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qwerty11's avatar
qwerty11
Explorer
Oct 01, 2013

Chinese 4k Gen leaking oil from engine case joint.

I have a Chinese 4k generator. It is leaking oil from the joint where the two case halves join (there is a gasket in the joint. Short of splitting the case and putting in a new gasket, is there any other alternative?

Thanks!
  • Isn't cheap great! Sounds like the way to fix it. Split it, and new gasket.
  • j-d's avatar
    j-d
    Explorer II
    Incorrectly installed gasket isn't unusual. Just dug the engine out of an Ez-Go utility cart to replace one. Pulled away at one point where it should have been in contact with the two surfaces.

    Bite the bullet and fix it right. Ah, but, can you source the correct gasket? You may have to make it.
  • Getting the correct gasket is a good questions. I have no idea where to turn to. Does anyone know?

    Also, how involved is splitting the case? Is it as simple as removing the bolts and pulling it apart?
  • I think 3M makes a product that you can spray on an oil leak to stop it. At least it worked on an off road jeep I had.
  • If the area gets hot then something from the auto parts store may work.
  • Auto Parts Stores sell a not-so-inexpensive anaerobic gasketmaker (3M?) that sets up only when lack of oxygen is present. I used this when fixing "unrepairable leaks" on transfer cases of highway rotary snow plows. CalTrans roared "You cannot fix it so don't bother thinking about it!". Yeah right. I was under a 180-day limited contract to fix electrical problems on Eastern Sierra Nevada equipment.

    The money for the pink******came out of my own pocket for the worst of the lot. A rotary that leaked so bad, a five gallon bucket was placed under the transfer case so it wouldn't flood the floor.

    Screwum. I used a transmission jack, and with help from two borrowed workers, lowered the monster mechanism and used an engine hoist to place it on the bench. It was a PITA. But I applied to gook, reattached the halves, let it sit for 24 hours to cure, fought the thing back into place, filled it with 90 weight mineral oil, and laughed my ass off. About a week later my immediate foreman shows up.

    "Who Drained The Transfer Case?" The bucket was gone. The floor was dry.

    Ever see the veins stick out of someone's neck while their face turned beet red? He had shouted loudest the problem "IS NOT, REPEAT NOT, FIXABLE"

    The district manager telephoned me later to congratulate me and swore me under death threat to never reveal he had made the call. Heh, heh, heh.

    So yeah, the product works.

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