Question on yearly engine maintenance - with low operating time in the seaso

[Primal Alliance]

Any engine, gas or diesel, once used with running time on it should optimally speaking have the engine oil changed out every 4 months irregardless of the time on the oil. It now has acid and water in it from combustion. If your engine time is really low, and as someone elsewhere has said, especially if its running at reasonably high temps{more traditionally a car}you can make a case for not changing out the oil that often. I own one gas engine in particular, a Lycoming airplane engine that would cost me $40,000 to replace in a plane I couldn't get more than $50,000 for to begin with, that is pretty much going to get an oil change out every 4 months irregardless of how low the interim hours on it are. PERIOD! The same goes for my 3YM20 Yanmar on my Dana 24 sailboat. It'd be another $30,000 to have it changed out. As for the trany, change out the oil with straight weight SAE 30, not multiple weight, non detergent{there is no combustion and non detergent is in this setting a better lubricant}. Doing it at every engine oil change is totally unnecessary. I'm definitely on board with changing out the impeller every 2 years or 100 hours, which ever comes first.

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by mbartosch

I am a bit reluctant to ask what might be a really dumb question, but I'd like some opinions on maintenance schedule on a marine diesel engine.

The Yanmar 4JH5CE engine on Entropy is now 8 years old, has 1000 engine hours and received its scheduled "big" 1000 h maintenance in May 2019. Basically "everything" was done in this big maintenance by professional Yanmar staff.

After this maintenance there was only an additional meagre 40 engine hours in the 2019 season.

Now my question: what amount of maintenance would YOU do for the 2020 season under these conditions?

In the past we always changed oil, coolant, filters and impellers every season, but I was thinking if I might skip any of those this time because the engine was only operated for such a short run time. Keep the impeller? And the coolant? But change oil and filters?

Bad idea? What do you do?

I recommend following the engine manufacturers maintenance schedule.

For oil and oil filter, there is an argument that dirty oil, even after only a few hours of operation may contain contaminants that could harm the engine if idle for long periods, such as during winter lay up.

[a64pilot]

Originally Posted by Primal Alliance

Any engine, gas or diesel, once used with running time on it should optimally speaking have the engine oil changed out every 4 months irregardless of the time on the oil. It now has acid and water in it from combustion. If your engine time is really low, and as someone elsewhere has said, especially if its running at reasonably high temps{more traditionally a car}you can make a case for not changing out the oil that often. I own one gas engine in particular, a Lycoming airplane engine that would cost me $40,000 to replace in a plane I couldn't get more than $50,000 for to begin with, that is pretty much going to get an oil change out every 4 months irregardless of how low the interim hours on it are. PERIOD! The same goes for my 3YM20 Yanmar on my Dana 24 sailboat. It'd be another $30,000 to have it changed out. As for the trany, change out the oil with straight weight SAE 30, not multiple weight, non detergent{there is no combustion and non detergent is in this setting a better lubricant}. Doing it at every engine oil change is totally unnecessary. I'm definitely on board with changing out the impeller every 2 years or 100 hours, which ever comes first.

Off topic but for your Lycoming, run that rascal as often as you can, and if you pre heat only do so just prior to starting, and do anything you can to keep any condensation from entering the engine, the cam shaft as You know on a Lycoming is up high in the engine and cams are very prone to rusting and even light rust can eat a cam up, then the engine comes out and the cases spilt to change the cam, and hole the metal didn’t damage the crank etc.

I put a desiccant filter on the crankcase breather tube on my IO-540W1A5D I was so paranoid about it to keep from it sucking in moist air after shutdown, I believe it helps.
You can home brew one easily, just hang a red ribbon off of it.

Since Exxon Elite has been discontinued, I’d get me a few cases to have, as I believe it does help prevent corrosion

[Cadence]

Originally Posted by mbartosch

I am a bit reluctant to ask what might be a really dumb question, but I'd like some opinions on maintenance schedule on a marine diesel engine.

The Yanmar 4JH5CE engine on Entropy is now 8 years old, has 1000 engine hours and received its scheduled "big" 1000 h maintenance in May 2019. Basically "everything" was done in this big maintenance by professional Yanmar staff.

After this maintenance there was only an additional meagre 40 engine hours in the 2019 season.

Now my question: what amount of maintenance would YOU do for the 2020 season under these conditions?

In the past we always changed oil, coolant, filters and impellers every season, but I was thinking if I might skip any of those this time because the engine was only operated for such a short run time. Keep the impeller? And the coolant? But change oil and filters?

Bad idea? What do you do?

I think you have it OK with that thinking.

[Primal Alliance]

A couple things. I agree with both these posts. If you're going to lay it up for months at a time, lay it up with oil in that has never been run. That way there's no acid or water in it. And for a64pilot I know all about having to split cases on aircraft engines from cam and cam follower ware. That's why, like the last of the horizontally opposed air cooled Porsche engines, I put an electric pre oiler in my Lake Amphibian. And going back to the one thing plane and sail boat auxiliaries have in common more than anything else-for every one of them made there's a hundred thousand car engines made. And replacing a car engine is much easier than a boat or a plane engine as well as much cheaper. Take care of your boat and plane engine like more than just your life depends on it. Your bank account does as well.

[Toccata]

In my opinion oil is cheap, compared to every other engine component (marine, car or aviation) As a DIY procedure, an oil change is therapeutic, you just feel good giving your machine that extra bit of attention.
Change it AND the filter regularly (while engine is hot) and hopefully enjoy the longevity that results.
Is there a research paper on the relationship between longevity and oil change intervals?

[Primal Alliance]

Not that I know of but I agree with your post. It is however about a 1.5-2 hour job on either my plane or my boat so I don't "over do it".

[ramblinrod]

Originally Posted by Primal Alliance

Not that I know of but I agree with your post. It is however about a 1.5-2 hour job on either my plane or my boat so I don't "over do it".

Get yourself a 6L ball style, manual pump oil extractor.

Should cut the time in half, and you can do other maintenance chores while it drains.

[Elie]

Originally Posted by ferrailleur

Please bear with my twisted or no so twisted logics...
Not trying to be argumentative. I'm not and expert! Love to hear from the more knowledgeable.

Why change your engine oil for let's say only 20 hrs motoring in the season?

Do you change your car/SUV oil every 500 miles?

Twenty hours of your boat motoring time roughly equal 20 hrs of your car/SUV motoring time at 25miles per hour.... (speed roughly adjusted for highway/slow/idling time).

20 times 25 is 500.
Again? would you change your oil every 500 mi.?

Oil in a engine block (boat or car/SUV/truck/bulldozer, etc.) is self contained if no water/coolant/fuel is in it. If there is contamination in the oil my logics doesn't apply!

Re: the supposed "acid and oil contamination" eating away at the metals of your engine block and components over the winter. Never seen any info about it... Again: I'm not an expert.

Thanks for "listening".

I can't agree more on what you said.
My Volvo-Perkins diesel engine run at max less then 70 hours each season. I change the oil at the end of each season, and since I have the chance to have a plug for the purpose of emptying the oil(by opposition of having to pump it that always leave some old oil and sludge!). I don't replace the oil filter(just after 250 hours or 3-4 years) and my synthetic transmission fluid is replaced once every 5 years. That is much more attention then any car requirement. My present car tells me when oil is guetting close to be changed, and with 16000 km per year, this occurs once every 8-10 months..
So I don't see the point of this story of corrosion end acidification of oil in winter...

[Toccata]

I reckon there is a greater likelihood of condensation forming inside a boat motor, (than a car engine).
The effects of this over time are problematic. (rust on the unprotected metals)
The low running hours exaggerate the problem as the water is not being evaporated by a hot engine/hot oil.
I am led to believe that a high hour engine (e.g. in a fishing trawler) is likely to last much longer then our low hour cruising motors.
Hence the need to increase the frequency of oil changes, to get rid of the accumulated condensate. IMHO>

[slug]

Originally Posted by mbartosch

I am a bit reluctant to ask what might be a really dumb question, but I'd like some opinions on maintenance schedule on a marine diesel engine.

The Yanmar 4JH5CE engine on Entropy is now 8 years old, has 1000 engine hours and received its scheduled "big" 1000 h maintenance in May 2019. Basically "everything" was done in this big maintenance by professional Yanmar staff.

After this maintenance there was only an additional meagre 40 engine hours in the 2019 season.

Now my question: what amount of maintenance would YOU do for the 2020 season under these conditions?

In the past we always changed oil, coolant, filters and impellers every season, but I was thinking if I might skip any of those this time because the engine was only operated for such a short run time. Keep the impeller? And the coolant? But change oil and filters?

Bad idea? What do you do?

You have taken good care of your engine

Keep up the good work

Additionally ...seals and bearings on both sea water and captive water pumps don’t last forever
Alternators should be cleaned up, bearings and seals
Fan belts
Flexible hose should be inspected or thrown out
Injectors need service
Injector HP pump need service
Heat exchangers cleaned, seals replaced ...look for corrosion
Flywheel ring gear..starter motor engagement point ..should be greased
Keep a sharp eye on the exhaust system..de carbonized the water injection exhaust jacket
Thermostat inspected
Gearbox oil change , filter cleaned
Examine engine mounts..they don’t last forever