Oil under the engine

D

Deej

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When I came back in from a 2 hour sail today, it looked like this under the engine:

View attachment 23304

Before I went out, there was a bit of water under there so it's oil floating on water rather than pure oil but it's still a fair bit.

The engine is a Yanmar 1GM10, raw water cooled. It's overdue for an oil service (by about 12 months). I looked under the engine with a torch and couldn't see any drips. I started the engine and looked again and I can see some water dripping, but no oil. A quick wipe around with a paper towel on the underside of the engine didn't reveal anything obvious. I guess it's possible that all the oil that can come out has come out already so I'll trying putting more in and running it again and re-check for drips.

I checked the oil before I went out and it was low-ish but above the minimum. There was an obvious drop when I dipped it again after getting back in.

I'm a bit of a numpty when it comes to engines - any suggestions as to what might have happened?

Thanks,
Dave.
 
Almost certainly that oil pipe. It is steel and corrodes from water dripping from the seawater pump. The oil is under pressure when running and a pinhole will be enough to cause a leak. As suggested replace with a flexible hose made up by your local hydraulics supplier. Take the old one with you so they know what ends to fit. Use new washer when reassembling.
 
lynall said:
Use a nappy to soak the mess up.


Lynall
Click to expand...

A nappy will soak up the water well but when wet may be not so good for the oil.

An oil absorbing pillow will preferentially mop up the oil leaving clean water behind that can be pumped out or otherwise disposed of easily.
 
Sheets of kitchen roll laid gently on the water surface will absorb most of the oil floating there. Try not to push the paper into the water. Once you have gathered the oil pump out the remaining water and you can then scrub the bilge if required.

You will need a few sheets but you will have it done in minutes.
 
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