first oil change

i want to change the oil for the first time since i've owned my 1982 american skier. i was just looking for a drain plug and couldn't find a plug under the oil pan. what i did find was pictured below



also, i'm planning on using mercruiser 25w-40 conventional motor oil. think that's good? the engine is a ford commander 351w. How many quarts 5 I think??

I have pump that i found in my bilge too. i'm assuming
that's for pumping the oil out. it's just a clear tube with a hand pump half way up it.

i've changed oil in my harley and cars several times..... just don't want to f*** my boat up.


thanks for the input.

so that is definitely the oil drain though right?
i idled along for like 2 hours last weekend and am paranoid that i have gas in the oil and it couldn't hurt to change it anyways.

thanks!

sweetness. how about the fuel/water seperator filter? should i change that while i'm at it? just unscrew and put the new one in right? don't have to bleed the fuel line or anything do i?



thanks guys.

yes, phospher, that is definitly the oil drain. you don't have to bleed the fuel line, although, you will loose a little fuel when you start removing the filter. is that a one piece fuel filter there in the picture or do you have a cannister with a fuel filter inside with a water drain plug on the bottom?

use rotela 15w40 and leave the mercruiser sh*t for mercrusiers.

Or if you want to spend some more cash use royal purple, or lucus racing oils.

yes seriously

as in don't listen to the i/o dealer's/mechanic

well if the rings are worn they can let some gas into the oil not good, a compression test needs perfromed before it's too late and your buying a new motor.

Also the first place to look is the fuel pump expecially if it's an automotive pump and not a marine version, if marine then you need to look at the clear tube going to the flame arrestor from the pump and see if there is any moister or fluid inside of the tube if so the pump's shot and needs replace ASAP.

Is that duct tape on that supply line from the tranny cooler?

cfk280 on some of the older boats,drain plug under the front seat ,pumping is the only option.Does not matter if you gravity feed or suck it out ,the end result is the same............boat dr

79nautique,

i don't see any moisture in the clear tube that runs into the flame arrestor. so if the piston rings are worn would I need a motor rebuild or possibly just the rings replaced? how much would a rebuild run me in a shop because that's way over my head.

oh, and i'm selling my harley. just want to focus all my funds to boating...and i'll probably need those funds!

thanks,

-phil

ah ok. i'll go check.

phospher wrote: gottaski, i don't get your comments. are you serious about getting an off-road or diesel oil? i called my local inboard marina and they recommended he mercruiser oil.

That's because he makes the most $$ on the Merc oil!

Where are you smelling gas in the oil? Hard to tell where the smell is coming from until you drain it. I'd do the oil + filter change, see if you smell gas in the drained oil or if the oil seems very thin, then run for a few days and drain a cup of oil out to see if its getting contaminated. Since you have the drain hose its easy to hold the hose up, take off the cap, lower it to drain a bit, then raise it and re-cap it.

If rings are going bad, you might not notice the loss of power, might be only one cylinder, might be bad but not completely shot, who knows. So, the compression test is needed to tell you what shape each cylinder is in, and from there you'll know whether you need a rebuild or not.

To maybe cheer you up a bit, at 600 hours, assuming the prior owner did reasonable maintenance, I think there is a good chance the engine is OK. Run a bit on the new oil and see if the oil has the gas smell, and do the compression test. Ask a local repair guy if you can trailer the boat over so he can do the test, won't be expensive or take long.

my wife's dad has a few compression testing tools. i think i'll get one from him and test the compression. i read a post in here on how to do it and it seems pretty easy.

probably won't fire right up, but after the engine turns over and the pump starts pumping, it will start up. that is if it has been starting easy before all this servicing you are doing.

no, it fire up in a few seconds when the gas gets to the carb.