E27n with L4 conversion oil leaks

[Jimboe27n]

Hi all,

Got an E27n with an L4 conversion which is peeing oil out after it's been run for a while...comes out around the sump, bottom of the bell housing, one of the nuts on the rocker cover and sometimes out of the dipstick!

Looks a home made conversion (not bad at all) but sealed up with sealer not a gasket by the looks of it!

With the oil leaking worse when hot and also when engine is running could this all be down to bad rings causing pressure build up? doesn't breath heavily from the breather or from the oil filler and doesn't smoke too bad either???

Could it just be the home made conversion kit? the fact that they have sealed it with sealer and not a gasket? (doesn't explain the rocker cover or dipstick leaks).

Have used SAE30 engine oil, as far as i can see this is correct?

Never had Perkins conversion before so any help gratefully received.

[Billy26F5]

I'm not familiar with the L4 but you should really use HD oils in diesel engines. The breather could well be blocked, try cleaning it first, if the dipstick is being blown a bit you need to get any wrong oil out first, once you have the right oil in there then you can evaluate if you're loosing compression or not, although that could well be accompanied by really hard starting (these engines were never particularly good starters). All L4's were conversions, none were factory fitted, the only ones that were were the P6's, and only from 48 onwards. Finally a bit of hard work might sort this (it will be acompanied by white exhaust smoke, blue smoke is a clear sign of poor compression, as that's oil burning). Any leak will get worse when hot as the oil gets thinner.
Sandy

[fenhayman]

Was told never to use HD oil after SAE unless engine had been rebuilt. Detergent in HD oils loosens gunge deposited by SAE oils and blocks oilways.

[Billy26F5]

That is the whole point of using HD oils, so that dirt doesn't accumulate inside and instead collects in the sump and oil filter. The inside of the engine should be fairly clean if everything is done correctly (correct oil replaced often enough). I don't know if Perkins had different specs but all Ford ones specify HD oils for diesel engines (but not petrol or TVO).
Sandy

[fenhayman]

In his original question, Jimboe27n says -
"Have used SAE30 engine oil, as far as i can see this is correct?"
I am fully aware of the properties of HD oils and the danger of using them where SAE oils have been used previously.

[Billy26F5]

Using wrong oil can be the whole cause of the leaks, that's why I think it should be replaced before fixing other things. The fact that he's never mentioned starting difficulties suggests that compression is not an issue, and the L4 is no exceptional starter anyway so that might be why he hasn't commented on it.
Sandy

[Jimboe27n]

Hi Sandy,

She is a pig to start but yes i thought that was just the thing with these so your right i didn't mention it for that reason!

It doesn't breath accessibly and nothing major when you remove the oil filler and only leaks badly after a good run.

I used SAE30 what are the better options?

Regards,

Jamie

[Jimboe27n]

I wasn't aware of the HD oil thing so glad i posted on here.

i think there are issues as the conversion was home made and not a kit by the looks of things, guessing if the conversion plates are not true they would be hard to seal and there doesn't look like any gaskets i can see just sealer!

I can accept her as she is to be honest...just thought there might be a quick fix with thicker oil but now worries that would do more harm than good!

[Billy26F5]

A SAE 30HD will be fine, but you will need to clean out the inside before filling up again if there was straight SAE 30 in there. Mixing oils can be really nasty. Many people use more modern multigrade HD oils, but that depends on what you want in the engine, I always recommend whatever the engine was designed for as you'll never have issues with that. As for the leaks if they carry on then it's worth considering fixing as the E27N is more vulnerable with the wet clutch. Really depends on how big the leak is and when it leaks out, if neither is particularly bad then it might be ok to live with it, but always keep an eye on it as leaks can take a turn for the worse unexpectedly.
Sandy