Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

Fish mojo · Feb 2, 2004

That black label keeps getting spendier and spendier. I have a 1991 4.3 w/alpha one. What can I use for alternate (less expensive) than Mercury that will do the job satisfactory. Engine Oil- weight and code (SJ?) Oil filter- Water separator filter- Power steering fluid- Tilt/Trim hydraulic fluid- Outdrive oil- weight- any other items? Thanks.

LubeDude · Feb 2, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

Ill give advice on the engine oil, oil filter and lower unit oil! Engine oil: I would reccomend Chevron dello 400, 15W-40! The reason is that a diesel oil has very high detergent and a high TBN rating that will protect your engine while it is just setting around, As far as synthetic, I would reccomend Amsoils new diesel marine in the 15W-40 also! Oil filter, anything but Fram that will fit the 4.3, also I dont like the mobil1 or the puolator pure one as I feel they have too much restriction for a marine application! Lower unit oil: I wouldnt use anything but a full synthetic 75W-90 gear lube, reason is that a synthetic will protect things even if you were to get moisture where it dosnt belong better than regular oil! Brand not important! Hope this helps!

Fish mojo · Feb 2, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

How about those hydraulic fluids?

Drowned Rat · Feb 2, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

LubeDude, Is 75W 90 OK to use even if the manufacturer calls for 80W 90? What's the difference? Is 75W 90 better?? Thanks.

Bondo · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

How about those hydraulic fluids?

Any ATF will do just Fine......(ATF= Auto Trany Fluid)

Is 75W 90 OK to use even if the manufacturer calls for 80W 90? What's the difference?

Basicly, It's the corresponding # for the Syn.Oils....

Is 75W 90 better??

I haven't found Anywhere the Syn. oils Aren't Better..... In MY boats I run, NAPA Gold Oil Filters......(Actually Wix filters) Mobil 1 15w50 Engine oil..... Mobil 1 75w90 Syn. Gear oil.... ATF in the Trimpump,+ Power Steering.....

WillyBWright · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

As far as the water separating fuel filter...I don't know of any aftermarket brand that will fit MerCruiser's configuration. You'd have to replace the housing it spins onto as well. So much for saving money. If you want to save money, change it every-other-year. Just dump out the contents. I've seen very few marine fuel filters actually clog. As a rule, water is the problem, not dirt. I'd definately stick with MerCruiser's gearlube. I don't know of any better product on the market. If you want to risk a multi-thousand dollar outdrive to save a few buckeroos, that's your choice. I think it would be pure foolishness!

Bondo · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

As far as the water separating fuel filter...I don't know of any aftermarket brand that will fit MerCruiser's configuration.

NAPA #s 18-7845 (tall filter) 18-7844 (short filter)

garycinn · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

Originally posted by WillyBWright: As far as the water separating fuel filter...I don't know of any aftermarket brand that will fit MerCruiser's configuration.

The WIX 33225 is an exact match to the Merc. Trailerboats mag did a Feb '04 comparisons to about 10 F/S. The WIX, Tempo, and Racor all surpassed the Merc F/S. They had smaller pore size and held more water.

garycinn · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

You can also use a regular or synthetic 10-30 for the trim oil.

garycinn · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

If you don't have the remote oil filter on your V6, here are non-Merc filters that will fit. WIX 51036 Hastings LF393 Baldwin B35-S K&N 2001 AC Delco PF52 In addition the Napa Gold that Bondo mentions. Just take the prefix "5" off the WIX number -- 1036.

garycinn · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

I second LubeDude and Bondo's recommendations for dino and synthetics.

edwardh1 · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

filters -- see http://home.earthlink.net/~memphis3/mercfilters/merc.htm the merc oil filters flow a lot more oil than the wix and others. they are for cars . not too many cars run at 4500 rpm for a hour or so.

LubeDude · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

Thanks Garycinn, We can use all the support we can get!

Bondo · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

Yep, There's No Doubt in My Mind...... garycinn IS the Oil Filter Guru, at the iboat forums.........

Is that link some of your work ???? edwardh1, "the merc oil filters flow a lot more oil than the wix and others." That's the Catch........ To Flow more oil, the Holes, or Pores are Larger...... That means More Junk floats around your motor, Instead of being Trapped in the Filter....... The Wix filters, or most of the others, will Flow Plenty of oil..... They'll all support a 50psi(Or More) by-pass valve..... I'd rather have Cleaner oil, instead of worrying about flow...... I've even looked into those Super-Duty Toilet Paper Oil Filter....... They Claim that with Scott Paper, You just have to add Additives, instead of Changing the oil.... BTW, I Knew that about the NAPA, Wix, commonallity...... The difference is in the Dye for the Lettering....

LubeDude · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

Bondo, which "Dye" do you like best???? I like the blue, it just seems to filter better! The problem with filters that flow less in boats is that running at say 4800 PRM, there is more oil going past the bypass than is going through the filter! Those toilet paper filters actually do work, But they have to be installed as a Bypass system! Amsoil makes a similar type bypass filter that uses compressed fiber rings that does the same thing! They will actually remove water, You always have analitically clean oil! With oil analysis you wouldnt ever have to change your oil untill it reached its usefulness! (additive depleation)!

garycinn · Feb 3, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

I did the cutting, measuring, and writing, and another BITOG (www.bobistheoilguy.com) member who is in the filter industry and had the testing equipment did the pore and flow analysis. It was a real eye opener. The filter media all feels and looks the same until he tested it. I started just taking apart 2 filters. Now, I can't stop at 12 (people are mailing me more filters to test -- Fleetguard and Amsoil). Personally, I have concluded that next year I will run either M1 15-50 or Amsoil Marine 15-40 synthetic and a K&N 3002 oil filter. I wouldn't hesitate to use the WIX, Baldwin, or Hastings filters though. At the end of next season (or 50 hours) I will do a used oil analysis to see how well the oil / filter combination held up.

Ralph 123 · Feb 4, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

K&N also makes a Marine Specific version. What is great for my application is that it has a nut on the end of the filer with a hole in it to allow a safety wire to be attached. In my boat, if you drop the filter while installing or removing, it can fall way down in the bilge and take hours to retrieve. http://www.knfilters.com/marine/maroilfilter.htm

affa · Feb 5, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

Hi Ive just bought a new engine that has a Fram filter on it, I could see Lubedude recommended anything but that, Ive always used a Sierra marine filter, should I change to that? Regards Affa

garycinn · Feb 5, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

see: http://home.earthlink.net/~memphis3/mercfilters/merc.htm and decide for yourself. I didn't test the sierra filter though.

Buttanic · Feb 5, 2004

Re: Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

One oilfilter I haven't seen mentioned and this is primarily for GM V8 engines but may fit others is the AC PH-35L. GM claims a 50 % increase in engine life with this filter. It has a 12 micron element as opposed to 25 microns for all their other filters. It has a 20 gram contaminant weight capacity as opposed to a maximum of 11 grams for all the other AC filters. The flow restriction is 2.5 psi compaired to 3.0 psi of the others. A 200 psi burst pressure, and a 75 psi element collaspe pressure same as the others filters. I have used this filter on my dirt track race car where engne RPM is rarely below 5000 RPM in very dusty conditions and engine teardowns show very little wear to crankshaft and bearings. The only negative is it does not have an anti-drain back valve but I do not feel this is a big issue. Buttanic

Alternate Mercriuser Fluids and Parts

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