Did I waste 5 qrts of oil?

[EngGuy]

Did I just waste 5 qts of oil?

My 5.0L V8 Alpha One Mercury Marine engine's oil was last changed well over a year ago. Even though I don't use the boat much, I changed the oil this AM. I swear that oil (dyno 25w40) still looked pretty clean. What do folks think, could I have waited or was changing oil prudent?

 

[Clevy]

Yep. Wasted.

 

[dparm]

Visual inspection is not very useful, short of there being obvious contaminants like coolant.

Oil is cheap enough that I would just say better safe than sorry.

 

[williar]

Just like on a car, I/O engine oil should be changed at least annually to remove condensation and other contaminants. 25w40 is an unusual weight and quite viscous. Did you mean 5w40?

 

[hattaresguy]

Marine motor oil should be changed once a year to remove moisture. More importantly check your drive oil for water intrusion.

 

[gregk24]

You did the right thing....I dont understand why people want to push as far as they can with engine oil. New engine = $$$$$$$. New oil and filter = CHEAP! Condensation and blow-by get in the oil and will wear out your engine quicker.

 

[DragRace]

You did the right thing IMO.

 

[demarpaint]

Another vote for doing the right thing. You could have sent off a sample, waited for the results, and paid close, if not more than the cost of changing the oil. Under those circumstances I would have changed the oil and not given it a second thought.

 

[Colt45ws]

Due to the water, I have to agree that changing at one year is probably reasonable.
On land, I dont think there would be any problem with going longer as long as the engine got hot everytime it ran.

 

[EngGuy]

Appreciate the feedback and yes, the Mercury Marine weight for most of their V8 engines is 20W-40 synthetic or 25w-40.
http://www.mercurymarine.com/service-and...gory=fuel#MCOil

 

[901Memphis]

Try Rotella T6 in it.

 

[Chris142]

A gas station near me has Pennz 25w40 or is it 50? On the shelves.

 

[fdcg27]

I don't think you wasted the oil.
A UOA might have shown the oil to have some further life.
As long as you get the oil up to temperature when you use the boat and keep it there for some time, which is hard not to do with a boat, the oil might have been okay for another year.
You might UOA the current fill after a year or so.
If it still looks good, you'll know you can go longer.
If not, you'll know that yearly drains are probably best.

 

[JR]

I had two boats totaled awhile back. I use to changed out oil every fall to get fresh oil in every fall to get the best performanceof rust infibiters.

I used 25w-40 for two services in both boats.. I opted for pennzoil LL 40 wieght hdeo since its way cheaper then dealer 25w-40 or even walmarts 25w-40.

Ken

P.S.
I sold the 5.0 and drive train to a friend that run a 26.5ft all over the greatlakes he has hundreds of hrs a season put on.

 

[EngGuy]

Yes, thank you for the reminder on the drive oil. I always drain and fill the drive oil when I winterize the engine.