Engine Oil Blown Out Dipstick Tube

[waterdog]

M25xp 2800 hours on engine.  

Yesterday, went for a 3 hour run. Tracey smelled smoke.   Engine was absolutely soaked in oil on starboard side.    Pools of it.   I thought the block had cracked or something.   Hours of clean up - the only obvious problem was the dipstick tube was unseated.   3 litres of oil to fill.  I thought I must have been an idiot and not pushed the dipstick.   Had no idea it could make that much mess.  

Today engine was running fine. No evidence of leaks.  Came up to temperature checked oil everything ok.   1 hour running heard excessive valve noise.  Shut down engine.   Tried to check oil.  Dipstick pretty much blew out of my hand and entire contents of the oil pan barfed out the dipstick tube.  2 foot high fountain of oil.

Ideas?

[Ken Juul]

Make sure the vent line that is attached to the valve cover is clear.  There is always some blow by from the rings, the vent relieves this pressure.  You could also do a compression test to see if one of the cylinders is leaking badly. 

[waterdog]

Thanks Ken.   Will check it out. 

We are about a 3 hour sail from supplies.  I am down to a half roll of paper towels so it will be a while before I even attempt to open the engine compartment!   

[Stu Jackson]

Steve, if you check the blow up diagram of the "breather" in the engine manual, IIRC there's a small "sponge" inside where the hose connects to the top of the engine.  Might want to check that, too.

Sorry to hear, hi to the gang.

[waterdog]

At the dock now.  Ice slowly melting in the rum and coke.  I have 15 bilge pads, 3 rolls of paper towel, a hand pump, two gas cans, a bottle of spray cleaner, and a bunch of trash bags.   Should I open up the engine compartment, or work on the rum before the cubes are gone?    This one might take more planning.  Just one step up from head problems. 

[Craig Illman]

Certainly the crankcase pressure is more than the breather hose can handle. If it isn't plugged, I doubt progressive ring wear would account for such a drastic change. I'd be suspecting valve seals. My 2 cent bet would be something restricting the breather path.

Just when it turned summer here..........

[waterdog]

Ok. It turns out the correct answer was mix one more with a slice of lime and then go for the cleanup.  The person who invented those pads that absorb oil out of water is a genius.   My bilge is cleanish.  My engine has never looked so good. A pristine white pad sits underneath once again.  

Now the bad news.  I disconnected my breather hose where i feed it into the air cleaner expecting things to be plugged up.  I sucked on the hose and it breathes easy i can hear air gurgling in through the dipstick tube (haven't refilled oil yet).  When i push the dipstick in it is more difficult to draw air, but it is not overly restricted.  Now I am really confused.   How is there enough pressure down below to purge the contents of the oil pan out the dipstick tube when it is apparently free to flow out the breather when the two areas are connected?

Clearly more research and a glass of Chardonnay with some fresh Dungeness crab are required.  

[Ken Juul]

I think maybe a call to Joe Joyce, the Westerbeake service manager is in order.  508 823 7677 or JJoyce@westerbeke.com

[Ron Hill]

Steve : It would seem to me that somewhere there is a vent port from the oil pan to the valve cover area where the breather hose is attached.  It probably is the pathway the oil drains back into the oil pan.

The sponge that Stu mentioned is inside that "square portion" of the valve cover. It is supposed to catch the condensation and filter the oily air and keep it inside the valve cover - doesn't work that well.

Definitely call Joe Joyce ant Westerbeke.  To add to Ken's tel. # Joe is at X 234.  

[waterdog]

Hmmm.    I suspect my home built foam filled breather container may have clogged and caused the problem.    BTW, the "sponge" inside the valve cover is rolled up stainless mesh.    I've gone back to a free breathing hose and have no pressure build up.     

I am going to have a diesel mechanic come and check things out.   Some valve noise didn't go away with an adjustment.    Engine hasn't seen a mechanic since the pre-purchase engine survey.

[Ron Hill]

Steve : Here's what I did when my breather hose went into my foam filter/oily air catcher.

I took a piece of white paper towel and wrapped it around the outside of the foam.  That way I could see how dirty the towel was getting and knew it was time to clean/replace the foam.

If you just leave that oil pan hose free vent, you'll have an oily engine and engine compartment in awhile. 

My thoughts

[Stu Jackson]

I recently used a peanut butter jar, drilled  larger hole in the top for the hose and a bunch of smaller holes for "pressure relief" - it seems to be working fine.

Good luck, Steve.

[Ron Hill]

Steve : One item I forgot.  Make sure that the end of your hose is angle cut so there can't be a seal with a flat bottom.

I believe that I have my old "filter" is taking up space in my garage, in case anybody is interested. 

[Indian Falls]

4 years ago I replaced the breather hose with 1/4" Parker airline direct to the top of the air strainer. 
Ya know the one...  the aluminum shavings inside the perforated sheet metal air cleaner housing.  My opinion is who cares if its filtered?  It's only fumes from blow-back from the crankcase and few drops of condensed oil.
As long as the return lines in the cylinder head that let the oil back into the crankcase from the valve train are clear.... I'm not worried about that unlikely runaway problem.  One could argue that a filter housing without an element would be a good idea as it would trap oil in large quantity from going into the air intake or at least alert the skipper that oil is starting to collect in the housing indicating other problems.

It's nice not having any diesel fumes or diesel oil smell below decks when the engine is running.

[ozzie]

I think that you should get a compression test done. It is an easy test done thru the glow plug holes. If you what to do it yourself I can PM you instructions.