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[reedbr]

I did the oil change on Saturday.  I went for the straight 30 weight oil in the store, but when I went to pour it in, I noticed it was straight 40 weight.  It was Chevron Delo 400 oil, SAE 40 non-synthetic, and after doing a quick check to make sure it was diesel grade (CF) I put it in anyway.  I only run in the summer and I only log about 100 hours a year, so I was hoping the thicker 40 would be OK.  Now I'm doing my research to see if I would need to change it again.  Nothing on this board on straight 40 oil in a Universal M35B, not a whole bunch on the web overall.

Any opinions?

While I'm here (and I haven't done a search on this yet), where do I drain the coolant from the FWC system?  I've only topped if off since I bought the boat three years ago and I figure it is time to change it.

[Stu Jackson]

Brian

Try this for the engine info:

http://www.marinedieseldirect.com/universal/200157/

If 40 weight works and it's not too cold, I don't see a problem.  Ron Hill and I use the new synthetic oils, which leave/create less acid.  If you're going to change, it may be worth considering the synthetic oils.

[reedbr]

Diesel manuals are good reading.  Some interesting notes from that link:

The picture that includes FWC block drain is almost impossible to see, but I get the idea it is on the front/stbd corner.

There is no maintenance interval for the FWC system listed.

They are specific on the ATF fluid for the Hurth transmission, but no mention on engine oil viscosity.

There is no decompression lever on the M35.

I use synthetics on all my cars, so don't know why I didn't think of it for the boat.  I guess I had never seen Mobil 1 in a straight 30 weight before.  Amsoil has a good information page on their purely synthetic oil, guaranteed for 25,000 miles change intervals (designed for truckers) which has got to be about 400 engine hours.  Oh, and their final note, "or once a year, whichever comes first"!

[Stu Jackson]

Brian:  You wrote: "There is no maintenance interval for the FWC system listed."

Sometimes the car analogy works.  I remember that I have a baster type probe to check the condition of the coolant, looks like the gizmo you use to check the electrolyte in the batteries (hydrometer).  One of those should do you.

[Ron Hill]

Brian : If you use synthetics in you car why not use them in your boat diesel - I always have.  
If you look at Castrol synthetic you'll find that they have a 10W40.  
I talked to Mobil Engineers and they said 2 qts of  5W30 + 2 qts of 15W50 =  4 qts 10W40!  

[Paul Blumenfeld]

Stu,

Are you using the same Mobil 1 oil that Ron uses or something different?  Any special cleaning necessary when first switching to the synthetic oil?

Thanks,

Paul

[Stu Jackson]

Paul

Yes.

No - just put it in.  Clean what?

[Paul Blumenfeld]

Stu,

Since you're not able to get all of the old oil out, I wasn't sure if there would be an issue with the two types mixing a bit.  Should you do another oil change sooner than normal?

Paul

[Mike Vaccaro]

One thing to consider is making changing the oil easy.  Then it's a matter of frequent changes.  While there is much to be said for chemistry, there's also a lot of emotion involved in different types of oil.  A reasonable, straight-weight diesel oil changed at regular intervals is one of the keys to preventative maintenance.  Engines are expensive and maintenance is expensive, even the most expensive oil is inexpensive if it saves on the first two!  

A simple modification is to fit a 90 degree elbow to the oil pan and then equip this with the appropriate hose.  This makes pumping the oil out of a warm motor a one-minute operation.  We simply cap the hose and hang it on the side of the engine space.  We have a small bucket with a DC electric pump that plugs into the end of the hose and makes short work of the oil.  It would be practical to mount the pump in the boat, so all you have to do to empty the oil is flip a switch and fill an old milk jug.

Access to the oil filter on the M-25 is very good, so there really isn't a need for a remote mounting.   Generally, a small amount of oil is spilled during the process of unscrewing the old filter, but it is easily sopped up if you cover the forward engine mount (petroleum products are hard on rubber--Ron Hill has a great technique of cutting a small Tupperware container to cover the mount).  The only advantage to a remote mounted filter (assuming it was mounted vertically) would be to minimize this small mess.  Overall, probably not worth the added complexity and dollars involved.

Cheers,

Mike