How to Clean Oil Circuit in Old Diesel Engine

Yeah, maybe add some Marvel Mystery Oil or other additive - definitely NOT GASOLINE.

G.A. because It fits me. Only diesel? I though using a mix to get a little bit more oil working? Thank You. D.

Diesel fuel has good lubricating properties and is designed to stand up to the high pressures created by the moving parts inside fuel injection pump systems so when used as an engine cleaner it does just fine.

If you want something with even better lube and solvent ability use bio diesel!

Don't use gasoline to clean out a running engine, It has near zero lubricating ability.

"Don't use gasoline"

Ever!

I'd pass on every single shade-tree mechanic clown advise and save it correctly while you have a chance

That looks possibly like the cast iron crank from BMC Series A or B engine as fitted to Sprites, MGs of various sorts, Minis and many more cars from Great Britain, Japan and India.

The original cranks on the A-Series are frequency unstable at around 6,000 RPM and break EXACTLY where this crank is broken.

As a replacement, I used to be able to buy forged steel cranks that would not break even under far harsher usage - racing for example. It was not even expensive, even for those days. A firm called Osselli I believe would exchange the damaged block/crank for a rebuilt one with a steel crank for about 50 pounds Sterling if I remember correctly, re-bored, new pistons and assembled.....

I found that you could slowly drive home with an A series motor at low revs with such a break, I actually did it once, drove about 10 miles!!!

Took the engine out, looked at it all over, took it apart and could not at first find the reason for the "BIG BANG", till I noticed oil being squeezed out of the crack when moving the crank.....the parts had remained together....one bright spark wanted to weld it back together!!! NO THANKS.

See here:-

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMC_A-Series_engine

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMC_B-Series_engine

A GREAT "Blast from the past!"

Was it a BMC engine of some sort?

Update:- I just found them here:-

http://www.oselli.com/about

WOW!! 51 years and still working!!!

crank repair..........

Fredski-

A muzzle is also appropriate sometimes, depending who it is.

Good Luck, Old Salt

On the lips, it makes a good muzzle!!!

I prefer the Heavy Duty Wire Basket Dog Muzzles. They are normally used on the breeds that have the disposition to be bark loudly but most often have no bite after they have experienced the muzzle on them. They can bark all they want from then on but it gets them no where. They can usually be seen on Dobermans, German Shepherds, Boxers, Pit Bulls and Rottweiler's and other four legged species. Occasionally they work very effectively on two legged creatures also, allowing them to bark very loudly but having no bite in their bark.

Many people have found them most effective on old dogs but seldom necessary on younger or well behaved ones.

Good Luck, Old Salt

LOL!!

Sadly we had no super glue in the 60's.....

Hi Andy,

The version I have is the BL 1.8 liter with rockers and pushers. The oil supply for these is through pedestal 4 that has a hole with fixed position. The pusher shaft is hollow and has 4 (+ 1 supply at the bottom) holes in total where the rockers sit, to supply each rocker with oil. All of these are new.

I do believe that it was with a similar engine, someone on CR4 had a similar problem and it turned out that the rocker pedestal drilling for oil was not mating with the head drilling. No oil was able to pass. The quality was awful......

Never ever take for granted that parts, not even those made by the original manufacture, will fit!!

I do not remember when or which blog, maybe someone else here will....

In that blog, the rockers were new and from India, so you need to make paper patterns and check that the holes mate up.....its not difficult.

Also, the rocker shaft must match holes with the pedestal......check that too....

Also check the gasket for proper orientation and accuracy....if one is used/needed.....

If you remove the rocker gear and the glow plugs in this case, then turn by hand, the engine in the normal direction, you should see oil flow within a few turns out of the head, and plenty of it too!!!

If yu get plenty of oil, its either the pedestal(s) or the shaft....

If not:-

The next place to check is sadly the head gasket itself and how the head to block borings match up, you need to remove the head of curse......check the gasket and make sure its correctly orientated.Some older engines were mirror images and you could ut it on in two different ways, only one "might" match up to the head/block. Modern engines generally do not have this problem.....

Some engines need an "O" ring to be placed IN the gasket, to seal correctly....

I've done it, too. Like tcmtech said, let it idle, don't rev it up.

I honestly don't know if it helped that much, but nothing exploded and the motor ran for years afterward with no problems.

G.A. I'll keep you all posted.

Only limited by your imacination.

Gunk/Motor flush (MF-3) | Engine Additive and Cleaner | AutoZone ...
Motor Medic Motor Flush - Advance Auto Parts
AMSOIL Engine and Transmission Flush
Tried Gunk engine flush | Oil Additives | Bob Is The Oil Guy

Don't know who or how you and dvm got marked as OT, but I did what I could to correct it. GA's for both of you.

dj

It's the auto-OT generator.

No since of context.

We use a product called "EnerFlush" from Enertech labs(WWW.enertechlabs.com). It is formulated to do exactly what you are trying to accomplish. I don't know if it is available to the general public(we're a Govt agency) but it works great.

If his oil pressure gauge is accurate, then I wouldn't say he's suffering low oil pressure, 4 bar= approx 50 psi at idle and 5.5 bar = approx 80 psi at 3,000 rpm. But, we don't know where his oil pressure tap is located on the engine.

I do agree about not using any solvents in the oil system and especially any gasoline or highly volatile solvents. I've seen my fair share of General Motor oil pans expanded from bad fuel pump diaphragms dumping gas into the oil pans. Kinda of a Whooshing BOOM!

I would almost suspect the oil pressure regulator/by-pass, but all avenues should be explored.

Thank you for your contribution. It has a lot of good craftmanship in it.

The pump, however is not worn out and the pressure is on the high side.

It should be 1.5 - 2 bar on idle and mx 3.5 bar at 2500 RPM. It shows more than double on idle, which points to a restriction between the pump and the plumbing.

The engine has been onder (see) water and the oil became first like dough. This I want to get rid of. I did it once with a RV6 and it worked well with 50% oil and (kill me for it) : Gas.

Anyway, I will keep you all posted. Regards. D

You're welcome :) Hey, how sure are you that there's supposed to be a lot of oil up top? Have you checked with forums for people who own this engine/ boat? That kind of restriction sounds like particulate, not sludge. Could be wrong. Let us know.

Normally I expect a small puddle on top of the head (engine is about horizontal) That doesn't happen. There is only a thin film that covers the parts and the same goes for the inside of the valve cover. If you strike over tumblers, there is not enough oil on the finger to feel comfortable when rubbing the thumb with it. The opening from the oil channel to the top shaft is 3 mm and there is hardly oil coming through. I can almost run the engine without cover.

Those old engines are usually bulletproof but probably never cleaned. Can you put air pressure through the oil line and blow the crud through? Have you checked to see if, even though the oil may read full, if the bottom half in the oil tank is merely dirty sludge that needs cleaning out?

1.) 4 bar is a satisfactory pressure.

2.) If the oil is were not getting to the upper parts of the engine you would have suffered serious wear PDQ.

3.) If you are using the correct oil, the detergent in it will keep the internals including the oil galleries clean.

4.) Don't put gasoline near it.

Has no one asked what kind of oil is usually put in this relic? Or the oil change intervals, time or hours run?

Shell Rotella 15W40, 2000 Hours or 2 year, what comes first.

dvmdsc-

As a fellow boat owner I can appreciate the dilemma you are in. When a young lad I had similar problems, the more I fixed the more cropped up. I bit the bullet and yanked the engine and put it on a good stand next to the workbench and fixed the problems. By doing this, while everything on the engine was accessible, allowed me to repair more things better and cheaper, in less time, with fewer bloody knuckles and arms, fewer dunks into the bilge water, fewer words screamed that were not in my mother's or the neighbor's vocabularies and less time spent trying to find tools dropped into the bilge water. You can do a better job by being able to take more of the engine apart with less difficulty and much less time.

You can even set up a rudimentary test stand for the engine and run it as you diagnose the problems.

This also gives you the opportunity to check the frames and planks under the engine mounts after pulling the engine.

Good Luck, Old Salt

Thank you old salt.

The problem is that the engine is quite heavy and so is the transmission. All together 730 kg. That would be a job on the land, while the boat is in the water for just 1 year now. These hauling jobs are quite expensive and one never knows how many days work it takes (and waiting time I live with sharks and pirates and boat owners may not work on their boats here- so you give them a blanco check)

Last year I complained about how they fixed the shaft. No problem. But in full ocean the boat took that much water that I had to go full speed ahead to drain it sufficiently.

The boat has a center cockpit and the engine is right under it.

It takes to remove steering stand, floor and everything between.

The boat has 34 years oceans and I honestly don't know if it worth it.

That is why I try a cheap solution. I hardly need that engine, only to make the A/C 's run, to dock, and some canal work where sails are not allowed.

I've crossed the Atlantic a few times and the boat is my "car" to Florida.

All the best.

dvmdsc-

Fellow sail boater, I didn't realized you were describing a sailboat engine. Being a sail boater myself I can fully appreciate your access problems and desire not to do anything more than what you have to.

I can't contribute anything mechanical that hasn't been said already. The only thoughts I can suggest are: Would a fiber optic inspection camera with the flexible snake connecting the camera to the end of the optics help you see internal parts of the engine that otherwise might be inaccessible? I have used the Rigid 25643 SeeSnake Micro Inspection Camera successfully for inspections not otherwise accessible. DeWalt, Bosch and several others make/sell similar units. I have used it to inspect the internals of centrifugal pumps without disassembly.

Another thing I use is one of those metal mirrors that are included with shaving kits. They are not quite as clear as a glass/silvered one but don't break when dropped. This prevents the wife from screaming when I use her makeup mirror and return it dirty or broken. They can also be "tossed" into a tool box without having to worry about breakage.

May your sails always be filled, not luffing or in irons. Many a safe reaches to you.

Good Luck, Old Salt

I'm guessing it has an oil filter. change it. Run B50 Biodiesel for a few tanks. Run a very high detergent crankcase oil all the time, and with a flush package in it, after your voyage for a half hour at idle. (hot engine) Change oil and filter before next voyage. Two or three of these cycles may reduce oil pressure at idle and increase flow to top end. Rotella is great.

Pretty rare to see a problem revealed by high oil pressure at idle, unusual at 2000 hours. We do this occasionally on Sprinter's, approaching 300K miles on several.

Change the oil, fresh oil is a great cleaner and a safe bet in your crank case. Run it for a while, let it get good and hot, then change it again. I have done this with truck engines that had a sticky lifter and problem went away for good. On my trucks I would drive it 300-400 miles and change again. Try this twice or three times. You don't need to use the best oil you can find, just SAE or what ever the engine requires. Change out the filter also as it will be catching all that stuff.

Catmandu-

GA. Excellent idea, especially on a sailboat where the access is to the motor and components are next to none. Sailboats with inboard auxiliary engines between very small to 60-70 feet have almost no access at all.

We have used the method you describe to clean large gear boxes in industry where we couldn't shut down. Put new oil in it, donnect the pump inlet to the gear box drain, pass it through a "T" with a pressure gauge, old tractor filter housing with an oil filter in it and back in through the oil fill hole. Best to put isolation valves before the pump and after the filter. That way you can change components and filters without shutting the gear box down. No chance of starving the gear box with a clogged filter since it will stop passing oil through the filter and go its normal circulation or splash route.

Good Luck, Old Salt

Modern Diesels in Europe are run almost exclusively on full Synthetic oil, it prevents wear far better than normal mineral oil. It also takes all the "crud" and deposits it in the filter......

It is not as cheap as Diesel, but it will protect and clean the engine really well....after you have run on diesel first....

If swarf or similar are causing the problem, almost nothing will move that......

FWIW:

Some may consider this to be a jack-leg,shade tree method of doing things, but you cannot argue with results.

If the valves have push rods, remove the rocker arms and the pushrods, and clean the hollow centers of the push rods.These are sometimes clogged with burnt carbonized oil or crud.

After this cleaning, put 1 quart of Dextron ATF in crankcase.Drain out 1 quart of oil first to prevent over filling, which could cause a crankshaft seal failure.

ATF has some very good varnish and laquer solvents that will cut the crud from the passages, but you must have flow through those passages first.Run this through for several hours, as idle,then drain while hot.Change filer.refill with oil and add ATF.Run till hot,Let set overnight.The soaking will help soften the crud.Repeat at least 2 times.Observe results to determine effectiveness.

I have succesfully used this method on old pre-1970 car engines,that were smoking out the blow by pipe,and had same problem with upper engine lubrication.This method resulted in no blow by,and reduced oil consumption.

It worked for me, maybe it will help you.

As stated elsewhere the proper way is to remove the engine and do it right, but desperate times require desperate measures.

Good luck.

I've used ATF with a lot of success. When I was with Buick in the '70's we used ATF as top engine flush. Buick V8's were notorious for carbon build up on the back side of the intake valves. The EPA would have been up in arms over it. You'd hold the throttle at about 5k and pour the ATF in the carb. After letting it sit over night, it'd run almost like a fresh valve job. But, man you talk about a smoke screen.

endless white clouds

Some good replys so far, but I would like to know what type of Diesel engine you have ( manufacturer ) ?also what kind of cooling system ?

A sticky oil pressure relief valve could create higher than normal oil pressure,a wrong oil filter may be another culprit for higher pressure, then the appearent lack of oil on the top end of the engine may be normal on that type of engine. Sorry for so many questions when you are really looking for answers, lastly how much oil is in the engine sump?

we rarely get a complete background so guessing and assuming are frequent here!

A few details like the OP stated the engine is near horizontally installed has me ruling out a great many Diesel engines that I have first hand knowledge of,then the mention thats "its old" how old? I have been at Diesels since 1965 ish,Come on OP lets have some background.

Thornycroft - eqivalent of BMC or BL 109 - 4 cylinder, rotating injection pump, rockers, shaft, pushers, side camshaft, 54 Horsepower, 3500 RPM max, idling 650 RPM,

Gearbox PRM hydraulic. Operating voltage 12 Volts, Original color Blue,

All cast iron, cylinders with dry sleeves, glow plugs, pre-combustion chambers,

Year 1978, Head, valves.springs, gaskets, timing chain, spanners 2013. This motor is still build in India. British Leyland and made history in Morris Oxford, Austin cambridge and also its later 6 cylinder successor. There are about 10.000 of these engines still running every day. Base for some oriental developments.

Thames river boats, Sherpa, Yachts Moody, etc.

Similar to Perkins, but not the same. Pleasant sound. Almost member of the family.

OK I remember your post on here a while ago RE Rockers on your rebuild.I made a few comments on that thread , Your concerns back then was rockers alliagnment, maybe your present lack of oil in that area is related, AS THE OIL SUPPLY TO THE ROCKERS IS VIA THE ROCKER SUPPORT PEDESTALS,Then again the old rockers that you replaced may have been badly worn and allowing the extra oil to be more visible.In my experience those old " london Taxi " engines were not very oily in the rocker area.

I am now curious to know how you are measuring the oil pressure ?As it happens my brother has one of those engines in his new /old boat he just bought and I have been invited to inspect it, it is in France so it will be a while before I am able to report back.

Automatic transmission oil work s well as it is high detergent and has excellent lubrication qualities.

I have used 1 quort for each 5 quarts of engine oil and it has worked well with no engine damage.

I would suspect the high oil pressure bypass valve in the oil pump is clogged and stuck in the open position.

You should see anoticable difference in oil flow within 15-20 minutea and After two good flush sessions with the engine operating at normal temperature for about 30 minutes the difference is amazing.

If you then install 1 quart of ATF to the new oil change wevery time you change the oil for about 100 hours of service the oil system will be very clean.

Hi,

I think you should use two wheeler bike engine oil when the bike after come from the garage. I think that will be good.

...........................

HSE Engineer LNG