Oil from Intercooler weep hole.

[dpb]

Nanni 200hp diesel.
Oil dripping from intercooler weep hole. (Spoon full or so over 6 hrs).
Leak started after several days operating on canals max 1100 rpm.
Dont go over 1800rpm much anyway.
No other symptoms.
Just wanted opinions before removing turbo to have seals done.
Thanks

 

[snowbird30ds]

That rpm is likely the reason, a bit of boost helps the ring seal in the turbo, take it out and give it some power and it probably won't do it.
Mine smoke more at low river speed.

 

[dpb]

Done a couple of not very long high speed trips. Still leaking
. So assuming i find no breather pipes or similar guess I will remove turbo and bring it home over winter for new seals! Unless it self seals by then!

 

[snowbird30ds]

Don't expect to find any rubber lip seals in there, the seal will be like a piston ring.

 

[rpetersson]

I have the same issue with my Nanni 200hp, small amount of oil is leaking from the intercooler weep hole. The following post suggests that this is per design (different Nanni engine though): Nanni diesel intercooler licking | Sailing Forums, page 1 - Seabreeze. If this is the case, I'd say I'm not a fan of the engine design. I'd rather do other things than wiping up oil from the engine and keel...

 

[dpb]

Thinking about it, my old volvo ad41's had a similar hole in the intercooler but with a threaded plug. The idea being to undo the plug to check for the accumulation of water leaking from intercooler matrix as a service check. ( i believe). So in the volvos case, a small oil leak like what i have would not be apparent unless it got bad enough to colour the exhaust.

 

[dpb]

After about 10 hours of normal use, the oil leak has stopped. It turned out that both engines were doing the same, though one not as much as the other. Both now normal so symptom put down to extended slow running causing turbo oil to get past seals.