Wisper Power Piccolo 4, adding an oil filter?

[Ian_Edwards]

My boat is fitted with a Wisper Power Piccolo 4 diesel generator. It’s rated at 3.8kW continuous, driven by a single cylinder diesel. It’s a variable speed generator, using a rectifier, inverter system. The power is generated as a variable frequency and voltage AC supply, which is rectified to high voltage DC, then an inverter converts it to 50Hz 230V ac.
It’s 4 years old now and has run flawlessly (he said. touching a big lump of wood). I generally run it for 3 or 4 hours in the morning to charge the batteries run the Eberspacher Hydronic 10 heater, boil the kettle and run the microwave. It’s often run in the evening when I’m cooking and if the weather is inclement.
However, it has an irritating maintenance procedure. The oil change interval is 200hr, which if you live on board for over 3 months every summer, isn’t very long. Further, the recommendation is to change the oil, run the engine for a few minutes and then change the oil again.
The reason for this is that the engine is oil cooled, and the oil is cooled by an external heat exchanger. When you change the oil, the heat exchanger retains the old oil, and the flush is to the clear that old oil out. I’d add that the oil is quite back after 200hrs.
The sump takes 2L and the heat exchanger 0.9L.
I’m wondering if I can add an external oil filter and then use a modern synthetic oil to extend the service interval, and if the oil filter is fitted in the correct place, the oil will drain out of the heat exchanger when the filter is changed.
The oil is drawn from the sump by a mechanical pump, flows through the block, then out, via hose to the heat exchange, then back into the sump via another hose.
This is not some ancient cast iron lump, it’s modern, design as a generator and built of aluminium, and looks, to my eyes, a well-designed bit of kit, the diesel is labelled Whisper Power, and I’m assured that it is built in Europe. So, I don’t see any reason why it shouldn’t run on a fully synthetic oil, if an oil filter is fitted.
Is this a good idea?
Can anyone recommend a small oil filter and housing which would work. This is a small unit, it’s 450mm x 470mm x 520mm(ht) and 68kg.

 

[Laysula]

Something like this?
Pardon our interruption...

 

[Ian_Edwards]

Not much traction on this idea, I thought someone would have had a look at this (or similar) before.
After some Googling, not easy when you only have a vague idea of what you are looking for. I came up with this:
"Oil filter upgrade for dry sump engines using a seperate oil tank.
The oil filter head (Norton Commando part 06-3139)", an oil filter base and a spin-on cartridge filter from a 2CV.
An alternative is a 1/4" filter for a Briggs an Stratford law mower.
Any thought on using synthetic oil, in a very small diesel engine?

 

[Freebee]

if you do some sums if it was a vehicle engine 200 hrs at say 70 miles per hour is 14000 miles thats quite a lot of work done by oil in terms of lubricating and cooling if you fitted a filter I would expect max interval should be about 500 hrs with filtration.... your problem is getting a pressurised feed with good sound connections to the filter.

 

[rotrax]

Cheaper to sell it and replace with a 1500 RPM job. You are working it hard.

To make an oil filter work you will require two connections into the oil gallery, one to the filter block, one back to the oil gallery, as it must be on the pressure side. There will be one, where the oil pressure switch fits. There MIGHT be another, but I doubt it. Close scrutiny of the engine would be required. Close scrutiny by a person who knows exactly what to look for.

I have carried out such work on Motorcycle engines, with great benefits. Looked $H1t, but your genset wont be out in the open.

Good luck.