502 Twin Disc... was it damaged?

[JC]

HI. I recently posted about port engine being slow to respond....

Welll.... it had nothing to do with the engine. Yesterday I went to check different things suggested.... I had decided to change the transmission oil on the same engine transmission because had been rebuilt about 50 hours before. Turns out the trasnmission was way way low on oil!!!!! Person who rebuild guided himself by the low high marks on the dipstich which are not right (replacement dipstick). Put in new oil and ran the boat.... the boat responded immediately and got up on plane... no aparent damage to trasnmission....

Could this be possible?? Was the transmission damaged??

Thanks,

JC

[In Memory of Vicroy]

Probably not, it was just slipping. Glad you caught it early.

UV

[In Memory Walter K]

Fluid level is the first place to check. They're tough. No permanent damade I'm sure. Walter

[RussP]

JC
Engine, Tranny & Coolant levels should be checked before each startup!
I would recalibrate the dipstick to avoid this in the future. When your clutches are slipping they are burning but it takes a lot of heat to warp them and cause serious damage. Keep an eye on the level and you should be fine.
RussP

[AndreF]

Keep an eye on it for sure. That's the first spare parts I got, two tranny hoses.

[Bruce]

JC,
The result of a slipping gear is a gain in rpm, not a loss.
As the load decreases from slipping, the rpm on the engine will increase.

While it wil affect your ability to get on plane, your previous thread indicated the engine was slow to come up to rpm.

Since that was not the case you stated, I doubt the gear was slipping.

[JC]

Thanks for the responses. I have learned my lesson. This is the first time I own diesel engines... I have learned alot in the last 3 months I just hope I dont cause any damage in the process. :lol: I have now read the engine maintenance manual about 5 times I and I think I understand the engines well.

I know its my fault the level got so low. I really hadnt chequed because the mates who work with me had checked and he said the level was in between the high and low levels in the dipstick. When I got to the boat and drained the oil I was instantly shocked with the amount of oil that came out!! It looked to me about 1.5 quarts!!! When I started putting the oil in and checking against the dipstick after putting in a little more than a quart I chequed and the distick showed the oil to be above the high mark. :? Hmmmm. somethings no right here. SO I chequed the other engine and saw that the oil was about an inch above the high mark. So I decided to add the same amount of oil. Maybe about 2.5-3 quarts.

I decided to run the boat before doing anything else as I though that could have something to do. I was planning to change injectors and lift pump. I ran the boat and the boat responded immediately like a different boat. Cruised for a while with the covers open and chequed transmission for heating but they both felth the same...warm to touch.

Ran the boat for a while and did WOT and RPMS reached 3,000 rpms at 27 knots according to the tachs. I think tachs are reading 200 above but will calibrate this weekend with a strobe light.

My theory is that it took a while for the trasnmission to build enough oil pressure to engage the clutch plates. It was probably in the treshold level as to slip or not to slip. COuld it be??

The oil did look like a little ground up powder (maybee from clutch plates) but not too much. Will probably change the oil after a day of fishing to make shure all contaminants are out.

Thanks for your help!!

JC

[Sean B]

I've got the same gears. To do it right you need to check the oil level when the tranny is warm at operating temperature, with engine idling, in neutral. You can't get them at operating temp at the dock, you have to run 'em around. They'll always read higher than normal when cold. I've found on my boat that they consistently read about a half-inch high on the dipstick when cold, so I feel pretty comfortable checking them that way while cold. But every boat/tranny/oil cooler configuration is different, so I wouldn't use that prediction without testing it first- check yours a few times hot and cold, and find out exactly what your oil levels do. A good time to do a tranny oil check is when trolling around after a run, throw the engines in nuetral one at a time and take a dipstick reading, only takes a few miintues.

Anyway, reading high oil when the gears are cold is completely normal.