tightening up the bolts

[white-eagle]

i know this isn't news to anyone, but my 8v92 leaks oil.  it looked like it was getting worse, based on my tow vehicle setup, so i decided to get under the engine (yes it is a big deal becuase we no longer have a house and most campgrounds don't want any work done).  what i found was that out of about 10 bolts on the oil pan, 6 were loose, 2 at least 2 turns loose on the ratchet.
also, i had a rebuilt starter put on in a Walmart lot last winter, and the small bolts holding the cylinder together were not tight.

i'm also going to look at tightening up some of the bolts on the front of the engine because i've got some small puddles collecting. 

i guess i mention this in case some of you haven't checked and just assumed detroits leak always, or in case someone has some other suggestions.  i'm also assuming they worked loose and were tight at one time.

[Sam 4106]

Hi Tom,
I had two leaking pan bolts on our 8V92TA DDEC II. There are washers, consisting of a rubber washer sandwiched between two steel washers, between the head of the bolt and the pan. Do your pan bolts have that type washers? I removed the two bolts and washers, cleaned everything as best I could and put RTV silicone around the bolts and washers, and tightened them back up. That stopped the leaks. I also replaced the leaking oil pressure gauge in the engine compartment. I used 3 1/2 gallons of oil on the trip home from Arizona (about 2200 miles) last winter before I fixed the leaks. After changing from Shell Rotella 40 wt. oil to Exxon XD3 40 wt. oil and fixing the leaks I have added 1 1/2 qt. in about 3000 mi.
Good luck, Sam MC8

[luvrbus]

Sam,you have the late model oil pan it has less bolts and uses a different gasket good setup the bolts should have a shoulder where you can not over tighten if you ever need a pan gasket for your engine set down before you get the bill DD is very proud of that gasket along with the 2 valve cover gaskets.
Glad to see the oil is working for you the 8v92 loves to leak and use that Rotella they think it is lemonade that Delvac (XD3) is tough to beat in a 2 stroke 



good luck

[TomC]

Any engine can and do leak.  A Detroit 2 stroke needs extra care when reassembling.  I had 2 trucks-one with a 8V-92TA and the other with a 6V-92TA.  I drove the 8V-92TA and it did not leak at all.  I can't tell you how many times I had to tilt my cabover (back in the 80's when they were popular because of 55ft length laws) to prove my engine was clean. 

I re gasketed my oil pan and used silicone gasket sealer (gray stuff) and it hasn't leaked since.  Good Luck, TomC

[white-eagle]

checking further, i've got oil in the front behind the water pump that looks like it could be running down  alongside the cover area where the main belt wheel comes out at the base of the engine, or that area itself could be leaking down the side to the oil pan.  fair amount of oil and dirt that looks maybe wet right there.

i guess i need to find a spot where i can spray some gunk cleaner on it, clean it good, and see where it shows up quickest.

i'd hate to find out i got a leak on the seal by the main crank area?  all the bolts seem tight.

[luvrbus]

Tom, that water pump has a oil seal that goes bad and oil leaks out the cavity behind the pump,if the water pump seal goes bad it leaks antifreeze from the same spot clear huh.
You can buy a rebuild kit for around 100 bucks and you need to remove the pump to replace the oil seal the water pump seal can be replaced without removing the pump it not a hard job it just take a puller to remove the gear, a few drinks and some ugly words LOL.
No one ever does the PM on the water pump, DD recommends changing the seal at 200,000 miles 

good luck
call if you need help

[white-eagle]

clifford, i don't have a puller, nor a real great place to do the work.  it does sound like the problem i have tho.  i've got to go about 4 hours to cleveland, then 6 hours to my amazon job in ky.  hopefully, this will last those runs and i can get some time maybe in dec at choo choos in chatanooga or get all the way to Jack's in arcadia.  but those runs will add at least 10 hours of driving.  as long as it only costs me a gallon of oil, that's ok. and i have been using just a wee bit more antifreeze.  i attributed that to the change i did at ww williams in the spring.

speaking of that change:  they put red stuff in and flushed it.  today, i checked and added, but the color inside looked green, not red.  the only change is that i probably opened the heat valve a couple weeks ago.  could there be enough green in the front heater and heat pipes to turn the red to green?  he should have flushed all that out, but who knows?  should i take it back to them?

this engine, if the po told me the truth, only has about 150k on it.

thanks for the tip.