Oil Changes (Time scales)

actions · 28 August 2011, 20:30

Quick (probably) stupid question.

Going to change my gear oil having had about 60 hours on the water so far this season, but wondering if i should change the main engine oil as well or can this go for longer, maybe till its main service when its put to bed in December.

Any thoughts.

Engine is a BF40 Honda 4 stroke (2005).

Anchorhandler · 28 August 2011, 21:14

If you can afford to change your engine oil on a more frequent basis than what the manufacturer recomends then do it!

The oil is the life blood of your engine and keeping it as clean as possible wll greatly increase your engines longevity...

When your engine is running there should be little or no metal to metal contact between the internal components.....they ride on a very thin film of oil (termed hydrodynamic lubrication) This film is often only microns thick but never the less allows the various parts to 'glide' up and over each other. As the oil gets contaminated with foreign particles the thin film between each component becomes more and more 'abrasive' and contributes to wear. It's viscosity also changes which affects the hydrodynamic lubrication process. Various other factors change also but there's not much point of going into that much detail here...

Hope this helps

Simon

Channel Ribs · 29 August 2011, 07:09

Well worth doing in my view, especially with the engine oil as it is so easy to do. Gear oil is a bit more fiddly until you get the right bits and technique, but after that it is a breeze.

As Simon says, it will enhance the life and performance of your engine. The only down side is the environmental issue of what to do with the waste oil.

Edit: Fresh water flushing is another good one that many overlook.

Poly · 29 August 2011, 07:28

Actions,

What's the recommended service interval (100 hrs?). Will you exceed this before the boat gets put to bed? How does the oil look? Do you tend to spend your running time at high revs or at tickover (like a club safety boat?)

I might be thinking of this wrong - but 100 hr service interval compared to most cars which now have a 10,000+ mile service period - this suggests you are driving your boat like driving a car at 100 mph everywhere (which is probably fair for what most people do in a rib - drive it hard and pretty fast). Whilst some people do extra oil changes on cars most wouldn't consider doing a 6000 mile change on a modern 4 stroke petrol.

actions · 29 August 2011, 08:37

Thanks for the replies,

Polwart, I would hope to acheive more than 100 hours before its next service but judging by the last two days of weather who knows.

Service manual states every 100 hours for both oils to be changed, however i'm sure i read somewhere on here maybe that in Salt water this should be halved?

And yes, i tend to be at the higher end of the rev's, unless wife is with me and then its a bit more sedate.

Martin - Got myself a gear oil pump this time judging by the mess i made doing it by hand on the old engine.

Well for the sake of a couple of bits of oil i think i will change it then, especially as it wont be serviced until December ish.

On that note, are the 4 strokes easy to fully service yourself or is a dealer best. Any links to any previous threads known, had a quick search but didnt find anything.

Channel Ribs · 29 August 2011, 09:02

Quote:

Originally Posted by actions

are the 4 strokes easy to fully service yourself or is a dealer best

Hondas are an absolute treat in my view, but it is very much a matter of personal taste.

Oils, plugs, fuel filter is a bit fiddly, oil filter, impeller, dab of grease on all the linkages and nipples. All easy to get to.

Channel Ribs · 29 August 2011, 09:09

A screen grab of the schedule page of the manual....

And link to the manual in full:

http://marine.honda.com/pdf/manuals/31ZW4607.pdf

actions · 29 August 2011, 14:36

Cheers for the links Martin.

I'd like to service it myself and can certainly do the oils, plugs, filters, and maybe even attempt the impellor but i dont have a clue when it comes to cleaning any of the carbs, tightening belts if needed and idle speeds.

Do any courses exist that anyone knows of that cover servicing of four strokes, such as an RYA course. I'm thinking it would be cheaper in the long run and also should anything happen at sea give me an idea of what to look for.

Channel Ribs · 29 August 2011, 14:44

Quote:

Originally Posted by actions

Do any courses exist that anyone knows of that cover servicing of four strokes, such as an RYA course.

You are not the first person to ask that, but AFAIK there is only the diesel course.

You will find the carb bits and bobs as you become familiar with the engine, if you get a tricky bit just post a photo on here and wassisname or thingybob will chip in with something useful.

actions · 29 August 2011, 14:52

Diesel only, surely there is a gap in the market for them to exploit then

.

I know i'd certianly do a course if it meant i could learn how to look after the engine and save on labour costs.

Oh well, i shall do the oil's now and then when it comes to the full service see how i get on. Rib.net better get some more space for uploading pics when i get stuck

Poly · 29 August 2011, 15:15

BSAC (the folk that think its better to go under the water than float on top

) run courses for petrol engines. Not sure its full servicing or more troubleshooting afloat type stuff? I think Doug (Stormforce) runs either these or something similar...

actions · 29 August 2011, 15:21

Thanks Polwart.

In fact just found this only 5 miles away from me. Outboard Engine

Could be what i'm looking for.

davej · 29 August 2011, 18:45

The BSAC 'british sub aqua club' do an outboard maintanance course, which I am told is very good, as recently a few branch members went on one and came home raving about it.

I am not sure if you need to be a BSAC member to attend, email bsac hq and ask them, as they will run these courses all over the uk during the winter.

good luck
dave

actions · 07 September 2011, 14:11

Woohoo,

Changed the oil's today

. Gearbox was straight forward with the pump. Moved onto the main engine oil and ooooooohhhhhh whoooopppsss.

Undid the drain bolt as stated but left it in slightly whilst i positioned the bottle and funnel. Popped the drain funnel section of the engine in, removed the bolt and bloody hell,

how fast did it come out.

It was like a hose on full power. I managed to get some in the funnel and even managed to get some into the bottle 1 1/2 ltrs ish, but some went on the drive, well actually a fair bit.

So after ages of cleaning both me and the drive, i reinstsalled the bolt with a new washer. Filled her up, checked the level and bingo all done.

now i've parked my car over the top of whats left on the drive so hopefully i will get away with it when the wife returns

I'm also praying for heavy rain to wash some more away.......

Channel Ribs · 07 September 2011, 15:07

Quote:

Originally Posted by Channel Ribs

The only down side is the environmental issue of what to do with the waste oil.

Problem solved!

Erin · 07 September 2011, 15:49

The limited experience I've had of Honda oil changes is that it generally comes out the same golden colour it went in as.

As far as I know, you could probably gain a pretty good understanding of carb based outboards by doing a course or reading up about their motorbike versions. The main difference between marine and road is the leg, cooling and impellor. The block, carbs and fuel side of things is pretty standard.

actions · 07 September 2011, 16:30

I'm certainly looking into doing a course this year or early next, or just keep practicing and using rib net for pointers......

Waste Oil disposal idea, maybe it will catch on........ then again...