engine oil

brody · August 2012

I was hoping for a little help from you Jody or any other engine tech types. I bought a 01 response lx this year with the 325 monsoon. the specs say to run penzoil 10w40 marine. I cant find this oil anywhere up here. I am in Canada. Napa carries 10w40 non marine oil. Is this the same thing as marine oil. If not can you recommend an alternate engine oil to use. tx for any help.

Jody_Seal · August 2012

Not a Penzoil Guy myself but you can utilize 10W-40 of about any brand. I like to utilize Mobil-1 or Syntec/Valvoline in most everything I own. Currently in the 12 200 6 liter I am running Royal purple 15W-40. Just stay with the manufacturer recommended weight motor oil and change every 50 hours or once a year and you will do fine.

Deke · August 2012

The Response LX oil spec is for 15w40. Amsoil makes a marine grade 15w40.

DW · August 2012

I have successfully run 5W-30 Mobil 1 in a small block Chevy in a tourney ski boat. This one has been modded a bit and pumps out over 400 hp. You might consider your ambient conditions as you make your viscosity choice, sounds like you will run in cooler weather, not only air, but the intake water that has to be heated to engine temps.

boarditup · August 2012

Penzoil Platinum is marine grade oil and I have been using it for years with good results. NAPA Gold filters are also marine grade (higher bursting strength and stouter gaskets) without the extra cost.

eleeski · August 2012

Raylube (recycled and filtered oil) or Arco graphite (pre blackened) are my favorite oils.

Your chances of an oil related failure are trivial compared to corrosion, rodent, vandal or age deterioration (like impellers). Change the oil when the filter corrodes and threatens to leak.

Eric

boarditup · August 2012

Eric - you are correct - to a point. Water sitting in the bottom of the oil pan does corrode and will typically lead to the oil pan thread failure and leaks. Failure to provide clean, effective lubrication leads to "tired motor." You just loose hp and torque over time, when you did not have to.

Impellers and spark plugs are annual maintenance items. Belts, fuel pumps, throttle bodies, exhaust gaskets and manifolds, alternators, starters, etc. are longer term maintenance items as they do wear out over time.

Be proactive on maintenance and you will spend less cash and time on boat repairs over time.

Tip of the day: Spray your motor with PB Blaster once a month and you will prevent corrosion and broken fasteners. It is safe and it really works; cheap, too.

buski · August 2012

@boarditup What specifically are you spraying?

boarditup · August 2012

everything metal except for pulleys where the belts ride. It does not need to drip, but a nice sheen is what you are looking for.

cooperrae · August 2012

If you are concerned with the oil, call Inmar directly. They have customer support (real people) for us boat owners who can tell you exactly what will be best to use based on what you are able to buy where you live. I have called them for support on fixing my motor for the last 3 years and they have given incredible service.
Go to inmar.com or just call them direct at 901-353-9930.

usaski1 · August 2012

I wish boats had oil engine life meters like new cars do.. no one changes their oil at 3000 miles anymore.. besides, the whole 3000 thing is made up by oil change shops and oil companies.

bhs · August 2012

@usaski1 you bring up an interesting point. I have a company car and for years they require me to change my oil every 5,000 miles. Just picked up the new car and they have bumped it back to 8,000.
Not sure where the 3,000 mile or 50 hr standard came from. I stopped changing my oil every 50hrs after I switched to synthetic and high mileage filter. The first time I used that combo and changed at 50 and the oil came out as clean as it went in.

cooperrae · August 2012

One thing to consider on a ski boat is we basically run the engine near 3700 RPMs all the time. Much more abusive than how we drive cars. My Malibu is 10 years old and I change every 50 hours. I wish the old oil was coming out clean, but it is not. Maybe I should try synthetic.

Jody_Seal · August 2012

Keep in mind that marine motors particularly ski boat motors run at much higher RPM then that of their Automotive counterpart, They also run at lower block temp during service. Your older suburban with the 5.7 would chug down the interstate at 70 mph running 1900 rpm and 200 degrees. The ski boat motor at 36 mph is running around the 3800 rpm range and at 160-170 degrees, add That the ski boat motor with the start and stop is far more severe duty then that of the the Suburban motor hence regular oil change and quality of oil and filter is of optimum importance. Stay with in the manufacture guide lines and you will minimize engine failure.
Then again I have seen Ski school motors go 3000 hours with minimal oil changes.... What are the odds!

And why do people change oil in their boats and not the filter?

walleye · August 2012

What is the thought on changing over to Mobil 1 synthetic from Valvoline 40 wt. VR-1 racing oil. The motor is a GT-40 with 1000 hours no problems oil/filter chg every 50 Hr..

boarditup · August 2012

Sometimes in older engines you can get some seal leakage when you start using synthetic oil. This is due to the more refined base stock that does not have any long chain molecules (like waxes). The synthetic oil will dissolve the build-up on the seals and leak though. My 1985 Porsche is notorious for that after Mobile 1. Castrol GTX in that car. The cutoff date is typically the 1995-1998 era - when the seal material changed out. Synthetic blends typically do not have the leakage issue.

If you engine is newer - no issues. If older, use a blend or keep a 50-80 hour oil change schedule.

Kelvin · August 2012

Interesting note on the RPMs. A typical ski boat will spend almost 1/2 of its hours at idle. Just an interesting side note. It doesn't change Jody's advice.

6balls · August 2012

My aircraft engine runs 2400 continuous for hours on end. My M5 runs to redline more times daily than you can shake a stick. I'm 12 years and 100K plus into it and it runs fine. My ski boat engine is running far easier duty, idling for far longer than the 20 seconds it spends running down the course between hole shot, course, swing out.
Properly maintained our engines should last a very, very long time. I have to think most of us could go significantly longer intervals than what is typical. At the same time, a few quarts of oil and a filter do not break the bank...so why not? If you are wasting money, it ain't much.

eleeski · August 2012

Arco graphite is not approved for my airplane. When the oil turns completely black it is time to change it. Typically 50 hours makes my aircraft oil filthy. But the airplane motor runs those 50 hours at an extremely high percent of maximum power for virtually all of those hours. Regardless of use, the oil must be changed annnually to keep the plane legally airworthy.

I am way over an appropriate calendar time interval before my car or boat engine oil gets dirty. And I think my 2004 MC needs its first tuneup (is that what @boarditup means by annual?) Maintenence is for people who are trying to avoid skiing.

Eric

brody · August 2012

hey deke, that was a typo on my part, like you said it is 15w40, didnt know if marine grade made a difference. Was also not sure if the air/water temp would make a difference, max waer temp would be is 82f but usually through summer its high 70's, air is usaully high 80's through july.

boarditup · August 2012

Marine grade oil is more tolerant of moisture in oil than automotive grade oils. That is because marine engine oils typically never get to water's boiling point where the water vapor can escape (positive crankcase ventilation). Synthetics are great for this, so are semi-synthetics.

eleeski: I "tune up" at winter layup. It takes only an hour to fill entire cooling system with anti-freeze, fog motor, clean BFFA, clean throttle body, remove impeller, drain block, change oil in engine, change oil in tranny, and change out plugs. FWIW - I kept a 1969 MerCruiser motor running for over 30 years with that system. I don't care to much about fin settings or a super clean hull, but I do like a well oiled machine that runs very well every time I go to fire it up. That is my OCD in this sport....

justcuz · August 2012

My boat is an 87 Chevy 350 Inmar. Two years ago I put 15w40 synthetic in there (Mobil 1). This year at the suggestion of my mechanic, I put straight weight in there 0-40 I think. I'm going to change back to the synthetic this year I think. Admittedly I didn't notice much of a difference, but I have it in my head that synthetic will be better in the long run.

I was also told by another very, very mechanically inclined person that changing the filter is extremely important every season, but actually changing the oil isn't as crucial. Not sure if I'll live by that logic....but thought I'd throw it out there.

eleeski · August 2012

@boarditup My wife would never let me get a new boat if I followed that maintenence program! In fact, if I need to upgrade to the latest and greatest I have to put sand in the oil and have the boat blow up while Lisa is skiing. Careful calculations (along the lines of government budget theory) will show that the new boat is the only way to go.

Mechanical repair or maintenence is not recreation for me. I need the time to be covered with itchy toxic composite dust to enjoy my recreational ski building. Hmmm, maybe I'm screwed up?

Eric

WilburHullinger · June 2014

I don’t personally know about the oil you’re talking about but I can suggest you a place where you can surely find it. The place is http://www.iautobodyparts.com/shop_by_part_category.html here you can get lots of other things related to auto as well. I’ve bought some stuff from here and I’m pretty happy with the decision I took. So I’d recommend you to visit this place once.

skihacker · June 2014

the best and easiest deal i've found is at walmart of all places, they sell mobil 1 15w50 in the 5 quart jugs, if you find it on sale it's around 25 bucks.

BraceMaker · June 2014

Some oil thoughts.

Got Amazon Prime in Canada??

http://www.amazon.com/Pennzoil-550022734-15W-40-4-Cycle-Marine/dp/B0000AY493/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1403705141&sr=8-1&keywords=15w-40+marine

I buy most of my oil through Amazon Prime.

Also you can look locally for Mercury Marine Dealers - they have a good oil product in the 15-40 diesel oil.

kstateskier · June 2014

I just bought an 04 LXI and am using Rotella 15w40 and the Pennzoil filter. I have always changed my oils every 50 hours or twice a summer.

bbruzzese · June 2014

Ditto on the Mobil 1 15W50 at Walmart...

jpattigr · June 2014

I called PCM and had a great chat with the folks there about oil, have run Rotella T 15-40 ever since that phone call on my 351w in 97 SN.

oldjeep · June 2014

@Bracemaker - decent deal on that. That is about the price I pay for that oil from Bakes (after discount), but without the free shipping. Never occurred to me to buy oil through Amazon.

Wish · June 2014

So, what if I've been running the same oil for the last 10yrs in the boat...doesn't it cause more issues with a switch. And, doesn't temperature have something to do with what you use when? Summer hot 90s even in am. Winter 40s 50s am.

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