CrankyGypsy
Jetboaters Captain
- Messages
- 352
- Reaction score
- 296
- Points
- 202
- Location
- Tampa, FL 33615
- Boat Make
- SeaDoo
- Year
- 2008
- Boat Model
- Challenger
- Boat Length
- 18
if you have any experience or expertise to add, i'd appreciate it. i'm still sorting my issue and using this as a log in case i need to look back at my notes.
(referencing a 2005 AR230 HO)
i have recently discovered a very slow oil leak on my port engine. by slow, i am estimating maybe a couple drops per outing - sometimes not even enough to actually get a drip onto the floor of the engine bay if i wipe it clean before heading out. i've not noticed it long enough to be able to pinpoint the origin, so i did a forum search this morning. seems to be fairly common and most have just accepted it since it's just a drip.
after some quick poking around yesterday, i think i can rule out the oil filter, the oil drain bolt, and the magneto cover gasket.
the oil pan gasket: the research i've done around the net has made me question what i've turned up on the forum. one theory is (aside from the possibility that a few of the oil pan bolts have wiggled loose) that switching from conventional oil to synthetic oil has caused a leak in my pan gasket ...AND switching back to conventional has the potential to fix the leak. however, i believe you may be able to stop the drip, but you can't stop the leak with this method.
my Google research: i'm no engineer (any input would be great), but this is what i was able to dig up. conventional oils naturally wet and swell gaskets and seals. i wouldn't consider "wet and swell" to be a form of conditioning. some swelling was probably an added benefit for internal seals in the past, but that's not optimal considering the tight tolerances today's engineers are capable of producing. before the 90's, synthetic oils lacked the additives they do today to condition gaskets (moisten them without the swelling) that keep them from drying out. so in the past, using conventional oil and then switching to synthetic worsened dry/cracked gaskets and increased leakage. the above theory was certainly logical back then, but doesn't hold up with today's synthetics containing additives.
conventional oils naturally swelling a gasket is not a good thing because the outer edges can become more exposed to the elements, causing them to dry out and possibly crack. conventional oils, unlike synthetics, will also produce a gunky residue. conventional oil can leak out, turn to gunk, and incidentally "plug" up the smaller cracks from the outside. so instead of oil dripping into the engine bay, you'll find black crud clinging to the motor. with that in mind, switching back to conventional doesn't fix the leak, it just has the potential to stop the dripping when it leaks out and turns to gunk, filling the smaller cracks.
so it seems the best thing to do is switch to synthetic as early as possible to inhibit the swelling the conventional oils can cause in the first place. if you limit the swelling of the gaskets, you'll limit the chances of the outer edges drying out and cracking. the newer synthetics will continue to keep the seals wet without the swelling.
my boat history: i'm fairly certain the two previous owners of my boat had a shop do all their maintenance, leading me to believe the motors received conventional oil almost exclusively prior to my ownership. i've been using Mobil 1 10w40 High Mileage (just so happens to say "specially formulated to condition seals" on the label) since i took ownership in Spring 2014. i pulled both engines out of the engine bay the following winter to replace the exhaust manifolds and gaskets - they both had a good build up of black gunk around the pan. before reinstalling the engines, i gave them a thorough cleaning and likely removed the gunk that was hindering the current leak on the port engine. it wasn't until i got back on the water a few times that i noticed oil in my engine bay. then after a few more outings, i was able to rule out the oil drain bolt on the culprit engine. seems to drip off the stern end of my pan (doesn't quite make it all the way to the oil drain bolt) and run into the middle "bulkhead" of the engine bay. it drips out very, very clean - as clear as thin honey.
my options: i still haven't gotten a chance to really give it a thorough look with a mirror and flashlight. but i am considering tightening the oil pan bolts a bit to start with, of course. i am currently happier cleaning up a few drops of clean synthetic oil rather than having an engine slowly covering itself with black gunk again, so switching oils isn't an option. @KXCam22 had mentioned last year that he's had good luck with Eclectic Product's Seal All - if i can pinpoint the leak, that seems like the best option.
(referencing a 2005 AR230 HO)
i have recently discovered a very slow oil leak on my port engine. by slow, i am estimating maybe a couple drops per outing - sometimes not even enough to actually get a drip onto the floor of the engine bay if i wipe it clean before heading out. i've not noticed it long enough to be able to pinpoint the origin, so i did a forum search this morning. seems to be fairly common and most have just accepted it since it's just a drip.
after some quick poking around yesterday, i think i can rule out the oil filter, the oil drain bolt, and the magneto cover gasket.
the oil pan gasket: the research i've done around the net has made me question what i've turned up on the forum. one theory is (aside from the possibility that a few of the oil pan bolts have wiggled loose) that switching from conventional oil to synthetic oil has caused a leak in my pan gasket ...AND switching back to conventional has the potential to fix the leak. however, i believe you may be able to stop the drip, but you can't stop the leak with this method.
my Google research: i'm no engineer (any input would be great), but this is what i was able to dig up. conventional oils naturally wet and swell gaskets and seals. i wouldn't consider "wet and swell" to be a form of conditioning. some swelling was probably an added benefit for internal seals in the past, but that's not optimal considering the tight tolerances today's engineers are capable of producing. before the 90's, synthetic oils lacked the additives they do today to condition gaskets (moisten them without the swelling) that keep them from drying out. so in the past, using conventional oil and then switching to synthetic worsened dry/cracked gaskets and increased leakage. the above theory was certainly logical back then, but doesn't hold up with today's synthetics containing additives.
conventional oils naturally swelling a gasket is not a good thing because the outer edges can become more exposed to the elements, causing them to dry out and possibly crack. conventional oils, unlike synthetics, will also produce a gunky residue. conventional oil can leak out, turn to gunk, and incidentally "plug" up the smaller cracks from the outside. so instead of oil dripping into the engine bay, you'll find black crud clinging to the motor. with that in mind, switching back to conventional doesn't fix the leak, it just has the potential to stop the dripping when it leaks out and turns to gunk, filling the smaller cracks.
so it seems the best thing to do is switch to synthetic as early as possible to inhibit the swelling the conventional oils can cause in the first place. if you limit the swelling of the gaskets, you'll limit the chances of the outer edges drying out and cracking. the newer synthetics will continue to keep the seals wet without the swelling.
my boat history: i'm fairly certain the two previous owners of my boat had a shop do all their maintenance, leading me to believe the motors received conventional oil almost exclusively prior to my ownership. i've been using Mobil 1 10w40 High Mileage (just so happens to say "specially formulated to condition seals" on the label) since i took ownership in Spring 2014. i pulled both engines out of the engine bay the following winter to replace the exhaust manifolds and gaskets - they both had a good build up of black gunk around the pan. before reinstalling the engines, i gave them a thorough cleaning and likely removed the gunk that was hindering the current leak on the port engine. it wasn't until i got back on the water a few times that i noticed oil in my engine bay. then after a few more outings, i was able to rule out the oil drain bolt on the culprit engine. seems to drip off the stern end of my pan (doesn't quite make it all the way to the oil drain bolt) and run into the middle "bulkhead" of the engine bay. it drips out very, very clean - as clear as thin honey.
my options: i still haven't gotten a chance to really give it a thorough look with a mirror and flashlight. but i am considering tightening the oil pan bolts a bit to start with, of course. i am currently happier cleaning up a few drops of clean synthetic oil rather than having an engine slowly covering itself with black gunk again, so switching oils isn't an option. @KXCam22 had mentioned last year that he's had good luck with Eclectic Product's Seal All - if i can pinpoint the leak, that seems like the best option.
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