With all the talk about oil changes:

[SKYCHENEY]

I don't understand extending oil change intervals just to save a couple of bucks. I can change both engines for less than $150 including oil and filters. That's cheap insurance.

[Sparky1]

So Sky, do you change your oil in your car/truck at 3,000 miles? Just curious.

[REBrueckner]

Oil analysis for most marine applications at about 150 hours should usually show "everything ok, continue to use oil"....no harm in changing it at 150 hours,of course, just a few extra dollars. But there is no NEED to change oil at 150 hours unless an oil analysis calls for it.

With bypass oil filters, an UNacceptable analysis usually means "change bypass filters and test again"....I forget the interval, maybe another 50 hours....This can go on for thousands of hours before either an oil change is required but is hardly cost effective at 100 hours annual use. The nice thing about bypass filters is that they filter down to about 1 micron and so your oil is normally almost always "new" with few particle contaminants...

For those who change oil every 150 hours and do NOT have an analysis you may have a major problem and not know it...changing oil every 100 or 150 hours guarantees NOTHING....the ONLY way to tell the condition of your oil is via testing analysis. It's a simple and a usually effective "no brainer" and mechanics LOVEe it....

You can, I believe, buy test strips for some things, and of course smell and appearance DO count....this is a very economical alternative to changing oil on a fixed/absolute schedule.....

[SKYCHENEY]

So Sky, do you change your oil in your car/truck at 3,000 miles? Just curious.

Yes, when I used dino oil. Now that I use full synthetic, I only change every 10,000miles or one year. The new extended life Mobil One claims you can go 15,000miles, but I think that's probably pushing it.

Once again, it's cheap, even with synthetic. I have a pit in my barn and I can change oil in about 20 minutes. Plus, I sell all of my used oil.

[Sparky1]

Sky, I use synthetic in my vehicles as well but can't bring myself to go 10K much less 15K. The car has a computer that tells me when to change the oil, and to be honest, I don't remember how long an interval it's given me over the past. Seems like around 7K or thereabouts, but I change the synthetic in my truck at 5K as I do quite a bit of towing with it.

Funny how our opinons overlap when it comes to our boats vs our cars/trucks.

[MikeP]

Re the boat - What Rob said...

On my (now sold) Porsche 911 I did oil changes per the Porsche factory recommendations - 15,000 miles using Mobil 1. So in the 60,000 miles and 7 years that I owned the car, I did 4 oil changes.

I realize that some folks view it as "good insurance" to put new oil in the engine every X miles/hours. I certainly wouldn't argue with it because it can't hurt. I also don't personally believe that it helps so I don't bother with the effort/cost involved. BUT it's most important for your personal comfort to do whatever YOU believe is the best thing to do and I would never try to convince someone that my way is the "right" way. It's merely "another way."

[ron6785]

I also change my oil once a season, right before layup, regardless of the hours on the engines or the gensets. I also have bypass oil filters installed by Penske but do NOT rely on them to extend the oil change interval. Other than the removal of the oil filters (for which I still have not heard of the holy grail to avoid a mess despite my prior posts in this regard), I enjoy doing the work. In fact, since the age of about seven, my daughter used to help me with the oil changes--the more messy for her the more she enjoyed it. Alas, both she and my son are in college now so I am on my own now. I have not asked the Admiral if she wants to help but perhaps she might enjoy the Sunday NY Times on the aft deck while the process is underway.

You're a sick man. You should immediately seek counsiling!!!! May be I can stop by and you can change mine to keep from getting bored.
HA, Ron

[ron6785]

While cruising like I am this summer, I don't change oil until 200 hrs or so. I'm adding a quart of oil per day by the time I get back to texas I'LL HAVE ADDED 10gallons per side.

[JLR]

Not problem. My present hourly rate is $500 an hour--I am after all--a lawyer first and a grease monkey second.

[Paul45c]

I don't understand extending oil change intervals just to save a couple of bucks. I can change both engines for less than $150 including oil and filters. That's cheap insurance.

Exactly (even though with 12's mine's a little more), so that's why I guess I'm out here on my own with the lesser of 6 mos. or 100 hrs.