3208 oil preasure

capfrank66

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Jun 23, 2012
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looking at a Bertram with 1987 3208 engines with 200hrs. The oil pressure on the port side read like 40-45 and starboard 70, Let it warm to 120 degrees and same and also port side smoked a lot more than the starboard engine. I'm not a diesel guy is this something to be seriously concerned with or these old cats just do that?
 

QC

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Re: 3208 oil preasure

What color smoke? NAs? Turbo? Rating? Frankly the 70 seems high. What RPM?
 

capfrank66

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Re: 3208 oil preasure

smoke looked blueish, is gas engine would say cooked but not sure for diesel, I know they smoke. They are 3208 300hp so they have to have a turbo right to get that HP?
at idle that psi 600-700, and picked up maybe 5 psi at 1600 in dock.
 

QC

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Re: 3208 oil preasure

Yes the 300 is Turbo and Aftercooled. Blue is usually oil, which could be the turbo itself, or other oil control issues. Does it clear up when warm? You need an owners manual. The oil pressure numbers alone aren't bad. It is a bummer that they are so far apart, but on their own not bad.
 

Fleetwin

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Re: 3208 oil preasure

A compression check will tell you a lot. Especially a cylinder leak down test. I wouldn't put that kind of money into a rig like that without doing so. A few hundred $$$ spent now can save you thousands down the road.

If it is using oil that is not your oil pressure issue if there is one.

If it is using oil, my bet would be on the turbo seals. It's actually pretty easy to do a visual inspection of the turbo to see if seals are leaking. You will see coking or signs of oil on the pressure side of the turbo. Turbo oil seals are relatively easy to repair if the bearings are OK. Probably easiest to install a reman. turbo.

If the turbo oil seals are leaking and the leak becomes severe, it can turn into a "run a way" engine situation.
 

capfrank66

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Re: 3208 oil preasure

Well took it for a sea trial and at 2600 rpm both engines psi where almost exactly the same like 50psi. The blue smoke cleaned all up after running it even when coming back to the dock. There is a small amoun tof oil on top of manifold not far from turbo. Also he said uses about 1qt every 20 hrs last 18 years he has had it
 

wi4x4man

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Aug 25, 2010
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Re: 3208 oil preasure

One thing to keep in mind with a diesel engine, is that they can "Wet Stack". This is a problem where the engines are not being run very hard or are sitting at idle for extended periods. What happens, is unburnt fuel passes through the exhaust. It then leaks out in areas such as between the turbo and the exhaust riser (if a wet exhaust engine) or other exhaust joints if a dry exhaust. It looks exactly like oil, and for the most part, is not something you need to worry about unless you are a neat freak. Generally speaking, it will cause smokey conditions at first that go away as you run it under a load. It also tends to leave oily deposits on the outside of the engine. Take a look at an old semi truck. Guaranteed to see an oily residue around the manifolds because truckers idle their engines all of the time. It looks like oil because of the soot, and since Diesel fuel has lubricative properties, it feels like oil.

Normally all it takes to get rid of this, is to run it hard. A diesel engine is only happy when it is working.

Sometimes though, if the engine is always under a light load, you can glaze the cylinder walls and start to lose power. This is something that a compression or leak-down test would tell you. If that happens, you can be sure that you are replacing rings and liners at the minimum. In other words, a complete overhaul. But, you would notice that the engines are very sluggish, and doesn't really have any bearing on oil pressure.
 

QC

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Re: 3208 oil preasure

Agree with most of that ^^^^^^ and it is also referred to as "oil slobber" and it has nothing to do with oil :facepalm: However, I would not expect blue smoke, if there was significant fuel inside the exhaust passages, I would expect it to be more white. Generally "oil slobber" is just ugly looking on the outside of the engine as you have noted, wi4x4.
 

wi4x4man

Seaman
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Aug 25, 2010
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Re: 3208 oil preasure

Yeah, I have heard it all... "Wet Stack", "Black Puke", "Slobber", "Oil Leak", "Oil Slobber", "Tar", and etc.

Definitely agree though, it shouldn't be blue. But hey, white smoke over blue water might give a blue tinge?
 

capfrank66

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Jun 23, 2012
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Re: 3208 oil preasure

It was in the Chesapeake so water brown. After heated up smoke white. Buddy any I are gogin to make an offer
 
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