Truckmount gurus! Any advice on sapphire leak?

[jcooper]

Hey,

The photos are of a sapphire 370, with a very slow oil leak. It looks to me like it's coming from the bolt area and running down the frame rail. The Kohler/machine has 170 hours. Obviously it's still under warranty.

My question, instead of driving an hour and a half for them to look at it(order parts/whatever), you think a quarter turn on that bolt will do the trick? 1.5 hours driving(one way) for them to tighten a bolt...

If the gasket is off(a little) and leaking oil through bolt area and needs a new one, seems like a big job.

I'm going to end up taking it in, has float issues also. Just wondering your thoughts.
Thanks again!

 

[Desk Jockey]

Looks like you have 2-fractures causing it.

 

[Jim Martin]

dont know if the one on the bottom is a stress crack...but the one up top by the bolt head is....

 

[jcooper]

Thanks guys,

If you had to guess, how many hour/days should something like that take to fix? I'd imagine a part like that would have to be ordered from kohler.

So what in general might cause something like that? Engine vibration(hitting frame) or over tightened bolt.

 

[Jim Martin]

Thanks guys,

If you had to guess, how many hour/days should something like that take to fix? I'd imagine a part like that would have to be ordered from kohler.

So what in general might cause something like that? Engine vibration(hitting frame) or over tightened bolt.

most stress cracks normally come from something that is not sitting flush and to much pressure is put on it.....you can over tighten a bolt and get a stress crack...
or.....everything could of been fine and something shifted and the vibration could of caused it......who knows.....IMO...take it in while it is still under warranty and have them look at it really good....But I will warn you...when it comes to those...make sure it is taken care of..it will become a huge headache down the road..when it cant take the stress any more....because it will snap off............

 

[Desk Jockey]

Looks like over tightened bolt that could have been done with a air wrench but as Jim said who really knows.

 

[Ron Lippold]

Impact wench.

 

[NobleCarpetCleaners]

"...part..", if that's a cross section of the engine case in your photo there's no part that's going to fix that. If those are actual cracks then the structural integrity of the case has been compromised. Could have been over tightening during assemble at Kohler, could be leaking past the sealant where the case halfs meet, could be something else. If you can keep enough oil in it to keep running I would arrange the warranty repair with the shop you purchased from. DON'T rely on this board to troubleshoot for warranty purposes, bite the bullet and work with your distributor and Sapphire. Worst case you might need a new engine and that's 1/2 day in most distributor shops. A complete wash down of the engine and some UV dye in the engine oil should reveal where it's leaking quickly, probably in an hour or so of running at the distributor shop. Down time is a bitch and that's where a smooth running distributor makes all the difference. Arrange it and get up at the crack of dawn to get it troubleshot.

 

[jcooper]

thanks guys

 

[dealtimeman]

I would hope theydo an engine swap and not just try to fix or replace the crankcase. If I were in your shoes I would stay on top of the situation and make sure the repair is done correctly, because like Jim stated to don't want that night,are down the road.

 

[Mikey P]

Like I said...


TWGCCF.

 

[woodsey]

Jerry, It sure looks like a stress fracture. It can be dye penatrant tested. If it is a crack then the engine has to be changed. Now the question is why did it fracture??? Over tightening can do it but another thing could be if the frame mounting area is not level or flat then when the motor is put on it imparts stress to the casting. Add heat and vibration to the situation then all bets are off. Needs checked because the new motor will do the same thing if the mounting is not to spec. Let us know how it works out!

 

[Giorgio]

Who needs warrany repair?

Just goop on a bunch of JB Weld and your good to go! eat yor heart out Werner

 

[jcooper]

Like I said...


TWGCCF.

Your right, Mike! The advice and ideas are greatly appreciated.


Today the flipping belt that drives the fan(that cools the belts) flew off! Hopefully it will be going in this week.