WINTERIZATION OIL CHANGE?????

[ursandal]

Purchased new boat at end of season with 3.0 mercruiser. It only has 7 hours on it. It's time to winterize and I'm not convinced that it needs the engine oil and sterndrive oil changed with so few hours on it. I'm in SE virginia and the boat will be in a unheated garage. Any thoughts???

 

[Pilot954]

Re: WINTERIZATION OIL CHANGE?????

I would change it. reasoning......<br />There is no telling how long it was in the engine before you bought it. Since the Engine is new, it probably has a break-in oil in it, some dealers use it, some dont. If you change it and prep it for winter then you will know exactly what has been done and be prepared,(ie. freak winter freeze, dealership didnt do something they should have...) It could save you alot of headache's come spring for the price of a few quarts of oil!! And this is just my thoughts on the matter. Happy Boating!!

 

[Boatin Bob]

Re: WINTERIZATION OIL CHANGE?????

I would change the oil anyway, there could be some impurities in there and for $25 why take the chance? For the lower unit it could be the same thing, I would at least pull the drain screw to check for water and see how much metal is stuck on the magnet, why not change it anyway and start next year with fresh oil?

 

[Colorado Boat Nut]

Re: WINTERIZATION OIL CHANGE?????

My 2 cents <br />while i dont claim to be a marine expert i am fairly knowledgeable in automotive<br />the simple fact is, the most engine wear occurs dung the first few hundred mile's or first few hours of operation <br />a new engine is very "Tight" and there can be a lot of metal floating around while it is breaking in, and, i feel this goes for the outdrive as well.<br />as much money as we put into our boats, a storage oil change is about as cheap as insurance get's ,let alone peace of mind,<br />how ever on the flip-side they call it break-in oil for a reason it helps the engine <br />"Break-in" it help's the ring's , bearing's and many other items seat properly<br />So, could changing the oil too soon hurt you? maybe, I say take it out a few more times and run it good and hard, then change the fluids,<br />Tough call <br />my opinion <br />im with Pilot and Bob<br />change the oil<br />CoBoNut

 

[Spidybot]

Re: WINTERIZATION OIL CHANGE?????

And remember, that the annual oil change is recommende to be BEFORE putting it away in storage to get the optimal protection that new oil provides (fresh additives, better stick to inner surfaces etc.)<br /><br />Also give a thought to the fact, that oil needs to be changed even if not used very much. <br /><br />Oil 'dies' of time hence the 12-month interval on ie. cars: 'xx miles or once every 12 months'

 

[andrewgroup]

Re: WINTERIZATION OIL CHANGE?????

Break-in Oil is a thing of the past. Automotive companies quit the practice around the time they decided to start competing by making a quality product. Change the oil now to prevent acidic reactions as the oil additives set in the carbon and sulphuric contaminated oil. Switch to a 100% synthetic to extend the live of this engine.<br />20-50 weight Amsoil would be a good choice. So too would be the new Quaker State total synth, Also switch to a 100% synthetic gear lube in the Outdrive. amsoil makes a new 2000 series gear lube that going in all of my stuff. Car, Boat and Bike.<br /><br />Do it now while the motor is young.<br /><br />I also change my filter once or twice during the season just to totally anal about Oil.

 

[dick]

Re: WINTERIZATION OIL CHANGE?????

Change the oil and filter , it's cheap and as said before you don't know how long the boat has really been runing .As for using synthetic oil wait till you put at least 20+ hours on the engine.Synthetic oils don't alow the rings to break in due to the friction reducing properties.<br />Good Luck.