Engine Oil

[rossl]

Hi All,
Anybody know if you can run Synthetic , Semi Synthetic or Mineral Oil in '91 Ford 351W V8. As there is some good deals on bulk oil on ebay @ the mo, what does everybody else use in there engines?

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/SEMI-SYNTHETIC...QQcmdZViewItem

Cheers
Ross

[saltwater_cowboy]

You can run synthetic or semi but its over kill really especially as you run on LPG which greatly extends the useable life of the oil. Typically you should change the oil every 50hrs but on an LPG engine you can extend that to 75hrs. I clock up around 70-100hrs each year and change once a year.

I've run castrol GTX 15/40 or 10/40 for as long as I can remember in both ford and GM based boats as well as all my vehicles. If you want something a bit posher then get the magnatec version which I often do if its on special offer.

The down side is that it comes in 4.5L cans and most marine engines use 5 - 5.5L of oil so you have to buy 2 cans (or one of the overpriced single litre bottles)

That stuff on ebay could be a good deal but you can often get castrol on offer for a similar price if you shop about and at least your getting a well known brand.

[rossl]

Cheers for that, I can get a 1 Litre oil can through on the company car fuel card so 4.5 L is ok for me.

What about the trans oil in the velvet drive, we normaly have it changed each year at the dealer, but this year would like to do it ourselfs as we can do all the other things. Do i need to pump it out the dip stick or is there a drain plug or fill plug, haven't been down there in a while? The last time I changed gear oil was on an outboard, is it the same sort of deal. also What type of trans fluid would you recommend.

cheers
ross

[saltwater_cowboy]

Trans oil doesn't need changing every year unless contaminated. If its a nice clear red colour kind of like cough mixture its fine. If however is pinky, creamy or brown then you should change it.

I check mine serveral times a year but generally only change if its needed and that could be every other year or so.

If its really brown or milky then you should consider changing the filter. This is a gearbox out job so its only really something you'd want to do at the end of the year but velvet drive boxes are generally bullet proof so don't worry too much.

To change it you can pump it out, syphon or as I do use a large syringe with a bit of flexible hose on the end. With a 250ml syringe it will only take about 5 mins to empty it totally. When refilling ensure the boat is at the angle it would be when in the water and check it as soon as possible after the first use to see if its dropped or too high.

As for the fluid normal car ATF is what you want. About £11 for 5L last time I bought some and I think most boxes only take about 2L.

You've not got a v drive but for any v drive owners out there these have a seperate oil fill on the V drive unit itself. Normal oil for these is engine oil so 15/40 motor oil will be fine. Again same as the gearbox only really need to change if contaminated.

[rossl]

Our is always clear red, so it's fine, I think we change it so much as with our outboards we changed it every 50hrs and just kept going from there, I do get a bit anal about servicing and greasing stuff, I think i may get a holster for my WD40 and teflon spray grease as I use them so much ;-)

cheers
ross

[saltwater_cowboy]

Worth mentioning that is you can change your fluids at the end of the season.

Moisture and acids built up in the oil over the seasons use can damage engine internals over the winter period so its best to do these changes rigth before you winterise. That way come a sunny day in March you can have the boat ready in next to no time.