MD7A Oil Leak

[John T.]

All,

This board has been very helpful in the past, and I'm hoping for some advise. I have a 28 Cape Dory with the Volvo MD7A engine (1982). I have developed a small oil leak that appears to be coming from the rear of the engine on the port side (if you are looking from the front of the engine). It is dripping into the back of the oil catch pan. A friend says it is probably the rear engine seal. I cannot see where it is originating from. My marina says there is no adjustment to tighten the rear seal, and they would probably need to pull the engine to resolve at a cost of approx 1K. Any ideas on what the cause could be ? I am not a mechanic, so simple/stupid would be appreciated.

John T.
CD 28
Midnight Sun

[brian]

All,

This board has been very helpful in the past, and I'm hoping for some advise. I have a 28 Cape Dory with the Volvo MD7A engine (1982). I have developed a small oil leak that appears to be coming from the rear of the engine on the port side (if you are looking from the front of the engine). It is dripping into the back of the oil catch pan. A friend says it is probably the rear engine seal. I cannot see where it is originating from. My marina says there is no adjustment to tighten the rear seal, and they would probably need to pull the engine to resolve at a cost of approx 1K. Any ideas on what the cause could be ? I am not a mechanic, so simple/stupid would be appreciated.

John T.
CD 28
Midnight Sun

I have the same engine in our 82 CD28. Facing the fly wheel is the leak coming from the right side of the engine? If this is the case one possibility is the oil pressure transducer. We replaced this after it developed a leak. If the leak was coming from the rear seal you would be loosing transmission oil too. Is the oil black or clean? Our rear seal leaks, but just enough to be a pain. I keep a few oil diapers in the engine pan and just check the oil in both the transmission and the engine before I start it and after it has been running for a while. It'll be down a few ounces(3-4) every 10-15 hours of run time.

Good Luck.



brian@harvardthermal.com

[Carl Jones]

All,

This board has been very helpful in the past, and I'm hoping for some advise. I have a 28 Cape Dory with the Volvo MD7A engine (1982). I have developed a small oil leak that appears to be coming from the rear of the engine on the port side (if you are looking from the front of the engine). It is dripping into the back of the oil catch pan. A friend says it is probably the rear engine seal. I cannot see where it is originating from. My marina says there is no adjustment to tighten the rear seal, and they would probably need to pull the engine to resolve at a cost of approx 1K. Any ideas on what the cause could be ? I am not a mechanic, so simple/stupid would be appreciated.

John T.
CD 28
Midnight Sun

I have the same engine in our 82 CD28. Facing the fly wheel is the leak coming from the right side of the engine? If this is the case one possibility is the oil pressure transducer. We replaced this after it developed a leak. If the leak was coming from the rear seal you would be loosing transmission oil too. Is the oil black or clean? Our rear seal leaks, but just enough to be a pain. I keep a few oil diapers in the engine pan and just check the oil in both the transmission and the engine before I start it and after it has been running for a while. It'll be down a few ounces(3-4) every 10-15 hours of run time.

Good Luck.

I also have a leak on my MD7A between the transmission and engine. I don't know which way your engine faces, but on my CD30, the engine faces aft, with a V-drive connecting to the shaft. In my case, it doesn't cost $1K to fix it, nor do you have to pull the engine. Just drop the shaft, disconnect the muffler, and remove the V-drive and transmission, then replace the seal. This is one time it pays off to have a reversed engine installation. My mechanic estimated about 2-3 hrs. time. It is also a minor leak, but annoying, and I plan to get it fixed. It would probably take me twice as long as him to do it, so I will probably get the mechanic to fix it. Good luck with yours.

Carl Jones
Spanish Eyes CD30



GreatCells@aol.com

[Bryce Wentworth]

I also developed an annoying oil leak originating from the rear of the engine (MD7A). I climbed into the rear of the engine and felt around under the transmission to locate the leak. I found that the drain plug had loosened over time. I couple turns and the leak disappeared. Maybe something to try before going to the yard for help.



bwentwor@rjagroup.com