One season engine, burning oil.

[dgadee]

Noticed blue smoke underway for first day of season. New Yanmar with 200 hours last season. Almost out of oil. I was careful with it in the first season (in case of glazing) and have done oil changes, last one just last week. In NW Spain a long way from engine supplier. Any suggestions?

 

[jwilson]

Noticed blue smoke underway for first day of season. New Yanmar with 200 hours last season. Almost out of oil. I was careful with it in the first season (in case of glazing) and have done oil changes, last one just last week. In NW Spain a long way from engine supplier. Any suggestions?

Does ".... careful with it" mean always low load/low revs?

 

[Momac]

At the oil change did you use the correct grade of oil?
Has the oil leaked out - from the oil filter perhaps?

 

[dgadee]

Yes, correct oil. Yanmar filter. No oil in boat (all went out the exhaust).

 

[dgadee]

Does ".... careful with it" mean always low load/low revs?

No. Good spread of revs. Trip of 1500 miles last year was a good mix of usage. Engine fine at end of last season.

From the sort of replies being given this seems an unusual occurrence?

 

[lpdsn]

From the sort of replies being given this seems an unusual occurrence?

It does seem so. I'm not sure I understand your description of what happened. I think you're saying it was fine last year, but on starting it this year there was blue smoke and the oil has almost all gone. Whilst you may be burning oil I can't see how it would burn up a sump's worth in the first run of the season. I must've missed something.

I'm surprised the usual diesel experts haven't contributed to this thread.

 

[JumbleDuck]

It does seem so. I'm not sure I understand your description of what happened. I think you're saying it was fine last year, but on starting it this year there was blue smoke and the oil has almost all gone. Whilst you may be burning oil I can't see how it would burn up a sump's worth in the first run of the season. I must've missed something.

After I - force of circumstance - filled my 1GM10 with semi-synthetic, it went from negligible oil consumption to a sumpful (max to min) every two hours. In the OP's case I'd be wondering about a broken or stuck piston ring. Compression test?

 

[dgadee]

Total idiot admission. Oil still there - too clean to see it on dipstick. Blue smoke? Not sure, since I'm pretty sure I didn't overfill, but you never know.

 

[lpdsn]

Total idiot admission. Oil still there - too clean to see it on dipstick. Blue smoke? Not sure, since I'm pretty sure I didn't overfill, but you never know.

That's a sort of relief for you. Is the blue smoke there every time you run the engine or was it just the first start-up of teh season?

 

[lpdsn]

After I - force of circumstance - filled my 1GM10 with semi-synthetic, it went from negligible oil consumption to a sumpful (max to min) every two hours. In the OP's case I'd be wondering about a broken or stuck piston ring. Compression test?

Ouch. Whilst semi-synthetic might not have been the ideal oil I can't imagine things going wrong that quickly or dramatically. It might just have been a coincidence.

 

[JumbleDuck]

Ouch. Whilst semi-synthetic might not have been the ideal oil I can't imagine things going wrong that quickly or dramatically. It might just have been a coincidence.

It might, but returning to CF mineral oil improved things a fair bit and running on cheap and cheerful CD had almost cured it when I sold the engine.

Edit: May have almost cured it.

 

[dgadee]

That's a sort of relief for you. Is the blue smoke there every time you run the engine or was it just the first start-up of teh season?

First start. Just about to round Cape Finisterre and everything fine. As you say, relief!

 

[lpdsn]

First start. Just about to round Cape Finisterre and everything fine. As you say, relief!

Always good when something you think is broken turns out to be fine.

Of course you then start looking around to see what the Gremlins are going to do to get their revenge.

 

[lpdsn]

Edit: May have almost cured it.

IIRC, Hume said constant correlation implies causation (or something like that). It's a long while since I read him.

I do reckon though that statistics classes should be compulsory for politicians and journalists.

 

[Tranona]

.

I do reckon though that statistics classes should be compulsory for politicians and journalists.

All they will do then is manipulate the data to give the conclusion they want. They are pretty good at that anyway without bothering their heads with rigorous analysis.

25 years of teaching statistics to "experienced" managers!

 

[JumbleDuck]

I do reckon though that statistics classes should be compulsory for politicians and journalists.

As Tranona says, they'll lie, whatever they're taught (£350m per week for the NHS ...) so much better to teach statistics in schools so the population is better at spotting the lies. This is still an excellent book: