🔍 Key Concepts

• Relationship between falling lube oil sump level and where the oil could be going (leak path or consumption) • Difference between losing oil to another system (like cooling water or fuel) versus normal burning/consumption in the cylinders • Which components, if leaking, would cause the sump level to drop while underway without obvious external oil on the engine or in the bilge

💭 Think About

• Ask yourself: if the sump level is going down slowly, is the oil more likely being burned, leaking into another closed system, or draining back somewhere? • Which listed component, if it leaked, would move lube oil into a different fluid system that you might not see directly, rather than onto the deck or into the bilge? • Consider which option reflects a realistic common check engineers perform first when they see a gradual loss of lube oil level underway.

✅ Before You Answer

• Identify which choice involves possible cross-contamination between systems (oil ending up where it should not be). • Eliminate options that would not reasonably cause a slow, gradual sump level decrease during normal operation. • Think about which item, if faulty, would also create a secondary symptom (such as change in cooling water condition or level) that you could confirm by inspection.