synthetic oil

no704

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Apr 22, 2009
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I've heard of folks running synthetic in new engines having problems with the engine not being able to break in.
 

roffey

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Nov 22, 2012
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I've heard of folks running synthetic in new engines having problems with the engine not being able to break in.

I bought my boat new and was told no synthetic oil, just break in oil
 

roffey

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Nov 22, 2012
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Sounds like we are back and forth on this issue. Going to toss a coin, heads I change with synthetic and tails I keep with dino...
 

bruceb58

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Mar 5, 2006
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I bought my boat new and was told no synthetic oil, just break in oil
LOL...so the guy told you 2 things that were wrong. New engines don't come with break in oil and that synthetic oil is not used in new engines.

BTW, if you bought your engine new now, it comes with a synthetic blend in it.
 

Patfromny

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The only thing i know of that needs to be "broken in" on an engine are the lifters if they are flat tappet. Everything else should be good to go within a half hour of use. Race engines are regularly dyno tested 10 minutes after they are assembled. Roller lifters need no break in. You put assembly lube on a cam to make sure the lifters don't chew it up before the oil gets to it, Otherwise, clearances are clearances. Maybe the rings need to seat but that should happen within a half hour. Never understood the break in thing for a new car or boat. My buddy does 7000 rpm pulls on brand new roundy round engines all the time. Warm it up, check oil pressure and WAAAAAAAAAAAAA.
 

roffey

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LOL...so the guy told you 2 things that were wrong. New engines don't come with break in oil and that synthetic oil is not used in new engines.

BTW, if you bought your engine new now, it comes with a synthetic blend in it.

BTW, The motor and boat were new in 2014 and bought in 2014. No synthetic oil, period. I was told by the dealer to have the oil changed at 20 hours as it was break in oil. That may have been a line but I believed them. I was also told they check for metal in the oil, fluid levels and warranty issues. Maybe that is what they mean by break in oil is its the first run on a new motor. After the 20 hour oil change I could use synthetic oil.

Bruce you are wrong on the first point and maybe right on the second but only because I'm taking you at your word, lol.
 

brian4321

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Jan 19, 2014
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Gotta love these oil threads lol I'm gonna kick back on my recliner with some popcorn and a cold beverage and read the debates... Carry on .
 

roffey

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Nov 22, 2012
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Gotta love these oil threads lol I'm gonna kick back on my recliner with some popcorn and a cold beverage and read the debates... Carry on .

... and you know the funny part is, I started this thread by asking what was involved in switching over to synthetic and not what was better. :confused:
 

brian4321

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I thought of that the whole time I was reading it... Was your question answered?
 

Pusher

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Okay, so if I may (I do like to play the devil's advocte) if there is no break in period, then what is marvels mystery oil for? Isn't the ashless dispersant (name?) oil specifically for breaking your crate engine in?
 

bruceb58

Supreme Mariner
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BTW, The motor and boat were new in 2014 and bought in 2014. No synthetic oil, period. I was told by the dealer to have the oil changed at 20 hours as it was break in oil.
Go look at your owners manual. Did IT say to change the oil at 20 hours? Older manuals used to say that but not anymore.

Personally, I would use at least the synthetic blend. It is what Mercruiser recommends for your exact engine now. It has a higher tolerance for shear, it retains it's viscosity over its life better. It's just a better oil.

We used to have a brand new 350 motor that got run hard in a cabin cruiser boat. With dino oil as the season went on, the idle oil pressure would drop and drop as the season wore on. With synthetic oil, the idle oil pressure stayed constant. The Dino based oil was losing its viscosity as more hours were put on the engine during the season.
 
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dozerII

Admiral
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Oct 25, 2009
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6,527
Synthetic blends are a a way for the oil companies to dupe you out of your hard earned cash. There are absolutly no regulations on what the blend is. A manufacturer can at a tablespoon of synthetic to a quart of conventional and charge you an extra $2.00 a qaurt.
 

Patfromny

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Dec 2, 2012
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They might say break in oil because they have smeared every moving part with assembly lube. Was the oil grey? I've never heard of break in oil but it could also be called that just because it was the first oil in the new engine and not a special blend. Like someone above said, it could have metal in it because of the machining done to the engine. That or the assembly lube angle would be a good reason to change the oil. It is never a bad idea to change a new engines oil before the normal recommended interval. There is a slight chance that there was some metal shavings left in the block. Unlikely, but possible. Magnetic drain plugs are a good idea as well. If it is a high dollar engine, buy yourself a filter cutter and check for filings in the filter. This is way overboard in my opinion but not crazy. We used one on my buddy's drag car and it let us know if the motor needed a refresh. Most times it blew up before we even had to cut the filter. Lol. Lots of nitrous in a competitive class meant often having to put the BIG jets in for the finals. The burnt piston (s) was/were worth the prize money. The turbo he put on later was alot nicer to the engine. He ran synthetic in every version of that car and his next one too.

Synthetic vs standard oil...six of one, half dozen of the other. They have both been around for awhile. You're gonna get, and have gotten varying opinions. Just like with everything else you want to buy. Just read the reviews on anything you are looking to purchase. 5 star rating in between 1 star ratings. I gave up on trying to buy plastic 6 gallon tanks because I couldn't figure out from the reviews if they were the cats meow or complete junk. I just rebuilt my metal ones. I know they won't leak or distort. Lol
 

roffey

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Nov 22, 2012
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heres a google search for break in oil. The dealer may not have said "break in oil". He could have said after break in or I might have asked after break in...
https://www.google.ca/?gfe_rd=cr&ei=e87dVrSrNciC8QeJ2oKgDw&gws_r d=ssl#q=break+in+oil

this is the first brand new boat I have ever purchased and likely the last. My feeling was I will do what ever was asked in order to keep all running smooth. Last year I took it to the dealer for them to check it at the 100 hr mark and asked at that point to change to synthetic oil, the tech never did as he just changed the oil with what ever was in it. This year I am winterizing the boat my self and will change it over to synthetic oil, hence the original question. As stated above that was answered first post. The answer was just change it and don't worry about what little residual oil is left.

You guys here are a wealth of knowledge and I use this forum on a regular bases and to date you've never lead me astray. I do find thread like this humorous as different boaters go off an a tangent, it makes for fun reading. I did not start this thread with that in mine but continue on... :popcorn:
 
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Patfromny

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Dec 2, 2012
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Yep, always a good idea to change oil for the first time earlier then normal interval. Magnetic plug is a good idea for new engines. Old ones too. Good luck
 
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