Motor Oil For Westerbeke 4-107 ?

[Whimsy]

This has maybe been done to death, but I can’t find anything on what kind of motor oil to put in what I suppose to be a 1972 Westerbeke 4-107, in the 1972 Morgan Out Island 41 I bought last summer. I have downloaded the old Perkins 4-108 owner's manual .pdf, but I'm wondering if the oils recommended in that are still the best choices, still being made, or just how current that advice might be.

As far as what might have been used in it before, I don’t know for sure. Found onboard three cans of Texaco Ursa oil, in a white plastic can, red printing, with a steel top. Wondering about age of that oil and if additives are still good in what may be some very old oil. Guessing I shouldn’t use that.

Any advice on what commonly available oil and filter I can use in this engine _from now on_ would be appreciated.

Been working down the pre-launch and pre-delivery lists every chance we have to make the 4-hour drive up here. Hope to launch soon and get it the 130 miles south to our home marina in the Hampton Roads area.

[zeehag]

delo or rotella -- we used 30 wt in my perkins, as i recall......yannie uses 30 wt, per dealer/dist. oil is available at walmart..LOL.. and filters can be found with luck in wallys or in NAPA...if you dont want to spend marine store prices-- they ARE marine rated filters-- napa carries them.
if you need any spare parts. i may have a couple left--i just repowered with a 4-108.

[DWT]

I have a 30 hp Westerbeke in my 69 Morgan. My guess is that it was put in sometime in the late 80's. The manual calls for 10w 30.

Good Luck

[meyermm]

Most well known brands of motor oil are good quality 30 weight is usually good for average climates (no winter snow). Most marine diesels should be run with mono grade diesel oil which helps to reduce bore glazing from light load running like charging batteries etc.

[Chief Engineer]

Make sure it is diesel rated not automotive

[meyermm]

I did state DIESEL

[zeehag]

DELO or ROTELLA are the most common names for diesel oil. you want 30 wt. not 10-30.

10-30 is for your sports car and for the mrs car.

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by zeehag

DELO or ROTELLA are the most common names for diesel oil. you want 30 wt. not 10-30.

10-30 is for your sports car and for the mrs car.

That is what monograde is single weight not multigrade 10-30etc

[Chuckanut]

I believe Delo and Rotella are now API certified. API certified is bad, Is has had the Zincs and Phosphorous levels reduced for automotive catalytic converter performance, they last longer. I'm running Brad Penn Diesel oil right now. Delo or Rotella should be fine. My hot rod burns up flat tappets and cams with out the extra Zinc and Phosphorous, Like the older Delo and Rotella. My 2 cents.

[pdxsailordiver]

I have a 1974 Westerbeke 4-107. The manual list 30wt as the oil to use.
I use Delo 30wt.

[Laidback]

Originally Posted by Whimsy

As far as what might have been used in it before, I don’t know for sure. Found onboard three cans of Texaco Ursa oil, in a white plastic can, red printing, with a steel top. Wondering about age of that oil and if additives are still good in what may be some very old oil. Guessing I shouldn’t use that.

Check this site - (I would use that oil) Ursa Products

[marc2012]

I was told by texaco dealer ursa & delo same since some take over,Am using which ever is avaiable.

[Whimsy]

Many thanks to all who responded.

I like the Rotella and filter from Wal-Mart idea. The Hastings HL115(?) filter that was on the remote filter kit cross-referenced to a Fram PH8A... As it turned out, Wally World had a few varieties of Rotella that all seemed to be multigrade and/or some combo of synthetic. The manual I have calls for 20wt or 30wt. After a phone call to a very helpful individual at NAPA, finally ended up there for a couple WIX 1515 filters and a couple gallons of (what by then seemed like) "good old-fashioned" Rotella T1 - the basic non-synthetic 30 wt. The price seemed pretty competitive, though by then I was just glad to have it in hand. Now its obvious that Rotella is available simply in T1 up through at least T6...

Hooked up the water hose (boat is on the hard) and ran the engine for 45 minutes at 1700 rpm to heat and agitate the oil to mix up as much settled stuff as possible, then sucked the old black sludge out through the dip stick hole. (Boat is new to me, I'm not shy to do the correct maintenance, change all my engines' oil like clockwork, but apparently the last owner didn't change it before a two-year layup...).

About the time I shut it down and was halfway through the extraction process, a cool local guy I had meet before here (I'm four hours from home) was hollering his "Ahoy" from way down on the ground, then came aboard. Turns out he has a farm with tractors, combines and who knows what other diesel equipment, and also a Pearson 39 center ckpt here at this marina. He buys his oil by the drum, "International 15w-40" and uses it in his all his farm equipment engines, his own early '70s marine Westerbeke 4-107, and personal gasoline vehicles as well.

IIRC, its OK to use multigrade oil as long as its changed on time as 15w-40 acts like 15 for cold starting purposes, acts like 40w for running purposes, but as the additives degrade past the useful life of the oil, one is left with 15w that is just 15w and will abnormally wear out an engine. No?

[meyermm]

Why bother coming on a forum and asking opinions which just happen to coincide with what your own manual says and then deciding that a Farmer with a boat knows better. Maybe I as a fourty years in the business mechanic should go and suggest what he should feed his cattle or fertilise his paddocks based on the fact that I have grown a few flowers and had a dog or two.
I just reread your post and I would suggest to the Farmer next time you see him that he is in the wrong business he should start making oil as he knows far more than the guys doing it now. One oil for every variety of engine petrol, Diesel, stationary and Marine wow I really would take a lot of notice of him - NOT.

[Chief Engineer]

I think it is ok to use diesel rated oil in gas but not vice versa.

I have been using Rotella 30 in Atomic 4s for years.