BMC 1.5 Diesel

[Fisher]

Hi Guys

I was wondering if any of you guys have had this problem with a BMC 1.5 Diesel today I found a small amount of oil coming out of my exhaust then I checked the gearbox oil that was rather milky so the next thing I done was to check the engine oil that also had water in it but when I checked the cooling system there was no oil in the water I'm thinking maybe a oil cooler as I don't think the gasket has gone otherwise there would be oil in the fresh water side of the engine.

If anyone has any advice for me I would love to hear from you before I start stripping the engine down.

The boat has only been put back in the water a week ago so I was looking forward to a trip this weekend but I don't think I will be going anywhere until I get to the bottom of the problem.

Cheers

Vernon

[Tony Brooks]

More information required to give anything like a sensible answer.

 

Type of cooling system

 

Wet or dry exhaust

 

Make & model of gearbox.

 

When the oils were last charged.

 

How do you use it (in case its just condensation rather than water ingress).

 

Temperature when running hard.

 

A bit of history leading up to this or if the boat is new to you.

 

Thanks.

Edited September 24, 2015 by Tony Brooks

[Bee]

As Tony says, need more info, head gasket troubles do not always lead to water in the oil and vice versa, sometimes just water in the oil. Have you actually got an oil cooler on either the engine or gearbox?

[Tony Brooks]

Unless this is a sea or estuary boat the chances are there is no engine oil cooler, but who knows. If there is it could be the cause of the white engine oil because the oil never gets hot enough to boil condensation off.

[Southern Star]

I'm willing to stand corrected but I can't see how the condition of the gearbox oil and the condition of the engine oil could be related in any way?

[Tony Brooks]

I'm willing to stand corrected but I can't see how the condition of the gearbox oil and the condition of the engine oil could be related in any way?

 

 

Only through lack of maintenance and internal condensation or a badly over full bilge. Hence the list of questions I asked. If it is a new boat to the OP it would be best to change the oils and engine filter and see how it goes, maybe flush the gearbox IF it has an oil cooler.

[Southern Star]

 

 

Only through lack of maintenance and internal condensation or a badly over full bilge. Hence the list of questions I asked. If it is a new boat to the OP it would be best to change the oils and engine filter and see how it goes, maybe flush the gearbox IF it has an oil cooler.

That's exactly what I'd suggest. As you said earlier, far more information is required to even begin to be able to offer any type of diagnosis.

[Arthur Brown]

Has the engine been run at working temperature for an hour in the last year? Natural condensation forms a white milky sludge especially in the oil filler and breather caps. This much water will evaporate as the engine runs naturally hot for an hour. Has the bilge water ever risen and leaked into the engine?

[Fisher]

Hi Guys

Many thanks for all the replies just to add a bit more info I forgot to say there is also oil in the bilge as well it's my first boat so don't know very much about boats .

The boat is a Islands Plastics 23 and it has been used mostly in the sea for most of it's life I'm sure there are oil coolers in the boat but will get a few pics and post them up.

I think the gear box is a Borg Warner velvet drive and it's a wet exhaust there was some oil in the bilge when I bought the boat but he said he had tipped oil when he replaced the oil so when I took the boat down the clyde for a test run the boat went well there was a small leak from the water pump but I wasn't worried about that.

I checked the water in the heat exchanger and it looked ok with no oil today I went this morning to buy 20-50 mineral oil for it as I was going to change it today but of course I didn't bother when I seen the mess.

The engine runs cool with good oil pressure and the first thing I noticed was there was some oil coming out of the exhaust a few days ago but as the boat had been idle for a while I didn't take a lot of notice of it really.

I'll get more info for you guys tomorrow and thank you all again for your replies.

Cheers

Vernon

[Tony Brooks]

I think Velvet Drives used an oil cooler but far from sure about the engine. The gearbox (from memory) uses automatic transmission fluid (ATF) so I would suggest that you drain the gearbox, refill, run in gear (Noted, its on the Clyde, not a canal) for 10 minutes, re-drain and repeat until there is no cloudy/pink oil left in the box. I would also do similar on the engine but use cheap oil until its clear and after the last oil change change the filter. Then run the boat for a bit to see if either oil goes whitish/pinkish. If it does it will be safe to bypass any oil coolers for a while as long as you do not make very long or high powered runs. If you do this you may find oil leaking from the water inlet/outlet of an oil cooler. That will identify the problem equipment.

 

I would take nothing the vendor said as truthful. Oil in the bilge of an old boat is not uncommon. I would want to be assure that the oil from the exhaust was not just sooty water or unburned fuel from a long starting procedure..

 

What type of boat, I thought Island plastics made yachts?

Edited September 25, 2015 by Tony Brooks

[Fisher]

Hi Tony

Thanks for the reply and yes Islands plastics did make yachts this one has been turned back into a cruiser just to update everyone I'll get some pics up later but today we have taken both oil coolers off they were conected to each other the one from the engine looks in bad shape but the gearbox cooler looks ok but it is the same water going through them for the both coolers the engine one had big blobs of dryed paint aand a lot of the holes in the cooler were blocked.

I spoke to one guy today and he said to get the coolers pressure tested so thats my first job now before I start taking the head off.

The oil looks as if it is coming from the front of the engine I was wondering if it was under pressure the crank seal on the front of the engine maybe leaking.

I also checked the level again today on the dipstick and its way over the full mark.

Can someone tell me how to add a few pics?

Cheers

Vernon.

 

 

Edited September 26, 2015 by Fisher