No oil pressure after oil change

[Mike and Joanne Stimmler]

I also use the Fram 3593a oil filter. Never had a problem.

[Stu Jackson]

brober: At the present time I have a PH3593A filter on my M25XPBengine.  A bad batch of filters??

Stu : If the Universal engine(or maybe other brands?) has two screw connections on the oil pressure switch that means that the lift pump is also wired into the oil pressure circuit !!  

And the only way anyone would know is to trace the wires ON THEIR OWN engines.

Your boat, your choice of learning what it is YOU have on YOUR boat.

[lazybone]

This is really disturbing.  I've read a bunch of internet gossip about Fram filters over the years but never really paid much attention, just figured one manufacturer was as good as any other.  Grabed whatever was on the shelf.

Well not anymore.

[Indian Falls]

I'd be cutting that first filter open to see what's going on in there. 

Is it possible that the threaded part on your filter receptacle goes in too far and and bottoms out on something that's is not there on the universal filter?

I used Napa cross references two on the engine and the fuel/water separator filter.

[Stewartn]

I am about to use the Napa oil filter that's cross referenced on their web site to the Universal filter # from the book. Anyone have any experience with the Napa filters on a 35B engine? Comments appreciated before I change. Thanks.

[Stu Jackson]

Parallel discussion and answer:  http://www.sailnet.com/forums/diesel-engine-forum/68996-no-oil-pressure-after-oil-change.html

I've been using the Fram PH6607 for over six years.  Ron gave me grief over it because it didn't have a bypass, although my notes say he also recommended it because it's a shorter filter than the Fram Fram PH-3593-A (replaces PH 2849A).

The PH6607 works for me.

[Ron Hill]

Guys : The first thing that I did when "brober" had a bad filter was to check the country of origin to make sure mine had "made in the USA"!!!!!!
My extra Fram 3593A and Purolator L14459 filters were USA made.  
Just remembering the Chinese Wallboard debacle!!  A thought

[Indian Falls]

It's easy to assume you had 3-4 bad filters....   it might be that you have one bad filter and it's the one letting unfiltered oil back into the engine.  This problem is a real boondoggle for sure.  So now you have oil pressure, what IS the oil pressure?  7lbs. 10lbs. 40lbs?  It's not over yet in my opinion.  Oil filters are simple and to have clogged media over and over is not likely.  If it were me I'd take all the filters you have had on there and cut them open, carefully, where the base meets the shell and do some CSI.

[Ron Hill]

Dan : You are correct, the filter may not be the problem. 
Most filters like that FRAN have a visible spring in the bottom indicating it has a "clogged filter by pass"!!  A thought

[brober29]

The oil pressure is 60-70lbs at around 2200 RPM which is where I generally cruise. I haven't had a chance to investigate further but I'm thinking something was bottoming out on the fitting or something random like that. Hard to imagine that I had four bad filters. I brought the boat home over the last few days from the far east end of Long Island (New York) to Nyack on the Hudson. Total of 26 hours motoring (wind on the nose entire trip) and the engine ran like a top. One other question. How much oil does the sump hold in this engine? In the M25XPB Operator's Manual, it says four qts but the Kubota specs say five qts. It seems to take about five qts to bring the oil near the upper mark on the dipstick.

[Stu Jackson]

Glad you made it OK.  Oil quantity:  I've found it to be something short of four quarts on our M25 and the XP is essentially the identical engine.  The trick is to remove the old oil (however you choose to do so - there are many ways and that's not the subject of this thread), replace the filter, and fill 'er up with three quarts, then take out the dipstick, let things settle, then check the dipstick by adding a small amount at a time.  Somewhere in there you can run the engine for a minute to distribute the oil.  Then keep adding and checking.  You are aware, are you not, that the dipstick is NOT like a car engine?  There is a seal on the top, so when you first take it out it won't read reliably.  You need to remove it slightly, break the seal, let it sit for a minute til the oil levels out, then check the level.  If the seal is shot, get a new dipstick.

[Ron Hill]

brober : For some unknown reason I've found that it's easy to overfill the M25XPB, but then thats just probably me.  
I haven't looked up the oil capacity of the Kubota tractor equivalent engine, but my XPB holds about 4 qts like Westerbeke says. Besides the Kubota tractor engine might have an oil cooler, which could easily account for the additional oil capicity.
When I fill mine (with a new empty oil filter), I add about 3 1/2 qts of oil.  Then start up the engine and let it run for a minute or two.  Then shut off the engine, let the oil in the upper unit drain back down into the pan.  
Then check the oil just like you normally would - pull out the dipstick, wipe it clean, reinsert dipstick (reseal all the way) and check the oil level.  Then fill to the correct level now that the filter has oil in it.

I'd guess that with dipstick inserting into the engine block itself and being further aft (than the other M25s) it seems as thought it would/should take about the same amount of oil.  Haven't compared the measurement part of the dipsticks (side by side), but the top portions are different.  
At least Westerbeke's redesign of the oil extraction has made it much easier to get ALL of the old oil out.

Hope this helps.

[jfssail]

Stewartn
I used to use the Fram 3593a on my M35A engine, but changed three years ago to NAPA Gold 1064 or Wix 51064. after reading some comparisons between various filter brands.NAPA Gold runs about $11, double the price for a Fram, NAPA has a cheaper 1064 so whats a few more dollars to make sure you are using a heavy duty filter. I usually put 150 hours on my engine each season and change oil and filter at 100 hours and then at the end of the season.

JACK F STEWART
1993 C 36 #1233 "WINDANCER"
PORT CLINTON, OH

[Kevin Henderson]

I have been following this thread closely over the past week in preparation for my (don't laugh ) performance of my first oil change ever on a boat engine.  The PO had a spare filter that I was intending to use but I got nervous and went to my local Pep Boys and purchased the Fram PH3593A (2 of them) to be careful that I had a proper filter (the Sierra is probably fine but I wanted to be certain).  I extracted the oil from the dipstick but didn't seem to suck quite enough out so I went through the oil change tube that went deeper into the oil pan.  I replaced the oil, changed the filter and replaced the cap and buttoned everything up and went topside to turn her over.  Since everyone in this thread was talking about oil pressure I was wondering how I would know if my pressure was too low.  My questioned was answered in just a few short seconds when the alarm that sounds upon starting, was screaming longer than usual.
Thankfully just as quick as it was sounding, the alarm had silenced and I surmised this to be my indicator.  (I guess the pressure would be low initially until the oil got circulated and filled up the filter).  I rechecked my oil level and double checked for any leaks and am proud to report that everything is running fine.... Mission accomplished

[Stu Jackson]

Kevin, congratulations.  Doesn't that feel good?

Next, if you haven't done it, is the fuel filter system.  Two of the best threads I've read on bleeding are:

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,2884.0.html

and

http://c34.org/bbs/index.php/topic,5558.0.html

I put off doing mine for altogether too long in 1998 when we first got the boat because I'd read all sorts of horror stories about how difficult it is to bleed diesel engines.

For our engines, and armed with Ken's invaluable pointers, it's a no-brainer.  Follow his advice and you will have no issues.