I've read regular oil change for outboard is once a year or 100 hours. I maybe used 20 hours in the last two years. The oil always looks amber color. I skipped one year and it is a bit darker color now. Going to change the oil soon.
Why do you need to do oil change yearly when running less than 100 hours?
[As a reply below points out, we do not know what sort of oil is being changed. The oil could be lubricating oil in the sump of a four-stroke-power-cycle engine or gear case lubricant. The OP needs to disambiguate his question.--jimh]
My boat is mainly used in saltwater.
Intervals Which Engine Manufacturers Recommend Oil Changes
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MillieTheBoat
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 8:16 pm
- Location: Dana Point, CA
Re: Oil Change
MillieTheBoat wrote:I've read regular oil change for outboard is once a year or 100 hours....
Why do you need to do oil change yearly when running less than 100 hours?
You should ask whomever told you that you need to change the oil at 100-hours or annually to explain the reason for it.
If you read that in an owner's manual, you can assume that the manufacturer recommends that oil change interval.
If the manufacturer of your outboard engine recommends that the lubricating oil be regularly changed at intervals of once per year or 100-hours, to follow that advice would be prudent.
Re: Oil Change
Because the cost to change the lower unit oil is extremely low it is cheap insurance to change it. An added benefit is that if the oil has any water in it you will know your lower unit has a leak demanding repair. Disposal of the old oil may cost a few dollars.
If you are discussing engine oil in four stroke cycle outboards the cost is higher even if you can do the job yourself. You will have to purchase replacement oil and a filter and dispose of the used engine oil and filter. You may want to replace the crankcase drain plug gasket for preventive maintenance. Other than the inconvenience of disposing of the used oil the oil and filter change are very straight forward and easy to accomplish. If you have paid for this to be done you may see some value to doing it yourself. Our local Mercury Marine authorized service dealer has a $119 per hour labor rate. An added value to doing this work yourself is it provides you the opportunity to observe the old oil for any obvious contaminants or metal particles.
If you are discussing engine oil in four stroke cycle outboards the cost is higher even if you can do the job yourself. You will have to purchase replacement oil and a filter and dispose of the used engine oil and filter. You may want to replace the crankcase drain plug gasket for preventive maintenance. Other than the inconvenience of disposing of the used oil the oil and filter change are very straight forward and easy to accomplish. If you have paid for this to be done you may see some value to doing it yourself. Our local Mercury Marine authorized service dealer has a $119 per hour labor rate. An added value to doing this work yourself is it provides you the opportunity to observe the old oil for any obvious contaminants or metal particles.
Butch
Re: Oil Change
BUTCH--thanks for pointing out the ambiguity in the original question. We have no idea what sort of oil is being discussed.
I don't think there is any inquiry about advice for how to accomplish the oil change. Also, I don't think there in any inquiry about the costs of an oil change.
The inquiry seem to be only about the reason the oil change interval has been set to be 100-hours or once per year.
Also, we don't know who set this interval.
MILLIE--please clear up:
--who told you about the required interval?
--what kind of oil are you changing?
--what sort of engine are you referencing?
We really cannot answer your question to give the reason for the oil change interval being set as you say you read, because be don't know what oil, who set the interval that you read about, and for what engine.
I don't think there is any inquiry about advice for how to accomplish the oil change. Also, I don't think there in any inquiry about the costs of an oil change.
The inquiry seem to be only about the reason the oil change interval has been set to be 100-hours or once per year.
Also, we don't know who set this interval.
MILLIE--please clear up:
--who told you about the required interval?
--what kind of oil are you changing?
--what sort of engine are you referencing?
We really cannot answer your question to give the reason for the oil change interval being set as you say you read, because be don't know what oil, who set the interval that you read about, and for what engine.
Re: Oil Change
Oil deteriorates over time as well as hours. It is prudent to change it annually even if you put less than 100 hours.
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MillieTheBoat
- Posts: 48
- Joined: Thu May 26, 2016 8:16 pm
- Location: Dana Point, CA
Re: Oil Change
Thanks Clay, Jim and Butch for your replies. Sorry about the unclear question. I was referring to the engine oil of my 2001 4-stroke Mercury 115HP outboard. I must have read it either in the manual or on the internet discussions somewhere. Also, read something about acid build up in oil. I did not know oil deteriorates over time. I know about gasoline loses its quality with time but not oil.
I did all the oil change myself since I got the boat. I did the lower unit oil change as well and really enjoyed the process. I bought $80 worth of QuickSilver Premium SAE 25W-40 marine engine oil and also Mercury brand oil filter. I guess $100 oil change a year will keep the engine last for another 10-20 years.
I did all the oil change myself since I got the boat. I did the lower unit oil change as well and really enjoyed the process. I bought $80 worth of QuickSilver Premium SAE 25W-40 marine engine oil and also Mercury brand oil filter. I guess $100 oil change a year will keep the engine last for another 10-20 years.
Re: Intervals Which Engine Manufacturers Recommend Oil Changes
I recommend you contact Mercury Marine to get clarification why the oil in the engine you have that is labeled as a 2001 Mercury 90-HP FOURSTROKE should be changed on a particular schedule.
ASIDE: a recommendation to change the lubrication oil in an outboard gasoline engine using a four-stroke-power-cycle design at a minimum of once a year or at 100-hours of running is very common. Some engines from some manufacturers recommend oil change at 50-hour intervals if there are certain conditions involved in the use.
I don't know if you have ever owned an automobile, but oil change regimes in automobile engines are similarly based on overall time or engine running time intervals. I don't find anything unusual about Mercury Marine's requirements.
As a general rule, following the recommended routine maintenance and service intervals on any engine is a good method to maintain the engine and increase its service life.
Outboard engines often have very simple cooling systems and lack precise engine temperature control and regulation. As a result, an outboard engine often runs at a cooler operating temperature than an automobile engine. An automobile engine will routinely operate at temperatures in the 200 to 220-degree-F range. Outboard engines routinely operate at much lower temperatures, often as low as 90-degrees-F and almost never more than about 200-degrees.
The oil in an engine operating at temperatures above 200-degrees-F will tend to be free from entrapped water in the oil, as the water will evaporate and boil off due to the high operating temperature. In engines that never get that warm, the lubricating oil can become diluted over time by water. Oil with water in an emulsion loses its lubricating properties.
These aspects of engine temperature and oil contamination are not particular unique to Boston Whaler boats or the engines used on them. For further information about contamination of lubricants due to run time in internal combustion engines, you should look for a website whose focus is on the topic of lubricating oil service life.
ASIDE: a recommendation to change the lubrication oil in an outboard gasoline engine using a four-stroke-power-cycle design at a minimum of once a year or at 100-hours of running is very common. Some engines from some manufacturers recommend oil change at 50-hour intervals if there are certain conditions involved in the use.
I don't know if you have ever owned an automobile, but oil change regimes in automobile engines are similarly based on overall time or engine running time intervals. I don't find anything unusual about Mercury Marine's requirements.
As a general rule, following the recommended routine maintenance and service intervals on any engine is a good method to maintain the engine and increase its service life.
Outboard engines often have very simple cooling systems and lack precise engine temperature control and regulation. As a result, an outboard engine often runs at a cooler operating temperature than an automobile engine. An automobile engine will routinely operate at temperatures in the 200 to 220-degree-F range. Outboard engines routinely operate at much lower temperatures, often as low as 90-degrees-F and almost never more than about 200-degrees.
The oil in an engine operating at temperatures above 200-degrees-F will tend to be free from entrapped water in the oil, as the water will evaporate and boil off due to the high operating temperature. In engines that never get that warm, the lubricating oil can become diluted over time by water. Oil with water in an emulsion loses its lubricating properties.
These aspects of engine temperature and oil contamination are not particular unique to Boston Whaler boats or the engines used on them. For further information about contamination of lubricants due to run time in internal combustion engines, you should look for a website whose focus is on the topic of lubricating oil service life.