Oil change /filter recommendations

[prc03sx195]

Once I get the boat out of storage (soon I hope) I am going to change the oil and filter before this years use. Can I use standard motor oil and a filter from NAPA lets say or is it special? I don't have the owners manual so. The engine is a 2003 4.3L I/O mercruiser in a glastron 195SX.
Thanks for your help.

paul

 

[45Auto]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

Here's the latest oil recommendations from the manufacturer. Note that they do NOT recommend any multi-viscosity automotive oils, only straight-weight oil (based on temperture) if you're not using the NMMA rated stuff.

If you think you know more about your motor than their engineers, use what you want to. You can easily do a search on "oil" and find hundreds of posts which will support any choice of oil you want to make.

(oil specs are from http://www.mercurymarine.com/serviceandwarranty/mercruiserfaqs/fueloil.php)

 

[arks]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

As far as filters, yes you can use regular automotive ones. Years ago I switched to Wix Gold filters after seeing a display at my NAPA dealer. The Wix filters have about 1000% more filtering media than the "standard" filters.
NAPA has cross-reference books for marine engines. Take your engine information (or a spare filter) and they'll be able to match it up.

 

[prc03sx195]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

So if I understand the chart correctly, anything above 50 deg F I should be using straight 40W? I don't plan on operating the boat below 50 deg anyway. Thanks, paul

 

[Silvertip]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

Isn't it amazing that I/O's have survived nicely for decades on pre-FCW oil. So just because a new spec has surfaced, suddenly the entire market MUST use the latest? Hardly!! Is it required in new engines? Yes - but only if your manufacturers warranty expressly indicates its a violation of warranty if you don't. There is nothing wrong with using current spec oils in your older engine. Likelwise there is nothing wrong with using conventional oil if you can find the viscosity your manufacturer recommended when your engine was new.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

So just because a new spec has surfaced, suddenly the entire market MUST use the latest?

Still trying to find anywhere in this thread that anyone stated that you MUST use the latest.

There is nothing wrong with using current spec oils in your older engine. Likelwise there is nothing wrong with using conventional oil if you can find the viscosity your manufacturer recommended when your engine was new.

That is all true. There is also nothing wrong with using kerosene in your engine if that makes you happy. Just be aware that you have vastly reduced engine life and a MUCH lower tolerance to unusual operating conditions such as loss of oil or an engine overheat.

Just because there is a newer product on the market doesn't mean the old stuff is bad. The manufacturer is just recommending what their engineers have designated as the best product on the market at the current time. Feel free to keep using whatever you like.

When the tubeless tire was introduced 60 years ago, nobody forced car owners to quit using tires with tubes. But you'll have a hard time finding a car on the road today with tubes in the tires. Same trend will hold true in the oil market. The improved product will gradually replace the old technology.

Isn't it amazing that I/O's have survived nicely for decades on pre-FCW oil.

If you want to stay with the decades old technology, that's fine. My I/O holds 2 gallons of oil. I change it every 50 hours. Cost me $22/gallon at Boatersworld. I've been averaging around 75 hours/year on my boat, so I'm spending about $100/year (with filters) on oil changes. Same as paying for one hour of labor at a local boat shop. Seems cheap to me to protect an expensive piece of machinery as well as I can.

 

[The Bear]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

Do you know what the difference is in most oil brands?

Answer: the label!

Kind of like buying a Chevy truck verses a GMC truck.

Most of the oil comes from the same place made by the same people up the same pipe line then bottled in different bottles with different labels.

Slap a ?Marine Grade? on the label and now you can charge some major bones for it! Why? Because boater idiots will pay the extra just because it says marine on it!

Kind of like paying $75 bucks for that marine shower head when they have the same make and model at your hard wear store for $12.99.

Go ahead and waist your money, ill save mine and I bet you a new boat my engines will out last yours!

 

[45Auto]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

Slap a ?Marine Grade? on the label and now you can charge some major bones for it! Why? Because boater idiots will pay the extra just because it says marine on it!

I guess that's why every one of the cheap oil lines have an FC-W rated oil ........ oops, they don't!!!

Wonder why they don't just slap a new label on it and double their money?? I doubt if you have any idea what an FC-W rated oil means.

It's really pretty simple, they tell you right here:

http://www.nmma.org/certification/local/downloads/documents/FCWCert-ProcManual_9-06_.pdf

For example, start on page 7 at the corrosion resistance test:

OBJECTIVE:
The objective of this test is to provide a standard method for making a
qualitative evaluation of the corrosion protection performance of engine oils. This test compares the protection of coupons cut from actual cylinder liners in a humid salt environment, and is intended to provide an indication of how well an oil formulation protects cylinder bores from rust.

Go through to page 13, the Referencing Criteria:

REFERENCING CRITERIA
This test procedure shall be periodically referenced. The referencing interval
shall be 6 months. The test is considered to be satisfactorily referenced if:
a. Reference Oil 5973 average rating falls between 20-40% inclusive, and
b. Calibration Oil 49P52Z average rating falls between 40-60%, inclusive.

ACCEPTANCE and REPORTING REQUIREMENTS:The candidate oil must provide the same or better average corrosion protection
performance as Reference Oil 5973.

Now did your oil come from the pipeline Reference Oil 5973 did, or the pipeline Calibration Oil 49P52Z did?

One of them has been tested to protect up to 3 times better than the other. There's a bunch of other validation tests in there too if you care, but I'm pretty sure you don't want to be bothered by facts, since you didn't care to include any in your post.

I know mine has the good stuff in it, does yours?

Go ahead and waist your money, ill save mine and I bet you a new boat my engines will out last yours!

I'll take your bet. Give me a call when your motors crap out and I'll let you know where to deliver the new boat!

 

[Mischief Managed]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

I read the FC-W test requirements. Almost all their tests are based on existing ASTM oil tests that are also used by API and other standards organizations to classify "regular" motor oil. The only difference being the corrosion test and the 115HP Yamaha outboard test.

There's nothing in there about FC-W oil being better than API classified "regular" oil at preventing wear when an engine overheats. API SL and NMMA FC-W oils both have the exact same ASTM D5800 requirement for high temperature operation. However, API SL is also ILSAC GF-4 compliant, and that's a tougher test than ASTM D5800, so plain-old API SL oil may actually surpass FC-W oil in heat resistance. The current best API rating (API SM) is as good or better than API SL.

FC-W was clearly aimed at the 4-stroke outboard market. It is very good oil, no doubt, but car-based I/O engines were in use decades before FW-C was even considered and work fine with non-FW-C oil.

If you boat in warm salt water, and leave your boat unused for long periods, the corrosion resistance of FW-C is an excellent benifit, but I bet other key engine parts will fail from corrosion in that environment, long before oiled parts fail.

 

[45Auto]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

I agree 100%, Mischief!

That's why I presented the manufacturers recomendations in my original post, with the caveat that he could use anything he wanted with hundreds of posts to back up his choice!!

Somebody has to keep things stirred up and these oil threads going ......

 

[swordfish25]

Re: Oil change /filter recommendations

I do not want to get in an argument over this thread, it is just my personal expearence, that I have used 20/50 synthetic blend in my high performance big block and ran it steady at 6200 RPMs for long periods and has held up fine for many years. The synthetic is better because it will stay on the bearings better all winter, helps an a dry start up. The oil should be changed in the fall before it is put away, this gets the contaminates out .Filters use any brand .