Diesel fuel in the sump

I have not posted anything on my blog for quite a while, there has not been much to say and nothing too much out of the ordinary has happened on our travels. However, there is one thing that has happened that I would like to share with you, I know some of you may already know about this and may have read about it elsewhere, but just in case, here goes. But, please bear in mind, I am not a marine engineer and all my comments are what I have gleaned from various people over the last few weeks. In July I noticed that the oil level in my sump kept on rising. My first thought was coolant in the sump caused by a cracked head gasket. I drew off some of the excess oil from the sump, put a sample in a clear bottle and left it for a couple of days. I looked at it again, and there was no oil/water separation. There also were no other signs such as the oil emulsifying. The problem continued to get worse and in the end I had to call out an engineer. His diagnosis was definitely not coolant (for the same reasons I have said above) and that it was diesel fuel leaking into the sump. His first thought was that it may be the injectors as they had not been replaced for a long long while. To cut a long story short, he had second thoughts about this and then diagnosed the lift pump diaphragm having a hole in it and possibly leaking into the sump. As the injectors were due to be replaced, I had them replaced and a new lift pump fitted. Problem solved? Actually no, the problem continued. In the end I resorted to posting the problem on canalworld forum, various suggestions came back, but, Tony Brookes of TB Training, came back with the answer that it could be a problem he had been expecting for some time since the introduction of bio fuel. The new formula could well affect old seals in old engines, and his diagnosis was that the bio fuel had probably damaged the seal on the main shaft of the injector pump! A new (well service exchange reconditioned) injector pump was obtained and fitted, and, hey presto, the problem has now been solved. My main reason though for posting this blog is the what could have happened had I not checked my oil level daily, drawn off the excess fluid and changed the oil regularly until the problem was finally solved. The build up of diesel fuel in the sump would have continued and if not checked and sorted would get to the level where the diesel in the sump reached the level where it crept passed the piston rings and the whole lot ignited, and with a great bit bang, goodbye engine! Luckily this never happened to me and thanks must go to those who have now sorted out my engine problems.