Winterization

Hollywood, the oil in warehouses have not been exposed to impurities such as gas. That is when oil starts to degrade and break down. Above they said they have run their boats for about 10hrs. Close to halfway a usual oil change period. I should have made sure I linked the oil breaks dow over time because of the impurities. I am sorry for that, didn't mean to be misleading or imply something different then what I was talking about.

So, whats the answer Eric?

Eric,

I think the fall is more important, so the dirty oil does not sit all winter, I like the idea of fresh clean oil being the last thing the motor gets before it's 4-5 mo rest. I normally do not change again in the spring, run that oil for about 25-30hrs then change it, that oil then gets about another 30-50hrs before it's winter again.

I say the fall so all the acids wont sit in the pan, but if you wait till the spring you have a better chance of removing the condensation build-up, in the spring though you want to drop her in and goooooooo so the fall is good enough for me

you should be ok, in that situation i would drop the tongue on the trailer, its when you leave all the water in and it has no place to expand and the water cracks from being frozen

my best non winterization story is a record, 11 hours on the boat, crack doesnt describe this one, more like explode, I wouldve like to hear this one let loose

uhhhhhhhh it exploded

You guys have touched on a topic that I have been debating for a long time. Fall change vs. spring change. Last fall I didn't change my oil (which was stupid) because I would rather have fresh oil in the spring. No damage, but I am going ot change the oil in the fall....then again in the spring.

Here is the real question. I have been known to break the boat out of storage for a December ski or even January 1st ski. I have the old 15/40 rotella but I don't want to run that oil when it is 30 degrees out. What weight should I put in for winter operation? If I do get it out, it will only be for a few hours. Can I just get some Penzoil 10/30 or something that will flow better when cold? Should I drop to a 5/30? Remember, I will be putting the Rotella back in when spring rolls around. So this lighter weight oil will be for storage reasons and possibly a winter ski only....then dump.

What are your thoughs???

TRBenj wrote: Todd, I think PCM recommends 10w30 when running at low temps. Someone posted the page out of the manual... Joel? I only change in the fall- Id normally say that theres no need to change again in the spring- that is unless you want to switch to a heavier weight. Maybe run the lighter weight through the early spring?

For winter skiing my manual says 20W50. Otherwise it's 40W40 for >= 50F and 30W30 for < 50F startup temps.

Oh Yeah! If we go this year, we will definitely get some video. I have a drysuit so I have plenty of fleece on. Renee is wrapped in her 12V blanket and carhart bibs. She's a real trooper. What is great about Jan 1 is you don't have to pack ice in the cooler!

I changed my oil last night along with winterization. I would assume that many others have the oil drain hose they can stick through the hull to drain oil. Does everyone else feel that they get a good drain? I try to make sure that the hose is as straight as possible, but always feel like there is a possibility to leave some in there.

Is there anything on the market that you gearheads would recommend running in the engine to clean up the pan and inners of the motor? I did run a engine flush additive in my car once. Basically pour in (1 quart) of this motor flush and run for 5 minutes then change the oil. Any thoughts? Put 10W30 for winter oil and will immediately change to Rotella in spring.

Thanks for the input.

Darn, I bought the rotella multiweight thinking that was what had the addative in it. Not a problem, I'll just use it in my tractor or diesel truck. But this spring I will get the straight 40W I would think if I can find it. I know I can get 30 at Rural King. Thanks for the update Tim. I have gobs of oil pressure even if I use 10W30. I feel that is pretty accurate because it was higher before I ran new ground wires to my gauges. After the new wiring, it came down just a bit, but it isn't 80lbs like it used to be. More like 60 at idle if I remember correctly.

Again, thanks for the update on Rotella. Actually I think I am going to use CenPeCo diesel oil. I had a oil analysis taken out of my truck at 6k miles and they said there were very low level of wear and the oil addatives were holding up great. I take an oil sample every 20k miles just to keep track of how the PowerStroke is wearing inside. I have used Rotella for 125k and it was great oil. I have played with numerous oils after that and they are all great.

What do you think about the Rotella 5W40 synthetic? I know it has been discussed somewhat (at least synthetics). But I wonder if the synthetic rotella has the ZDDP? I think it is the same formualtion as previous years. I run the synthetic in the winter on my diesel truck. It really likes it then I switch back to dino oil after April 1 or so. So what do you think about running this synthetic rotella 5w40 in the summer? I'll splurge if people think it is a decent idea. Reason I ask is I normally get 60 or so hours a year. I hate changing oil at 50 hours in September just to change it a few hours later prior to winterization.

I know another oil question, but I don't know the specifics on our motors and if synthetics will be bad. I think the theory of synthetic oil will cause leaks has been debunked. I swithch all the time in my truck with no leaks. Plus it's a diesel...who hasn't heard of a diesel that leaks! It it is bad on the valvetrain or something let me know, but this oil is affordable and I think it is a great alternative to the super expensive Mobil 1 stuff.

Later

Ok back to winterization. We finally gave up on the season 2 weeks ago.

This worked out so well kept warm and dry the whole time with the help of a kerosene force air heater, irregardless of the outside weather. Pete, I still can't believe you winterized your boats Labor Day weekend, that seems so long ago!





Ran a hose from the utility sink just inside the house straight to the trans cooler.


Trying to show how easy the hose actually collapses. I barely got to 2k rpm and still sucked a lot of air. At idle the water supply was able to keep up with the RWP.

Geno wrote: Pull inside. Turn on thermostatically controlled heater.

*Hope you dont lose power when its cold.

Geno wrote: 3 generators in the shop and another that's dedicated to the house. I would have to drive ten minutes to the shop and crank one of the generators.

*Hope you dont lose power when its cold and on vacation.