Salt water and oil under VP D6-330

[mcanderson]

I have notice that I get a small (~100ml) of oil and water forming under the sump of my D6-330 left hand engine. This forms after about 5 hours of use and doesn't really get any bigger.

Picture below



My intercooler appears to have a small patch of corrosion and you can see where salt water has fallen on to the starter motor below.

Pictures below show the area







Thoughts apart from get the Volvo guy out? I think the exploded parts diagram show two o rings and a spacer which I think will need replacing. However this doesn't account for the oil.

I can find any oil leaks at all and have wiped the sump down to see if I can trace it.

 

[julians]

That leaking intercooler is a common problem, if you leave it the salt water will cause the starter motor to fail (ask me how i know).

Youll need to get the intercooler removed,cleaned and new seals fitted. If unlucky you may need a new end cap and/or intercooler

I have no idea on the oil question.

 

[spannerman]

Get that leak fixed, I have had to take out several D6 motors just because of a neglected water leak, it ultimately ruins the starter motor, and then the harness which is engine out to replace. The costs of new O rings on the intercooler is negligible in comparison. The oil could be coming from the oil cooler where its end cap sits or where it joins the heat exchanger, another source I have experienced is the fitting where the dipstick goes into the sump or the blanking plate on the opposite side for engines with the dipstick mounted to starboard.

 

[mcanderson]

Spannerman,

Thanks. I will on it right away. Where is the oil cooler end cap? I'm having difficulty finding it.

Shane.

 

[QBhoy]

As mentioned, you have likely sussed this one already...it will be the inter cooler seals. The inter cooler will always have a bit of blow by oil in it. It's a standard thing with turbo charged engines...there is always a wee bit of oil in there....might also suggest turbo seals in the extreme case, but it's more commonly Just a normal thing.
Jeez, if you were to remove any everyday turbo diesel car inter cooler, it would be full of oil.

 

[mcanderson]

An update. At the back of the engine there is a small pool in the bilge. That pool was full of old water and oil. As we accelerated and decelerated, as well as pitching during travel, this pool would slowly empty a small amount of water and oil which would then run forward to the front on the engine.

The pool is now empty and there are no leaks from anywhere on the engine.

I will get the o rings changed on the inter cooler in the next couple of weeks. Just as I don't like the look of the o ring joints, but I have just found the receipt for them being changed last year. It looks like it wasn't a tidy job so the corrosion has remained.

 

[CHI]

On my D4 engines , the starboard charge air cooler has had a constant leak problem over the years.

The Volvo agent has changed the o rings. Then changed the end cap and finally sent away to a " heat Transfer company" to try and finally sort the problem.

This season better , but now showing very small signs of a leak, i e paint peeling around the cap base with the very first signs of salt crystals.

This continual problem did present me with a big bill several years ago due to corrosion on the starter motor and nearby fittings.

I can now only assume the problem lies with the charge air cooler main body?

Any other ideas greatly appreciated.

Regards

Keith
CHI

 

[Portofino]

I will get the o rings changed on the inter cooler in the next couple of weeks. Just as I don't like the look of the o ring joints, but I have just found the receipt for them being changed last year. It looks like it wasn't a tidy job so the corrosion has remained.

The pic,s ( good ones btw ) appear to me as if the hex studs retaining the end cap have not moved .
He could have touched them up with spray , if so surely if that conscious he would have rubbed down the corrosion and painted that .I don,t think that end plate has been off imho .

 

[spannerman]

I agree those screws haven't been off as it always leaves telltale marks on the paint in the socket. The end cap on the oil cooler is just in front of the forward oil filter, it has a water hose which goes up to the charge cooler in your pics.

 

[mcanderson]

Porto - your right. I have been back over the old service receipts and my translation was duff.

 

[alt]

Were KAD better built engines, or am I just lucky because i'm on fresh water?

Genuine question as some day i'm going to change boats and chances are she'll have D engines.

 

[[2068]]

Were KAD better built engines, or am I just lucky because i'm on fresh water?
Genuine question as some day i'm going to change boats and chances are she'll have D engines.

I've gone from KAD32's to D4-260s.

So far so good, but there are some things on the D4's to watch out for:
- Steering hoses on the outdrives.
- Latest iteration of steering rams on the outdrives are good, earlier versions were disastrous.
- Make sure you have all the bonding wires on the outdrive in place. Cheap to install. Expensive if your DP-H dissolves.
- Seawater strainer lids - the latest ones actually keep the water in.
- Coolers - mine are good so far, but cleaning / replacing O-rings etc is not cheap, more so if they start to leak all over your starter motor or oil cooler.
- Gear shift actuators work really well so long as the cable is free. Don't ask what happens if the cable gets stuck.
- DP-H Drive is incredibly heavy - no idea how you would DIY change bellows without some sort of trolley / support.

But despite all of the above, there are many good things about the D-series engines.
Good starting, good fuel economy, smooth running, quiet-ish, no smoke, easy-to-use fly by wire throttles, automatic belt tensioner for the aux belt, and reasonably good for DIY apart from the outdrive bellows, or if anything electronic goes wrong.