Oil change dilemma

Sailing Amok · August 16, 2020, 07:16:03 AM

So, at 104 hours, I'm just over the recommended oil change interval, however, I only have about two weeks left in my sailing season before we need to haul out and ship the boat across the province to our new home for next year. Question is, do I perform the oil change now, while the weather is poor for the next two days,, or do I push it and wait until just before haul out? I imagine I could have another 10-12 hours on the engine by that point. Is it worse to push the oil change, or to winter the boat with slightly used oil? I suppose the other option is do a change with filter now, and a change of just oil at haul out? Also, what's up with the dip stick in the M35B? There's no "full" mark, just two marks, I operate on the assumption that the upper mark is full.

KWKloeber · August 16, 2020, 07:58:14 AM

Quote from: Sailing Amok on August 16, 2020, 07:16:03 AM

Question is, do I perform the oil change now, while the weather is poor for the next two days,, or do I push it and wait until just before haul out? boat with slightly used oil?

Also, what's up with the dip stick in the M35B? There's no "full" mark, just two marks, I operate on the assumption that the upper mark is full.

A&K

Read the MOST recent Ops Manual for the B series (on the wiki) it answers both your questions.
The latter one with both text AND a picture.

captran · August 16, 2020, 08:29:49 AM

how does the wiki work? I put in M-35 manual and don't see anything related to the Universal Westerbeke engine. or is it more important to use extended syntax when looking for something?

Stu Jackson · August 16, 2020, 09:45:03 AM

Quote from: captran on August 16, 2020, 08:29:49 AM
how does the wiki work? I put in M-35 manual and don't see anything related to the Universal Westerbeke engine. or is it more important to use extended syntax when looking for something?

Randy, using search in the wiki is counterproductive. The wiki was built using about 22 different categories, and presented in a Table of Contents format. Find your category and read what's in it. It's that simple.

KWKloeber · August 16, 2020, 10:14:56 AM

Apologies I meant to pass on the link.
Just click on the <Manuals> topic! }}CRS{{

https://c34.org/wiki/index.php?title=Catalina_34

Sailing Amok · August 17, 2020, 04:46:03 AM

Oh wow, they certainly made some changes to the manual! Thanks! So, they've extended the oil change interval from 100 hours to 200 hours. Does that seem reasonable? I wonder what that decision was based on? Was the 100 recommendation a typo in the old manual, or is 200 a typo in the new manual? I can't imagine that Universal's understanding of oil breakdown has changed that drastically... Now I'm curious what is recommended for most similar marine engines of other makes or models.

Ron Hill · August 17, 2020, 03:02:29 PM

A&K : In all the aircraft I've flown we always were allowed to go over an oil change by 10% with no problem. That's what I do with my C34.

A thought

Sailing Amok · August 18, 2020, 05:57:06 AM

Quote from: Ron Hill on August 17, 2020, 03:02:29 PM
A&K : In all the aircraft I've flown we always were allowed to go over an oil change by 10% with no problem. That's what I do with my C34.

A thought

I'f it's good enough for an aircraft, it's good enough for me!

scgunner · August 18, 2020, 07:34:30 AM

Aaron,

Your motor will never know weather you changed oil at 80hrs or 120hrs. As I'm approaching the oil change time, say around 80hrs I start thinking about a convenient time to do it and start gathering materials(oil, filter, etc.). I just got back from a week long island trip and I think I'm at around 108hrs, so it's about that time. I'd say pick a time that works for you.