Mep017a

[John T]

My MEP017A has a small hole in the top of the oil fill/dipstick cap which allows a small amount of oil to seep out after it's been running about 20 min. Is this hole supposed to be there for a crankcase breather (seems too small to be effective) or did someone put it there thinking it would help the crankcase breath? The eng has no oil leaks other than this small leak at the cap. I'd like to seal it up, but not if it's going to cause another leak.

[B.Sparks]

The hole is not supposed to be there. Seal it up.

If the engine has some sort of breating problem, it's better to correct the problem than to apply some sort of "Micky Mouse" fix like drilling a hole.

[John T]

Thanks for the info. I agree about "Mickey Mouse" fixes. The hole was in the cap when I got the generator. The unit only has 112 hrs on it since it's last complete military overhaul. The engine runs great, no blow by or leaks other than the cap. The oil is as clean as the day it was put in last year & that's after 8 days of use during last years hurricanes.

[K D Redd]

If you will look at the hose that connects the air filter to the carb the is a pipe from the engine into the right where the hose makes the 90 degree bend closest to the air filter. This is the crankshaft breather.

Kent