Bruce Napier wrote: > On 28 Nov 2008, at 14:33, Bruce Napier wrote: > >> Not as far as I can see, and although there's a bit of oil in the >> engine bilge, it's not half a litre's worth. I'll check the drain >> plug again though. > > > Problem solved - it was the drain plug, which was just weeping enough > to allow hot oil, but not cold, to emerge. When I ran my hand under > the gearbox having run the engine well up to temp, it came away shiny > with clean oil. I was able to nip up the plug by a half flat. I never > normally touch it, because I suck the oil out of the filler when > changing it. It must have just vibrated loose over the years. > > For info, apart from this, the PRM150/Beta 43 combo can only lose > gearbox oil in three ways: > > * out of the rear seal, in which case it shows up in the bilge > * out of the front seal into the bell housing, in which case it will > start seeping out from the join between the two halves of the bell > housing when hot, as there isn't a gasket there. > * into the coolant through a failing oil cooler matrix, in which case > the coolant will become obviously contaminated with emulsifying oil. > That heat exchanger is a bolt on job which is fairly easily swappable.
You forgot *4 The selector arm shaft. This is another one that is a bu&&er to find, as it only leaks when running. Fortrunately on a 150 it is simple to cure, as the "O" ring fits from the outside, just take off the arm prise out a metal ring and then have a happy time removing the remains of the old "O" ring. ..oh and another classic *5 The pressure pump housing gasket (this is the "bump" that sticks out the back) PRM had two goes of curing this when mine was new.They just kept replacing the paper gasket. When I asked why they did not seal this with Blue Hydromar, the engineer said..."because it is not specified". Predicably I had to refit it myself with Blue Hydromar and it never leaked since. My PRM 150 is having an unleaky period, so I leave it alone and change the oil with a Pela sucky pump thingy. I to have found it near on impossible to seal the drain plug, so now it is OK, I leave it alone. It will be interesting to compare notes as both our Beta 1903 / PRM 150 seem to have the same hours on the clock. I never have to top up the oil between (300 hours) oil changes and it still sounds sweet. Adrian at Beta gave me some spare "O" rings for the oil cooler "stack" insert thingy in the header tank. He said they will fail eventually! -- Neil Arlidge - NB Earnest Follow the travels of TNC, now in Ireland http://www.tuesdaynightclub.co.uk/tour.html
