Flourescent dye markers for oil?

[bobk]

I'm still trying to track down the last few oil leaks on the 6V92TA's. My mechanic says I'm too fussy, all DD's leak, but I'd rather go the extra mile. Has anyone tried to use the flourescent dye markers to find the source of slow leaks? How did it work out?

Bob

 

[yachtsmanbill]

In a word, INSTANTANEOUSLY!! Its gotta be kinda dark when you do it, but you will be surprised at the results! ws

 

[MikeP]

"My mechanic says I'm too fussy, all DD's leak"

You are NOT too fussy; your mechanic is INSUFFICIENTLY fussy! They don't have to leak.

DDs have a LOT of places for oil to leak from due to their design and their ability to have a lot of different configurations and different ancillary equipment mounted. Because there are a lot of potential leak points that are often not gasketed/torqued correctly, there are a lot of places that can leak.

I have never used dye to locate leaks but it's a common procedure I usually just clean up the area and then run the engine to see if I can determine the source of the leak. As you have no doubt seen, sometimes it is difficult to determine this due to the convoluted nature of how things fit together. Oil can leak from one joint but not be visible until it reaches a different point and then looks like it came from the latter point.

Once the source is discovered, you have to determine if it is worth fixing and how to do it. It might not be reasonable to perform a major disassembly to fix a minor oil seep. But all of them CAN be fixed with proper care to truing the surfaces and torquing the parts to the correct tightness.

To me it is NOT acceptable for oil to LEAK (as in running down the engine and puddling somewhere or dripping on the floor)! I will accept a slight seep IF the result is a bit of an oil film on a component and there is no other need to disassemble the parts.

Whether you feel it's practical to have the leaks repaired is your own decision based on the cost but don't listen to anyone who says they have to leak! If you do the work yourself, gaskets and sealing materials are cheap!

 

[NAN-PO 41]

I agree with Bill. Using fluorescent dye for finding leaks is nothing short of spectacular. Minor leaks that would take hours to find will show up almost instantly. It is a great tool and you won't be sorry you used it.
Fred

 

[bobk]

Thanks for the encouragement guys. I will have a go at it.

Bob

 

[Maynard Rupp]

I have never had the privelege of operating or working on a DD. I have heard a statement many times though....."The only time a Detroit Diesel doesn't leak oil is when it is out of oil."

 

[Boatsb]

They don't leak oil. They perspire it.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

YA! But its like sweatin' bullets! ws

 

[Trojan]

Here, here now. My DD does not leak. Maynard if you want to have the pleasure of working on non leaking DD. Come visit me in the spring. I'm going to do a little tune up in the spring. You can get your feet wet. Maybe that's the wrong phrase to use here.

BILL

 

[MikeP]

Yep, my DDs are leakless also. But though I managed to get two big old 568 cubic inch 8V71TIs DDs to not leak, I haven't yet (after a year of trying) been able to duplicate that success on an 850cc Norton Commando. It's the only mechanical device I've ever seen that could leak (UNPRESSURIZED!) oil past new 0-rings. I'm not sure how those Norton guys managed that.

Fortunately, the DD guys weren't quite as capable so their leaks are fixable!

 

[Maynard Rupp]

They learned that skill from Triumph.

 

[Maynard Rupp]

Here, here now. My DD does not leak. Maynard if you want to have the pleasure of working on non leaking DD. Come visit me in the spring. I'm going to do a little tune up in the spring. You can get your feet wet. Maybe that's the wrong phrase to use here.

BILL

I am confident that you don't mean wet with oil!!! I was concerned about our stb. Crusader's rear main seal leak. I have discovered that all these ,(wrong way), engines have rear main leaks. GM cut flow grooves in the crank flange that is just ahead of the rear main seal. These grooves pick up oil and throw it back to the pan. Along comes Crusader and changes the rotation of the engine. You guessed it, those grooves throw oil back to the seal and eventually out the back onto the nice clean bilge mat.

I see that most of you can get smiles. I used to, but no longer can. I am wearing out what little hair I have left. Can someone solves this highly technical problem?? I promise not to say anything bad about DDs anymore, honest.

 

[Avenger]

I see that most of you can get smiles. I used to, but no longer can. I am wearing out what little hair I have left. Can someone solves this highly technical problem??

You need to use the html "code". Most of the codes are like the smilies people use in e-mails, others require text. Now the tricky part... how do I show you what the codes look like without them turning into smilies?

= colon close parenthesis
= colon open paren
= colon confused colon
= colon mad colon

Does that make sense? I would show you more but I'm limited to 4 per page. Let me know if your follicles can't live without this vital knowledge and I'll e-mail them to you.

This has been a public service post by Scrod.... Actually I'm just trying to catch up to you 1000-post guys... rolleyes

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Sweatin' oil bullets that is! :close) I know for the big block Mercs there is a left hand rear main, but I think I used a standard and it hasnt leaked in 5 years. Now that the boat has sat for two years I will hafta eat my words! ws

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Or is it :close() ws

 

[yachtsmanbill]

Or is it :close() ws

Now you can email me Derek... even my old gal the video proffesor was confused ws

 

[Avenger]

Sigh, I knew this wouldn't work well.
Open paren is (
Close paren is )

Probably should have done it this way:

= colon )
= colon (
= semicolon )
= colon D

Sorry. I guess it was a public dis-service message.

 

[yachtsmanbill]

I see said the blind man to his deaf wife... HTML has always made me
feel Soo much more to remember! ws

 

[Avenger]

Since we've hijacked this far, here's some more:

= colon p
= colon rolleyes colon
= colon cool colon
= colon eek colon

 

[Avenger]

And the last one:

= colon o

I think that's all of them. Now, once again, we can communicate as Al Gore intended when he invented this thing.