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Author Topic:   Mercury 115 FourStroke EFI Oil Change

Whalerdog posted 11-01-2007 06:15 PM ET (US)
The season is over here on Long Island, so I decided after over 70 hours [of use on a Mercury 115-HP "FourStroke EFI" motor] to change engine and gear case oil. I learned not to leave the dip stick out while doing it. Oil poured into the transom well. Gear case fill and vent screws were very loose.
The zincs have some small porous holes. When do you replace them? Thanks!
[Note: The author referred to his motor as a "2007 Mercury" motor, but this is not appropriate. Mercury no longer designates their motors with any sort of model year identifier, and in conformance with their notion that model years no longer exist, we do not recognize model year designators for any Mercury motor after 2006. After 2006 all Mercury motors are just "Mercury" motors and there is no model year identification possible. The correct identifier for this motor must be given by the model name and augmented by describing the color of the cowling and the graphics used. These are now the approppriate identifiers for Mercury motors.--jimh]
Tohsgib posted 11-02-2007 09:37 AM ET (US)
When they get brittle.
Whalerdog posted 11-02-2007 01:30 PM ET (US)
Thanks!
Yiddil posted 11-03-2007 12:13 AM ET (US)
I was told by a employee [of the Boston Whaler company] of some long standing to change the plugs, the zincs, as well as the lower unit [lubricant] every winter's winterizing. Usually that insures they will be in good service for the spring rollout.
My boats are used primarily in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay and I do this every Thanksgiving usually unless we have some real warm weather into December.
I know the zincs can go further than 70-hours, but for the 20 bucks or so, it is worth it to just redo stuff each year to insure protection.
My Best, Henry AKA THE YIDDIL
Buckda posted 11-03-2007 04:54 AM ET (US)
Henry -
That advice depends on if the boat is slip kept or trailer kept and salt vs fresh water use.
I can go *several* years between changes on sacrificial anodes. In fact, it has been two years and 300 hours on my current motors and the anodes are not even a third of the way used.
My boat lives indoors and ventures out for freshwater use.
Your mileage will vary.
If your motor is under the regular care of a mechanic, he or she should advise you when the anodes begin to show signs of wear. Otherwise, you're looking for pitting and brittleness.
jimh posted 11-03-2007 08:45 AM ET (US)
No matter how many hours of use in the season, when preparing any four-stroke engine for a long period of storage the lubricating oil ought to be changed, and especially so on an outboard motor. Four-stroke outboard motors have been reported as being particularly prone to contamination of their lubricating oil with water and gasoline. These are in addition to the normal combustion products which contaminate the lubricating oil. The oil sump should be drained and all of the lubricating oil removed and replaced with fresh oil.
Can you tell us more about the procedure you used to remove the lubricating oil from your Mercury 115 EFI motor. I am assuming you are talking about the newer style of motor using the engine block from the Verado. This is called the "FourStroke EFI" or the "L4NA" or the "Veradito" or "Le Verado Petit".
Can the oil be removed from the oil sump by gravity flow? Or do you need to use a suction pump to withdraw it? Does the engine need to be positioned in a special orientation to promote proper flow of oil to the sump for removal?
When the oil filter is removed, how is the filter oriented? Does the residual oil in the filter spill out as you unthread it? Do you have to puncture a hole in the filter before removing it to drain the residual oil inside the filter? Does the engine have to tilted or rotated in a special way to position the oil filter for removal?
Was the procedure particularly messy? You mentioned the inadvertent spilling of oil into the boat. How about spilling of oil on the motor itself. Did the oil change require a lot of rags or towels to clean up the motor and yourself after finishing?
Also, how did you dispose of the used motor oil? This is not a question specific to your particular motor, but to all four-stroke engines in general. I have changed the oil in my vehicles and take the used oil to an oil recycling collection center, however they do not accept the containers, just the oil. I asked the operator of the center and he explained it this way: plastic containers with residues of used motor oil cannot be discarded in his usual trash pick-up. Their trash is often inspected for containers of used motor oil and if any are found they are liable for a $5,000 fine. So after he pours my used motor oil into his collection tank, my plastic container is returned to me for disposal.
I suppose that technically I am subject to the same regulations as the recycling center, so I should not just throw out my contaminated oil container in my trash. On the other hand, I assume I am permitted to throw out the oil container if it only had a residue of new, unused oil in it.
Please let us know how you handle disposal of the used motor oil and the container it was in.

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Author	Topic: Mercury 115 FourStroke EFI Oil Change
Whalerdog	posted 11-01-2007 06:15 PM ET (US) The season is over here on Long Island, so I decided after over 70 hours [of use on a Mercury 115-HP "FourStroke EFI" motor] to change engine and gear case oil. I learned not to leave the dip stick out while doing it. Oil poured into the transom well. Gear case fill and vent screws were very loose. The zincs have some small porous holes. When do you replace them? Thanks! [Note: The author referred to his motor as a "2007 Mercury" motor, but this is not appropriate. Mercury no longer designates their motors with any sort of model year identifier, and in conformance with their notion that model years no longer exist, we do not recognize model year designators for any Mercury motor after 2006. After 2006 all Mercury motors are just "Mercury" motors and there is no model year identification possible. The correct identifier for this motor must be given by the model name and augmented by describing the color of the cowling and the graphics used. These are now the approppriate identifiers for Mercury motors.--jimh]
Tohsgib	posted 11-02-2007 09:37 AM ET (US) When they get brittle.
Whalerdog	posted 11-02-2007 01:30 PM ET (US) Thanks!
Yiddil	posted 11-03-2007 12:13 AM ET (US) I was told by a employee [of the Boston Whaler company] of some long standing to change the plugs, the zincs, as well as the lower unit [lubricant] every winter's winterizing. Usually that insures they will be in good service for the spring rollout. My boats are used primarily in the Potomac River and Chesapeake Bay and I do this every Thanksgiving usually unless we have some real warm weather into December. I know the zincs can go further than 70-hours, but for the 20 bucks or so, it is worth it to just redo stuff each year to insure protection. My Best, Henry AKA THE YIDDIL
Buckda	posted 11-03-2007 04:54 AM ET (US) Henry - That advice depends on if the boat is slip kept or trailer kept and salt vs fresh water use. I can go several years between changes on sacrificial anodes. In fact, it has been two years and 300 hours on my current motors and the anodes are not even a third of the way used. My boat lives indoors and ventures out for freshwater use. Your mileage will vary. If your motor is under the regular care of a mechanic, he or she should advise you when the anodes begin to show signs of wear. Otherwise, you're looking for pitting and brittleness.
jimh	posted 11-03-2007 08:45 AM ET (US) No matter how many hours of use in the season, when preparing any four-stroke engine for a long period of storage the lubricating oil ought to be changed, and especially so on an outboard motor. Four-stroke outboard motors have been reported as being particularly prone to contamination of their lubricating oil with water and gasoline. These are in addition to the normal combustion products which contaminate the lubricating oil. The oil sump should be drained and all of the lubricating oil removed and replaced with fresh oil. Can you tell us more about the procedure you used to remove the lubricating oil from your Mercury 115 EFI motor. I am assuming you are talking about the newer style of motor using the engine block from the Verado. This is called the "FourStroke EFI" or the "L4NA" or the "Veradito" or "Le Verado Petit". Can the oil be removed from the oil sump by gravity flow? Or do you need to use a suction pump to withdraw it? Does the engine need to be positioned in a special orientation to promote proper flow of oil to the sump for removal? When the oil filter is removed, how is the filter oriented? Does the residual oil in the filter spill out as you unthread it? Do you have to puncture a hole in the filter before removing it to drain the residual oil inside the filter? Does the engine have to tilted or rotated in a special way to position the oil filter for removal? Was the procedure particularly messy? You mentioned the inadvertent spilling of oil into the boat. How about spilling of oil on the motor itself. Did the oil change require a lot of rags or towels to clean up the motor and yourself after finishing? Also, how did you dispose of the used motor oil? This is not a question specific to your particular motor, but to all four-stroke engines in general. I have changed the oil in my vehicles and take the used oil to an oil recycling collection center, however they do not accept the containers, just the oil. I asked the operator of the center and he explained it this way: plastic containers with residues of used motor oil cannot be discarded in his usual trash pick-up. Their trash is often inspected for containers of used motor oil and if any are found they are liable for a $5,000 fine. So after he pours my used motor oil into his collection tank, my plastic container is returned to me for disposal. I suppose that technically I am subject to the same regulations as the recycling center, so I should not just throw out my contaminated oil container in my trash. On the other hand, I assume I am permitted to throw out the oil container if it only had a residue of new, unused oil in it. Please let us know how you handle disposal of the used motor oil and the container it was in.