roman599a
New Member
I have a little oil.. maybe an ounce or so of oil in my bilge.. I checked the oil in the motor and it is fine.. it looks like gear oil but im not sure.. is this normal or cause for concern???
Oil in Bilge
- Thread starter roman599a
- Start date
An ounce of oil in the bilge is not going to show up on a dipstick.
Unless you have spilled a fluid when doing any fluid change you should be concerned. Any fluid in a bilge would concern me and I would simply find out where it came from and address issue at once.
You can put a white towel under engine(s) and run for a few days. If you end up with a spot on towel look straight up and follow a drip/leak.
magstang1
Active Member
I would want to know where it's coming from. I keep white oil absorbent pads under my engines to keep an eye on things.
Could be as simple as a loose valve cover, could be an overflowing lube monitor tank, could be worse. You need to start looking closely at your engine for telltale signs of a leak. You may need to start by degreasing the engine.
magstang1
Active Member
I had leaking remote oil filter adapters when I bought my boat. It's a common problem, but you said you thought it was gear lube so this may not apply.
Hifirush
Member
- Mar 21, 2014
- 542
- Boat Info
- 1998 330 DA, 7.4 MPI with V-Drives, raw water cooled, Westerbeke
- Engines
- twin 7.4 MPI’s with V-Drives
While I think it could be normal, it's still something to keep an eye on. If you suspect gear oil (tranny) look carefully at it and find the source. If it were engine oil, while annoying, and I'd look for the source, it wouldn't bother me that much, just my opinion. Matt
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
PMC
Well-Known Member
You are getting good advice on tracking it down. Assess the source, and see what the fix is. And no, it is not normal to have oil in the bilge. Coast Guard would have a field day with that question.
HavnFunYet?
Member
- Mar 16, 2008
- 176
- Boat Info
- 1998 Sea Ray 370 DA
310 Mercury Hypalon w 9.9 Merc
- Engines
- 454 Mercruiser 7.4 MPI's
I just had the same concern and it turned out that the 3 oil pressure lines on my starboard engine were all leaking oil and almost had burst...had them replaced today to the tune of about 700 boat dollars and am assured that all is well. I was told that "they shouldn't fail" but mine certainly did! Ouch! At least it didn't turn out to be b.o.a.t........I had not noticed it until a Coast Guard safety inspection. Thank you to that guy for bringing it to my attention since it could have turned out to be a much bigger issue.
