Small amount of oil in bilge after a day on the water.

[scooper77515]

When I get out of the water and pull the plug, just a slight amount of oil is appearing as a sheen on top of the water coming out. The only water that comes out is what I bring in from melted ice, entering the boat wet, etc. But there is a slight oil leak somewhere in the engine that is dumping maybe a shot-glass amount of oil (maybe less) mixed in. Not a lot, but still, I don't want an oil leak and I don't want that oil ending up in my lake.

Any ideas on where to start looking for a leak?

I am hoping something simple like loose oil filter, but before I drive 4 hours to look at it, I would like some other ideas of where to look so I can maybe fix this before I take it back out on the lake.

 

[Augoose]

I'd start with the oil filter, maybe when it was last changed the old gasket stayed on and now's there are two smooshed together (happened to me once). When you change the oil, does it drain into some sort of catch basin in the bilge or does it get pumped out? Could there be some drops of oil residue on the floor of the bilge and that oil has been washed down and collected by the water as it exits the bilge? Any chance it could be power steering fluid from one of the high pressure or low pressure hoses, or from the steering actuator?
Not sure how accessible your boat is, but if you really want to go after it, which I'm glad you are and that its not ending up in the lake, how about cleaning the bilge with simple green, drying it, laying blue or white rags across the bottom of the bilge and then running the boat on muffs to identify any drips?

 

[scooper77515]

At the 2nd to last outing last season, I pressure-washed the entire engine bay out, and it ran clean. Took it out for our final run and came back with just a small amount of oil, so it is an active leak.

If I don't find something with oil drops hanging off of it, laying cardboard, paper, rags, etc on the floor and seeing where the drips starts is my next step.

I guess it could be ps fluid, but it does seem a bit darker, like engine oil.

Oil changes are sucked up from the fill tube, and not drained from the bottom. In fact, I don't think there is even a drain plug on my engine (I could be wrong, and this may be a place to look for a drip).

 

[Ed Harris]

might need to hit the valve cover bolts and oil pan bolts..sometimes they can back a smidge...

 

[scooper77515]

might need to hit the valve cover bolts and oil pan bolts..sometimes they can back a smidge...

I sure hope it is something THAT simple!!!

I keep the boat out in East Washington, and will be there week after next, so I will hopefully get a chance to look at it then.