When you pull the dipstip, put a single full drop on a paper towel or clean white rag. If that drop developers a halo then you may have a diesel in your oil. In the states off-road diesel is dyed red - in that case look for the halo to be red-ish.
Smell the rag. Burnt smell is bad, diesel fuel smell is bad. Look at the rag in the sun. Glittery is bad. Chunks are bad. White or chocolate milkshake needs further monitoring. It could be a coolant leak. Look for lowering coolant level and increasing oil level. If neither is occurring then it could just be a small amount of condensation. In that case, it's not something wrong with the engine. You just need to run the engine up to temp more often and for longer periods, or install a block heater. Once all the oil is absorbed into the rag, is there anything left on the surface? Black is likely products of combustion. Grey could be lead from the babbitt on the bearings. Take an additional single drop between two fingers. It is unlikely that you will feel anything other than slippery oil, but if you do then you have problems. Check the dipstick. In the area above the level of the oil. Assuming it isn't stainless - Is there rust? This would again show signs of moisture in the crankcase. Must of the time you're not going to find anything out of the norm... But if you don't look or know what to look for then you won't see it when it happens. There is also guidance in the manual for some of our engines which addresses the angle at which they are mounted. For this reason the high and low mark on the dipstick may not be accurate to your installation. Adjust as necessary. Josh Muckley S/V Sea Hawk 1989 C&C 37+ Solomons, MD On Sat, Oct 17, 2020, 07:24 John and Maryann Read <[email protected]> wrote: > Agree it pays to check oil level regularly. Another cause for oil > increasing is mechanical fuel pump diaphragm leaking diesel into the oil. > (Got the t shirt) apparently is not an uncommon issue with Yanmars > > > > John and Maryann > > Legacy III > > 1982 C&C 34 > > Noank, CT > > > > > > > > *From:* Della Barba, Joe via CnC-List [mailto:[email protected]] > *Sent:* Friday, October 16, 2020 9:45 AM > *To:* 'Stus-List' > *Cc:* Della Barba, Joe > *Subject:* Stus-List Re: Engine Hours > > > > Here is a very simple way to prevent early engine death – Check the oil > frequently and especially after the boat sits. If the level starts going UP > do not start the engine! There is water in the sump lifting the oil. I had > a ski boat that would gain a few quarts of water sitting for a week and we > put a pan under the engine and drained the water out before we started it. > Running it makes an oatmeal mush that does not really lubricate and wrecks > the engine. > > > > > > *Joe Della Barba Coquina C&C 35 MK I* > > *www.dellabarba.com <http://www.dellabarba.com>* > > > > > > > > > October is the time to show your appreciation with a small contribution to > this list to help offset the costs. If you want to support the list - use > PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks > - Stu
October is the time to show your appreciation with a small contribution to this list to help offset the costs. If you want to support the list - use PayPal to send contribution -- https://www.paypal.me/stumurray Thanks - Stu
