Repair a small diesel engine oil leak

[Spring-Fever]

How I can stop a small gasket leak on my sailboat diesel (Universal M25)?

I have a small leak in valve cover gasket. And another in oil pan gasket. Removing covers and replacing gasket is not an option - as that would require major work/$$$$.

Way too much work for such a tiny, tiny leak.
(Maybe one quart per season?)

A. Can I use stop-leak type additives?

B. Can I use JB weld in spot where leak is?

C. Other ideas?

[Lepke]

Stop leak also works on small passages you wish to remain open, like exchanger tubes. It's made for radiator leaks in car engines with large water passages.

I'd clean the area of the leaks with something like acetone and then use blue silicone.

[Spring-Fever]

@lepjke thanks for the tip.s I’ll give ‘em a shot.

[nuku34]

If removing the valve cover to replace the gasket "would require major work/$$$$", then how do you plan to adjust the valve clearances???? That's a routine maintenance issue which should be done every 200 hours or so. Or do you think that the valve clearances don't matter?

[kapnd]

You need to come up with the wherewithal to do the repairs correctly.
Avoiding that will just exacerbate both engine and wallet problems!

[grantmc]

Originally Posted by Spring-Fever

How I can stop a small gasket leak on my sailboat diesel (Universal M25)?
I have a small leak in valve cover gasket. And another in oil pan gasket. Removing covers and replacing gasket is not an option - as that would require major work/$$$$.
Way too much work for such a tiny, tiny leak.
(Maybe one quart per season?)
A. Can I use stop-leak type additives?
B. Can I use JB weld in spot where leak is?
C. Other ideas?

Option C - replace the gaskets. Applying some goop to prevent a leak is ok for an emergency fix, but not for a permanent solution (well unless there's a for sale sign, he he).

And Nuku of Nelson is right about basic maintenance (although I wouldn't have thought to check as often as every 200 hours).

OP you have a boat (or two?), and that means sucking it up and digging deep down in to your pants pocket for the cash.

[nuku34]

Grantmc: I have a Bukh DV20 in my Cavalier 32. The manual says adjust the valve clearances every 200 hrs, so that's what I do. Unlike many boats, my engine is very accessible so taking the valve cover off is a 1 minute job. Adjusting the valve clearances (there are only 4 on a 2 cylinder engine) is another 10 minutes. I recently bought a 14 year-old DV20 from another boat in the marina. The head gasket was blown, water in the crankcase. When I removed the engine from the boat, I discovered that you couldn't actually lift off the valve cover because the engine had been installed with not enough clearance under the bridge deck. The only way to adjust the valves (or to replace the valve cover gasket) was to take the engine off its mounts and slide it forward 800mm!!!! This was done by a supposedly "professional" boat builder. Obviously the valves had NEVER been adjusted in 14 years. Probably no other maintenance done except change the oil. I got $2,000 worth of spare parts for $150.