Mercruiser Oil Drip

C17LoadSmasher

Petty Officer 2nd Class
Joined
Nov 24, 2001
Messages
152
Hey all...<br /><br />Got a question. On the top of my Mercruiser 3.0L there is that black tube that connects to the side of the flame arrestor - What is it for, and is it normal for there to be some oil underneath it? Looks like it may be leaking some oil onto the top of the head. Any ideas?<br /><br />Thanks in advance :)
 

Trent

Captain
Joined
Nov 17, 2001
Messages
3,333
Re: Mercruiser Oil Drip

Thats for crankcase vent. Its plumbed to the flame arrestor to try to "reburn" . A little oil is normal. You need to remove the flame arrestor every now and then and clean in solvent.
 

chesire

Seaman
Joined
Jan 20, 2002
Messages
61
Re: Mercruiser Oil Drip

My flame arrestor was dirty, real dirty , causing there to be a small puddle of oil around my carb. Freaked me out. A good cleaning of the flame arrestor fixed it for me. Make sure the tube is seated good also.
 
D

DJ

Guest
Re: Mercruiser Oil Drip

C-17,<br /><br />Yep, it's oil from the crankcase. The others are right. You need to keep the arrestor clean. The dirtier it gets the more oil it will suck out of the crankcase. Kind of a Catch 22 thing.<br /><br />Clean it regularly. I don't know what type of oil filler cap you have, if it is of the "breather" variety, keep it clean as well. The crankcase has to breathe.
 

BUCK N DI

Seaman Apprentice
Joined
Feb 12, 2002
Messages
43
Re: Mercruiser Oil Drip

Is there any type of solvent that is preferable for cleaning the flame arrestor? I have a friend with a solvent tank that I have cleaned engine parts in and then blown them off really good with compressed air. Would this be okay for the flame arrestor also?
 
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