Ahoy there.
I may have a major problem.
My Swanson 28 has a 28hp diesel with about 700 hours on it from new.
After motor sailing up to Port Stephens last week, I checked my oil before my next leg north. My oil level was about 5mm above the 'full' mark on the dipstick and it was slate grey in colour.
I then noticed that it was oozing out of the dipstick tube.
I immediately thought 'overfill' but the level was OK when I checked it in Newcastle, so this extra liquid must be coming from somewhere, so now I'm thinking a blown head gasket (or worse).
There is no oil in my coolant, there is no smoke in my exhaust (except for the usual) and there are no unusual engine noises.
She started OK the last time I fired her up and apart from the oozing grey oil, which doesn't have any grit, metallic or carbon deposits, my engine seems great.
I change the oil every 100 hours and use the best synthetic oil I can get ... I last changed it about six weeks ago and it has just under 80 house on it since then.
The local mechanic has taken Easter off and Google Search seems inconclusive as to what may be going on.
I'm on a public mooring and don't feel like starting the engine to move ... and where would I go anyway?
I am halfway from Tasmania to FNQ so I don't know anyone local who might offer me some advice.
I'm stranded in admittedly lovely spot, but I'm stranded nonetheless.
Has anybody else had a similar experience?
Without actually looking at the engine, does anybody have any ideas or think these symptoms sound familiar?
?

So is the oil level now so high its coming out the dipstick tube at rest?
Could it have been oozing out due to heal angle while motorsailing?

What make of motor??
You mention coolant so I presume it has a heat exchanger - has the coolant level dropped?

Unfortunately I think you may be right about the head gasket - or worse!!
Still should be OK for a short trip to the marina, it's just letting more water in & thinning the oil.

Pending where you are in Port Stephens I would go ashore in the tender tomorrow & head for D?lbora Nelson Bay but any mechanics are probably off til next week.

Did you Google your make of engine to see if they have any particular problems?

If you are pretty handy with the tools I would pull the head off & have a look - definitely something not right.

I would drain out a little of the oil so its not over filled then pour some of it into a glass. After a couple of hours check if the oil has water in it. ie. layers are separating out. Grey sounds like water in oil. Leave motor idling on anchor for a fair while and occasionally gun it to see what happens. Check its temperature frequently and water out the back. If it runs fine for half an hour, doesn't overheat, water is flowing, and the oil doesn't separate into water and oil, I would presume motor was tested and OK, at least to get to a berth where there was a mechanic who could check it. There are some diesel experts on this forum who could advise better. Lucky we have sails!

Hi
Not sure of engine make but if it is a Bukh DV 20 it could well be something as simple as the water pump seals, a relatively easy fix.

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Seahorse9 said..
Ahoy there.
I may have a major problem.
My Swanson 28 has a 28hp diesel with about 700 hours on it from new.
After motor sailing up to Port Stephens last week, I checked my oil before my next leg north. My oil level was about 5mm above the 'full' mark on the dipstick and it was slate grey in colour.
I then noticed that it was oozing out of the dipstick tube.
I immediately thought 'overfill' but the level was OK when I checked it in Newcastle, so this extra liquid must be coming from somewhere, so now I'm thinking a blown head gasket (or worse).
There is no oil in my coolant, there is no smoke in my exhaust (except for the usual) and there are no unusual engine noises.
She started OK the last time I fired her up and apart from the oozing grey oil, which doesn't have any grit, metallic or carbon deposits, my engine seems great.
I change the oil every 100 hours and use the best synthetic oil I can get ... I last changed it about six weeks ago and it has just under 80 house on it since then.
The local mechanic has taken Easter off and Google Search seems inconclusive as to what may be going on.
I'm on a public mooring and don't feel like starting the engine to move ... and where would I go anyway?
I am halfway from Tasmania to FNQ so I don't know anyone local who might offer me some advice.
I'm stranded in admittedly lovely spot, but I'm stranded nonetheless.
Has anybody else had a similar experience?
Without actually looking at the engine, does anybody have any ideas or think these symptoms sound familiar?
?

Never ever use a synthetic oil in an old marine engine. Use what the manufacturer recommends only. Something like Kmarts 20-50. $15 for 4 litres is going to be well above what's required. It sounds like seawater is mixing with your synthetic oil!

I know this is crazy but sometimes older engines "make oil"
Of course they do not be the term refers to fuel making its way into the crankcase and diluting the oil but "making more" so to speak.
Never really understood it but is a fuel pump issue from memory.
So that is why will not be water in the oil but you have more oil than you started with.
I would drain the oil and use some mono 30 and see what happens. preferably Castrol mono 30 if you can get it.

I'm thinking dialdan and Ramona might be on the money. Is the sea water pump gear driven ? Or belt driven ?

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Lazzz said..
What make of motor??
You mention coolant so I presume it has a heat exchanger - has the coolant level dropped?

Unfortunately I think you may be right about the head gasket - or worse!!
Still should be OK for a short trip to the marina, it's just letting more water in & thinning the oil.

Pending where you are in Port Stephens I would go ashore in the tender tomorrow & head for D?lbora Nelson Bay but any mechanics are probably off til next week.

Did you Google your make of engine to see if they have any particular problems?

If you are pretty handy with the tools I would pull the head off & have a look - definitely something not right.

It's a 28hp Vetus ... the coolant levels haven't dropped and there doesn't appear to be any oil mixed with coolant.
I drained off the overflowing oil on Friday and it still hasn't separated into oil/water so it may be oil/diesel.
She isn't overheating, there are no new or unusual noises, she starts OK and there is no more smoke coming out of the exhaust than there usually is and it isn't a different colour.
In fact, apart from the oozing grey oil overflowing the dipstick tube, she seems fine.
Obviously, it isn't.

Hi Seahorse,
Sounds like your sump is being pressurised.
If you take your dipstick out with the engine running, can you put your finger over the dipstick hole and feel any pressure?

Edit: I'm working on the premise you potentially had an overfill to explain the initial 5mm, as oil shouldn't bubble from a sump unless its under pressure. Check your tappet cover breather is not blocked etc.

Is the oil level increasing since you last measured it?
The Vetus have about 1.8 litres of oil between the low and full marks, how much more is 5mm on the stick by comparison?

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Seahorse9 said..


It's a 28hp Vetus ... the coolant levels haven't dropped and there doesn't appear to be any oil mixed with coolant.
I drained off the overflowing oil on Friday and it still hasn't separated into oil/water so it may be oil/diesel.
She isn't overheating, there are no new or unusual noises, she starts OK and there is no more smoke coming out of the exhaust than there usually is and it isn't a different colour.
In fact, apart from the oozing grey oil overflowing the dipstick tube, she seems fine.
Obviously, it isn't.

Unlikely to be a head gasket if it starts easily and no other secondary indications. I suspect you have an injector leaking and the diesel is making it's way past the rings while the engine is stationary. The grey colour is weird but it may have something to do with the synthetic oil. The sump will just get more diesel than oil eventually and lead to a serious problem. Watch a few Youtube videos on runaway diesels to get some idea of the outcome!
I would suggest draining the oil and use a cheap mineral oil like it's meant to have. Pull the injectors and have them checked.

Could be that the seal in the raw water pump is leaking water into the timing cover of the engine

According to this thread the problem would seem to be the water pump seal.
forums.ybw.com/index.php?threads/bukh-dv20-raw-water-in-engine-oil.214937/

It is recommended to replace or at least carefully inspect the water pump shaft bearing.
Parts look like this
Bearing should be available from any bearing supplier. Just take the old one in.

Gary

Cool. The seawater pump seal does make a lot of sense.

Water in the sump due to a blown head gasket normally makes the oil look light brown like milk coffee not slate grey, which tends to support Ramona's hypothesis. In any case, Trek's suggestion to let a sample from the sump settle for a while in a clear bottle or glass will pretty clearly show which it is.

As per Lydias comment about Castol mono 30. I get it from Auto One.

Chatting with my mate today and he suggested the diesel may be entering the crankcase through a failed seal on the lift pump. That is if it is indeed diesel mixing with the oil. Finding out what is actually adding to the oil level is the first step. You have coolant in your system so it may smell in the sump oil if it does not separate. My money is on diesel.

Public jetty. If there's space go in there and stay there til you get sorted. Unfortunately alot of people live there but I got a spot on my way south last year.
Fishing Co op have good pile berth moorings too for a small fee. And if you're on the outer mooring in little nelson bay-get off. It's horrid!

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Ramona said..
Chatting with my mate today and he suggested the diesel may be entering the crankcase through a failed seal on the lift pump. That is if it is indeed diesel mixing with the oil. Finding out what is actually adding to the oil level is the first step. You have coolant in your system so it may smell in the sump oil if it does not separate. My money is on diesel.

My bet is its still the sea water. But if it is fuel then it must be from the lift pump, if it was a leaky injector, cold start would be a cloud of smoke ! And or a certain amount of priming to get it going. And the op starts and goes good

if it's belt driven pump it can't be sea water !???

You're on the money with the correct oil Seahorse:
Engine Oil
3.6 litres (6 UK pt, 7.6 US pt) 15W-40
API: CF, CF-4 or CI-4
ACEA: A3/B3, A3/B4
For example:
- Vetus Marine Diesel Engine Oil15W-40
- Shell Nautilus Premium Inboard Oil15W-40

You'll have to determine whether it's sea water or diesel in the oil - smell, taste.

The coolant isn't leaking into the sump so it most probably is sea water sneaking in via the raw water pump or diesel via the lift pump.

Depending on how "handy" you are it doesn't look to difficult to remove the raw water pump


It's only going to get worse!!!

Nice motor!!
www.vetus.com/media/magentominds/sasdocument/20171121091049_0.pdf

That's a handy trouble shooting guide in that manual for the Mitsubishi. If the oil level is too high, lower it! Looking at the layout for the raw water pump if the extra in the sump is salt water it could possibly be the water pump seals on the shaft that drives the pump. The pump is probably driven off the camshaft and salt water could be making it's way along this shaft and dropping down into the sump. This would make garymalmgren correct. Usually on a marine engine there is a gap along the shaft where water can escape and drop harmlessly down the outside of the engine when the seal fails.

diesel won,t change the colour of your oil and you can feel it in the oil ,its more likely water . water won,t separate from oil easy now days because of the aditives ,if you put some in a container and cook it you will boil of the water and leave the salt .the picture that ramona posted shows a bleed hole to let any water that gets buy the water pump seal to exit before it gets to the oil seal,but if it is the only hole in that pump it is at 90 degrees to the bottom and will cup water ,if it has a hole at the bottom clean this to allow dranage of the shaft ,if it has not got a hole i would consider drilling one. the best fix for you is to remove all the old oil and filter remove tapet cover and wipe clean any crapy looking oil, also check for water under filler cap. get raw water pump taken off and rebuilt,while it is of check for a bottom drain see if it can be drilled to allow proper drainage ,refit pump and refill oil ,just use regular 15w 40 diesel oil ,run eng untill it is very warm, stop eng and remove tappet cover and wipe out any moisture present ,keep doing this for awhile until no more moisture is preasent ,then after 5 to 10 hrs of operation change oil and filter , just remember the salt will stay so run the eng regualy to stop corosion and lift tapet cover to chech for rust or mosture good luck

If your keen to know for certain if your oils contaminated with diesel, water or something else you could send it off for a test. Easier to diagnose if you know exactly what's in there.

www.nulon.com.au/store/product/oil-test-kit/

You could always test the way this bloke did.
I wouldn't.
www.bing.com/videos/search?q=+bukh+diesel+water+in+oil&&view=detail&mid=40487105A8BE076F09F940487105A8BE076F09F9&&FORM=VRDGAR

gary