Yeah I’m not saying don’t change your oil,but I think as boaters there are bigger issues that concern me when I head out to the big water at 2400 revs for hrs at a time than when I changed the oil the last time lol
Oil Change Frequency
- Thread starter Russ Calasant
- Start date
Espos4
Well-Known Member
Me Personally, I change it every fall before storage.
My 60 hours of engine run time with a total of 360 gallons of fuel used yields a seasonal average of 6 gallons per hour. Doesn’t seem like a lot of run time, except that marine engines operate at much higher loads than automotive engines.
360 gallons of gas in a car would get 9,000 miles (at 25 mpg)
The 4-5 quarts I need for an oil change are cheap insurance.
I also understand why you guys with oil capacities measured in gallons put more thought into this and may use a different procedure.
My 60 hours of engine run time with a total of 360 gallons of fuel used yields a seasonal average of 6 gallons per hour. Doesn’t seem like a lot of run time, except that marine engines operate at much higher loads than automotive engines.
360 gallons of gas in a car would get 9,000 miles (at 25 mpg)
The 4-5 quarts I need for an oil change are cheap insurance.
I also understand why you guys with oil capacities measured in gallons put more thought into this and may use a different procedure.
Thornton69
Well-Known Member
- Sep 15, 2014
- 1,149
- Boat Info
- 1981 245 SDC
2021 Solar 420
- Engines
- '97 5.7 Bravo 2
'20 Merc 25 EFI Jet
Marine applications are probably one of the hardest lives an engine can have IMO. They are in a damp environment for starters, often loaded for extended periods at lower rpm's and at more than likely lower operating temperatures than others. There are arguably benefits to sampling your oil but I would never consider one of them to be to tell me when it's time to replace it. If your putting on a thousand hours a season then sure, but for the average pleasure boater who is a hundred or under, dump it at season end. Your engine will be happier. Just my 2 cents.
