Perkins - Oil Leak?

[Jonny_H]

We have a Perkins Perama M35 - we seem to be getting small amounts of oil in the bilge below the engine - not loads but a small drip - used around 1 litre this year with around 180 hours of engine usage.

Is this something I should investigate and try to cure or something I should live with and keep mopping up periodically. The oil usage isn't a problem as it doesn't use enough to require topping up between oil changes.

I suspect the leak is coming from the sump gasket - sounds like a big job to do as access will be the issue!

I read in another post that the 4.108 Perkins are notorious for oil leaks - is this the same with the Perama 35 (same engine as a Volvo 2040 I believe)?

What are your thoughts / opinions?

Jonny

 

[Malish]

make sure you have identified the source of the leak before proceeding, gravity can play tricks. Clean the engine very carefully, then run for a while to warm it up, switch off and try to find the source using some clean tissue. If it is the sump gaske then my first port of call would be a torque wrench to ensure that all the nuts holding the sump on were correctly torqued up. More likely it is a slightly worn oil seal on the crank - depending on your installation you may decide that 1 litre per year is a small price to pay given the trouble / cost that my be involved in the repair.

 

[PeterGibbs]

Try to locate the source of the leak. I have one of those small mirrors on a stick - £1 in low cost shops - that can help look under the sump.

But with a Perkins block myself, I offer another view. Check at the rear of the engine where the gearbox is attached. In many cases this is a dry joint; there are 6-8 bolts holding the box to the block. Inside the housing is the flywheel and the void is dry. But if the seal on the aft end of the crank bearing is failing, there will be oil issuing. The flywheel will distribute it around the casing so it looks like oil is coming out on a wide front. There is no alternative to, eventually (it won't fail dramatically) splitting this housing and replacing the seal on the engine side. The seal is normally not much - a press fit - but when it leaks, it's the main engine oil reservoir that's flowing aft!

Good luck.

PWG