Cummins 2002 330hp air filter oil discharge.

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Pgitug

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Jan 4, 2015
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Location
Usa
Vessel Name
Escapade
Vessel Make
Nordic Tug 37 2002
This boat is new to me. When I run the engine at 2400 rpm for 15 to 30 minutes, at the end of the day when checking the engine I find that a tea spoon of oil has leaked out of the air intake filter onto the floor. The turbo was replaced just a few weeks ago after the survey. Any ideas?
 
Substandard turbo? Loose oil fitting?
 
If you have a crankcase vent collecting system is the puke container full?


I don't see a vent collector. But today I ran at 1400 rpm for seven hours and did not have a drop of oil off the intake filter. It's appears to be only when I crank it up to 2400 rpm that I get the oil drip from the air intake filter.
 
Possibly from a crankcase ventilation system?


Would this collect and drip out of the intake filter? It's not a lot. Just a teaspoon for the days that I run hard for over 30 minutes.
 
The engine does have 3000 hours on it.
 
I don't know how the crankcase vent system works on your engine, and you may have an aftermarket system installed like an Airsep or Envirovent.

So I will second the PP's suggestion to post on boatdiesel with pictures of the area around your air intake filter.

My guess is that engine crankcase blowby is being sucked into the air filter from a vent hose and being captured there. Not surprising with a 3,000 hour engine, but nothing to worry about either.

And why is it that people on this forum with engine problems don't want to post to boatdiesel. Another poster had a more complex problem than yours and would not post there. It can be intimidating and it is always good to be polite if you are going to expect good responses. Some members there don't suffer fools kindly, so have thick skin.

David
 
Would this collect and drip out of the intake filter? It's not a lot. Just a teaspoon for the days that I run hard for over 30 minutes.

The "system" on my engines (different brand) is a tube from the valve cover that dumps about an inch from the air filter. The idea is that he fumes get sucked into the turbo via the filter. No oil separator at all, so at high power, I also get some oil dripping out of that tube. It used to run down the side of the engine and into the bilge, so I made little catch buckets and hung them at the end of the tube. Not elegant, but it works. I don't believe there's much blow by in the engines....just a heck of a lot of suction right ahead of the turbo inlets pulling a little mist past the baffles in the valve covers. Anyway, your engine very likely has a factory crankcase ventilation system with an air/oil separator trap somewhere in the system. Most factory systems would drain the oil back to the crank case..but it might have a catch canister, as mentioned. If this system malfunctions, oil/oil mist could get to the air fliter area depending on where the suction linre is plumbed. Most of the after market offerings tap into a spacer between the turbo and the filter. You should be able to find the "plumbing" if one is installed. Then trace it back to where it enters the engine...might not be the crank case.... Bet you could find some info about the system on your engine with a little googling...the engine must have something to vent the crankcase.


Just thinking out loud...wonder how the turbo oil system is plumbed....
 
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The "system" on my engines (different brand) is a tube from the valve cover that dumps about an inch from the air filter. The idea is that he fumes get sucked into the turbo via the filter. No oil separator at all, so at high power, I also get some oil dripping out of that tube. It used to run down the side of the engine and into the bilge, so I made little catch buckets and hung them at the end of the tube. Not elegant, but it works. I don't believe there's much blow by in the engines....just a heck of a lot of suction right ahead of the turbo inlets pulling a little mist past the baffles in the valve covers. Anyway, your engine very likely has a factory crankcase ventilation system with an air/oil separator trap somewhere in the system. Most factory systems would drain the oil back to the crank case..but it might have a catch canister, as mentioned. If this system malfunctions, oil/oil mist could get to the air fliter area depending on where the suction linre is plumbed. Most of the after market offerings tap into a spacer between the turbo and the filter. You should be able to find the "plumbing" if one is installed. Then trace it back to where it enters the engine...might not be the crank case.... Bet you could find some info about the system on your engine with a little googling...the engine must have something to vent the crankcase.


Just thinking out loud...wonder how the turbo oil system is plumbed....


Thanks for the info on your set up. I will take a closer look at what I've got. And I will talk with the boatdiesel folks.
 
Where is the oil coming from? Dripping out of the air cleaner itself or out of the snap ring area of the air scroll? If out of the air cleaner it is related to blowby flow and airseps if you are using them.
 
Where is the oil coming from? Dripping out of the air cleaner itself or out of the snap ring area of the air scroll? If out of the air cleaner it is related to blowby flow and airseps if you are using them.


The three photos are of my engine. Top of engine, top side near air filter and bottom side of air filter. The white arrows are where the oil is leaking out of the air filter. ImageUploadedByTrawler Forum1444252062.068023.jpgImageUploadedByTrawler Forum1444252078.902032.jpgImageUploadedByTrawler Forum1444252093.035874.jpg
 
Check that drain from airsep to crankcase is not plugged up. Also make sure you don't have too much oil in sump, B's don't like over 13-14qts. More than that and they like to blow it out the crankcase vent.
 
Check that drain from airsep to crankcase is not plugged up. Also make sure you don't have too much oil in sump, B's don't like over 13-14qts. More than that and they like to blow it out the crankcase vent.


I just changed oil on the engine for the first time, for me. It took 4 gallons to hit the full mark on the dip stick. Too much oil???
 
My 210 hp version used to drip oil. I bought and installed a air crankcase venilator oil separator kit from Boatdiesel.com used to get some oil in the "puke" bottle. Another owner suggested filing a little bit less than the mark on the dipstick. I did and don't get oil in the bottle any more.
 
My 210 hp version used to drip oil. I bought and installed a air crankcase venilator oil separator kit from Boatdiesel.com used to get some oil in the "puke" bottle. Another owner suggested filing a little bit less than the mark on the dipstick. I did and don't get oil in the bottle any more.


Like the previous post indicated, I think I am over filled. I will pump out a half gallon and see how that works. When I worked on the river barge boats, on the Columbia River, we found that the V12 Detroit Diesels were being over filled. Every 12-15 hours of run time they used up 2 gallons of oil. Lowered the dip stick mark and they stopped using oil.
I will do the same on my 330.
 
Like the previous post indicated, I think I am over filled. I will pump out a half gallon and see how that works. When I worked on the river barge boats, on the Columbia River, we found that the V12 Detroit Diesels were being over filled. Every 12-15 hours of run time they used up 2 gallons of oil. Lowered the dip stick mark and they stopped using oil.
I will do the same on my 330.

Here ya go! David and Ski offer good advice. I would also suggest you poke around on this website. Some excellent information on these engines!!! I have the same exact engine....same year...and I do suffer the same thing. I have not fixed it because I know wat it is and it has not bothered me enough I guess but I do believe it is time...:)

Taking the MYSTERY out of oil pan capacities
http://www.sbmar.com/articles/crankcase_ventilation/
 
Very common problem. My Lehman will leak out a quart if I fill according to the book capacity. Leave it a qt low, and no leak or usage to speak of.
When I did my repower years ago with a Cummins 6BTA, I could fill with 16 qts and it would not puke it out...because I had a "nose down" installation.
 
Here ya go! David and Ski offer good advice. I would also suggest you poke around on this website. Some excellent information on these engines!!! I have the same exact engine....same year...and I do suffer the same thing. I have not fixed it because I know wat it is and it has not bothered me enough I guess but I do believe it is time...:)

Taking the MYSTERY out of oil pan capacities
http://www.sbmar.com/articles/crankcase_ventilation/


WOW!
Great information on Cummins Engine Oil Capacities. Thank you. I am pumping out a half gallon of oil from my 330 today.
Appreciate all the help from each of you. It's nice when you think you are about to spend 5 boat bucks and it turns out that you bought $7.00 too much of oil.
Happy Days ?
 

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