Oil soaked engine compartment

[buddydawg]

I took the bus on a weekend trip to Athens GA (4th trip in 7 weeks) and upon my arrival i noticed some oil on the back bumper.  When I opened the engine compartment it looked like the Exxon Valdez had paid me a visit, especially on the left side where the fan is.  It was coated from top to bottom.  After checking the oil, which showed not much less than when I left home,  I ran the engine and looked for signs of an oil leak.  Being covered in oil made it difficult to see, and I just left it at that.

I came back home this morning, stopping and checking on it regularly.  It looks like I lost about 1/2 gallon on the round trip (180 miles).  I have cleaned the engine bay and have started to look for the source.  Any ideas as I venture further? 

[Dreamscape]

What engine do you have?

I'm thinking blower seals are bad, maybe?

Please provide us with more information, so the DD experts can chime in.

Good Luck,

Paul

[buddydawg]

It is a 6V71. 

I think I may have found the culprit.  The oil line that goes to my engine compartment gauge and sending unit is bad.  I was checking connections and wiggling stuff around and snap!  It broke off at the connection which is above the fan.  So I have replaced it with a spare line I had laying around.  I checked for leaks after putting the new line on and see no visible leaks.  I will take it out for a run later this week and see how it goes.

[buswarrior]

Another first hand report that the back of the coach and engine room looked to be in desperate shape, but the dip stick had moved only slightly...

It is nothing short of amazing how just a little drip of oil can be blown all over the place by the fan and the movement of the coach down the road.

Best diagnostic out there is the condition of the back of the coach after a long highway run.

Nothing on the back means nothing leaking underneath. You'll always wear what's leaking on the back.

Or, of course, you were completely out of the offending fluid before you started...

happy coaching!
buswarrior

[Lin]

Make sure that is is oil and not diesel.  I once had a leaky return line that made a real mess in a former bus.

[WEC4104]

If it does not turn out to be the oil line you mentioned,  then I would "ditto" Dreamscape's comment.  I developed a blower seal issue on my 6-71 that sounds exactly as you described.

[VAN]

could be nothing ,but had same scenario turned out to be bad seal on power steering pump fwiw .
Van

[Hartley]

It's called automatic lubrication....

That keeps the rust and corrosion down.....

[gus]

Buddy,

That was one of the places I was going to suggest to you. The other one was going to be the front main seal. I also had some leaky fittings around the oil gage.

At one time I had what appeared to be a huge leak that turned out to be the fitting from the crankcase to the governor was cracled. The gov is lubed by spray from the crankcase and just that spray made the biggest mess you ever saw in about 200 miles.

It takes very little oil anywhere near the fan to get thrown all over the engine bay, I've had this problem for the three years I've owned the bus. I recently built a shroud over the main seal and also one for the rear half of the radiator which was missing when I got the bus.

I know it is surely still leaking but at least it leaks onto the highway and not the rear of the bus.

[HB of CJ]

Wow, look at it this way.  You could have had a bad fire.  But you didn't, which is good.  Joking now, perhaps it was just your mighty Detroit wanting to share in some good leaky spraying oily fun with the too clean engine compartment? 

[buddydawg]

I haven't had an opportunity to make a run in the bus yet, but I ran it fo a while in the drive and I could not see any visible leaks.  I do have a few oil leaks here and there that just seem to seep a little but nothing major like the leak I experienced over the weekend, so I am hopinig the new line fixed it.  I should be able to get out on the highway on Friday.  I'll update the results as soon as I get back.

[JohnVickrey]

Hope that fixed it.   Been there done that.   I sent you an email to your google account.
John Vickrey
Dearing, GA