Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

[2fast4u_evinrude]

Its that time again, getting ready to winterize the boat again From what I have been reading online, people are saying to change the engine oil and leg oil once a year during winterization. I live in Canada and our Boating season is short (3 months). Ofcourse the weather is always perfect when I am at work and then crappy windy weekends come and I dont get out that much. I took the boat out about 8 times and have about 3 hours driving time. I have a 3.0L Mercruiser with Alpha one leg. I went to a authorized Dealer and they tell me dont waste my money changing oil every year. Just do it once every second year. I told him from what I been reading online it says to do it every year as the oil gets acidy from sitting and will eat the engine. He says thats what the Fogging oil is for. It coats the inner engine to protect it from corroison and etc. I thought well ok maybe hes right and I am wasting money. I was suprised as dealers usually try to sell you something to make some cash. It cost me $100.00 in lubricant each time I change it all. What you guys think?

 

[j_martin]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

I don't see a problem with running those fluids 2 short years. One item that needs attention, though, is to get a few drops of fluid out of the leg drain and check it for water. Any evidence of water and the gear lube needs changing. Might as well schedule seal repair also.

In your climate, if there's water in the LU, freezing will break castings.

 

[2fast4u_evinrude]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

Thanks for the reply J_martin. I think the top screw on the leg is the dipstick screw. Would that be good enough to check for milky oil if water is getting in or should I let a good amount of oil of the leg and fill her back up?

 

[QC]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

Moved to Non-Repair I/O and Inboards.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

... I went to a authorized Dealer and they tell me dont waste my money changing oil every year. ... What you guys think?

Find a new dealer. CHANGE IT EVERY YEAR! How else will you know if it has any water in it? Oh yeah, you'll know next spring when your lower gear housing is cracked and the milky fluid runs out all over the ground. Then you'll spend $900 to buy a new SEI lower unit. Seems kinda silly, doesn't it?

Learn how to do it yourself, (it's REALLY easy, just a little messy) and save yourself about $85.

 

[woodsyfeller]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

If your worried about water in oil drain it into a clean container each year then pour it back in if it all checks out.

 

[cr2k]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

No the dip stick won't tell you if there's water in the Bottom of the drive. Never seen a MC drive with a dip stick anyway.

 

[flintcam]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

MC drives may not have dip sticks but my wife says I'm a dip stick for keeping the old MC drive I have.

 

[Speakrdude]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

I have two MC drives with dipsticks.

 

[Fordiesel69]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

You *must* drain the fluid in the drive every year for water intrusion. If you chose to reuse it again is totally up to you. 8 hrs on perfectly clean gear lube I would be inclined to reuse it. But engine oil will last a long time if the boat is stored properly. If you feel more confortable changing it every year, by all means do it! If not, you certainly will not be ruining the boat as long as you have inspected it for water.

 

[John_S]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

I don't see a problem with running those fluids 2 short years. One item that needs attention, though, is to get a few drops of fluid out of the leg drain and check it for water. Any evidence of water and the gear lube needs changing. Might as well schedule seal repair also.

In your climate, if there's water in the LU, freezing will break castings.

I agree. Drain some drive oil from the bottom drain and check for water. Lube should look like brand new. Check for metal shavings. Do the same with the engine oil from the dipstick. Again, it should look and feel brand new.

The acids are formed by engine blowby (hydrocarbons) and oil is designed to neutrulize acids up to a given point. Unless you have very excessive blowby, not going to form enough acids with that short run time.

If anything, your usage might have built up a bit of condensation. If you haven't pulled the boat yet, make your last outing a longer, harder, run, to drive off the water.

Of course, changing the fluids is the "risk free" approach.

 

[egldvrbags]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

Its that time again, getting ready to winterize the boat again From what I have been reading online, people are saying to change the engine oil and leg oil once a year during winterization. I live in Canada and our Boating season is short (3 months). Ofcourse the weather is always perfect when I am at work and then crappy windy weekends come and I dont get out that much. I took the boat out about 8 times and have about 3 hours driving time. I have a 3.0L Mercruiser with Alpha one leg. I went to a authorized Dealer and they tell me dont waste my money changing oil every year. Just do it once every second year. I told him from what I been reading online it says to do it every year as the oil gets acidy from sitting and will eat the engine. He says thats what the Fogging oil is for. It coats the inner engine to protect it from corroison and etc. I thought well ok maybe hes right and I am wasting money. I was suprised as dealers usually try to sell you something to make some cash. It cost me $100.00 in lubricant each time I change it all. What you guys think?

I live in WI and only put about 15-20 hrs/season on my boat. Our 5* Merc dealer always changes the engine oil during winterization but the outdrive oil every other year unless it's needed every year. They drain a small amount and check for water, metal shavings, etc. I was surprised at this too. I have it changed every year. It's a cheap investment since our boating season is so short......I don't want a broken boat during our 2 weeks of summer

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

And this folks is why whenever someone says, "I am looking at this 10 year old boat that only has 50 hours on it..." I say, "did they SKIP any of the REQUIRED maintenance?" Low hours is no excuse to skip the yearly maintenance items. Come on, just about anyone can learn how to change engine oil and drive lube. If you're too cheap to pay the labor, learn how to do it yourself. Then we are talking about $20 worth of engine oil/filter, and $15 worth of drive lube and 2 hours of your time.
I am the cheapest person I know, and I wouldn't skip a year on fluid. Not at those prices. Come on, gas is $4 a gallon! Of course, if I only put 5 hours a year on a boat, i wouldn't own one, or call myself a boater.

 

[Volphin]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

Changing it every year is no big deal and you need to see the condition of the fluid anyway. Very simple to do in 30 minutes.

V

 

[dan t.]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

TelliamWe if you can buy engine oil and gear lube at those prices you should start importing it to Canada,you will be a millionair overnight,I know things are cheaper in the States but good quality lube isnt that cheap.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

Yes it is Dan. Sorry.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wc...toreNum=10106&subdeptNum=10434&classNum=10438



An Alpha One Gen 2 might use that whole quart plus part of a second. So, $15 is lube is right on the money, and that's the same stuff as Mercruiser lube, just in a different bottle. Sorry you can't buy it that cheap in Canada. But I'll bet it's not DOUBLE that price.

Here's a quality lube that's even less:

http://www.walmart.com/ip/Pennzoil-Marine-80W90-Gear-Lube-1-Qt/16401580

Either way, skipping lube changes is wrong and risky.

 

[possum2082]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

yeah...i'm going to have to agree that you can get good oil for cheap.

walmart's supertech brand is relabeled valvoline.

 

[John_S]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

Then we are talking about $20 worth of engine oil/filter,


If you have a place that can get me genuine Mercruiser 25W40 and Mercruiser oil filter for that, I'd be interested in where.

 

[TilliamWe]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

John, you're just being argumentative. Mercruiser oil filter is not any better than a Fram or a Super tech. And they don't make their own oil, it's somebody elses. Fact is, for someone who is willing to learn how to change the engine oil and outdrive oil, it's easy and not very expensive. Certainly not so expensive as to skip it. And certainly less expensive than a short block or a lower gearcase.

 

[PS94]

Re: Dealer says to change engine & Leg oil every second year. Good or bad idea?

I'd dis-agree. Fram is the worst filter you can buy. cut open your merc filter, and compare to a fram. The merc is comparable to a Wix or Delco. I wouldn't put a fram on a lawnmower I was taking to the dump.