Marine Lubrication
#701
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Re: Marine Lubrication
Originally Posted by articfriends
You need to be 100% sure your rings are seated before converting your motor to synthetic oil or you'll be pulling it back out of your boat.Everyone gives the example of chevy corvettes coming from the factory with mobil one but I have seen motors that were NOT fully broken in converted to synthetic too early and if the rings glaze she'll have high leakdown rates FOREVER,Smitty
I believe in a break-in period before going synthetic in offshore boats and feel that 40 hours is about the right interval. Using Kendall 40wt would be my choice or of course the Mercury product.
After 40 hours or roughly 2 oil changes...it's time for a high ZDDP synthetic oil to assure long life and excellent performance.
Last edited by Hydrocruiser; 06-24-2006 at 10:55 AM.
#702
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Re: Marine Lubrication
Thats not a bad idea. I use to use M-1 20W-50 V-Twin. But I figured I would play it safe and run the Mercruiser oil for warranty reasons. So just and case something went wrong I could at least say "its your oil"
#703
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Re: Marine Lubrication
Originally Posted by vandeano
Thats not a bad idea. I use to use M-1 20W-50 V-Twin. But I figured I would play it safe and run the Mercruiser oil for warranty reasons. So just and case something went wrong I could at least say "its your oil"
-Non-detergent/non-additive oils that cost a buck a quart.
-Oil that is in the wrong viscosity range such as a 5W-20.
-Not checking the oil and running way below correct levels or overfilling and windage.
-Sludge from not changing the oil.
-Oil pump or line failures and system failures and addition of aftermarket products that failed.
Mercury does not do oil analysis to determine what brand is in the crankcase. The Magneson Moss Act forbids them to mandate what brand of oil you use (unless they provide it at no charge to you for life) or to inflict damages upon you for using another brand. So they recommend in their manual or if you call and ask that you use an equivalent to 25W-40 which is mostly a 40wt oil blended with 25% 25wt...so in essence it is a "37wt" oil. My opinion..a conventional blend oil such as 25W-40 is just plain stupid. I think you can safely round off to a 40wt. Now the additives in Kendall and Castrol 40wt oils are the same as Mercs.
If you think using their product will afford you protection in the event things go wrong...it won't.
FYI...Mercury told me they have never seen an oil related engine failure specifically related to use of synthetic blends or synthetic oils.
They will eventually have their own brand of synthetics as they are negotiating a deal with a provider much as Volvo-Penta has.
Remember...Mercury is NOT in the oil business...there is little profit in it for them and they know that "we" know where to get Mobil-1 and Amsoil. Mercury's Racing Teams usually have cases of 20W-50 Amsoil Severe Service Racing Oil in their transportation vehicles.
Remember...the same oil Merc says to use in a 4 cyliner 120 HP engine is what they tell you to use in the 1075's.
Sterling uses 15W-50 M-1 in their engines after much testing..that says a lot I think.
Last edited by Hydrocruiser; 06-25-2006 at 03:27 PM.
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Re: Marine Lubrication
Very good info. I'll change back to the M-1 after Im sure this engine is broken in. I have about 10 hrs so far. So maybe another 30 hrs. then I should be OK
#705
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Re: Marine Lubrication
Originally Posted by vandeano
Very good info. I'll change back to the M-1 after Im sure this engine is broken in. I have about 10 hrs so far. So maybe another 30 hrs. then I should be OK
Best is cruise with a good run for 10 minutes initially they say and build up from there as you head towards 20-40 hrs.
#706
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Re: Marine Lubrication
Thought I would share this recent experience.
My brother has a Pantera 24' with a highly modified 454 putting out about 550 HP.
His oil pressures were too low with 15W-50 M1 so he tried Mecr 25W-40 and they were about the same after a good run.
His previous experience with M-1 20W-50 was pressures were too high. I don't have the exact numbers.
So I had him try a 50/50 mixture of M-1 20W-50 V-Twin with
M-1 MX4T 10W-40 Motorcycle oil because it is the exact formulation as V-twin but a lesser viscosity.
The mixture probably yielded an overall viscosity equivalent to a beefy 40wt.
The pressures are great now...and both oils have a ZDDP level of 1800ppm which is the highest you can get.
This would probably be what I will use in my next offshore boat...please let those options hit the strike price...
Mobil told me that mixing these two oils is logical as the base and additives are equivalent.
What do you guys think?
My brother has a Pantera 24' with a highly modified 454 putting out about 550 HP.
His oil pressures were too low with 15W-50 M1 so he tried Mecr 25W-40 and they were about the same after a good run.
His previous experience with M-1 20W-50 was pressures were too high. I don't have the exact numbers.
So I had him try a 50/50 mixture of M-1 20W-50 V-Twin with
M-1 MX4T 10W-40 Motorcycle oil because it is the exact formulation as V-twin but a lesser viscosity.
The mixture probably yielded an overall viscosity equivalent to a beefy 40wt.
The pressures are great now...and both oils have a ZDDP level of 1800ppm which is the highest you can get.
This would probably be what I will use in my next offshore boat...please let those options hit the strike price...
Mobil told me that mixing these two oils is logical as the base and additives are equivalent.
What do you guys think?
#707
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Re: Marine Lubrication
The chemistries in both of the formulations are probally the same. I am pretty positive that Mobil wouldn't change additive packages on different viscosities, hell they own Infinum. You would have no problem with the blending of two different viscosities, what you end up with takes more than a guess. You need to know the viscosity of each oil at 210 F, know what percentage of each "flavor" is going into the mix, and then graph it on a two componet blending chart. then and only then will be able to say "I have a heavy 40 or a light 50" Not real heavy science but protocol non the less. Ken
#708
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Re: Marine Lubrication
The Magneson-Moss act does forbid the mandate of OEM products but it is only for the duration of the warranty, not for life. As far as Mercury recommending a 25w-40, it's not that stupid. A 25w-40 will offer faster oil pressure than a straight 40 on start up in cooler mornings, (I am sure that there are boaters in the Northern part of the States who boat in April) and a 25w-40 being a multi-viscosity still needs polymer to be added to the blend. As we know polymer sheaing is one of the major causes of viscosity loss. With such a short viscosity spred from heavier basestocks and less polymer there is less shearing so the stay in grade performance is better. And because it is a 25w-40, it will have the same viscositiy as a SAE 40 at 210. But, and a big but, at temps above 210F the 25w-40 will thin less than the SAE 40 therefore offering better film strength than the straight weight. This is due to the polymers that were added to the formula to produce the multi-viscosity charatristics in the first place. Ken
#709
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Re: Marine Lubrication
Originally Posted by minxguy
The Magneson-Moss act does forbid the mandate of OEM products but it is only for the duration of the warranty, not for life. As far as Mercury recommending a 25w-40, it's not that stupid. A 25w-40 will offer faster oil pressure than a straight 40 on start up in cooler mornings, (I am sure that there are boaters in the Northern part of the States who boat in April) and a 25w-40 being a multi-viscosity still needs polymer to be added to the blend. As we know polymer sheaing is one of the major causes of viscosity loss. With such a short viscosity spred from heavier basestocks and less polymer there is less shearing so the stay in grade performance is better. And because it is a 25w-40, it will have the same viscositiy as a SAE 40 at 210. But, and a big but, at temps above 210F the 25w-40 will thin less than the SAE 40 therefore offering better film strength than the straight weight. This is due to the polymers that were added to the formula to produce the multi-viscosity charatristics in the first place. Ken
A 25wt is still a hard cranking cold start oil in many parts of the country depending on ambient temp. It is a blend not an actual multi-vis..so it's more a straight 37wt oil they told me.
Supposedly they say no polymers added.
#710
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Re: Marine Lubrication
Originally Posted by Hydrocruiser
A 25wt is still a hard cranking cold start oil in many parts of the country depending on ambient temp. It is a blend not an actual multi-vis..so it's more a straight 37wt oil they told me.
Supposedly they say no polymers added.
Supposedly they say no polymers added.