what's the best oil for the money??

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Hello!
I'm new to this forum and new to boating also.
I just got a boat few days ago , I'm in chicago land area and just winterized it.
In the spring I'm planing on replacing the oil and oil filter and the drive oil .
I work on all my cars and I'm mechanically inclined and I'm planing on doing all the service on the boat also.
Now I went to the merc dealer and they are asking $ 3.80 for a quart of merc 25w40 .
I'm not going to pay that much for a regular oil , when I can get synthetic oil for around $6.00
I'm asking you guys what's the best oil and filter for the money.
the boat it's a 2000 sea ray with the merc 3.0
What I was thinking it's to get the mobil 1 advance syn 10w40 and mobil 1 filter.
Any of you guys using this??please let me know.
Also how much oil I need ??? I don't have the owner's manual.
Second, from what I read , it's not good to mix reg oil with syn oil so how am I gonna do the change?? put syn and do a short run then drain it out or ??? so it will mix with the remaining reg oil and then drain it all .
And then put syn again and use it.
Any response will be appreciated.
Thanks
 
Congrats on the new toy! As far as your oil choice, I'm of the opinion that a diesel oil is your best bet. Marine engines deal with a lot of the same stresses that heavy duty diesels do and work great with the "standard" 15-40 weight.

Your 3.0, which by the way is one tough motor, should take about 4 qts to fill up. I use M-1 filters, but any quality brand will work fine.

If you do decide to go with synthetic, just drain and refill as you normally would. No need to "flush" it.

If I can do this right here is a link to a comparison of a few suitable oils. As you can see, there isn't any "magic", super special ingredient in the Merc oil that makes it any better than the others. Some us different methods to their add packs, but all of them will keep your 3.0 happily singing along for many seasons.

Oil Comparison
 
I second that. A good Diesel rated oil like Delo 15W-40 is a good choice. I use this combo and a Napa Gold filter. There is nothing magical about the Merc fluid. Same goes for their gear lube.
 
I got a 96 3.0LX and its been a great motor so far. I've ran a bunch of oil through this thing throughout the years. I ran Vavoline Racing 20W-50 in it one year but it would peg the oil pressure at 60 psi everytime, hot or cold, and that would make me nervous, so I dropped it. Ran straight 30 weight Pennzoil dino for a couple of summers and it did pretty good, but after a few WOT runs, oil pressure would drop to aroun 15 psi at idle. Didn't mind it so much, but I thought it was a little low. So, what I'm using now is the Pennz. LL 15W-40, which is technically a diesel oil. Good idle pressure, 50 psi at WOT but the psi doesn't drop out when back to idle after a full WOT run for a few minutes, it will stay about 25 to 30, a good comfort zone to me. I'm using good ol' reliable AC Delco filter on it. They are HUGE filters. Engine will take about 4.5 quarts with this filter. This engine is notorious for carb. problems. Get to know your carbs. You'll probably be ready for a carb overhaul here shortly. Main problem is stuck floats and electronic choke. All can be fixed with a rebuilt kit. Also, know how to change out the alternator belt. You have take off one of the engine mounts to do it, pain in the arshe. When you do have to do it, put two on. One to hook up and the other lay on the side for back up. Make sure you grease the drive shaft, spindle and ujoints. That engine set up has grease inserts all over the place, use them.
 
Thanks guys.
I never used any oils other than Mobil1
I trust the mobil1 brand and I would like to give it a try.
Do you guys think that the advanced syn 10w40 will do a good job?? What should I look for when I use the new oil?? like pressure , where it's good to be between what levels?? and at WOT
and about the alternator belt looks like to me that it's loose , when the engine runs I see it play , I'll try to make tighter by moving the alternator .
Thanks again.
 
Being a boater for over 25 years I have owned 5 boats. I am on my 3rd Sea Ray and believe you should change you oil in the fall before storage to flush out all the corrosives your oil has picked up over the season. The Quicksilver oil you get from the dealer has an additive package that is really heavy in 2 areas. First anti-corrosion and second anti shock. Boats sit idle in very humid environments much longer than cars do and are driven fewer hours under extreme oil shearing conditions than cars are. Therefore, I can only say I have used the Quicksilver oil since 1990 and had absolutely no problems with my engines which are all 7.4L GM. I have had the oil tested on several occasions by Blackstone with very little wear metals evident. If you do use an automotive oil I would only use a 20w50. But the price of oil is minimal compared to the price of a marine engine. Good luck with your boat!
 
The Mercruiser oil is a synthetic blend and works very well but it is pricey. Some dealerships have it in bulk for less providing you bring your own jug.
 
RTexasF, not nitpicking but keeping things straight, the regular Merc oil isn't a blend. They do however now have a synth blend for outboards and another one for Mercruiser applications. So if 2Ksearay wanted to use Merc oil he has 2 choices, regular or the new synth blend.
 
That's news to me. I've been in the boating industry for 20+ years and haven't seen any "Mercruiser branded" oil in the last 5+ years that wasn't a 25W40 synth blend.

I'm NOT saying the dino version doesn't exist, just that I've never seen it. Perhaps the dealerships I've worked at just chose to stock the blend.
 
Congrats on the new boat! A few points FWIW:

-If the oil and filter in it now are not new [ -Do pay attention to the grease fittings on the drive; I've known more than one do-it yourselfer that screwed things up expensively by missing those.
-As long as the lube/filter meets the specs, I wouldn't worry about brands too much. Merc stuff is ridiculously $$$ for what it is.
-10W40 oil is not on the "approved" list of grades. SAE 30, 40, 25-40, and 20-50 are. I *might* go with a 15-40, but I think the spread w/ 10W40 is too wide for the way these engines are run [long periods @3400 rpm].
 
I too believe the merc oil is not a syn blend but I like it because it works and sometimes you see it on the shelf at Walmart. When that happens, I buy several cases plus my penzoil dex3 for $8 a GALLON for the trans then walk into the marine dealer parts department and grin and say....two oil filters please! I don't know why but I just love doing that!!
 
The winter it'a almost gone, mybe another 1 month from now, i wish I had the time to dop the oil change before I winterized it but I got the boat from FL and I got back to IL and I had to do it the next day, hope the water in the block did not freeze overnight , it was about 14 degrees that night.
I noticed when i started it the next day that there was a litle black oil in the water , like a strip , i've seen it on the ground, engine started fine , ran fine . Just at start up, after that only water but you can't really tell because water was shooting out from the exhaust.Maybe you guys can tell me how to check if there was any damage.I know all engines have ice plugs that should pop in case of freezing and the good thing was that the water drained ok the next day , if it was to be frozen it could not defrost so quick.

No time to change the oil and filter.
As soon as it gets warmer in here in about a month I will take it out from the garage start it and change oil and filter, as well grease all fittings and check the drive's oil too.
I removed the drain plug, no water there and the oil looked nice, clean.
THanks guys .
 
What you saw was exhaust mixing with the water, not actual oil. There are TWO drain plugs on that engine, both on the starboard side, one below the exhaust water jackets and the other on the block itself. I think it is a 1/4 socket. Drain those ASAP, I wouldn't trust the freeze plugs, plus there is a lot of water still in the water pump, thermostat and hoses. Best thing to do, takes about 3 minutes, pop off one of the hoses coming from the water pump and pour some antifreeze in there, AFTER draining the block. If you store your boat inside, don't worry so much about humidity in the oil. There are grease fittings outside the engine too you need to find. I'd only use Mercruiser outboard drive fluid. The Alpha drive can use the premium fluid, which is non-synthetic. The Bravo drives need the synthetic stuff, high performance stuff.
 
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