Diesel oil leak help

Hi I own a 1972 Cal 2-29 with a Bukh dv-10 diesel engine. It has been leaking a little oil and I think it is coming out of the front main bearing seal. It only leaks when running. It is not a lot of oil but enough to make a mess of the bilge. This fall I pulled the engine and am in the process of cleaning and repainting the engine compartment. I change the oil a couple of times a season, which is more often than needed, but figure it can't hurt. I have notice that it always takes more oil than the manual says, but it wasn't showing on the dipstick until I added another 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart. After pulling the engine and having it mounted in a horizontal position I pulled the dipstick and it showed the level way above the full mark! So I am thinking that when the engine was installed the dipstick tube should have been adjusted to compensate for the fore-aft angle of the engine. This would make sense after thinking about it, since the engine could be mounted in many different applications. The other question that comes to mind is could this overfilling of oil be causing the oil to be pushed through the seals, and causing the leakage? The engine only has 500 hrs, so that would lead me to believe that the bearings should not be worn, thus causing the seals to leak. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks Joe

I think you are right on track about your overfilling as the cause of your leak at the front seal. An overfilled engine will stress and foam the oil as the rotating parts (connecting rods, crankshaft counterweights etc) churn the oil at a level they were not ever to be in. this churning whips up the oil and raises its level even higher. Put the specified ammount of oil called for and mark the dipstick. My Best, Mike Farrell ,Coyote Cal 20 #61 From: Joseph McCloskey <jj… [at] yahoo.com> To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Sent: Fri, January 22, 2010 10:03:03 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Diesel oil leak help Hi I own a 1972 Cal 2-29 with a Bukh dv-10 diesel engine. It has been leaking a little oil and I think it is coming out of the front main bearing seal. It only leaks when running. It is not a lot of oil but enough to make a mess of the bilge. This fall I pulled the engine and am in the process of cleaning and repainting the engine compartment. I change the oil a couple of times a season, which is more often than needed, but figure it can't hurt. I have notice that it always takes more oil than the manual says, but it wasn't showing on the dipstick until I added another 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart. After pulling the engine and having it mounted in a horizontal position I pulled the dipstick and it showed the level way above the full mark! So I am thinking that when the engine was installed the dipstick tube should have been adjusted to compensate for the fore-aft angle of the engine. This would make sense after thinking about it, since the engine could be mounted in many different applications. The other question that comes to mind is could this overfilling of oil be causing the oil to be pushed through the seals, and causing the leakage? The engine only has 500 hrs, so that would lead me to believe that the bearings should not be worn, thus causing the seals to leak. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks Joe

Mike Thanks for your reply. I have been hard pressed to get any response to my questions, so I appreciate your input. Looking at the dipstick tube now, it appears to be adjustable. Joe --- On Sat, 1/23/10, mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> wrote: From: mike farrell <ve… [at] yahoo.com> Subject: Re: [Cal_Boats] Diesel oil leak help To: Ca… [at] yahoogroups.com Date: Saturday, January 23, 2010, 10:09 PM I think you are right on track about your overfilling as the cause of your leak at the front seal. An overfilled engine will stress and foam the oil as the rotating parts (connecting rods, crankshaft counterweights etc) churn the oil at a level they were not ever to be in. this churning whips up the oil and raises its level even higher. Put the specified ammount of oil called for and mark the dipstick. My Best, Mike Farrell ,Coyote Cal 20 #61 From: Joseph McCloskey <jjmcclosk@yahoo. com> To: Cal_Boats@yahoogrou ps.com Sent: Fri, January 22, 2010 10:03:03 AM Subject: [Cal_Boats] Diesel oil leak help Hi I own a 1972 Cal 2-29 with a Bukh dv-10 diesel engine. It has been leaking a little oil and I think it is coming out of the front main bearing seal. It only leaks when running. It is not a lot of oil but enough to make a mess of the bilge. This fall I pulled the engine and am in the process of cleaning and repainting the engine compartment. I change the oil a couple of times a season, which is more often than needed, but figure it can't hurt. I have notice that it always takes more oil than the manual says, but it wasn't showing on the dipstick until I added another 1/2 to 3/4 of a quart. After pulling the engine and having it mounted in a horizontal position I pulled the dipstick and it showed the level way above the full mark! So I am thinking that when the engine was installed the dipstick tube should have been adjusted to compensate for the fore-aft angle of the engine. This would make sense after thinking about it, since the engine could be mounted in many different applications. The other question that comes to mind is could this overfilling of oil be causing the oil to be pushed through the seals, and causing the leakage? The engine only has 500 hrs, so that would lead me to believe that the bearings should not be worn, thus causing the seals to leak. Any input would be appreciated. Thanks Joe