Servicing overkill ??

[mrgrumpy2]

In mid June I took delivery of a 2007 sports cruiser which runs twin mercruiser 4.2 ltr diesels. Before delivery I had the dealer change the engine oils, oil filters, fuel filters, outdrive oils and check the impellors. Since delivery she has probably done about 25 hours. I am going to have her lifted out during the next 2 weeks (stored ashore for the winter) and I was intending to instruct the yard to get her ‘fully serviced’ and ‘winterised’ but I’m now wondering if that would be unnecessary overkill. Given the work that was done in June do you think that a full service would be necessary at this stage? What work do you guys think I should have done?

 

[Canopy Locked]

Guess it is a bit overkill, but if the boat is going to be out until next summer, might be better to have clean engine oil in while stored and therefore oil filter. I Would probably do fuel filters now - diesel engines like clean fuel. As for the rest, if you're only going to do low hours in the summer, it would probably be fine until next winter, when you can do a full service and annually thereafter.

 

[PCUK]

I would leave well alone until the end of next season.

 

[Nick_H]

I think leisure boat engines are over-serviced generally. If you think about it, most service items only deteriorate with running hours, not with standing hours - air, fuel and oil filters for a start, so it's a nonsense to throw them away after 50 hours use, even if it has taken 12 months to do those hours. I agree it's a good idea to change mineral oil at least once a year even with low hours, as the oil can become acidic, but if synthetic oil was used instead, then 2 yrs would be fine. That pretty much just leaves the anodes and impellers.

I service my engines every year to preserve it's resale value, not because I think it needs it.

 

[blueglass]

agree entirely. check eveerything sure but replacing stuff which is hardly touched in terms of useful life is expensive & wasteful. I throw away perfectly good engine oil, filters and fuel filters and impellors evry yeear and I think I am going to stop. If we have had a light season, the oil is stil golden and not black - I must be mad! I am sure it would stretch another season without damage. Doom mongers will come back now saying things like "cheaper to change your oil than replace your wrecked engine". The same engines in a truck would do tens of thousands of miles before being replaced. Apart from the cost, there is a green issue here too.

 

[blueglass]

doh.. by tens of thousands of miles before being replaced - I mean the oil not the engine!