Volvo MD11D oil leak

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simon_34

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The engine is in a Westerly Centaur and was installed in 1983
It seems fairly good, it starts reasonably well and runs smoothly. However it looses a lot of oil, it has in fact run out twice now (light on and alarm going). I am now very careful checking it all the time.
I can’t see where the oil is leaking from but there is a lot in the bilge, I have checked for a leaking oil filter and parts on the side and top of engine, but no sign of a leak, it must be from below. I don’t think it is burning it (there is some white smoke at higher revs but not a lot).

Is there anything I can do whist the engine is in the boat?

Can I remove the engine with a block and tackle off the boom – any tips?

My brother said he would help recondition it if I can get the engine to him

thanks
 
If it is leaking out then you would have a bilge full of mucky oil.

SOme engines have a steel sump pan which can corrode and leak however I don t know if your boat is one of these.

Does it go down in hours...days...weeks..months....

Sometimes when the rocker covers leak the oil runs down various routes and doesn t appear till it rins over the crankcase.
 
The MD11 has a couple of inspection covers on the starboard side, and these can sometimes leak oil. Another source of leaking oil can be the oil pressure sender - if this deteriorates with age, it's possible for oil to leak out under pressure and drip directly into the bilge.

Best way to track the leak would be to clean the engine and bilge carefully, then run it and see where oil first hits the bilge, this should help you look in the right place.

I don't think it's a good idea to try and use the boom to lift the engine, get it lifted by crane. Much safer.
 
if you are loosing "all" the oil and you can not see any leaks either left or right side of the engine, you may have a leaking oil drain plug on the bottom of the engine or you have a haircrack in the bottom cover due to vibrations. The cover is so big, that it is holding most of the engine oil. This bottom cover has only one opening: the oil drain plug.

Can't you lift the engine temporarily just enough to have a look to the underside?

On my current boat, the MD17D did consume all the oil via the bleeding hose on top of the oilfillcap via the airfilter. Do you have a dripping airfilter ?


Peter
 
Large amounts of oil in the bilges more or less proves that it is leaking rather than using oil

The MD11 does not have a pressed steel sump! It has a heavy cast iron crank case with access via the side plates mentioned earlier. A leak from those will be fairly obvious (IIRC they are stainless so corrosion of them is not an issue).

A leak from the sump drain plug, (bottom aft, stb'd corner of the crank case with a hexagonal Allen key socket in it) is a real possibility. You can easily prove it by cleaning up and leaving a sheet of clean paper underneath. It will leak from there even when not running. The drain plug has an aluminium washer which corrodes away. A fibre washer seems to make a serviceable alternative.

Another place to look at is the aft air cleaner. Check that the engine breather hose from the nearby filler cap to the breather is in place as well. Excessive oil being blown over from the crank case via that hose to the a breather and dripping from there will indicate a seriously worn engine. It will of course only leak from there when running.

Gaskets on the rocker covers leaking (when running) will be obvious as there will be oil from the top downwards.

There are of course crankshaft oil seals front and rear, either of which could be leaking, but it is unlikely that they are going to lose oil at the rate you appear to be doing.

The washer and O ring on the course strainer and dipstick are OK? (You know that it is vital that they both seal as they are part of the oil pump suction?)

Give it a good clean. determine if it is leaking when running only or if it is leaking all the time. If it is leaking when not running it is almost 100% certain that it is the drain plug washer. If it is only leaking when running it could be any of the gaskets and seals mentioned. Try to determine the area of the leak by leaving a piece of clean absorbent paper under it.

Check that sump drain plug first!
 
VicS

Just re-reading your post and checking my engine manual

I can see how to check the dipstick seal but where is the course strainer seal - thanks
 
Check that sump drain plug first!
.......................................................

Laughing at this Vic.....you ever seen a Volvo in a Centaur....

I agree this could be a problem if one is fitted however the poor fella might have to lift the engine to get access so lets hope it is something more accessible.
 
Just struck me.......some of these engines which have diffent oil in the gear box have a drain hole from the bellhousing which allows crankshaft oil seal leakage out.

If there is oil leakage from here then as Vic infers is the breathing pipe fitted between the engine and air filter and if you run the engine under load and remove this small hose is there a small flow or large flow from the engine the latter indicating blow by pistons and worn engine.

I my MD2B is getting on in years and could be worn however when running there is hardly any flow at all from this hose connection on the engine.
 
[ QUOTE ]
I can see how to check the dipstick seal but where is the course strainer seal - thanks

[/ QUOTE ] It's a washer under the flange of the coarse strainer top. #8 in this diagram I think it was this that I got from a plumbers merchant. (Same size as the washer between the head and the body of a bath tap or something!)
#10 is the O ring on the dip stick.

We used to pump out most of the old oil and refill/top up the oil by taking out the coarse strainer assy and putting the oil in there as it was more accessible than the filler, #21, at the back of the engine (No jokes about SWMBO topping up the car engine via the dipstick hole)
 
[ QUOTE ]
Laughing at this Vic.....you ever seen a Volvo in a Centaur....


[/ QUOTE ] Plenty of experience of the MD11 in a Berwick, seen one of the single cylinder versions in Pageant, but must admit not actually looked at one in a Centaur.

The sump drain plug is on the <u> side </u>of the crankcase in the bottom rear corner, stbd side. Not underneath.

Two reasons to suggest looking at it firstly once when i took the plug out to drain the last of the old oil the aluminium washer just fell to pieces and secondly it was the cause of leakage from a similar engine in another forum members boat a year or so ago.
 
[ QUOTE ]
my MD17D (the same engine as MD11D, just bigger) did not have a course oil filter.

[/ QUOTE ] Not true. It did but not where you would normally see it. (MD 17 was very similar but not the same only bigger)

Strainer #23 in this diagram
 
[ QUOTE ]
You could also check the water pump seals although they are more likely to leak water they also keep oil in the engine

[/ QUOTE ] Good point. There are two seals both shown as # 13 in this diagram one for water and the other for oil. If either leak water or oil will drain out through a hole in the underside of the pump body (the w/s manual says that if there is a spacer between them it should be removed)

There must also be a gasket between the pump and the engine but that is not shown.

I cannot imagine any major oil leak problems from the water pump though.
There must also be potential for oil leaks between the fuel injection pump and the engine but that one bit of the thing we never had to look at fortunately.
 
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