Annual coming up... Does this point to a problem?

·         John Womer

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Hi Doug,

I've got my Annual coming up. (Engine Serial # 3A2072 with 537.5 hours). I noticed the pictured oil seepage at the base of my #2 cylinder. Does this point to a problem, or is it something that re-torqueing the head bolts will likely take care of?

Thanks!

John

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2010 J230-SP

·         Doug Smith

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Hi John,
Apologies for the delay in answering this, things got a bit out of hand towards the end of last year! And now my computer seems to be having a new-years hangover and it's not showing me those pictures... so pardon the guesswork following.

Oil leakage showing up under the head and gathering on the underside of the rocker chest (where the pushrods go into the head) isn't usually a sign of an issue - other than a tired or nicked O-Ring or a bit of a spill during normal maintenance.

Oil leakage at the point where the head meets the cylinder can be an indication that the head isn't sealing properly all the time. This might mean the head bolt tensions are getting too loose between services, which in turn can indicate that the head is running hotter than ideal. The other, surprisingly common, cause of leakage there is that the lowermost head bolt - the one between the pushrods - is not getting tightened during servicing.

Oil leakage where the cylinder meets the crankcase is a slightly different story and isn't normally corrected by routine maintenance.

Regards,
Doug.