Yes...another oil question

I'm getting ready to winterize my '96 sanger v210 and just wanted to double check what weight of oil i should be putting in the transmission. The manual says SAE 30 but i just wanted to check what weight it should be. the consensus seems to say that 15w-40 can be used in the engine (manual says 20w-50) but i just wanted to check if the engine oil and the tranny oil were the same?

Engine oil is 20w-40 as stated by Mercury marine. Mercury is the only one that makes this multi-weight oil. I would recommend using this oil until your warranty is up than you can switch to 15w-40 unless you use the boat in winter when it is cold, than stick with 20w-40. Don't recommend using 20w-50 until the engine starts burning some oil. Walter v-drive recommends a 30w motor oil or Exxon Spartan EP-68 gear oil. Make sure you use single weight 30w oil and not multi-weight oil like 10w-30. Pump the v-drive out through the dip stick hole and remove the vent from the 90 and fill through the vent. By the way the (W) in 10w-30 stands for “winter” and not “weight” as most people think.

I would double check your Transmission manual to make sure it states 'Engine' oil, as most transmissions use Dexron ATF. If you are asking about the V-drive, it probably uses 30W but may be 'Non-detergent' oil instead of plain engine oil. $.02

thanks for the information guys. The boat is a 96 so i don't think there is any warranty left on it. the motor has about 310 hours on it. TigeMike, the manual says to use a Dexron III for the tranny, it was the v-drive oil that i was confused about. I'm not an oil expert but from the information you guys have provided i know what to look for now.

is the 20w-40 a standard oil that can be purchased from a auto parts store (like canadian tire, yes i'm up in canada)

thanks again

Yes, you can get 20w-40 at Canadian Tire and other stores. It's often called truck oil or heavy duty oil. TigeMike is right about trying to get a non detergent oil for the v-drive. As there is no filter for gear oils it's better to just let it settle out, but not critical. AutoValue or NAPA will have some non detergent 30 weight oil.
You're just rushing because the weather's only nice for another couple of days aren't you? I'm jealous because my boat's been away for a month already.

SAE 30 goes in the V-drive
15w-40 in the engine or what the manual says
Dexron III ATF in the tranmission

For the v-drive detergent or non-detergent 30W?

What is wrong with a 10W40 semi-sythetic in the engine? It seems it would be better for cold starts particularly on chilly mornings but offer the same upper temp viscosity.

Non-detergent 30w in the v-drive. My Mercruiser manual calls for 15-40 engine oil. I've never even seen 20-40 oil anywhere.

I said 20w-40 but ment to say 25w-40 in my earlier post Jason said 20w-40 and I just had that stuck in my head. Mercury marine changed the recommended engine oil to 25w-40. As I stated above Mercury is about the only company that I know of that makes this combo of multi-weight oil. AtTheLake would not recommend a 10w-40 if you plan on starting it in the winter a 10w is too thin to form a proper film and protect your engine. Walter does not specify non-detergent 30w but if you can find it localy than use it.

Direct from Mercury Marine

Engine Oil

To help obtain optimum engine performance and to provide maximum protection, we strongly recommend the use of the following oils listed in the order of recommendation:

1.MerCruiser / Quicksilver Synthetic Blend, NMMA FC-W rated, 4 cycle oil.
2.MerCruiser / Quicksilver 25W40 NMMA FC-W rated oil.
3.A NMMA FC-W rated oil.
4.MerCruiser / Quicksilver 4-cycle 25W40, non FC-W rated oil.
5.A good grade straight weight detergent automotive oil per the operating chart below.
NOTE: The use of non-detergent oils, multi-viscosity oils (other than as specified), non-FC-W rated synthetic oils, low quality oils or oils that contain solid additives are specifically not recommended.



This crankcase oil recommendation supersedes all previously printed crankcase oil recommendations for MerCruiser gasoline engines. The reason for this change is to include the newer engine oils that are now available in the recommendation.

Older owner manuals, service manuals and other publications that are not regularly updated will not be revised to show this latest engine oil recommendation. Current owners manuals, service manuals and other service publications that receive regular updates will receive this revised recommendation the next time they are updated.

(Message edited by yubasanger on October 08, 2008)

The higher number is the critical number because it is the viscosity at operating temperature. The lower 'w' number gives you the viscosity at cool a non operating temperature. Once your oil is up to operating temp it really does not matter if you are using an oil that reads 0w or 30w.
If you were to use a 0w-40 oil, as an example, and were pulling hard right after starting the engine for the first time the oil would be thin if the outside temperature was normal, and you might not get enough protection on your bearings. If you had 30w-40 oil you might not get enough lubricant to the rod bearings or cam if you accelerated hard right after starting the engine and the outside temperature was cool.

I use 15w-40 pure synthetic in my Mercruiser, and have since it was broken in. Pure synthetics have better low temperature performance than conventional oil and offer better protection if the oil overheats. Some also have lower internal drag in the engine. Those are my reasons.
I would not be concerned running a 5w-40 oil anywhere in Canada in my boat. With any oil you want to be gentle with your engine until the oil warms up. The engine coolant is at operating temperature quickly but the oil takes longer to heat. It also stays hot longer so restarting after a half hour or so is not usually any issue.

does anyone pour anti freeze down the thermostat housing as an additional safe guard? i've heard people sucking it up into the motor but my manual says u can remove the thermostat and pour it down there

Pouring in is easier as you dont need to wait for the engine to warm up and thermostat to open. If you drain the block first, you know you got a good, safe mixture as well, just dont forget the water in the V-drive and trans cooler.

yup...got a reminder to pull the plugs on the v-drive...the tranny cooler just has a hose to pop off correct? i think that's all my manual says

oh...how much antifreeze should one pour down the thermostat? would a 4 litre jug mixed with the appropriate amount of water be enough?

^^^ straight antifreeze of the pink RV/Marine type till it's full $.02

My trans cooler has a plug, but it's much easier to just pull the hose.

does that rv/marine antifreeze need to be mixed with water to be effective like the auto stuff (or is that just for boiling points). sorry for the lame questions i'm heading out tonight to pick the stuff up and winterize the boat so some of this stuff is last minute

It does not need to be mixed but it can be. Ethylene Glycol (cars) works best as an antifreeze when mixed with water(50/50). Propylene Glycol (RV) works best when it's mostly without water(>80/20).

alright...so winterizing went fairly smooth tonight, sucked about 3.75 liters of oil out with the moeller pump...thought more would come out but whatever better than nothing i suppose, got all the plugs out and disconnected the hoses then drove around for a bit to the pub to shake the water out, put the plugs back in on the engine and added 4L of antifreeze (still gonna dump at least another 4 in, possibly 8 if she'll take it)

i did have a question about the water plugs on the v-drive. the water drainage plugs are a soft metal (brass i think) and soft, so soft that they basically didn't want to come off. since we couldn't get these off should we take off the hoses and somehow get some antifreeze into the v-drive unit to prevent freezing since we can't drain the water out?

spark plugs...what sort of socket are you guys using to get them out? the spark plug sockets i have seemed too long or too thick to get to the plugs themselves since the exhaust manifolds were so close and there wasn't enough room to get the right angle to get the socket on them

thanks again guys