KAD43 - Oil leak from starter motor

[SteveDH]

Hi All,

I have a Sealine S38 with KAD43's. I've noticed some oil leaking from the starter motor on the STBD engine ... perhaps a couple of tablespoons of black oil following a 3-4 hour run (at low speed river use):



I've tried nipping the bolts that secure it to the engine, but they were pretty tight.

I've also experienced the STBD engine intermittently failing to start ... perhaps 1 in every 20 attempts (the other 19 times it starts instantly). When it fails to start, the battery voltage drops from a healthy 12.5V to pretty much nothing, so it seems like its trying to turn? It then point-blank refuses to start (generally until I stop the boat), and then on attempting to re-start it starts perfectly fine and may not 'play-up' again all day.

Is this common? Am I seeing the signs of a 'goosed' starter motor?

Thanks in advance!

Regards to all

Steve

 

[VicS]

There should not be any oil in that area to leak

Check if its running down from one of the valve cover gaskets ( Any body had the covers off recently to adjust the valve clearances and reused the old gaskets?}

Hpoefully not coming from the head gasket or the crankshaft oil seal .

 

[Gsd]

Oil leaks out the charge air coolers after a low speed running
It then gathers on the starter motor
I have a pair of ad31 that both do it on the river,and been told by loads of people it’s normal

 

[SteveDH]

Hi GSD,

That's encouraging - I'll take a closer look tomorrow to see if I can see where it's coming from.

BW

Steve

 

[spannerman]

There is a small drain hole in the underside of the charge air cooler to allow condensation to escape, this is where the oil is dripping from. As said not a problem unless its excessive indicating wear on the turbo oil seals.

 

[Plum]

Hi All,

I have a Sealine S38 with KAD43's. I've noticed some oil leaking from the starter motor on the STBD engine ... perhaps a couple of tablespoons of black oil following a 3-4 hour run (at low speed river use):

View attachment 77349

I've tried nipping the bolts that secure it to the engine, but they were pretty tight.

I've also experienced the STBD engine intermittently failing to start ... perhaps 1 in every 20 attempts (the other 19 times it starts instantly). When it fails to start, the battery voltage drops from a healthy 12.5V to pretty much nothing, so it seems like its trying to turn? It then point-blank refuses to start (generally until I stop the boat), and then on attempting to re-start it starts perfectly fine and may not 'play-up' again all day.

Is this common? Am I seeing the signs of a 'goosed' starter motor?

Thanks in advance!

Regards to all

Steve

As others have said, if a small amount it appears to be normal and comes from the small drain hole at the base of the charge cooler. Happens on my TAMD41 too and has not got any worse in the last 4 years and has not given any starter motor problems so maybe this is not related to your intermittent starter problem

Www.solocoastalsailing.co.uk

 

[SteveDH]

Thanks, and yes - looking at some images on the KAD43 engine online, the drain in the aftercooler is directly above the top of the starter motor where I'm first seeing the oil appear.

Oil also seems to be collating in a pocket/web of the engine casting behind the starter motor … a 4-5 hour run results in around a third of an egg cup of oil collating here, and around a table spoon ending up on the engine room floor directly below.

So it looks like we've identified where it's coming from … I guess the critical question is, how much oil loss is a problem?

BW

Steve