Oil leak around filter

[sheepstations]

We have just bought our 30' yacht which is powered by a Volvo Penta MD7A.

We have quite an engine oil leak that seems to be coming from the oil filter. I ended up with about 2 litres of oil in the bilge after a few hours running before I noticed the problem. There's a visible drip every few seconds when the motors running.
I've taken the oil filter off and had a good look for any obvious issue but all looks OK. The gasket looks fine as does the machined area on the block that houses the gasket. The filter is on tight without being over-tightened.


Any ideas what might be happening here?



Cheers,
JR

[Renoirpierre]

Wow, 2L in a couple of hours. Sounds pretty significant to me. The things I would check out initially are as follows:

1. Is the filter the right one for that engine?
2. Are their two gaskets stacked together (this occurs when the gasket from the old filter sticks to the engine and the new filter is installed without checking for it.)
3. Is the filter tight? If torque requirements are available and the filter is accessible to tools then use them. If not I torque as tight as I can with one hand (premise is that I can use two hands to remove)
4. Make sure that the gasket is coated with a thin coat of oil

If those steps don't solve it, I would resort to applying some baby powder in the general vicinity of the leak. The oil flow will wash away the baby powder and the source of the leak will become apparent.

Good luck!! Bring absorbent pads and extra oil

[sheepstations]

Originally Posted by Renoirpierre

Wow, 2L in a couple of hours. Sounds pretty significant to me. The things I would check out initially are as follows:

1. Is the filter the right one for that engine?
2. Are their two gaskets stacked together (this occurs when the gasket from the old filter sticks to the engine and the new filter is installed without checking for it.)
3. Is the filter tight? If torque requirements are available and the filter is accessible to tools then use them. If not I torque as tight as I can with one hand (premise is that I can use two hands to remove)
4. Make sure that the gasket is coated with a thin coat of oil

If those steps don't solve it, I would resort to applying some baby powder in the general vicinity of the leak. The oil flow will wash away the baby powder and the source of the leak will become apparent.

Good luck!! Bring absorbent pads and extra oil

Well done, thanks for the input.

1. I can say it's not a genuine VP filter but an OEM version.
2. Definitely not 2 gaskets stacked together, I checked that
3. Filter was definitely tight. I had to use a strap wrench to remove it
4. I didn't do that. Doh!

I think I will buy a genuine VP filter and then follow all your steps to see if that solves the issue.
Cheers,
JR

[kchace]

Considering the location and quantity, this is a very serious leak. I would not use the boat until you fix it. At this point, I would remove the filter and examine the area carefully. If all looks good, replace the filter with a new one.


Ken

[Bill Seal]

There's probably a nipple in the bock with an unthreaded section in he middle, maybe the replacement filter is bottoming out on the unthreaded section. Maybe try checking out the clearance without the gasket to make sure it will compress it. --- be sure to stick the gasket back in

[deblen]

http://www.varen4u.nl/pdfs/volvo/Volvo_Penta_MD7A.pdf

[sailormed]

Originally Posted by Bill Seal

There's probably a nipple in the bock with an unthreaded section in he middle, maybe the replacement filter is bottoming out on the unthreaded section. Maybe try checking out the clearance without the gasket to make sure it will compress it. --- be sure to stick the gasket back in

Check this first, seems the most probable cause.

[LittleWing77]

Originally Posted by Renoirpierre

The things I would check out initially are as follows:

1. Is the filter the right one for that engine?
2. Are there two gaskets stacked together (this occurs when the gasket from the old filter sticks to the engine and the new filter is installed without checking for it.)

This is the first thing I thought of, too. It's deceptive, because when you look at it, you see there's a gasket in there...

Best of luck sorting this out (hope it's the easy fix)

Let us know what it was, would you please?
LittleWing77

[newhaul]

Originally Posted by sheepstations

We have just bought our 30' yacht which is powered by a Volvo Penta MD7A.

We have quite an engine oil leak that seems to be coming from the oil filter. I ended up with about 2 litres of oil in the bilge after a few hours running before I noticed the problem. There's a visible drip every few seconds when the motors running.
I've taken the oil filter off and had a good look for any obvious issue but all looks OK. The gasket looks fine as does the machined area on the block that houses the gasket. The filter is on tight without being over-tightened.


Any ideas what might be happening here?



Cheers,
JR

Oil the oil filter rubber gasket. Fit the oil filter and the oil pressure contact. Screw in the oil filter so far that the rubber gasket just touches the engine. Then screw tight a further half turn. IMPORTANT! Screw by hand

From the repair manual

[Cheechako]

Yes, be sure to check that the old rubber gasket wasn't stuck on to the engine and the new filter put on over it. That will leak.
If this isn't it, then remove the filter, get a new one, wipe the engine surface clean, wipe a light amount of oil on the new filter gasket and tighten by hand.

[Bowdrie]

Not pertaining to leak issue, and not sure if applicable adaptor(s) are available for your engine, but if it's possible to remote-mount the oil filter much joy/happiness with fewer expletives may be obtained.

[Niall leslie]

As an ex Volvo dealer for this type of engine.
I suggest that you obtain one of the correct Volvo oil filters for this engine and then correctly install it and top up the engine oil level with specified oil. Clean up all leaked oil residue.
Following that test the engine and monitor for any oil leaks. If there are any then I recommend engaging a Volvo trained technician to diagnose and repair any issues.
Given that you are asking regarding this matter I'm presuming that you don't have many years of experience dealing with marine diesels.
Good luck.

PS Not all filters are made alike even if the outside looks the same, I've had many issues with aftermarket filters over the last 50 years, some are excellent - others possibly not so good! NB 'OEM' stands for original equipment manufacturer - in this case Volvo Penta.

[PineyWoodsPete]

Originally Posted by sheepstations

Well done, thanks for the input.

1. I can say it's not a genuine VP filter but an OEM version.
2. Definitely not 2 gaskets stacked together, I checked that
3. Filter was definitely tight. I had to use a strap wrench to remove it
4. I didn't do that. Doh!

I think I will buy a genuine VP filter and then follow all your steps to see if that solves the issue.
Cheers,
JR

That's likely the problem, as too tight can extrude a portion of the rubber gasket. Hand-tight only!

[SV__Grace]

If using non-OEM filter, use calipers to measure that the gasket mates well with the surface it’s mounted to. Too narrow or too wide will leak copiously.

[oleman]

I have had the wrong filter before when using a spin-on type filter. It has the same threads and screws down fine but the sealing gasket was not the right size for the seat.