[aq8586]

Re: Opinions on oil change intervals on lightly used boats more

[painge]

Re: Opinions on oil change intervals on lightly used boats here

[xenfasa]

Ayuh. Annually.
I also prefer it at winter lay-up, as it'll remove any acids, 'n other contaminates, instead of stewin' in it all winter. more

[Hooquai8]

Re: Opinions on oil change intervals on lightly used boats

[Dynotor]

— Tom Hammelman St. Louis, Missouri more

[yuooo]

Professor Diesel: Most manufacturers of marine engines, both gasoline and diesel, suggest that engine, generator, and transmission oils and filters be changed before the boat is put in storage for the winter. This is typically the case even if you haven’t attained the suggested hours for an oil change. here

[franklions99]

Question: My dock buddy and I (he owns a 56-foot Californian with Caterpillar 3208s, and I own a 50-foot Hatteras with Detroit Diesel 8V-71s) use our mains only about 45 or 50 hours a year on a Midwestern lake. Each boat takes 12 gallons of oil, a couple of filter elements, and a fair amount of work to change the oil in the fall. Guidance from the manufacturers specifies a 150-hour oil-change interval. Should we do end-of-season oil changes or can we stretch the old oil into the next season? And what about changing the oil but not the filters? more

[replicawatch]

There are good reasons for this. Running your mains during the boating season causes acid and water to accumulate in the oil. This is especially true if you do a lot of slow-speed operation. Changing the oil in the fall removes the acid, which can cause corrosion and other damage to the precision surfaces inside the engine. It also removes the water, which can separate from the oil and freeze and cause corrosion. Let acid and water remain and you risk premature engine, oil cooler, and transmission failure.

[bitplane]

As with your car, the more frequently you change your oil the better. Oil is your engine's life blood, and neglecting it can cause irreversible damage. This is particularly true when you're laying up for the winter. Residual acids and moisture left in the crankcase over the winter can pit bearings and other vital engine parts. For this reason we recommend that you change your oil immediately before laying up for the winter, or whenever your boat is likely to be idle for a prolonged period of time.

[fonzie77]

Oil changing is a simple operation, but there are a few things to bear in mind if you want to get the best results:

[iburdette13]

You probably already know that if you use your boat a lot, regular oil changing is a must. Did you know that if you use your boat infrequently, oil changing is even more important? This is because oil can change its makeup over time, becoming acidic and destructive to internal engine parts. Either way, oil changing is important, and your engine will always run better with fresh oil in it.

[1kewlchicu2]

I guess you didn't bother trying this question in the Search function.

[sujanacast]

I will say that especially for older engines (with flat tapet camshafts) or newer ones built more agressively for performance - especially if running a hydraulic lifted cam should be run with a good detergent package and additives that have very good antiscuff properties. It will make a substantial ditterence in the lifetime of the engine and greatly reduce the chances that you'll round off a cam lobe (or lobes). I know that someone has a brother ran cheap crap oil in their race car engine for 37 years and the bearings looked like brand new after 217,000 miles, etc. some people smoke 3 packs a day and never have any ill health effects, but it's usually not my luck to get off that easy. I spend the extra money to run good oil, and i do know a little bit about what goes into oil formulation.

[lumos]

I currently run Shell Rotella T (hydraulic flat tappet cam). The offroad version has those nasty anitscuff additives that are sooo helpful for greay iron wear prevention but were phased out of automotive oils some years ago (bout the time all the major manufactures went to roller cams, etc..) and are being phased out / replaced even in diesel oils now. After a significant break in period I'll switch to full synthetic with a racing / offroad additive package. I need to do a little homework to be sure which one since a number of them are changing these days. My engine builder said any of the brand synthetics except mobile one would be fine.