Water in gearbox oil.

[pandos]

I think I have discovered the cause of oil in my coolant.

There is an indication of water in my gearbox oil (oil is now light brown coloured emulsion)

I wonder if there is a way to confirm that it is seawater in the oil rather than some fresh water that may have got in through a bad joint on top of the gearbox?

 

[Seastoke]

I think I have discovered the cause of oil in my coolant.

There is an indication of water in my gearbox oil (oil is now light brown coloured emulsion)

I wonder if there is a way to confirm that it is seawater in the oil rather than some fresh water that may have got in through a bad joint on top of the gearbox?

So you have oil in coolant and water in gear box , well I would change gearbox oil strait away .

 

[pandos]

So you have oil in coolant and water in gear box , well I would change gearbox oil strait away .

I should explain...

There was some signs of oil in my coolant and the coolant was increasing in volume.

The engine is 40 years old and I do not know anything about it's history.

I checked the heat exchanger to discover that the seals were not tight.

I had no further issues with coolant expanding...but the oil was bugging me.

I took the engine apart and discovered that it is in very good condition internally probably some hints at a rebuild.at some stage.

I just took apart the heat exchanger on my gearbox and as I did not realise that it would fall to pieces so easily I managed to spill the gearbox oil onto the bench ..I have it collected now in a bucket and it is a very nice colour emulsion..

I will rebuild heat exchanger and flush the box with fresh oil.

But I'd really like to confirm that the water that mixed in with the oil is seawater.. as this would confirm my explanation for the presence of oil in the cooling circuit.

 

[pvb]

I think I have discovered the cause of oil in my coolant.

There is an indication of water in my gearbox oil (oil is now light brown coloured emulsion)

I wonder if there is a way to confirm that it is seawater in the oil rather than some fresh water that may have got in through a bad joint on top of the gearbox?

Do you have a 2003T? The gearbox cooler is seawater, on its way to the engine. If there's water in the oil, it will surely be seawater.

 

[jamie N]

Just an idea, but how about using a DVM and checking the resistance of the oil?

 

[pandos]

Do you have a 2003T? The gearbox cooler is seawater, on its way to the engine. If there's water in the oil, it will surely be seawater.

It's an md21b yes you are correct with the path of the seawater but I was just seeking some reassurance as I had a rainwater leak last year which left freshwater into the engine bay causing contamination in the engine oil.

It really is a bad system to have the entire supply of cooling water dependent on two o rings that you cannot get at with the gearbox in place!

I

 

[pandos]

Just an idea, but how about using a DVM and checking the resistance of the oil?

Interesting idea...I'll have a bash tomorrow just to see if there is any conductivity...