oil and filter?

[fastskipper]

Now it's time to change oil in the beast.
I'm going with Valvoline 20w-50 racing oil and a NAPA ( wix ) racing filter. Any opinions on the oil and filter???

[fastskipper]

Now it's time to change oil in the beast.
I'm going with Valvoline 20w-50 racing oil and a NAPA ( wix ) racing filter. Any opinions on the oil and filter???

[Bill]

Make sure they are for marine applications. Marine engines require speacial additives that auto oils do not have. If you have a Merc, you should put a Mercury oil filter and oil in it.

2003 ZT 240 6.2litre/Bravo 320 H.P. 25P Mirage Plus

[fastskipper]

Thanks bill, This engine is very high perf and has lots ( 85psi hot at 1000rpm) of oil pressure. I'm not sure if I can trust a stock OEM type filter. One of the things I know about the wix filter is that it is made to take high oil pressure. That's bout all I know about it. What are other people using???

[vinny p.]

I don't like putting multi weight oil in boats. I don't see the need for it. I always use straight 40 weight. Never had a problem with it. As far as the filter, you are making a good choice. Wix are one of the best filters for boats. They are able to hold more water than other brands, before going into by-pass. That is alot of oil pressure!! Did you use a high pressure pump in the motor? If so, what benefits do you think it will give you?

[fastskipper]

Thanks Vinny
I just purchased the boat and didn't have anything to do with building the engine. The guy I boaught it from said it was a hot 468. I talked to the engine builder and he said it was a 496. Things I remember the engine guy say'n was a bow tie tall block, cross drilled steel stroker crank, corrella rods, titanium valves and roller rockers, heads match ported to intake,ect.ect....565HP on dyno. Alls I know is that it has alot of oil pressure and I want to put the right stuff in it.

[Chris]

I'm personally not a big fan of 20W oils. I'd rather opt for a 10W or 15W synthetic. I just find on start up the 20W stuff is too thick and takes too long to get flowing. Just my .02 cents. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_smile.gif

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[Bill]

Mercurys oil is 25W, anything less is not enough for Marine application, including slippery synthetic oils. Remember, you are generally cruising at higher RPM's than you will ever run in your auto. I have a 4.11:1 gear ratio in my truck and still I am only at 2500 rpm at 75 mph. I would check with the person who rebuilt the motor about the oil and find out why such extreme oil pressure. I am at 45 psi in a new 6.2 litre with the break in oil. Like Chris, just my 2 cents too...

2003 ZT 240 6.2litre/Bravo 320 H.P. 25P Mirage Plus

[vinny p.]

Ahh-- the old question of synthetic or petroleum base oil... We could argue this point for days without ever coming to a solution that everyone will agree on.
Sorry Chris, but my opinion is that synthetics are great oils, but belong in racing applications. I don't see the advantages for performance or pleasure boating. True, that synthetics will not break down as quickly as petroleum base, but they still get saturated with fuel. That is what kills oil. You still have to change the oil in a performance marine motor every 20 hours or so regardless of which oil is in the crankcase. Petroleum base oil is less than half the price of synthetic, so why bother with synthetics. If the oil is kept fresh, petroleum base oil will do the job just fine.
Fastskipper;
Can you post the exact specifications of that motor? IE: cam profile, compression, flow numbers, type of exhaust....Of course the most important numbers, how fast and what boat is it in.

[Bill]

Fastskipper, I normally do not make it a practice of backing a persons remarks that I have not met, but in this case, I must say that Vinny is right on. Cosidering what he does for a living, he is very credible, and I used to be a marine service manager, so I think I have a good understanding here. If this were an outboard, I would say synthetic, but because it is a stearn drive, go with the 25w oil.

Hey Vinny, where can I buy those umbrellas??? http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_wink.gif

2003 ZT 240 6.2litre/Bravo 320 H.P. 25P Mirage Plus

[Eriktheviking]

I used to run Valvoline racing 40w oil,but now I'm running the Merc. 25-40w. You got the 25w for cold starts and the 40w for WIDE OPEN THROTTLE! http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[fastskipper]

Vinny
As of yet I don't have the exact specs. What I know about it right now is from the engine builder's memory. The engine was buildt a few years ago. He did say that it had 9.4 to 1 compression. The cam was ground special for this boat hull design....whatever that means or is worth. It has a Gil exhaust. Oh....the engine is in a 89 Convincor GTX. The seller is looking for all the paperwork,if he finds it I will pass more specs on to you. Only had the boat in the water for a test drive. It did 50 in 3-4 footers. Didn't have a chance to open it up...it sounded real strong. The seller claims it will do 80. When talking with the engine builder on the phone he said he saw the boat do 80. who knows.....time will tell.
What i'm concerned with right now is if I made a good oil and filter choice. From the comments so far it doesn't look like i'm that far off.

[JW]

Merc's own 25W-40 oil is probably the best you can buy for STOCK engines. A lot of the boyz over at OffshoreOnly use the synthetic 20W-50 racing oil for hi-perf motors. Sounds like yours is Hi-perf. Be hard to tell which oil would be better for your application. The engine builder, if VERY experienced with boat applications, should be the final word.
I run 100% synthetic outboard oil in my Promax, and I like it. The Merc Premium Plus outboard oil is an excellent oil, but I can buy the 100% syn for the same price so why not go for the extra protection of syn.

1995 Pulsare 2100BR/1995 Mercury Promax 225 2.5 EFI/ 1.87:1 Torquemaster/ RapidJack Heavy-Duty manual 10.5" setback/ 23" Tempest worked for ski duty

[JW]

Wix filters on the other hand.......

lots of people use them because of the higher pressure capability, but the lab testing I've read always show the wix as a poor performer when it comes to filtering the dirt. I'd personally stick to the Mercury branded filters for my I/O until I saw newer tests that showed Wix improved the filtering............

1995 Pulsare 2100BR/1995 Mercury Promax 225 2.5 EFI/ 1.87:1 Torquemaster/ RapidJack Heavy-Duty manual 10.5" setback/ 23" Tempest worked for ski duty

[vinny p.]

JW,
I didn't know that about Wix filters. We use them exclusively at work. We have been told that they filter well and can hold more water than other brands. That is why I liked them on marine engines. But, I never saw a lab report.

[vinny p.]

Bill;
It hasn't stopped raining here. It feels like it will be raining forever. We have had a few breaks in the weather DURING THE WEEK, the weekends have been a total wash out. Luckily for me I have a city job. No one cares if you take a vacation day or a half day without any notice. I will be doing that tomorrow again. This weekend was another washout. As far as umbrellas go, I am sold out right now-- I am waiting for the next shipment to be delivered. http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_biggrin.gif

[fastskipper]

Thanks JW
I did ask the engine builder about synthetic oil. He just told me that he didn't have any experiance with them. He said use a good quality 20-50. On the other hand they were using a Fram HP4 oil filter and i'm not a big Fram fan. I agree with Vinny on the filter. I have used Wix filters on hot rods and sports cars. I also agree with Vinny on the synthetic debate. I am going to change my oil at least every 20 so I don't see the value in synthetic. I would be willing to use it if someone said that it is the best thing...but I have not herd that yet.

[JW]

I used to be a fan of Fram, but not since they changed manufacturers. Now I never buy Fram. Seems the quality went WAY down. The Fram HP4 is supposed to be built better than the standard Fram filters, but I still stuck to Merc filters on my Merc I/O just in case.

The filtering lab tests I read were a very respected orginization, but it was from about 10 years ago so may be old news. The test showed that the Wix passed larger particles than the other brands of filters tested.

All this oil and filter stuff is a crap shoot anyway. I think most of it depends more on luck than quality.......... http://www.checkmate-boats.com/6/ws/,s,8626072361/Graemlins/xxrotflmao.gif

1995 Pulsare 2100BR/1995 Mercury Promax 225 2.5 EFI/ 1.87:1 Torquemaster/ RapidJack Heavy-Duty manual 10.5" setback/ 23" Tempest worked for ski duty

[Bill]

Man... I guess I won't use fram filters in my truck anymore.

2003 ZT 240 6.2litre/Bravo 320 H.P. 25P Mirage Plus

[bdusted440]

http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_redface.gif they all use the same type of mat for the filter. the big difference is the reliefe valve. you want one with a spring. they tend not to fail. the clicker type fails alot from experiance http://www.checkmate-boats.com/infopop/emoticons/icon_rolleyes.gif