How many hours do you change your oil?

[Frankie-H]

Once a year at the end of the season - oil & filter

+1

Whether it needs it or not

 

[prv]

Furthermore, road engines do not pull constantly against load whereas a boat engine is effectively a car driving in low gear with the handbrake fully on, this will heat the oil quickly and wear it out faster.

I always understood that diesel engines *like* being run steadily against a load.

The issue for boat engines is that they're often run just to get in or out of the marina, hence never have time to warm up and spread the oil. I'm certainly guilty of this - I often use the engine just to pull myself backwards out of my berth and round the end of the pontoon into the river, then immediately hoist sail and kill the engine before I've travelled 20 yards.

Pete

 

[KellysEye]

Most engines are 100 hours before filter and oil change. As said if laying up change both before hauling out. To be certain it is 100 have a look in the manual, if you don't have one it will be on the Yanmar site.

 

[ghostlymoron]

I always understood that diesel engines *like* being run steadily against a load.

The issue for boat engines is that they're often run just to get in or out of the marina, hence never have time to warm up and spread the oil. I'm certainly guilty of this - I often use the engine just to pull myself backwards out of my berth and round the end of the pontoon into the river, then immediately hoist sail and kill the engine before I've travelled 20 yards.

Pete

I've heard that you should rev your engine to max or thereabouts every hour rather than leaving it chugging at half revs all day.
I would stick to the manual for your particular engine but change oil and filter annually if you don't achieve the required interval. Oil is (relatively) cheap - well, the low spec marine oil is - and engines are expensive so it makes sense to look after them.

 

[paulieraw]

Depends on your engine but as a rule of thumb 50 hours or at the begining of the season. Dont change at the end your oil is likely to get conensation in and you dont want to go all through a season with even a little water in your engine.

 

[mixmaster]

I think this is a simple one really. Do what the manual says. It usually says every X hours and at least once a year. In our case, Yanmanr 4JH2E, it says ever 100 hours or once a year. So for normal weekend warrior stuff we do it every winter and when we were long distance cruising every 100 hours.

 

[stevensuf]

well 250 hours is like 10,000 miles in a car. so once a year or every 250 hours, going down to 150 hours, is like every 6000 miles,50 hours is like every 2000 miles, my engine would have ate most of its oil by 150 hours anyways.

They say to change end of season to stop the acids and contaminant build up rotting things over winter.

Once a year min as the oil does go off,every 100-250 hours depending on how long you think is necessary !

 

[lustyd]

Oil does not go off. What's wrong with you people. Where do you think oil comes from???

 

[lustyd]

I think this is a simple one really. Do what the manual says. It usually says every X hours and at least once a year. In our case, Yanmanr 4JH2E, it says ever 100 hours or once a year. So for normal weekend warrior stuff we do it every winter and when we were long distance cruising every 100 hours.

Every 2-3 weeks when in light winds? Or did you just stay put?

 

[stevensuf]

Lustyd , oil does break down, especially in an engine with all sorts to contaminate it! yes it does go off, usually goes acidic with the bonus of added extras!

 

[TQA]

Depends on your engine but as a rule of thumb 50 hours or at the begining of the season. Dont change at the end your oil is likely to get conensation in and you dont want to go all through a season with even a little water in your engine.

This is bad advice.

Please DO change the oil at the end of the season and leave the engine with fresh oil in it over the winter. Diesel fuel contains sulpher and there is a build up of acidic sulpher combustion by-products in the sump over time. Get these nasties out of the engine.

There is no reason to expect any unusal condensation just because you have changed the oil.

I am happy changing my oil once a year EVEN though my hours may ony be 20 pa.Why because my engine runs are often short and low rpm. Just enough to get the anchor up and clear the anchorage. This means that my engine oil rarely gets up to normal operating temp. for any length of time.

A good run at 2/3rds throttle for an hour helps. I say this to myself wishing I could turn the noisy thing off.

But if my hours were 200 pa I would still change once a year.

 

[EuanMcKenzie]

my engine has a pump out but you leave some behind - I also try and use old fashioned 20-50 grade as specified. its for that reason i change it twice a year as i'm really only diluting the contamination when i change the oil.

for the same reason, i only change the filter once a year as it can't be choked after only 50 hours anyway.

BTW I wish the boat was in but its a long way from that yet! Anti fouling Saturday me thinks

 

[paulieraw]

This is bad advice.

Please DO change the oil at the end of the season and leave the engine with fresh oil in it over the winter. Diesel fuel contains sulpher and there is a build up of acidic sulpher combustion by-products in the sump over time. Get these nasties out of the engine.

There is no reason to expect any unusal condensation just because you have changed the oil.

I am happy changing my oil once a year EVEN though my hours may ony be 20 pa.Why because my engine runs are often short and low rpm. Just enough to get the anchor up and clear the anchorage. This means that my engine oil rarely gets up to normal operating temp. for any length of time.

A good run at 2/3rds throttle for an hour helps. I say this to myself wishing I could turn the noisy thing off.

But if my hours were 200 pa I would still change once a year.

I used to work looking after a sailing fleet, you would be surpised how much condensation can build up in tank of fuel and a sump, perticularily if they are not full.

I have taken nearly a litre of water from a tank, this will ruin your fuel filters and a cup full from a sump. This does of course depend on the weather warm and cold winters are the worst. Just as we get. If you put new oil in at the end of the season you can end with water in the oil. this will do nothing good for the engine.

Pointless changing unless you are going to do it again at the begining, sulper mixes with oil water doesn't.

 

[Boathook]

Once a year at the end of the season - oil & filter

I do the same.

 

[mcframe]

Mine's has usually all leaked out well before then, so I have continuous oil changes...

Ah yes - total loss...

A friend used to use decent oil in his motorbike for 5,000 miles; drain, filter and settle, then into his car for another 10,000 miles; drain, filter and settle, and then into his old Landy that burnt/leaked it all away ;-)

 

[mcframe]

This is bad advice.

Please DO change the oil at the end of the season and leave the engine with fresh oil in it over the winter. Diesel fuel contains sulpher and there is a build up of acidic sulpher combustion by-products in the sump over time. Get these nasties out of the engine.

There is no reason to expect any unusal condensation just because you have changed the oil.

Best advice I ever saw was "Use the most expensive oil that you can afford to change regularly".

For low-tech boat engines that suggests that cheap oil changed often is better than whatever the 1GM10 equivalent to Mobil-1 is changed less frequently.

i.e. If you're too mean to change it at the end & start of the season, then buy cheaper oil - if you're not going to run it much, then leave the filter change until spring.

That said, I do use Mobil-1 (or similar) in a 2-cylinder injected petrol engine that's twice the capacity of my 1GM10 but produces 10 times the horsepower at 4 times the revs ;->

 

[alahol2]

Beta (Kubota based) stipulate not to use 'modern' engine oils but to use 'old fashioned' mineral oils. The easiest and cheapest place to buy is Tesco, Asda et al.

 

[SitaRam]

I have been told that it's recommend to change your oil every 50 hrs of motoring. Is this a little pedantic? Would 100hrs be more reasonable?

I have probably done 30 hours of motoring since the last service and the oil is still a lovely golden colour.

Engine: yanmar 1gm10

Yanmar says every 100 hours- I change mine about that & filters

 

[jordanbasset]

There does appear to be quite a wide gap between what the various engine manufacturers recommend. Most seem about 100 or so hours, ours a volvo D2-55 IS 500 hours, although in reality as we do it once a year it is less than that. Are there any engine bots out there who can say why the difference?

 

[Fire99]

Lustyd , oil does break down, especially in an engine with all sorts to contaminate it! yes it does go off, usually goes acidic with the bonus of added extras!

But depending on oil, nothing like as fast as some people think.