Nuetra 131 for winterizing crankcase?

[dragboat]

With the Ski Boats a problem I see is when you put a motor up for winter with fresh oil and filter some will set for 7 months depending on where in the US and how the boat is used. To me that makes changing of at least the filter in spring near mandatory because of the possibilty of the media coming apart so if the oil was not completely dead at the end of the season,would it not be better to run the 131 in the crankcase the last time out for the year and change oil and filter in spring? It seems all that is required to store a engine is too nuetralize the sulphuric acids,they don't need any barrier or dispersent ingredients to protect them while sitting

I am cautious on the long use of a filter because of a couple of Hondas I saw in the past where stored then the filter came apart after ran again w/o change

[ October 11, 2002, 10:12 AM: Message edited by: dragboat ]

 

[JonS]

So are you saying that the filter can not sit with oil in it? I would think the filter media would fall apart as well. Nobody seems to mention this - why? Also, what is this 131 stuff i have been hearing about? Have you used it?

 

[dragboat]

I stated" more or less " I personally fear using a filter that has set for many months then put to use as if it was a new one without taking into consideration it more or less has already been in service of sorts for the better part of a year. Might not of been filtering but was certainly soaked with oil.

Yep I have used it" the 131",I like it too

 

[dragboat]

Well it's now a done deal on a friend of mine's Chevy powered Day Cruiser. In spring we will pull it and get a TAN of the oil.

The cost was about 1/2 a 16 oz bottle of the 131 and time vs oil and filter change? Well it does not take long to pour the 131 in the motor and circulate by running the motor.

We will see how this works as a cost effective means to keep the acids from eating away of the internal motor parts in about 5-6 months

 

[1 FMF]

what I've been doing since 1993 with a 351 Factory replacement motor in my '76 formula is changing the oil just before doing the winterizing process. With the boat on the trailer I'll run it for a half hour to an hour, get it nice and hot and let the fresh water flush the system. Then I'll change the oil as usual and refill with whatever $1/quart oil I can find. I usually use 5w-30 or 10w-30 weight. I've been using pepboy's brand, proline I think, but this year I think I'll use the chevron 10w-30 from walmart for $1/qt.
With the oil changed and new PF2 filter, I'll run the motor (still hot) for 20 minutes to circulate the oil, then I fog it out with CRC fogger into the carb then shut it off for the winter. I manually fill the block with anti-freeze- it's easy for me to disconnect the in hose going to the thermostat housing.
When spring comes, I start it up without doing anything and run the boat as usual for about 5 hours with the winter oil in it. I don't go more than that because it's only a 5w-30 dino. Then I change the oil with the boat in water and go with a new filter and synthetic oil for the rest of the season. Motor's been great for almost ten years now, and oil on dipstick is always clear, still getting 60+ psi when running 2000+ rpms.

Now I'm not saying that's the way to do it, just sharing my experience and success. I figure the extra $10 and effort I spend on the winter dino oil change is worth it, and that the fresh oil in there before the winterization is enough to protect the motor internals. Afterall, isn't that what the additives in the motor oil are supposed to do? And I've never had a filter problem and I've used Fram PH8A and AC-PF2.

At marine stores, they have a "crankase stabilizer" additive for winterizing, made by Starbrite I think. Is this the same, or along the same lines, as this Neutra 131 stuff?

I also ski with the formula, a 24'. Motor usually cruises at 2800 rpms, when I ski it's at 3500, and I do mostly skiing.
Factory 351w 285hp replacement to 1976 Mercruiser Model 233 setup. Will be doing oil analysis on Redline 10w-40 I ran all season in about a month... stay tuned.

 

[joee12]

Dragboat, I have a question for you. I just winterized my boat(we have a very short 3 month cold spell in Savannah). I sprayed fogging oil in the carbs, filled the oil and gas tanks to their limit, and covered the boat. My question is this, have you ever run into a fuel filter breaking apart since it sits with gas in it for three months? I added a Mercury bracket and spin-on fuel filter to the fuel system after I purchased the boat. -Joe

 

[joee12]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Bror Jace:
1 FMF, Joee12, are you talking about a filter that was MEANT to filter fuel? I can't imagine one of these starting to crumble even after a full year of fuel saturation. I'd be interested in hearing about this happening, though, if someone has a good example.

--- Bror Jace

---

Bror, when I purchased the boat used, it was a year old. The fuel filter that the dealer had installed was a Racor unit, that was only rated up to a 10 HP motor, mine is a 115 Johnson. I took this filter off, and replaced it with a Mercury Quicksiler unit, that came with a bracket and a spin on filter. I have never heard of this happening on a filter meant for fuel either, I was just wondering if these things last a good while, I change mine every year. -Joe

 

[Bror Jace]

1 FMF, I think your routine is perfectly sound ... maybe even a little overkill with that extra oil change. But hey, it's a free country and I assume you're recycling the old oil.

I found Pennzoil Marine spray fogging oil in a couple parts stores in this area. Might not be a bad idea for any machine that's gonna sit for 4-5+ months.

That crankcase stabilizer sounds like just another tube/jar/bottle of stuff they can sell. As I said, I think your routine is VERY safe. Usually, those products are for the person who hasn't put a little (or a lot of) thought into maintaining their equipment but feels they are safe as long as they toss "a lil' sumthin' exter" into their motor once in a while.

I wouldn't use Neutra 131 (or any other cleaner, even a mild one) in the crankcase for any length of time. Maybe that's just me but I prefer lubes in my crankcase and not extra solvents, cleaners, etc ... I have added Neutra to all the fuel in every machine I have around here to use as a stabilizer. I have not found Sta-Bil to significantly extend the life of stored gasoline. After 6 months, the fuel around here still seems to deteriorate Sta-Bil or no.

Hopefully the fuel with Neutra will stay fresher, longer.

I look forward to those Red Line results ... but sustained speeds under 3,000 isn't too bad. 3,500 RPMs is a bit more of a workout for a pushrod engine. Can you (or your driver) monitor your engine temps during extended ski runs?

Reduced cooling/higher temps could make a moderate RPM session significantly harder on an oil.

Joee12, are you talking about a filter that was MEANT to filter fuel? I can't imagine one of these starting to crumble even after a full year of fuel saturation. I'd be interested in hearing about this happening, though, if someone has a good example.

--- Bror Jace

 

[dragboat]

joee12
I have never heard of one of those filters coming apart at least from friends with ski boats,I never owned a ski boat so I can't say from experience.I have seen th Beck-Arnely type filter used primarily on air cooled VW's come apart before after many years but know telling what was ran through them prior in terms of additives if any ?

Bror,
Everyone has their opinion and you have expressed yours but the 131 is a Ester with solvency. I believe it to be safe for winter storage or I would not have put it in my friends boat motor. In spring it will be drained anyway,it's not accumulating hours on the oil setting in storage.
FWIW my old Ford 302 powered work car will have the 131 in the crankcase 100 percent of the time now in the winter months of driving- the lifters likes it and I believe the sticking valves does as well.I don't believe this is needed in a motor in better condition though.
We all go about things in different ways,,this winterizing with the 131 in a boats crankcase saves money,cleans the motor and is but one way to go about things. Some get no attention at all

 

[rugerman1]

dragboat,
Check out this site for a long term storage oil Aviation Anti Rust Oil

Mark