH]

Volvo TAMD40A 200hp diesel:

Any ideas what it means when you get oil out of your crank case breather and what steps should I take?

I know it means you probably have some crank case pressure!

I have phones the broker, his engineer said to change the air filters…. I have done this just to humour him, it cost me an arm and a leg for genuine Volvo parts.


<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[TRH]

Hi Try this, remove and clean the breather parts,Put back with one added penny washer, this will take up the play of your weak spring. Hope this works it did for me Regards Trevor

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[TRH]

Hi Try this, remove and clean the breather parts,Put back with one added penny washer, this will take up the play of your weak spring. Hope this works it did for me Regards Trevor

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[PRH]

Trevor,

Many thanks for the information.

I think we may have different breathers, mine just seem to have some gauze in and no moving parts!

Peter

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Talon]

There is a modification you can get to stop this happening. Ours are 31's, but same mod.......

It is a new rocker cover, which has a breather adapter on it. You connect a stupidly thin pipe from the rocker cover which then connects to the airfilter box. I think you have to get a modified one of them as well.

Personally so not bother with the thin pipe, attach a big pipe and put it into the bilge.

Then make sure your oil is not on Max mark of the dip stick, reduce it a little lower, we have 800 written on our dip sticks and have put the level at the top 0 of the 800.

This should sort it out for you mate.....

http://www.mad-als.com/temp/breather2.jpg

We were told this is common with these engines. Don't worry about back pressure etc, just do the mod and see, ours stopped...

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Talon on 20/06/2004 22:42 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Viscount]

I have 2 x AD31 in my Sealine 285. After a rebuilt at Volvo dealer earlier this year, a crack appeared in the port engine sump. Got sump replaced last week with new one. Now have oil leak coming from very close to crankcase breather - might even be breather - hard to see exactly and only happens when running quite hard. From what I can see, neither engine has a modification but only one has this leak. It is possible that the crack in the sump kept the pressure lower and meant leak did not happen at crankcase? I don't notice any appreciable difference in presure reading on gauge but not sure how accurate these things are anyway. I have sent fax to Volvo Engineers to ask what they propose doing about this but really interested in this posting. Any advice from the Forum appreciated.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[omega2]

We run Fords which as you know breath heavier than most others, our breather is on top of the rocker cover, I have seen many ways of trying to aleviate the mess caused even official ones where the breath is directed back into the air cleaner and reburned, but we use a 1" plastic pipe from the breather to a 2 liter coke bottle, the pipe fits snug around the neck of the bottle so to stop it exploding we have cut holes just below the neck to allow the (air) to escape and the heavier deposit to collect it seems to work fine. The only other way is to win the lottery and have brand new engines. And even then???

<hr width=100% size=1>J HAMER

 

[Talon]

We found it was only our port engine which seemed to have the issue, that also is the engine that heats our tap water, not sure if that is relevent.

We did the same, 1" hoses into a jam jar with no lid, so they could breath freely.

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.mad-als.com/temp/breather3.jpg>http://www.mad-als.com/temp/breather3.jpg</A>

We have run an entire season last year and there is only a fine film of black appeared in the jar, so very little comes out the engine, just fumes really.

Also, after we made the rule of never topping the oil right up, we also agreed that we would not pass 3,500rpm on our engines, they rev up to around 4000 rpm. The major blow back problems we had were when we pushed it to 3800rpm, which adds hardly any speed at all. So out of respect for our 15 year old engines we have never passed 3,500 revs......

I think with the breather, big pipe, lower the revs a little and lower the oil level to where I said, you will have no problems at all....

/forums/images/icons/smile.gif

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Talon on 21/06/2004 14:07 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[studgies]

this forum is great, we have exactly that same problem on one of out AD31s, what is even better is that we know where Talon is moored so we can pinch his!! ) Only kidding, how much were they?? Do Key Part do em?

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Col]

Firstly check it's not overfilled with oil, as you will get this problem if it is.

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.arweb.co.uk/argallery/colspics> Cols Picture Album</A>

 

[Talon]

LOL! Oi, hands off!

I can not remember how much they were to be honest. Not stupid money, certainly cheaper than what a lot of engineers told us. Back pressure due to f*** compression rings, engine rebuilds and lift outs were mentioned. I was so chuffed that the fix was so simple in the end.

I find with boating you seem to have to get 3 or 4 engineers on board and collect all their opinions, have a look yourself and decide what to do from there. I seem to range from,

"ooooh its f*** mate, new engines, £40k!"

to

"Leave it mate, just wipe it up once per month!"



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[PRH]

Where did you buy the modified covers or were they standard covers with a home grown mod?

Excellent pictures by the way.

Thanks

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Nick2]

These are identical to my breathers which you are welcome to look at.

I just dont understand why the engines actually need them?

Nick

<hr width=100% size=1><A target="_blank" HREF=http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/Nick2>http://arweb.co.uk/argallery/Nick2</A>

 

[Talon]

I believe you will find a lot of the newer Volvo engines have these on as standard.

When I was at one the boat shows I saw them everywhere on Volvo engines.

I think we brought them at RK Marine in Southampton.

They are a genuine Volvo part to fix this problem.

<hr width=100% size=1><P ID="edit"><FONT SIZE=-1>Edited by Talon on 21/06/2004 22:31 (server time).</FONT></P>

 

[Viscount]

TRH, could you advise more specifically where you placed the penny washer. I presume that whatever you did increased the required pressure before the oil decides to blow out the engine - I think that's what I need to do.

Thanks.

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[studgies]

We did this to ours but it does not seem to have helped much! I have sent you a PM about the pipe repair kit

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[david_steward]

I have a Volvo TAMD 71B which leaks oil from the crankcase breather bypass valve. I have changed the breather filter, replaced the rubber items in the bypass valve, blown through the pipe that runs back to the sump.

There does not seem to be excess crankcase pressure.

Why the hell is it still leaking?





<hr width=100% size=1>We don't want a sports cruiser, totally impractical. Err ok then.

Dave S

 

[TRH]

Hi Viscount from memory the washer is fitted on the top side of the spring.My engines are AQAD41A 200 hp that have crankcase breather relief valves situated next to the crankcase ventilation filters, I must agree with the other posts, that is do not overfill oil, and keep the revs at no more than 3,500

<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Talon]

To add to all the other bits I have posted.

We blocked our relief valves as recommended by a volvo engineer. We added the rocker cover modifications and the blocked off the relief valves. They are there in case of the filter being blocked so any back pressure will lift the spring and oil will run down the back of the engine into the bildge.

But as we have the breather and ther rocker cover modification, the chances of both blocking up and the same as not have the modification and relygin on the release valve. So we put a washer over the hole and that is now closed off completely.



<hr width=100% size=1>

 

[Viscount]

The fact, in my case, is that the filter is not blocked, it's new and I've tested it by blowing through it. Nevertheless, the oil races out the relief. I've checked the spring and seal on the valve and they're OK. My other engine doesn't do this at all. There must be some other force at play here surely? Volvo engineer looked at it tonight and needs time to ponder.

<hr width=100% size=1>