neiloakley
New member
Hi Everyone
I picked up my new (27 year old boat) on Saturday morning to bring it the*200 miles to my home marina.
Day 1 went OK except after a few hours of running at 2700RPM the fuel was down to a quarter tank in a head sea and the filter in the fiel/water seperator became blocked presumably from gunk at the bottom of the tank where it had been sat for approx 12 months on dry land.
Pulled into the nearest marina, got some spares and after bleeding the diesel lines she fired up. So far so good
The next morning we set off again. Engines were up to temperature and then opened up to 2700RPM again making 18 knots. I was driving from the flybridge and noticed the revs dropped to 400 on the port engine. But I was still making 18 knots and no rudder required to keep straight. I throttled back and up again and the engine was still producing power so assumed the tacho was broken.
Put engines to idle and went into the cockpit to use the guages there. The tacho downstairs was doing the same so lifted the engine cover to have a look. I could see oil spurting from the front of the engine (didn't have time to locate the exact source as the alarm sounded so I shut it down pronto).
Limped into the next marina on one engine and began to look around. The bilges were full of oil. I sucked out 12 litres in total so assuming the engine is almost completely empty now. Reading the forums and speaking to a volvo service engineer i'm leaning towards the crankshaft seal. The tacho stopped as it's driven off the alternator and there was oil on the belts so it was slipping.
What concerns me is that noone else has reported such a major leak from the crankshaft seal. Plenty of reports of drips but nothing so serious and quick as this. Am I barking up the wrong tree or could this seal cause so much oil to leak so quickly?
I plan on filling the engine with oil again and starting it to presureise the oil and try and see where it is coming from and shut it down before it all comes out. The volvo guy also recommended this.
Any thoughts or similar experiences? The boat is still 120nm from home and costing me money everday to keep in an expensive marina.
Cheers
Neil
I picked up my new (27 year old boat) on Saturday morning to bring it the*200 miles to my home marina.
Day 1 went OK except after a few hours of running at 2700RPM the fuel was down to a quarter tank in a head sea and the filter in the fiel/water seperator became blocked presumably from gunk at the bottom of the tank where it had been sat for approx 12 months on dry land.
Pulled into the nearest marina, got some spares and after bleeding the diesel lines she fired up. So far so good
The next morning we set off again. Engines were up to temperature and then opened up to 2700RPM again making 18 knots. I was driving from the flybridge and noticed the revs dropped to 400 on the port engine. But I was still making 18 knots and no rudder required to keep straight. I throttled back and up again and the engine was still producing power so assumed the tacho was broken.
Put engines to idle and went into the cockpit to use the guages there. The tacho downstairs was doing the same so lifted the engine cover to have a look. I could see oil spurting from the front of the engine (didn't have time to locate the exact source as the alarm sounded so I shut it down pronto).
Limped into the next marina on one engine and began to look around. The bilges were full of oil. I sucked out 12 litres in total so assuming the engine is almost completely empty now. Reading the forums and speaking to a volvo service engineer i'm leaning towards the crankshaft seal. The tacho stopped as it's driven off the alternator and there was oil on the belts so it was slipping.
What concerns me is that noone else has reported such a major leak from the crankshaft seal. Plenty of reports of drips but nothing so serious and quick as this. Am I barking up the wrong tree or could this seal cause so much oil to leak so quickly?
I plan on filling the engine with oil again and starting it to presureise the oil and try and see where it is coming from and shut it down before it all comes out. The volvo guy also recommended this.
Any thoughts or similar experiences? The boat is still 120nm from home and costing me money everday to keep in an expensive marina.
Cheers
Neil