I've had problems w/ oil in my bilge. Not huge amounts but enough to make things messy. Last spring I had my stbd oil pan gasket replaced yet last summer there was still a little oil in the center bilge area.
I've noticed this area on the inboard side of my stbd engine is a little messy. The rubber cover on the object to the left (circled) feels a little greasy. I'm thinking I might disassemble it and see if it needs tightening but I would like to know what it is first and make sure its OK to do so. My guess is a temperature sensor but its not shown in my manual so I can't be sure.
On the inboard side of the starboard engine towards the rear there is a hose that I have running into a gallon container. Small amounts of Oil can drip from there and have one on both engines. What it collects is miniscule, but I wouldn't want it in my bilge. Been there since the original installation, and I don't know what it's called. Walter
What you show doesn't look like it could be the problem. What I am talking about is further to the stern and lower. I will do some research on what it's called and try to get a picture taken next time I'm at the boat. Walter
Steve
I am pretty sure that the device you circled is a switch and it is activated by oil pressure.....its screwed into the oil gallery.
It turns something on when the oil pressure activates it. My wild guess is that it turns the alternator on when the engine is running and turns the alternator off when the engine is turned off. I cannot think of anything else that it should control.......anybody?????
You can test it with an ohm meter. Connect one leg of the ohm meter to the screw and the other to the base. My guess is that its normally open (no continuity) and when the oil pressure activates it, it will close (showing continuity)
But it looks to me like the oil leak is above this switch. I cannot tell which injector pump that you have but mine is the Nippidenso (spelling ??) I had a leak coming from the big cap nut on the outboard side of the pump.
I don't know if this applies here, but if it is an oil presure switch to control something (like the alternator field current as Harry suggested) it might control the starter relay. I have seen set ups where an oil presure switch opened around 5-7 psi so that it was not possible to energize the starter with a running engine.
Steve, I think that is the fuel solenoid. It's bypassed during cranking, but after that low oil pressure will shut the engine off.
Walter, I think that you are looking at the crankcase breather. There's probably a delete for it, but the KISS approach to things would have you leave it in place.
Mike, you're right- It's the crankcase breather and I keep an empty gallon oil or anti-freeze container under it to catch residual oil from ending in my bilge.
