ENGINES
Mysterious oil leak in Volvo 2002 engine
Q I have a Volvo 2002 18hp engine which has developed a mysterious symptom, the cause of which I hope you can help diagnose. The engine, new in 1995, powers my 34ft cruising yacht, so it’s not as if it has worked tremendously hard all its life. Indeed with routine maintenance and a few odd replacements e.g. the starter motor and thermostat, it has been very reliable.The last time it was used it involved a two-hour motor at 2,200rpm back to my mooring. When I came to pack up and turn off the engine seacock I could see that the front of the engine bay was covered in oil and the same at the back of the engine – so almost everywhere. This looked like a serious problem.
I cleaned it all up and started the engine again to see if I could locate the source of this oil leak, but to no avail.
