4.3L MPI Mercruiser No oil pressure after oil change. Need Help

[sterkelfamily]

Today I changed the oil in my 2003 Crownline 180BW It has the 4.3L MPI engine. The oil filter is remote mounted from factory. I pocked hole in top of filter. Let sit for 1 hour. Removed oil and installed new AC Delco oil filter. Vacuum pulled the oil from engine out the dip stick tube. Added the correct amount of oil that the local dealer said to. Started engine and no oil pressure. Let run for 15 seconds. Pulled filter and no oil in filter. Reinstalled filter and ran for 20 seconds off idle. Shut off and pulled filter. No oil. Had oil pressure before changing to warm it up. Removed filter and started engine without filter and no oil from tubes. What am I missing.
Please help
Background is I am a GM tech of 25 years. This style engine in a car or truck only takes less than 10 seconds to get pressure.

 

[Scott Danforth]

Welcome aboard.

if your a GM tech, then you have been trained in troubleshooting the motor lubrication system. The only difference between a boat long-block motor and a truck long block motor is the material in the core plugs and the head gasket (other than cam and bolt-on stuff)

first, did you put in 5qts of oil? second, is oil registering on the stick?

 

[thumpar]

How much oil did you put back in? Have you tried checking the dip stick?

 

[Fun Times]

What oil filter part number did you install? 50% of the time of not having oil pressure after an oil change is a defective oil filter internally. Still best to try a new filter even though you removed the filter and see on PSI. I don't think I need to mention to a 25 year GM service tech what the other 50% of no oil PSI could be. J/K.

Be sure the oil pressure sensor wires on the lower rear portside of the "boat" just above the oil filter's original location hasn't been accidently disconnected somehow.

You may need to connect up a mechanical oil pressure gauge for further testing.

Maybe item number 12, the valve bypass has a problem,
http://www.mercruiserparts.com/Show...g&inbr=11705&bnbr=150&bdesc=Remote+Oil+Filter

 

[sterkelfamily]

I put 4 qts in engine and it is on the full mark on the dip stick. It will need 1 more qt after it runs when the filter gets filled. I believe the oil pump lost prime. It may have been weak and with the oil drained it lost prime. I am going to dry a drill set up I have to prime the engine with the distributor removed. Hope that works. Or the pressure relief valve is stuck now for some reason. Just thought I would ask you boaters to make sure I wasn't doing something wrong on this boat. Never saw this in a car or truck with this engine. My guess is a bad pump. Thanks

 

[Fun Times]

I wouldn't add to much more engine oil. A full quart could become to full with the later engine models. The best time to check a boats engine oil level is when the boat is sitting level in the water.

2002 4.3L and 4.3L MPI Sterndrive 0M300000 and above 3.8 liters (4 US qt.)
http://www.marinemechanic.com/merc/distributors/mercurymarine/sterndrive/oilcapacity.PDF

http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...ved-no-oil-pressure-4-3-mercruiser-help/page2
https://www.perfprotech.com/blog/bo...p-priming-instructions-for-new-marine-engines

 

[alldodge]

Howdy

Stick another oil filter on, it solved these guys same issue
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...ved-no-oil-pressure-4-3-mercruiser-help/page2
http://forums.iboats.com/forum/engi...ves/647528-no-oil-pressure-after-changing-oil

 

[Lou C]

In addition to sticking another filter on it, if this is the kind of remote filter mount where the filter is upside down since you can't fill the filter with oil before installing, I'd try using a small funnel and filling the oil lines with oil first, then install the filter. Sounds like you're not getting flow past the filter mount on the engine...
I've considered going with a remote mount filter because that would allow me to do an oil change without having to remove the rear seat, but then this is something I might worry about. Anyone have a remote filter and not have issues? It sure would be nice to not have to stuff myself back in that little space to do an oil change.
BTW I read that Baldwin article about oil pumps losing prime if the engine is left without oil for a while and ever since then I've refilled my engines right away. Never had a problem though and I've been changing oil in all kinds of vehicles since 1972....

 

[alldodge]

All the boats with remote oil filters I've change, some leave empty for long time and some not but never had a problem. That said, never changed one with the filter upside down and always prefilled. Don't have a clue why Merc does it other then ease to get at or allow more room. Does appear to only happen with the V6 and the upside down filter from appearances that is, have not done that much research