Position: 58°51.40’N, 11°1.67’E

Here’s an interesting example of why oil leaks can be challenging to chase down. In this picture, a little oil is visible underneath the oil filter. Likely the oil filter gasket has a small leak.

Position: 58°51.40’N, 11°1.67’E

Seeing the oil drip in the previous picture, we suspect the oil filter. Here we can look up and see the gasket and filter bottom are both wet, confirming the oil filter likely is leaking.

Position: 58°51.40’N, 11°1.67’E

Here we check the top of the filter and can see that nothing is leaking down onto it, which means we are almost certainly looking at a leaking oil filter. But, if you are observant, you’ll see a tiny bit of oil residue on the outside end of the filter. It’s just luck that this little dab of oil is there and in many, if not most, situations it wouldn’t be. The remainder of the filter top is clean and dry, and this could easily fool you.

What is happening is the oil filter is hot, so the oil that drips on it is thinned and almost no oil residue is left, possibly leading to a misdiagnosis. Leaks of all types can be difficult, almost crafty, so we keep looking

Position: 58°51.40’N, 11°1.67’E

Looking above the oil filter in the picture here, you can see the fuel pump has a drip of engine oil on it (click image for a larger view). This is a fairly new fuel pump, so is not likely the leak source and yet there is clearly a drip hanging off the pump manual pump lever shaft. What’s interesting about this case is, where the oil dripped onto the oil filter below, there was almost no evidence of the leak. The hot oil filter caused the oil to run around to the other side of the filter and leave almost no residue on the top and a clear leak on the bottom and at the gasket.

In this case, the fairly new fuel pump appears to have been delivered with hand-tightened fuel diaphragm screws. We tightened these up and the oil leak stopped. This not only fixed the small oil leak, but also solved a mystery problem that has been around for a while. If the generator hasn’t been used for a couple of weeks, it needed an extra few seconds of cranking to start and rarely might stall and need to be restarted. If the generator has been run in the last few days, it runs perfectly. The slow-to-start after a period of disuse is probably caused by the fuel pump not operating with full capability and long shutdowns allowing some fuel drain back. Tightening the diaphragm screws fixed both issues.

Position: 58°53.68’N, 11°0.76’E

Our tender moored at the Koster Gatshamn for a walk ashore.

Position: 58°53.87’N, 11°0.85’E

A view to the North Koster lighthouses from the hill Lotsutkilken. Twin lighthouses were built on the island in 1849, but the beacons were so high that they often were obscured by fog or mistaken for stars, so a new station was built on Ursholmen, taking one of the lamps from North Koster.

Position: 58°54.04’N, 11°0.84’E

The Koster Islands are known for their extensive and beautiful trail network. We really enjoyed walking ashore.

Position: 58°54.13’N, 11°0.32’E

The fabulous view south from the North Koster lighthouses. The ferries we saw yesterday are visible near the bottom left, and the twin towers of the Ursholmen lightstation can be seen just right of center in the distance (click image for a larger view).

Position: 58°54.13’N, 11°0.32’E

Looking north from the North Koster lighthouses. The islands visible in the distance are in Norway—we’re only 3.5 miles from the border.

Position: 58°53.59’N, 11°0.64’E

Checking out the maps and signs at the North Koster ferry dock.

Position: 58°53.67’N, 11°0.74’E

The restaurant Strandkanten stands out a mile with it’s eclectic decorations that cover the walls and line the walkway. We loved it.

Position: 58°53.66’N, 11°0.73’E

When we arrived at Strandkanten on North Koster, every table on the patio was taken. We sat inside until one freed up, then enjoyed the wonderful and quirky environment on the deck, packed with knick-knacks and flowering plants and with a view to the water. Our tender is just out of the picture on the left, moored at the Koster Gasthamn.