On my boat, a 3.0 Mercruiser motor, the OCI is 50 hours or once a year. Now in a year where I hardly got out, I only put on 10 hours on the motor. I am still supposed to change the oil. What is the specific failure Mercruiser is worried about that would cause me to need to change this oil. I would think if I sent it to Blackstone it would come back looking like almost new oil. Thoughts?
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How does time come into play on am OCI
- Thread starter philipp10
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probably is fine, but will for sure have some condensation in there from sitting
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
...for sure have some condensation in there from sitting
That's really the only thing you have to worry about. Manufacturers will always err of the side of caution when publishing those type guidelines, especially where potentially large warranty claims could be involved. I have a diesel truck that gets used only very infrequently, about 2k miles/yr. But when it does, it is warmed up fully. Last OCI was 3 years.
...for sure have some condensation in there from sitting
That's really the only thing you have to worry about. Manufacturers will always err of the side of caution when publishing those type guidelines, especially where potentially large warranty claims could be involved. I have a diesel truck that gets used only very infrequently, about 2k miles/yr. But when it does, it is warmed up fully. Last OCI was 3 years.
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Boat engines never get up to temp.
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Boat engines never get up to temp.
The oil filter is the limiting factor. The paper element can deteriorate over time.
It's only $20/year to change the oil, which is small potatoes compared to boat gas and other boat maintenance. Just change it once per season.
It's only $20/year to change the oil, which is small potatoes compared to boat gas and other boat maintenance. Just change it once per season.
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Boat engines never get up to temp.
how do you figure? It's got a thermostat.
Boat motors are either raw water cooled and the motor is always fed cool water, or freshwater cooled in a closed system. A raw water motors thermostat is usually set for 160 f, while a fresh water motor thermostat are mostly to 180 f. You have to remember a boats motor can run at idle speed for hours while trolling, and up to 3200 rpm for hours just cruising around. Thats like driving 100 mph in you car all the time. An oil change is alot cheaper then a motor change on a boat.,,,
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Boat engines never get up to temp.
how do you figure? It's got a thermostat.
Boat motors are either raw water cooled and the motor is always fed cool water, or freshwater cooled in a closed system. A raw water motors thermostat is usually set for 160 f, while a fresh water motor thermostat are mostly to 180 f. You have to remember a boats motor can run at idle speed for hours while trolling, and up to 3200 rpm for hours just cruising around. Thats like driving 100 mph in you car all the time. An oil change is alot cheaper then a motor change on a boat.,,,
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Boat engines never get up to temp.
how do you figure? It's got a thermostat.
Boat motors are either raw water cooled and the motor is always fed cool water, or freshwater cooled in a closed system. A raw water motors thermostat is usually set for 160 f, while a fresh water motor thermostat are mostly to 180 f. You have to remember a boats motor can run at idle speed for hours while trolling, and up to 3200 rpm for hours just cruising around. Thats like driving 100 mph in you car all the time. An oil change is alot cheaper then a motor change on a boat.,,,
doesn't matter how the motor is cooled....it STILL has a thermostat.
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Boat engines never get up to temp.
how do you figure? It's got a thermostat.
Boat motors are either raw water cooled and the motor is always fed cool water, or freshwater cooled in a closed system. A raw water motors thermostat is usually set for 160 f, while a fresh water motor thermostat are mostly to 180 f. You have to remember a boats motor can run at idle speed for hours while trolling, and up to 3200 rpm for hours just cruising around. Thats like driving 100 mph in you car all the time. An oil change is alot cheaper then a motor change on a boat.,,,
doesn't matter how the motor is cooled....it STILL has a thermostat.
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
The oil filter is the limiting factor. The paper element can deteriorate over time.
It's only $20/year to change the oil, which is small potatoes compared to boat gas and other boat maintenance. Just change it once per season.
I call [censored]. Why in the world would you think the oil filter paper would deteriorate over time? What would be the mechanism to cause such degradation in the paper. It's soaked in oil so its not like it can get oxidized and it surely is not seeing UV rays from sunlight.
The oil filter is the limiting factor. The paper element can deteriorate over time.
It's only $20/year to change the oil, which is small potatoes compared to boat gas and other boat maintenance. Just change it once per season.
I call [censored]. Why in the world would you think the oil filter paper would deteriorate over time? What would be the mechanism to cause such degradation in the paper. It's soaked in oil so its not like it can get oxidized and it surely is not seeing UV rays from sunlight.
Originally Posted By: BigCahuna
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Boat engines never get up to temp.
how do you figure? It's got a thermostat.
Boat motors are either raw water cooled and the motor is always fed cool water, or freshwater cooled in a closed system. A raw water motors thermostat is usually set for 160 f, while a fresh water motor thermostat are mostly to 180 f. You have to remember a boats motor can run at idle speed for hours while trolling, and up to 3200 rpm for hours just cruising around. Thats like driving 100 mph in you car all the time. An oil change is alot cheaper then a motor change on a boat.,,,
Everyone thinks a boat motor is such severe service and I just don't buy it. Think of it this way. If I go 7500 miles on my car OCI, at an average of 40 miles per hour, thats 187.5 hours of running my car engine. That over about 6 months time means a lot of cold starts, short trips etc. This includes lots of idling in traffic, jack rabbit starts off of green lights, constantly varyimng rpms as my tranny shifts etc. It also includes (in Minnesota) the potential of 6 months of very cold starts over winter. Yet most BITOGers would say 7500 mile (187.5 hours runtime) would be acceptable.
Now here I have a boat that has seen 10 hours this year (most years it's 25 hours), most runs were for an hour going out and an hour heading back, so limited cold starts and the cold starts I had were in the 80 degree range and the motor is either idling in no wake zones or running at a constant 3200 rpm. In my opinion, my boat is being run more like a NYC taxi cab with it's limited cold starts and constant running once I take it out. I would argue the boat has a much easier life than my car. I see no reason to change the oil more than once every 2 years. Flame away!!
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Originally Posted By: Chris142
Originally Posted By: Brybo86
i would warm it up really well before storing if you aren't going to change it
Boat engines never get up to temp.
how do you figure? It's got a thermostat.
Boat motors are either raw water cooled and the motor is always fed cool water, or freshwater cooled in a closed system. A raw water motors thermostat is usually set for 160 f, while a fresh water motor thermostat are mostly to 180 f. You have to remember a boats motor can run at idle speed for hours while trolling, and up to 3200 rpm for hours just cruising around. Thats like driving 100 mph in you car all the time. An oil change is alot cheaper then a motor change on a boat.,,,
Everyone thinks a boat motor is such severe service and I just don't buy it. Think of it this way. If I go 7500 miles on my car OCI, at an average of 40 miles per hour, thats 187.5 hours of running my car engine. That over about 6 months time means a lot of cold starts, short trips etc. This includes lots of idling in traffic, jack rabbit starts off of green lights, constantly varyimng rpms as my tranny shifts etc. It also includes (in Minnesota) the potential of 6 months of very cold starts over winter. Yet most BITOGers would say 7500 mile (187.5 hours runtime) would be acceptable.
Now here I have a boat that has seen 10 hours this year (most years it's 25 hours), most runs were for an hour going out and an hour heading back, so limited cold starts and the cold starts I had were in the 80 degree range and the motor is either idling in no wake zones or running at a constant 3200 rpm. In my opinion, my boat is being run more like a NYC taxi cab with it's limited cold starts and constant running once I take it out. I would argue the boat has a much easier life than my car. I see no reason to change the oil more than once every 2 years. Flame away!!
Boat motors work harder then car motors period.There is no coasting, or downhill running. When the motor is trying to push the boat thru the water, it's being stressed. That's why if you can get more then 3 MPG, your doing good. Most car motors operating temp is over 180f, boats in cold water have a hard time reaching that. Raw water cooled motors can barely reach that in cold water. Even tho boats don't get as much use as a car does, a 10 year old boat motor that gets used on average of 50 hrs a year will probably need head work ,manifolds, or some other expensive repairs before a car bought at the same time will. Changing oil every year is cheap insurance. Take a look at your local CL or Boat shopper an see how many boats for sale that need motors, if you think boat motors have it easy.,,,
I've only worked on 2 boats in my life. Both raw water cooled and both had a 140F thermostat.
I agree they are run at higher stresses. When at 3400 rpm, the torque is high. That said, I don't see the oil as a limiting factor in motor longevity. As far as running temperatures....they DO have a thermostat and mine is a 160 but the motor seems to run around 170 or so. The temperature of the water has little to do with the motor running temperature as long as the thermostat is working.
As far as getting 3 mpg, I get about 4.5 mpg. However, even at such poor mileage, I still only go thru about 150 gallons over the course of a season. I do double that with my car over an OCI. I do feel the amount of gas I burn would be a good indicator of when to change the oil.
As far as getting 3 mpg, I get about 4.5 mpg. However, even at such poor mileage, I still only go thru about 150 gallons over the course of a season. I do double that with my car over an OCI. I do feel the amount of gas I burn would be a good indicator of when to change the oil.
Why does you boat get 4.5 mpg, and you car gets 3 to 5 times more mpg?. Alot of fuel ends up in the crankcase and at less then 200f doesn't get evaporated out. Most boats cost more then cars do, but most would change the oil in their car twice a year. But spending less then $30 to change the oil in your boat once a year isn't worth the trouble?. Oil may not be the only limiting factor in a marine motors life, but it is the cheapest items to keep changed and clean. Low operating temp, damp environment, long periods of being dormant, hard runs, and high cost of a replacement motors is reason enough for me to overdo the service on a boat motor. You can get boats for free. And then spend thousands to get it to move thru the water.,,
a boat gets 4.5 mpg due to it's plowing thru the water...not because gas is being dumped down it's crankcase. I know that because I can smell the oil and its NOT gassy. As my original post stated, the oil has 10 hours on it. The motor is not going to fail due to dirty oil, period. There is this fallacy that boat engines are stressed so much more than a car engine and that boat engines cost so much more than car engines. My boat engine IS basically a car engine and in fact, it would cost MORE to replace either of my car engines than my boat engine. My boat engine would run about $2000 to replace which is about 1/2 of either of my car engines. Not saying the oil should not be changed at resonable intervals but 10 hours is NOT it. Manufacture recommends 50 hours.
And BTW, I run in fresh water and the damp environment is a bogus argument also. Why do I say that? Because I live in Minnesota and it rains here ALOT. My car sits outside and collects dew pretty much every night. It handles that fine. I have friends in Washington state. Their engines are unaffected by the moist environment also. The last thing I am warried about is the dreaded "moist environment". Its a non-issue.
Then there is the dreaded "sitting dormant" argument. Sitting dormant never hurt a motor, contrary to popular belief.
The only valid issue you point out is the runing at 170 as opposed to 190 for a typical car engine.
And BTW, I run in fresh water and the damp environment is a bogus argument also. Why do I say that? Because I live in Minnesota and it rains here ALOT. My car sits outside and collects dew pretty much every night. It handles that fine. I have friends in Washington state. Their engines are unaffected by the moist environment also. The last thing I am warried about is the dreaded "moist environment". Its a non-issue.
Then there is the dreaded "sitting dormant" argument. Sitting dormant never hurt a motor, contrary to popular belief.
The only valid issue you point out is the runing at 170 as opposed to 190 for a typical car engine.
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: philipp10
Then there is the dreaded "sitting dormant" argument. Sitting dormant never hurt a motor, contrary to popular belief.
The only valid issue you point out is the runing at 170 as opposed to 190 for a typical car engine.
Exactly. As long as no water gets in it a motor will almost always be fine. I have left a car under a tree for 6 years and all it needed to run was a battery and a splash of fuel in the carb.
And even at 170 degrees fuel and water will evaporate just fine as long as the PCV is operational. All that changes is the time involved...
Then there is the dreaded "sitting dormant" argument. Sitting dormant never hurt a motor, contrary to popular belief.
The only valid issue you point out is the runing at 170 as opposed to 190 for a typical car engine.
Exactly. As long as no water gets in it a motor will almost always be fine. I have left a car under a tree for 6 years and all it needed to run was a battery and a splash of fuel in the carb.
And even at 170 degrees fuel and water will evaporate just fine as long as the PCV is operational. All that changes is the time involved...
Ok your right Good luck.,,
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