Sump leak after rebuild

[jimbunyard]

Based on the OP's description the leak is very small indeed; the easiest solution would probably be to throw an oil absorbent sheet into the area under the pan.

The next, possibly most efficacious solution, would be to loosen all the pan bolts and then tighten them to spec in the order specified by the manufacturer.

If the problem is indeed caused by ineffective joint cleaning or unflat surfaces, there is no remedy except removing the pan and rectifying those conditions.

A 'surface sealant solution' is not a solution at all, because it cannot last...

[Legend61]

Hi

Thank you for all your input, thought I would post a few pics to maybe make things clearer, hopefully they upload ok.

I am wondering if the engineer did actually use some sort of liquid gasket, even though I supplied him with a full set of yanmar original gaskets!

Not sure what the white substance is, but it is not present anywhere else on the rebuild...

Here are some pics

[Legend61]

One more pic showing white substance, round joint

[Pete7]

It's a complete bodge

Do you have enough room to drop the pan in the bilge and fit a new gasket?



Pete

[Legend61]

I am beginning to realise that.... oh dear.

Here is a rather damming pic of the pan/block joint before rebuild. I think I need a stiff drink!

All this was part of a full refit. I did all the other work myself, but subbed out the engine as i am not confident stripping and rebuilding engines, lesson learned!

[captlloyd]

Looks to me like a good mechanic could redo that gasket job in the boat. Might need a mirror for some of it and a tedious job, but a lot better than pulling the engine. Or, just buy a case of oil and enjoy yourself.

[billknny]

Originally Posted by captlloyd

At the pan area of an engine block the temperatures are not all that high, that’s why you can use form-a- gasket to begin with. I also don’t think you can judge a boats condition by a mistake an engine mechanic may have made. By the way, the OP owns the boat, not buying it, kind of an insensitive remark.

Diesel engine oil temperatures usually run around 240 or so, but maybe the pan joint would be cooler. Maybe. Most silicone form-a-gasket formulations have a MUCH hight temperature rating than epoxy, FYI.

I would be judging the boat's condition not by the mechanic's screwup, but rather by the decision to slather epoxy all over something to stop a leak. Just like smearing silicon sealant on the outside of a hatch to stop a leak, it never works, and is just indicative of short cuts and ignorance. Sometime on a long distance cruising boat a temporary short cut is necessary, but it should always be seen as just that.

I am not sure how I was "insensitive", but if I offended anyone particularly sensitive... it was (obviously) not my intent. In these days of twitter, everybody is extra "sensitive" I guess.

[darylat8750]

I would make the mechanic that assembled the engine fix it. That said if the oil is appearing on the bolts first I might take out each bolt (one at a time) that is getting oil on it and throughly clean it and the hole and seal them with liquid gasket material.

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by billknny

I would be judging the boat's condition not by the mechanic's screwup, but rather by the decision to slather epoxy all over something to stop a leak. Just like smearing silicon sealant on the outside of a hatch to stop a leak, it never works, and is just indicative of short cuts and ignorance.

+1, I can’t believe folks are suggesting that with a straight face.

After all that thorough cleaning of an inaccessible space thats weeping oil, and managing to get a good epoxy bond on this same space, was it even all that easier than just doing it right?

You’ll probably end up needing to do it right anyways once this hack fails. After spending a day chipping away the mess, that is.

Two half-assed repairs on top of each other do not equal one good repair.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

I would make the mechanic that assembled the engine fix it...

If he couldn't do it right the first time, with the engine out of the boat and entirely accessible, why would you think he could fix it with the engine now in the boat, and accessibility severely limited?

[phstol]

IMO the way to go from where you are is to go to the weeping bolts and check them. They might be only finger tight. If so tighten them to finger + 1/4 turn, no more. then see if there is an improvement.
Better, get a stubby size torque wrench that goes down to about 10 ft-lbs, in your equivalent units. Mine is about 28cm long, and maybe you can get to at least some of the weepers with a wrench this size. Obviously, get the manufacturer's torque specs and fastening schedule for the oil-pan. Adhere as closely as possible to it given your limited access, to avoid warping the oil-pan.
Re the non-weepers. I would not back off on those with the thought of evening out the stress on the oil pan, unless you can find out from the engineer (or from their invoice) what the gasket material is that they used. If cork based, it will have been permanently deformed and will leak if you mess with those bolts. In any case, messing with these could cause more grief than you have now.

Good luck!!
BTW, my 660 kg engine is sitting in a cradle on the galley floor, I'm dealing with a leaking transmission seal and re-stuffing the stuffing box. I made a scaffold across the main hatch, and yanked it using the vang, and MOB recovery tackles. Yes I had to remove the galley sink and some other stuff. But entirely doable as a one-man job (I'm not a mechanic) and if I needed to, I could lift it high enough to do the oil-pan gasket.
PM me if you think you would want to do this, happy to chat.
Peter

[hellosailor]

"I would be judging the boat's condition not by the mechanic's screwup, but rather by the decision to slather epoxy all over something to stop a leak. Just like smearing silicon sealant on the outside of a hatch to stop a leak, it never works, and is just indicative of short cuts and ignorance."

Well guys, perhaps you've never seen epoxy used to permanently seal pinhole leaks in fuel tanks. Or seen it applied professionally to line very large fuel and chemical tanks, to prevent corrosion. That's not a kludge, that's a professional choice of materials, and it works. And I've seen simply reinforced epoxy repairs last a decade on exhaust systems as well. Is that "up to code" ? Hell no. Sometimes, you need a repair that works, not a beauty contest or a debate with Miss Manners.

Considering the OP has limited options and has said he very clearly does not want to return to the original workyard, nor does he want to have CRANES involved to hoist the engine out again, by all means assume that slathering crap on an engine is the same as neatly applying epoxy in a professional manner.

You just might be horrified by some of the things that are routinely done in damage control and field repairs. Landrover's manuals even explained how to properly prepare a freshly killed antelope skin for use as a head gasket, in case one has broken down in the bush.

Try giving the OP a suggestion for something that will work better.

[phstol]

Err... the weight of my 660 kg engine should have been 135kg
Peter

[chris95040]

Originally Posted by hellosailor

Try giving the OP a suggestion for something that will work better.

A pinhole leak in a fuel tank is a completely different scenario than two separate parts bolted together with a gasket. I just can’t believe folks would actually consider ‘fixing’ this by slathering the exterior with epoxy.

Here’s my suggestion: Remove the pan, replace the gasket, and reinstall it.

[Terra Nova]

Originally Posted by chris95040

...I just can’t believe folks would actually consider ‘fixing’ this by slathering the exterior with epoxy...

Anything seems possible when you don't know what you're doing.