change oil??
 

how many hours on an oil change? someone said like 40-50. well i got that already this summer! so does that sound right? in the past ive heard b4 season and after? remember i live in wisconsin,so shorter seasons. thanks...

50 hours for me.

50 is the standard. Off the record- if I'm at 50 in the end of august going into September and I know the boat will only see 65 I just change it then... If you're at 50 now, you'll probably do more than 100... I'd change it now.

What is your engine? Most manufacturers say 100 hours or at the end of the season, whichever comes first. Changing your oil early is not a problem. Changing it late can be.

I've never heard a problem coming from changing it once a season. Merc manual says 100 hours or once a season (not sure what the rest say). Oil protects better when it is a little old (up to a point) then when it is new, so you may not be helping anything by changing it sooner.

Do an oil analysis after 50 hours and asses from there. It's like $20 and will save you money in the long run. I'm not buying that changing at 50 is "preventative" or "cheap insurance" right now. Most likely doing it at 50 is wasting your time and money.

I'm doing mine once a season regardless.

50

What about FIRST oil change? I have boat with now 19 hours on it and with all my other boats I have done one at 20 hours....is that dumb? Can I wait until 50 to do my first one with a new boat?

Do the first at 20 like the manual says.

Chris-
Wouldnt before season and after season be the same thing? You would change it at the end of your riding season, then store your boat, then pull it out at the begining of next season and change it again. That seems pointless to me.

First change should be around 20 hours. It could be at 10 or 30. The reason the first change is so early is that there are many particles and contaminants from the manufacturing process that get picked up and plug the filter and affect the oil. It's better to be a bit early with the first change than late. If you are not willing to change the first oil until 50 hours then at least change the filter before 20 hours.
It is better to change the oil at the end of the season than at the beginning of the next. There are acids and contaminants in old oil that will sit on your bearings over the winter if you wait to change until the spring. The oil gets more oxidized sitting over the winter but the system is closed and reactions are slower in the colder air so it is not much of a problem. Just run the engine for a bit after you have changed the oil.

My Indmar manual recommends... conventional oil - every 50 hours, synthetic oil every 100 hours. As dark as my oil is after 50 hours, I change it every 50 with recommended Pennzoil 15w40 Marine conventional oil.

I change mine every 40 to 45 hours. I've got 1150 mostly troublefree hours on my motor, so that interval seems to be working well. My dad changes his every 25 hours. I think that's excessive, but he's got 1600 hours on his motor so until I pass him I can't say anything about it. FYI, one of my buddies is a true motorhead, and he says that it's super important to make sure you change the oil when you winterize - apparently used oil has some nasty stuff in it that shouldn't sit in the motor all winter. Almost everyone does this anyway, but I thought I'd mention it.

It seems to me that the old oil is just sitting in the bottom of the oil pan during the winter. If you change the oil and don't run the engine afterward, the old oil will still be on the moving parts and the new oil will be sitting in the oil pan. Like Travis said, those that change the oil at the end of the season and then again at the beginning are just wasting oil and money.

Good info here guys! I have changed my oil at the 20 hour mark on my other boats and will do it again with this one. Then again at 50 hours or end of season whichever comes first.

Why would you not run the engine a little after an oil change anytime just to make sure the filter is not leaking and to make sure you have the proper amount in?

It's fine to have 5 hours on the oil before you park it. You should run it some just like Jay T said.

Indmar calls for every 50 hours. I tend to not quite hit that a year.

I change my oil before and after every season. In the fall, I change out the oil but not the filter. In the spring, I get it going, then change the oil AND filter. My thoughts on doing this:
- Gets the acid-contaminated oil out in the fall
- Gets the moisture contaminated oil out in the spring
- The fall then spring oil change ensures any lingering used oil from the previous season is fully flushed out of the motor, resulting in only the cleanest oil possible starting off your season.

Chris, send me a pm with your email..

If you change your oil yourself it will cost you 40.00 or less. I would change mine every year or 50 hours whichever comes first. Walmart usually carries all the filters and oil you need. Just get on the Internet and cross the numbers over to one of their brand of filters you prefer.

just keep an eye on the color and how much the boat comsumes. I change mine at mid season or 50 ish. but i put about 150 a year and thats from may till end of sept. i think it depends on the conditions the boat is in, moisture etc

You need to change your oil every 50 hours like most have said. Typically you have a 20 hour break in service as well. With a new motor they burn through oil much faster in the beginning and first 50 hours. So if you put 50 on it already, CHANGE IT. After the first 100 hours or so you don't have to be as cautious but in the beginning make sure all maintenance is done.

I would change the oil every 50 hours(like someone else said maybe go up to 60-65 if it is close to the end of the season) and/or the end of the season. When changing the oil at the end of the season get some fogging solution. Warm the engine, drain, replace filter, refill oil, run for a little while, check oil, add some if you need to because the oil filer and lines filled up, pull spark plugs one at a time and spray in some fogging solution, run the boat for another few minutes, drain all water, blow out heater line and make sure ballast lines/pumps are all drained. I think in the past you could spray some fogging solution in the intake/carb but I am not sure you do that anymore with MPI FI. Also, might be a good idea to put some stabil or other gas stabalizer in the fuel tank. Gas these days goes bad much quicker then the past. Also, if you are anal you could change the impeller when you winterize but it probably only needs to be done every couple of years.

As a tip run the motor warm before draining/sucking out the oil so it is less viscous. It will drain easier/quicker and may get a little more of the old oil out.