Filling a engine with oil...Max or not?

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Ian MacAulay

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Good evening,

Ive always filled a engine to just below the max level on the dipstick but its been suggested to fill only half way between min and max on my TAMD73 engines? what's your thoughts?

regards

Ian
 
Like you I always fill to just under the max mark. I always think that the more oil you have the more diluted any contaminants will be and the longer it will last, as each molecule has slightly less work to do, but I may be wrong. :)
 
Have you heard of/seen the size of some of the big boy's sumps on here? No man, minimum is legal. On mine, theres still 200 ml in the can, just chuck it in. A little bit over wont harm nuthin.
 
CLB said:
My take would be that if the maximum mark was too much, the manufacturer would have lowered it :) .
Click to expand...

They're in the thrall of the big oil companies. " Go on, just a little bit more, don't be tight, what's a couple litres between friends"
 
Ian MacAulay said:
Good evening,

Ive always filled a engine to just below the max level on the dipstick but its been suggested to fill only half way between min and max on my TAMD73 engines? what's your thoughts?

regards

Ian
Click to expand...

The halfway mark is the bullseye when you're balancing a 20 litre drum and trying not to spill it in the bilge. Kind of like putting exactly to the cent £50 quid in the car. It's an achievement not easily mastered. I haven't anyway. I fill to the halfway and 10 minutes later I'm sucking the stuff out with a vacuum pump wondering whether a litre oil is worth the 5 mile round trip to the oil recycle bin or if I could getaway with dumping it in a can and leaving it under my neighbours boat on the hard. You should see the merry go round of cans until His Harbour Master has a conniption and sends email memo's out
 
In-between ........,after first run and full circulation.
Its easier to see any change if it’s moved between the two marks .
Remember an increase in oil level a boat is not good news in fact worse news than a decrease !

The capacity is 32 L each and the sump is such that the pump out position is actually at the lowest point .Even though the engines are slightly angled . All of it seems to come out .
Theres the installers paper tag on the dip sticks btw so I am confident the sticks have been calibrated.
 
I end up getting in a right mess when doing them in such a confined space that's why I don't really want to take any out unless I have too. I have put around 28litres back in each engine to the max line currently
 
In all seriousness Ian. I go by what the tech manual says. If it says say 20 litre sump capacity then after warming the engine and emptying thoroughly, that is what I put it. I use the dipstic as a measure in season to see what the oil is doing and if it needs topping up. In my boat I know I cant scavenge the last 3 litres and I compensate for oil in the filter and cooler subtracted from total.
 
Ian MacAulay said:
I end up getting in a right mess when doing them in such a confined space that's why I don't really want to take any out unless I have too. I have put around 28litres back in each engine to the max line currently
Click to expand...

Read it again. What blimmin difference does calibrating make
a) when the dipstick is half way
b) when you can fully drain the oil because the extraction is at the lowest point.

It's a feelgood Noddy Badge
 
Bruce, get yourself a tap, drill your container lid and fit the tap in the hole and fit a pipe to your engine filler and sit your drum somewhere higher than your filler and open and shut the tap to control it, easy.

Oil resistant tap, about £4, treat yourself for your 21st birthday.
 
Always fill to the maximum mark because marine oils often do not work for long periods as many simply run at fast idle in the marina and this causes issues, for oil to work effectively it needs to be at working temperature for as long as possible to allow it to burn off moisture and do break up any deposits and evaporate them off.

CLB said:
My take would be that if the maximum mark was too much, the manufacturer would have lowered it
Click to expand...

Actually you are wrong there CLB as engine manufacturers are compensating, engine oil absorbs contaminants and it has a saturation point and the more oil you have, the higher its saturation point is, but your ethos was correct.
 
Calibration.......it’s to do with the install angle , more of a shaft drive thing tbh
pic paints a 1000 words

10B44D9B-E442-46DE-8AD9-20842D07FE64.png
perhaps this is simpler?
ED3FAC64-8AA1-445D-A302-90ACD7907D70.png
For those that like “ words “ Calibrating The Engine Oil Dipstick | MER Equipment

MAN do it with marine installs so the “ book of words “ matches the physical situation.Other wise there could be a shit storm in a court room re warranty claims and not forgetting the owners hassle or company rep .
 
I fill to about 1/2way mark ... my dipstick is actually wrong as the long tube that it fits cracked and broke of. I then flipped the fitting 180 and joined an alloy tube on to replace broken. I cut the tube slightly overlength in error.
Just means that 1/2 way mark is near full .... one day I will correct the tube length !!

One item I have which I was skeptical about when I first saw one ... Pela vacuum pump container. Brilliant bit of kit ... I use it for not only sucking out the engine oil ... but gearbox oil .... last bits of water in bilges .... bottom of fuel tank ..... in fact anywhere that liquid needs to be removed.
Tip : After a time - the plastic around the flexi pipe splits and then suction is not all way to end. Simple. Cut away all old plastic cover from the spiral wound bowden .... its basically a bicycle brake tube ! .... and get a long length of heat shrink tube .... slide over the spiral tube and then heat shrink. It seals and creates new pipe.
 
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