4JH4E Yanmar

[NYSail]

hello all....

So first summer with new boat... did a lot of motoring which is kind of a bummer but gave me a good look at my engine. My fuel filter (new racor 500) after many bumpy rides motoring is still brand new looking with no dirt.... engine oil is golden clean. But I have a few oil drips that I need to identify. One is under the oil plug/ dip stick where I imagine it's a bad washer/seal so I am getting new and sure it will solve that. However there is another bit of oil on what appears to be the fly wheel cover. A couple drips below and when wiped it there was a small amount along where it attaches to engine. So what could this be from? All levels of oil trans and engine are all good.

Thanks



Drips in question are yellowish ones

 

[SG]

Sometimes a valve cover gasket, sometimes incidental blow-back and the air intake, sometimes other things.

Is it transmission fluid?

 

[NYSail]

Trans uses 30 wt. looked like oil so maybe from the trans.....

 

[Terry Cox]

The bell housing plate on our 4JH2-TE says to use ATF. What does yours say?

 

[Rick486]

I also have a 4jh4e and there has always been a tiny bit of oil in that area and on the bottom of the xmission. After 10 years I gave up worrying about it. The levels of the SAE30 in the xmission and the levels of 15-40 in the engine are always normal.

 

[SG]

The clew is that is it not engine oil -- otherwise (healthy as it may be), after a little bit, it's "black".

I'm with RI Rick ;^))). If it's more than a dribble, get more investigative. Does it leak just when you use the engine with some "gusto" -- or is the dribble constant. Does it leak when the engine is "off"?

 

[Davidasailor26]

On our 3YM30 any oil that spills around the fill cap when pouring it in will make its way around the block and drop in that area. Just something to consider.

 

[NYSail]

My engine oil is not black after the entire summer and probably 100 hours..... the drips in picture are from entire summer so very minimal.

 

[Gunni]

The clew is that is it not engine oil -- otherwise (healthy as it may be), after a little bit, it's "black".

Let me guess, you have a Volvo Penta? Yanmars run cleaner.

 

[SG]

Black is relative.

If you look at the originally posted pic, the spots above the yellowish-brown ones are what I'm speaking of.

As for what type engine I have: An almost 19 year old Yanmar 4JH2 - DTBE - 88 HP Turbo Charged Diesel.

 

[NYSail]

The darker drops are from the oil pan plug I mentioned...... half a dozen drips or so
During season. The yellower ones still minimal but just can figure out. What I wiped off fly wheel case felt like oil
And less that what is typically on a dip stick.... there is nothing else that it could be but oil. Engine in 15/40 and transmission is 30 wt. maybe 30 wt in trans ages differently.

 

[Gunni]

As SG suggested, I get a small bit of oil drip from my air intake which is above that area on a 4JH3E. The intake is just a silencer (no filter), and it has a small drip hole in the 6 position. Just replaced it with a cotton K&N to see if I can make the drip stop.

 

[NYSail]

Interesting...... right above

 

[Gunni]

So you have a crankcase breather hose routed from the top of the engine to the intake. An emissions control provision. Oily vapor gathers in the intake and some of it coalesces to liquid. You likely have a drain hole in the bottom of that intake so that excess oil can drain out rather than get drawn into your cylinders. Mine drops onto the flywheel cover first, then down to the engine bilge.

 

[NYSail]

Heading to the boat to get a look...... thanks! Love to have answers.......

 

[NYSail]

Sooooo. Went to the boat today. Crank case breather has no weep holes and not a trace of oil or anything else. Ran a white rag all over..... no new oil however while
Inspecting came across this
It is my emergency turn off solenoid.and there was oil drips on it. No oil drips from anywhere else around that would drip onto it. Investigation continues....
Btw that's a side view and that small whole is at about 2 o'clock.

 

[SG]

My old Yanmar doesn't have one of those :^)))

 

[NYSail]

Neat button, but a bit confused why the oil. Didn't smell or look like fuel.

 

[uncledom]

That's right below the dip stick. Was the PO a messy baby perhaps?
I check my oil right before I start my engine, every time! Maybe he was as compulsive but less steady?

 

[NYSail]

Possibly..... but then why the fresh drips on pads since I've owned? I'll be going over everything again this weekend with a nice white paper towel to continue my Sherlock Holmes....