Oil Smell
 

You can smell oil when you stop the boat. The oil smell is stronger if you were running the boat hard. The boat is a baja 240 sport with a new (80hr) 502. you can also see smoke coming of the valve cover breather tube where it is attached to the flame arrestor. Only the breather tube from the left side of the motor is smoking. Each valve cover has a push in baffle at the valve cover and a tube to the carb.

Is this something to worry about? Anyone know what would cause this problem?

Thanks in advance for any help.

Speed

Re: Oil Smell
 

Is what you are seeing actually "smoke", or is it steam ?

It's probably steam from burning off moisture in the oil. My question would be how much moisture is in the oil. And what is the source of the moisture.

Re: Oil Smell
 

Only on one side would suggest excessive blow by to me. Depending on how bad it is/gets, it could be a problem with the rings.

Re: Oil Smell
 

check power steering fluid i had the same problem . Iternal power sterring leak in the cooler

Re: Oil Smell
 

Thanks for the info.

It appears to be smoke but could be steam. We ran the boat for approx. 2hr without shutting down (ran pretty hard, some WOT :D ). I noticed oil on the flame arrestor, carb. and on the intake under the breather tube that is smoking. No oil on the or around the other breather tube. Not a lot of oil more like a small coating in a area of about 4 - 5” in diameter.

If this is steam would the oil look milky? What should I look for?

How can I check for power steering fluid leak? I have not had to add any fluid, was your leak small or large enough that you had to add fluid to the reservoir.


Thanks Speed :drink:

Re: Oil Smell
 

i've noticed this on both mine and a friends bajas this summer, what it appears to be is those boat motors have a poor crank case evacuation system. this happens all the time in drag cars, if you pull the valve covers you'll have a light layer for gray foam in the top of the cover. that's normal, it's condensation build up from the air inside the motor heating up and cooling off.

so here's the question i have yet to have anwsered, why do boat motors have the crank case hoses going to flame arrester instead of going to the intake where they would have postive vacuum and keep the motor air vented out? that would solve alot of this.

speedboatr - if your motor is huffing smoke/steam out of the breather tubes at an idle, then yeah it has excessive blow by. if you have to rev the motor up to see anything it's probably normal, all motors have some blow by even gapless ring motors
being that it's a newer motor if it does have lots of blow by do a leak down on the side thats huffing hard and see which hole it is. If you babied it for a long time during break in the rings could have turned and lined the gaps up, this happens more than people know.

Re: Oil Smell
 

Mine is like steam. I jus bought the boat and when it happened i checked all fluids power sterring was dry . no leak in bottom of boat havent pinpointed where its goin but was told it could be leaking in the cooler.mixing with water and heat and i get that oil smell. Hope that helps .