Winter storage Oil change. Before storage or in spring?

[Don S/V ILLusion]

It doesn’t require any data to know that clean oil is better than dirty oil, and if you’re going to change it anyway, why the argument?

Some of the confusion and variation of opinion among diesel manufacturers may be a result of chronology in that older recommendations consider the possibility of acids, albeit very weak, formation in deposits from sulphur containing fuels.

These discussions are often academic.

 

[Bill Roosa]

The only thing touching oil is the pan and oil pickup after a week for it to drain down. lSudge is suspended in the oil and does not "settle out". Combustion byproducts contaminate the oil a produce acids (sludge is not actually harmful because the oil suspends it) the acids will S L O W L Y eat away at the metal it surrounds.
You change oil because it reaches its "sludge suspension limit", the oil does not actually wear out.
I personally change my oil at the factory recommended 150 hours (which is over kill when compared to car motors BTW) and not by season.
Question to the group: do you winterize your mower motor or any other small engine in the shed? And why not?

 

[Bill Roosa]

AND
Synthetic oils have MUCH greater ability to store sludge in suspension and that is why you can got so much longer/farther between oil changes

 

[Doug4bass]

I do oil and filter spring AND fall. Oil is cheap......marine diesels are not.

 

[jssailem]

do you winterize your mower motor or any other small engine in the shed?

Well of course... Don't you?

 

[Siamese]

I change mine in the Fall. Oil and filter. Then I run my boat 2 miles from my marina to the marina where I store.

In the Spring, after I run the boat back to my slip, I change the oil, but not the filter.

 

[Tally Ho]

Wow, a lot of you guys change your oil way more often than I thought necessary...
I change my engine oil every OTHER fall before haul-out.

I don't run the engine much (maybe burn 10 gallons of diesel in a season). I understand oil gets dirty, but wow, is it necessary to change it twice a year (one of the times with essentially no hours run)?

Greg

 

[Capt Robbie]

Went to a marine engine service seminar and they said to always change oil in the fall. The reason they gave was contamination from acids, moisture, particulates, normal oil brake down.
Clean fresh oil is absolutely the way to go!!

 

[Justin_NSA]

Has anyone installed the electric pump kit that fits/replaces the drain plug? Even though it's only a couple quarts, it still makes sense to drain from the lowest point instead of sucking it thru the dipstick hole.

 

[Tedd]

Definitely fall. Oil becomes acidic in the engine. I've never had a four stroke boat engine, but if they have oil-bath alternators, like motorcycle engines do, then putting in fresh oil in the fall is a must. Otherwise, acids in the oil break down the insulation on the rotor windings and you'll have to replace your alternator.

 

[Hayden Watson]

This is not going well but I believe in fact. And I cannot find even one study that talks about this.

Manufacturer recommendations vary - and none or them tells you why they draw these lines. Apart from no actual published data - over many motor builds - I cannot remember a case where motor damage could be explained by a failure to change oil in the fall - or for that matter anytime the motor sat idle for a good long time.

Understand a layup oil change - especially using anti-corrosive/anti-rust additive - cannot hurt. But the original question is whether failure to perform a fall oil change offers any advantage. No matter personal opinion

So what data supports that conclusion?

Charles. I find it interesting that in this discussion you disregard the manufacturers recommendation on changing oil prior to winter lay-up but on another (regarding replacing mixing elbow every x-number of hours) you were adamant that the manufacturer's recommendations MUST be followed.

How do you decide when to follow and when to ignore?

 

[Charles Erwin]

Hayden - delighted you find this interesting.

Just one thing - no one in this discussion (me included) ever said don't change oil in the fall. I asked a question: "Why do we change oil in the fall where the factory publication says we do not need to?"

Apologies if you somehow managed to read this backward. I guess it must be because I did not pose the question clearly.

Charles

 

[Justin_NSA]

I was thinking of getting one of these from WM. The price sure went up. It was just last year Practical Sailor rated this and it was $55. Now it's listed at $65. 18% inflation in a year!?

 

[jssailem]

@Justin_NSA guess you could try these....http://www.ebay.com/bhp/vacuum-oil-extractor
or these:

• https://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?3638
• https://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?3514
• https://shop.sailboatowners.com/prod.php?794

So many choices and price points. Kind of depends...

 

[Justin_NSA]

Thanks John! The first 2 SBO pumps are overkill for my 2 qts, and I have something like the 3rd option but it's messy. The Ebay ones are huge too. I'm looking for something just like the WM extractor, it just bothers me to see price jumps like that. I just got a WM email. They point you to their pumps but no deals. It's just spam to me if there aren't any sales.

 

[Meriachee]

Princess Auto has little ones up here, the conversion on the dollar doesn't make it worth your while, unless you're shipping it anyway. The point being, if PA has them, then some auto and machinery liquidator down there has them too. Mine is a 1 gallon unit that's pretty small, and has a nice soft rubber hose.

 

[Justin_NSA]

Good idea. I'll check out the local auto parts box stores.

 

[py26129]

I was thinking of getting one of these from WM. The price sure went up. It was just last year Practical Sailor rated this and it was $55. Now it's listed at $65. 18% inflation in a year!?

One of those came with our boat, when we bought her. It (and presumably any other vacuum pump) works extremely well.

 

[Justin_NSA]

One of those came with our boat, when we bought her. It (and presumably any other vacuum pump) works extremely well.

We got so many extras from the PO when we bought our boat I can't complain. I just want to upgrade to something less messy than the hand pump/bucket system.

 

[dziedzicmj]

How about this: https://ca.binnacle.com/product_info.php?products_id=3291