Perkins M30 Oil Switch

[Cosso1]

I have just purchased a boat with a Perkins M30 engine. The oil pressure guage isn't working, so want to locate the oil pressure switch but can't seem to find information of where it is positioned on the engine. The engine compartment is very tight, so difficult to see either side or back.
Thanks

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by Cosso1

I have just purchased a boat with a Perkins M30 engine. The oil pressure guage isn't working, so want to locate the oil pressure switch but can't seem to find information of where it is positioned on the engine. The engine compartment is very tight, so difficult to see either side or back.

Thanks

G’day Cosso1 and welcome to the forum. The oil pressure switch is easily viewable from above as in the attached screen shot. And here’s a bit of a hint before you start on solving the gauge problem ....... get a mechanical oil pressure gauge and screw it into the gauge sender port to test for whether you actually DO HAVE oil pressure. Your engine is basically a Shibaura and they have a bit of a reputation for failing to pick up the oil from the sump at startup,.... as well as the relief valve occasionally causing problems. Mostly this problem is with Gensets and industrial equipment.... I don’t recall the issue being discussed on this forum but I’ve had the zero oil p several times on MD2030’s as well as your M30 model (KD?)

[Cosso1]

Thanks for that, do you have a picture of where it is?

[deblen]

Workshop Manual https://www.dieselmann.no/files/H%C3...%20Manuals.pdf


http://www.marinesurveyorontario.com...riesm25m30.pdf



Your M30 is the same engine as Volvo Penta MD2030, and is based on a
Shibaura 103-10.
Great engine!
Cheers/Len

[Cosso1]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

G’day Cosso1 and welcome to the forum. The oil pressure switch is easily viewable from above as in the attached screen shot. And here’s a bit of a hint before you start on solving the gauge problem ....... get a mechanical oil pressure gauge and screw it into the gauge sender port to test for whether you actually DO HAVE oil pressure. Your engine is basically a Shibaura and they have a bit of a reputation for failing to pick up the oil from the sump at startup,.... as well as the relief valve occasionally causing problems. Mostly this problem is with Gensets and industrial equipment.... I don’t recall the issue being discussed on this forum but I’ve had the zero oil p several times on MD2030’s as well as your M30 model (KD?)

Thanks for that, I'll check it out tomorrow when I'm back at the boat. I have noticed a very small diameter tube that goes to the guage but wasn't connected to the engine, so assume this has made it's way loose. Is there an electronic oil pressure sender unit that can be fitted to this engine as I do intend to change all the guages to more modern ones? Thanks

[skipperpete]

VDO make a variety of matched gauge and sender combinations and It’s fairly easy to install a tee where your existing oil pressure switch resides. It can be useful to remotely mount the pair of oil senders and connect them to the engine with a flexible hydraulic hose and a -ve cable to the ground, this eliminates the fragile cluster of fittings hanging out off the cylinder head. VDO also make a 2 in 1 sender/switch combo.

[Cosso1]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

VDO make a variety of matched gauge and sender combinations and It’s fairly easy to install a tee where your existing oil pressure switch resides. It can be useful to remotely mount the pair of oil senders and connect them to the engine with a flexible hydraulic hose and a -ve cable to the ground, this eliminates the fragile cluster of fittings hanging out off the cylinder head. VDO also make a 2 in 1 sender/switch combo.

I was looking at this https://www.parts4engines.com/perkin...ressure-gauge/ and wondered if this was a possibility?

[skipperpete]

Originally Posted by Cosso1

I was looking at this https://www.parts4engines.com/perkin...ressure-gauge/ and wondered if this was a possibility?

That’ll work… just be aware that this sender is ⅛” Bsp.

[Cosso1]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

That’ll work… just be aware that this sender is ⅛” Bsp.

Do you know the thread size of the original? I have found an original replacement but doesn't give the size on listings I've found.
Thanks again for your help.

[Cosso1]

I have spoke with the previous owner and apparently the guage was working fine, so I still have this small pipe that connects to the guage along with a wire from the sender unit. Where does this pipe attach to on the engine?
Thanks

[skipperpete]

There should have been a tee fitting where the oil pressure switch is installed ( the switch in your last photo with the white wire attached). I guess it’s possible to drill and tap the oil filter housing to connect a capillary tube for a mechanical gauge but I’ve only ever seen that one connection point on the head. It’s a bit worrying that there’s a chance of an open oil gallery somewhere on your engine so perhaps dip the lube oil and check the bilge for a spill. You need to quickly establish whether or not you actually have oil flow through the circuit, you can do this by removing the oil pressure switch, and either manually rotating the engine until oil comes out of the hole OR pulling the engine stop and cranking for a brief (2-3 rotations)period..... no oil at that hole , no oil pressure. Method 2 is a bit messy but less so if you get a length of clear plastic hose and push/ screw it into the hole.....if you only have an electric stop, just crack open the injector pipe nuts.
Oh, where did you find that plug in the second last photo? It looks a bit like the lube oil relief valve, but hard to tell from the photo[emoji780][emoji780]

[Cosso1]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

There should have been a tee fitting where the oil pressure switch is installed ( the switch in your last photo with the white wire attached). I guess it’s possible to drill and tap the oil filter housing to connect a capillary tube for a mechanical gauge but I’ve only ever seen that one connection point on the head. It’s a bit worrying that there’s a chance of an open oil gallery somewhere on your engine so perhaps dip the lube oil and check the bilge for a spill. You need to quickly establish whether or not you actually have oil flow through the circuit, you can do this by removing the oil pressure switch, and either manually rotating the engine until oil comes out of the hole OR pulling the engine stop and cranking for a brief (2-3 rotations)period..... no oil at that hole , no oil pressure. Method 2 is a bit messy but less so if you get a length of clear plastic hose and push/ screw it into the hole.....if you only have an electric stop, just crack open the injector pipe nuts.

I've not seen any oil spillage in the bilge and the engine oil level is fine. The oil pressure guage I have has the wire from the oil pressure sender unit attached and also this small oil line, do both have to be connected at both ends for the guage to work? Thanks

[skipperpete]

The answer is YES. And I guess that photo is the back of the gauge and the connection point.
If thats a photo of your engine, that “sender” is a switch, usually for a low oil pressure light or alarm (and on gensets, a shutdown), the pipe should be connected to both a gauge and a fitting on your engine block or head, follow the tube!!! If you turn over the engine with that pipe (photo) in a container, oil should squirt out.

[Cosso1]

Originally Posted by skipperpete

The answer is YES. And I guess that photo is the back of the gauge and the connection point.
If thats a photo of your engine, that “sender” is a switch, usually for a low oil pressure light or alarm (and on gensets, a shutdown), the pipe should be connected to both a gauge and a fitting on your engine block or head, follow the tube!!! If you turn over the engine with that pipe (photo) in a container, oil should squirt out.

The pipe is only connected one end at the gauge, then the other end is what is showing in the photo in the engine bay, not connected and nothing clearly visible where it would connect. Also there is no sign of oil spillage within the engine bay. There is the wire connected to the oil pressure switch and also a wire connected to the gauge.
Is it possible that the gauge is a 2 way and can work on either electronic sender or mechanical sender and the sender or gauge is possibly faulty?
I've had the engine running for an hour to charge the batteries and heat the water, I also went for a little cruise up the river and back the other day and everything seems fine and no loss of oil. So I am wondering if this oil pipe is redundant and it is just a case of faulty electronics/electrics somewhere.
Thanks

[skipperpete]

Happy to hear no loss of oil , so the photo with the end of the oil capillary is actually showing the air filter housing??? And thats an acorn nut, not anything related to the lube system. So you need to keep looking for where that capillary tube screws into, my best guess is that at one time in the past, the capillary pipe started to leak oil, was disconnected and the engine gallery was plugged. The remaining mystery is why there’s no low oil pressure light or alarm when the engine is stopped and the key switch is on, that’s worrying.