I have a 1984 Hunter 34 with a Yanmar 3GM30F engine. Spares are difficult and expensive to get down here so has anyone any experience with substituting auto oil filter(s) for the official Yanmar spare? My guess is that there should be a compatible auto filter which would be more readily available. Any help or suggestions would be appreciated. Neil Ferris
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Not my choice but there are options.
Neil: This is not my choice but Fram makes a compatible filter cartridge. I am sure that Napa has a replacement too.
Neil: This is not my choice but Fram makes a compatible filter cartridge. I am sure that Napa has a replacement too.
Use the OEM filter.
I don't know where you're coming from on this, but (IMO) less than $10 for an OEM oil filter does not seem "expensive". Also, do you REALLY want to take a chance of ruining your, rather costly and hard to replace, engine by using an aftermarket filter that may save you a few bucks over the OEM filter? There's a saying for this. It goes, "Penny-wise, pound-foolish." I hope the shoe does not fit. ~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~
I don't know where you're coming from on this, but (IMO) less than $10 for an OEM oil filter does not seem "expensive". Also, do you REALLY want to take a chance of ruining your, rather costly and hard to replace, engine by using an aftermarket filter that may save you a few bucks over the OEM filter? There's a saying for this. It goes, "Penny-wise, pound-foolish." I hope the shoe does not fit. ~ Happy sails to you ~ _/) ~
Green eggs and Fram
Yes, I have found the exact same filter at E+B Marine (FRAM) and also at Discount Auto Parts. I keep one of each on the boat for spares but usually have the local Yanmar dealer do the service work so he uses a Yanmar filter..but I have used the subs and they work fine. Never had an oil problem or ANY problem with my yanmar....It took me from Grand Cay in the Bahamas to Port Canaveral in 27 hours...never missed a beat!!
Yes, I have found the exact same filter at E+B Marine (FRAM) and also at Discount Auto Parts. I keep one of each on the boat for spares but usually have the local Yanmar dealer do the service work so he uses a Yanmar filter..but I have used the subs and they work fine. Never had an oil problem or ANY problem with my yanmar....It took me from Grand Cay in the Bahamas to Port Canaveral in 27 hours...never missed a beat!!
Filter Equivalents
Neil I think what you are really looking for is something like the link. Sorry I don't have one for Yanmars, and fully understand your predicament. Perhaps someone else understands. Is there a Yanmar owners site?
Best regards, Stu
Neil I think what you are really looking for is something like the link. Sorry I don't have one for Yanmars, and fully understand your predicament. Perhaps someone else understands. Is there a Yanmar owners site?
Best regards, Stu
As the saying goes -
You can pay a little now or pay a lot later. Before saving a few buck on a cheaper aftermarket filter, you may want to get in touch with someone who makes their living from rebuilding engines. Ask them; Would they use one of those cheap filters in their engine? Personally, I'd rather pay the extra few bucks to KNOW that the filter I'm using will do the job its supposed to than save a few bucks and find out in time that using a cheap filter was a foolish thing to do. However, it's your money, your engine, and possibly your life. ~ Happy sails to you. ~ _/) ~
You can pay a little now or pay a lot later. Before saving a few buck on a cheaper aftermarket filter, you may want to get in touch with someone who makes their living from rebuilding engines. Ask them; Would they use one of those cheap filters in their engine? Personally, I'd rather pay the extra few bucks to KNOW that the filter I'm using will do the job its supposed to than save a few bucks and find out in time that using a cheap filter was a foolish thing to do. However, it's your money, your engine, and possibly your life. ~ Happy sails to you. ~ _/) ~
Personally ................
......... I can't believe that the Yanmar filter is the best one on the market. I am also hard pressed to believe that one will suffer irreparable damage if one uses other than an OEM filter. Can't find it in the archives but a while back, someone posted an article which identified the manufacturer of the Yanmar filter and their equivalent (same filter) was substantially cheaper than the original Yanmar. I have seen enough small to medium size diesel generator units throughout the years with Baldwin oil filters on them and came to the conclusion that they can't be causing TOO much damage so that's what I decided to use. For our 2GM20F the equivalent filter is a B227 at $3.50 by the case as opposed to $10.50 for a single Yanmar filter. Call me old fashioned but the SINGLE BIGGEST THING you can do for your engine in the lubrication department is to change the oil at LESS than 100 hours. And of course use a good quality oil. And if you're a real fanatic, change the oil and filter immediately before the winter lay up. And if you have an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), roll you engine over for about 10 seconds during the winter layup every two weeks with the engine stop pulled out so it won't start. This ensures that all surface remain wetted. But make sure the engine through hull is closed or eventually you'll REALLY flood the engine. Think I'll go down and wax the Yanmar ...... again. Regards, s/v Island Hunter
......... I can't believe that the Yanmar filter is the best one on the market. I am also hard pressed to believe that one will suffer irreparable damage if one uses other than an OEM filter. Can't find it in the archives but a while back, someone posted an article which identified the manufacturer of the Yanmar filter and their equivalent (same filter) was substantially cheaper than the original Yanmar. I have seen enough small to medium size diesel generator units throughout the years with Baldwin oil filters on them and came to the conclusion that they can't be causing TOO much damage so that's what I decided to use. For our 2GM20F the equivalent filter is a B227 at $3.50 by the case as opposed to $10.50 for a single Yanmar filter. Call me old fashioned but the SINGLE BIGGEST THING you can do for your engine in the lubrication department is to change the oil at LESS than 100 hours. And of course use a good quality oil. And if you're a real fanatic, change the oil and filter immediately before the winter lay up. And if you have an obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), roll you engine over for about 10 seconds during the winter layup every two weeks with the engine stop pulled out so it won't start. This ensures that all surface remain wetted. But make sure the engine through hull is closed or eventually you'll REALLY flood the engine. Think I'll go down and wax the Yanmar ...... again. Regards, s/v Island Hunter
Really Great Filter Link
Can't believe I read the whole thing! That was really interesting - and the guy did all that on his own nickle. Just imagine what he could do if he teamed up with, say, Practical Sailor or Consumer Reports. To bad the original link is missing. And my Ford 5.0L is ready for an oil change - am I going to be looking into what filter gets used.
Can't believe I read the whole thing! That was really interesting - and the guy did all that on his own nickle. Just imagine what he could do if he teamed up with, say, Practical Sailor or Consumer Reports. To bad the original link is missing. And my Ford 5.0L is ready for an oil change - am I going to be looking into what filter gets used.
Ralph, it's more a matter of NOT knowing.
Ralph: I believe that it is more a matter of NOT knowing what you are getting. From the link on the filters I would say that most of the time you are getting a crummy filter when they are cheap. Given the fact that I need to change the oil/filter once a year I am not going to be the one that test the credibility of these mfg. I'll pay the $8 for the Yanmar and just hope that I beat the odds.
Ralph: I believe that it is more a matter of NOT knowing what you are getting. From the link on the filters I would say that most of the time you are getting a crummy filter when they are cheap. Given the fact that I need to change the oil/filter once a year I am not going to be the one that test the credibility of these mfg. I'll pay the $8 for the Yanmar and just hope that I beat the odds.
NAPA!
I was getting ready to do an oil change on my boat and called the Hunter dealership to have them send me a filter and they toldme that NAPA carries all the filters to fit Yanmar engines. NAPA had all the info in their computers and were able to to cross reference my engine and Bam.. the exact filter! I think they carry Yanmar parts for Yanmar appications other than boating, but it is the same filter and convienent also. Cheers Brian C. S/V CREW REST
I was getting ready to do an oil change on my boat and called the Hunter dealership to have them send me a filter and they toldme that NAPA carries all the filters to fit Yanmar engines. NAPA had all the info in their computers and were able to to cross reference my engine and Bam.. the exact filter! I think they carry Yanmar parts for Yanmar appications other than boating, but it is the same filter and convienent also. Cheers Brian C. S/V CREW REST
Speaking of OEM Filters
I personally experienced a failure of a Cummins OEM fuel filter on a motor-home with less than 5000 miles on it. A patrolman was able to follow me down the interstate, down the off ramp and into a truckstop by the diesel trail. We coated the car we were towing with diesel. Imagine what a mess this would have been in a boat. We discovered the leak ( Drain valve not properly rolled into case ) when a motorist stopped us and told us we were spraying him with "GAS". As it was the middle of the night we continued a mile to the nearest off ramp where there was a truck stop.
I personally experienced a failure of a Cummins OEM fuel filter on a motor-home with less than 5000 miles on it. A patrolman was able to follow me down the interstate, down the off ramp and into a truckstop by the diesel trail. We coated the car we were towing with diesel. Imagine what a mess this would have been in a boat. We discovered the leak ( Drain valve not properly rolled into case ) when a motorist stopped us and told us we were spraying him with "GAS". As it was the middle of the night we continued a mile to the nearest off ramp where there was a truck stop.
Article Update
The source of the original article is at: http://minimopar.net/oilfilterstudy.html The article has been tweaked some from the original reference and there is a Q&A section. The home page of Russ W. Knize is: http://minimopar.net/index.html He's obviously not a sailor because he wouldn't have all that free time! Three more references with regard to oil filters: 1. http://www.ntpog.org/reviews/filters/filters.shtml 2. "In diesel engines, high local stresses associated with sliding contact wear result in abrasive removal of material surfaces. When loads are concentrated on the effective area of a small particle, the resulting surface stresses can be greater than 500,000 pi. Oil film thickness between which particles can reach and attack surfaces, are typically in the 10-micron range. This explains why, according to a wear study by Cummins Engine Corp., particles smaller than 10 microns generated about 3.5 times more wear (rods, rings, and main bearings) than particles greater than 10 microns....." http://www.thefiltermaster.com/information.htm 3. LOTS of links to stuff about engine oil and oil filters: http://subtopics.freeyellow.com/Oil.htm
The source of the original article is at: http://minimopar.net/oilfilterstudy.html The article has been tweaked some from the original reference and there is a Q&A section. The home page of Russ W. Knize is: http://minimopar.net/index.html He's obviously not a sailor because he wouldn't have all that free time! Three more references with regard to oil filters: 1. http://www.ntpog.org/reviews/filters/filters.shtml 2. "In diesel engines, high local stresses associated with sliding contact wear result in abrasive removal of material surfaces. When loads are concentrated on the effective area of a small particle, the resulting surface stresses can be greater than 500,000 pi. Oil film thickness between which particles can reach and attack surfaces, are typically in the 10-micron range. This explains why, according to a wear study by Cummins Engine Corp., particles smaller than 10 microns generated about 3.5 times more wear (rods, rings, and main bearings) than particles greater than 10 microns....." http://www.thefiltermaster.com/information.htm 3. LOTS of links to stuff about engine oil and oil filters: http://subtopics.freeyellow.com/Oil.htm
So Who is Going to do This With the Yanmar Filter?
I won't be buying the Fram filters for my car any longer. Maybe if somone takes this guy sailing he'll do them for us.
I won't be buying the Fram filters for my car any longer. Maybe if somone takes this guy sailing he'll do them for us.
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