Simple Task Gone Bad...

[markpj23]

Time to change the genset oil & filter after the boat sat out the hurricane season. First time doing this with the new to us boat, genset is a NextGen 5K with a 2-lunged Kubota engine.

Took the old filter off, oiled up the new filter's gasket before I spun it on. New oil in, level checks out OK so fire it up. I hit the start switch in the salon, then walked back to the fwd port bow locker to make sure we had water flow, etc. Yep, exhaust water looks good, let's check the bow compartment - YIKES there's liquid all over the place! Shut it down quick!

So now I have a bow compartment full of engine oil... WTH? Leaking from the new filter... take it off and discover that the OLD filter gasket had stuck to the engine block. I didn't notice that and spun the new filter right on. Who knew that oil would spray out between the 2 gaskets.... ugh!

I dodged a bullet here... could have meant a new genset if I'd let it run any longer.

Note to self... ALWAYS make sure that the old filter gasket comes off with the filter. I should probably also put the plug in the compartment overboard drain any time I work with oil / fuel up there. Makes it less embarassing should something spill / leak...

[skipmac]

Guess this is one of those good news - bad news stories. The engine lived but you have a hell of a mess to deal with. Since the PO of my boat had a similar problem but dumped his oil in the bilge I am looking at a major cleanup job. Of course it would be easy if I just rinsed the bilge and pumped the waste overboard but of course ethically and legally it's not an option.

Good luck. Let me know if you find any good tools or products for the job.

Skip

[Blue Stocking]

Mark,

My propulsion engine is a Westerbeke W46, which has the oil filter tucked in tightly, horizontally between the alternator and the oil cooler. After having the same experience as you, I paralleled in a small panel of momentary switches thru the ignition switch to start up from the engine location.
Also use it, with the fuel shut-off solenoid un-plugged, when setting the valves and lining up the couplings.

[Vasco]

Wow, never heard of the old gasket sticking. I always check the filter for leaks when I crank it up after an oil change. And when I install the new filter I wipe down the filter housing so I always see the shiny seat. But I can see how this could happen. I guess you're lucky the leak was so bad you caught it right away. When I change filters I use a magic marker and write the date and engine hours on the filter. Just in case it's not logged in the engine maintenance log and it's a quick reminder when checking the engine.

[marty9876]

Had this happen on my truck once, made a mess all over the driveway with that one.