10 quart in a 8.1?

[mnm99]

My manual calls for 9, but 10 went in with the filter even being empty?? It that normal? Also how does your oil look when it comes out? Mine was BLACK with only 50hrs on it.

 

[magstang1]

I go by the stick. Just put 8 quarts in my 350s.

 

[BleednBlue]

Owners manual for the 496 mag says 9 quarts with filter. What does the dip stick say? After 50hrs my oil also looks pretty dark.

 

[mnm99]

Owners manual for the 496 mag says 9 quarts with filter. What does the dip stick say? After 50hrs my oil also looks pretty dark.

The dipstick reads right in the middle of the cross hatches. I didn't run the engine yet to fill the filter...hmm. I have the oil in the pump canister still. Tomorrow I'm going to pour it into the containers an see if it equals 10 qts

 

[paulswagelock]

Color is not indicative of much at all. Only time to worry is if it is milky brown.

 

[Georgia SeaDawg]

Mine were 9. However on one of the changes, one motor took 9.5. I think that somewhere in those 9 quarts, I really didn't get the full 9 quarts. As I said, it only happened once.

 

[juggernaut1]

Changed mine recently after 65 hours and was darkish. Given GM tends to use low tension oil control rings in its motors, I'm not surprised.

Can't say how much went back in because my brother was filling it up. However I did note that I put more in the transmissions than the book capacity.

 

[mnm99]

Well I measured what came out and it came to 8.25 Qt. Before draining it I measured the dip stick and it was just at the bottom of the cross hatch. With 10 QT I'm at the top of the cross hatch. I'm going to see if my dip stick tube pulled out of the pan a bit. Weird though..it reads the same on both engines with the 10 Qt.

 

[juggernaut1]

Sounds about right then on the basis you pulled out 8.25 qt at the low oil mark. From memory I seem to recall there is about 1qt or so between the low and the full oil marks, plus your filter and you are getting close to 10qts.

 

[highslice]

Never measured what came out. But the last time I put 9 quarts in the level was above the hash marks on the dip stick. Now I usually put in 8 in the fall and then check it after running the antifreeze through. Occasionally need an extra half quart. I had 60 hours on the oil when I changed it last fall and the oil that I drained looked the same as it did when I put it in the previous fall. Judging by how the oil looks on the dip stick, it will be the same this year.

 

[JVM225]

The difference between the bottom of the hatch mark and the top of it can account for a quart.
For peace of mind you can check the bilge for oil to make sure that none of what you poured in wound up in the bilge. Naturally you'll want to investigate any oil you may find in the bilge before going further, but if the bilge is clean, I would just go by the dipstick.
When filling my boat motors with fresh oil I usually measure what comes out by pouring it in to another container, replace that amount, give it a few minutes to settle in the pan, and then check the dipstick. I did this on my old boat because I was pumping the oil out of the motor through the dipstick tube and could never be sure of how much I was getting out until I measured it and didn't want to overfill.
The other pain in the butt I always found when pumping out through the dipstick tube was that it took a couple of in and outs with the dipstick until I could clear the tube enough to get a good reading.
Re: The oil being black. That's very normal, and doesn't tell you anything bad about the engine.
I put two brand new motors in my now sold boat a couple of years ago and religiously changed the oil as recommended and only used Mercruiser 25W40 blend in them. The oil came out of both engines black from their very first oil change, and every one after that for the four more seasons I owned the boat.
The oil that comes out of the little 3.0 mercruiser in my kids boat comes out black too.
I lease new cars for my wife and I every three years and change the oil on both cars myself regularly. The oil I take out of the brand new lease cars is always black, as is the oil in the older cars my two kids drive.
The oil in my Corvette and GTO comes out as clean as it went in, but it usually gets changed after about 500 miles. I only put about 1000 miles a year on each, and do oil changes on them twice a year.

 

[mnm99]

I checked again today after it all settled. I'm about between 1/8 and 1/4" above the hash marks, so it looks like a little has to come out. On another note, I drained the antifreeze to replace. I was only able to get to the plug on the starboard side of the block. The engines are supposed to take 6 gallons each. I was able to fill 4.5 gallons. Just a fyi for someone who cant/ doesn't want to get to the other plug.

 

[bankyf]

I feel like there is something funny about the dipstick and the angle it enters the block that causes a different reading depending on which way the crosshatches face when you insert it. I never got around to researching which direction was correct. Or... I could have imagined the whole thing.

 

[sea paws]

My manual calls for 9, but 10 went in with the filter even being empty?? It that normal? Also how does your oil look when it comes out? Mine was BLACK with only 50hrs on it.

After running the engines it seems that it takes about 9.5 quarts. Since Mercury stopped making their full synthetic I switched to Amsoil full synthetic marine oil and it appears to not get as dark as the Mercury oil.

 

[BleednBlue]

After running the engines it seems that it takes about 9.5 quarts. Since Mercury stopped making their full synthetic I switched to Amsoil full synthetic marine oil and it appears to not get as dark as the Mercury oil.

That makes sense because heat does not break down full synthetic. Is it ok to run Amsoil full synthetic (10w-40) instead of Merc. synthetic blend (25w-40) in the 8.1s?

 

[mnm99]

I feel like there is something funny about the dipstick and the angle it enters the block that causes a different reading depending on which way the crosshatches face when you insert it. I never got around to researching which direction was correct. Or... I could have imagined the whole thing.

Funny you said that. I noticed the same thing and it was driving me crazy. I think if you insert the dipstick with the hatches facing the bow that's the right way. If it was the other I'd be like 3 qts over from what it reads.

 

[Jeremygavin]

That makes sense because heat does not break down full synthetic. Is it ok to run Amsoil full synthetic (10w-40) instead of Merc. synthetic blend (25w-40) in the 8.1s?

I have been running Amsoil for 20 years and it is a great product. I put about 80-90hrs on my 8.1s per year and the oil never turns black with 10w-40 in it.

 

[juggernaut1]

Funny you said that. I noticed the same thing and it was driving me crazy. I think if you insert the dipstick with the hatches facing the bow that's the right way. If it was the other I'd be like 3 qts over from what it reads.

If I recall correctly the cross hatches as supposed to face the back of the motor. Furthermore that you are supposed to wait a moment prior to pulling the dipstick out. I found that if it is immediately pulled out you will end up with a higher reading.

 

[mnm99]

If I recall correctly the cross hatches as supposed to face the back of the motor. Furthermore that you are supposed to wait a moment prior to pulling the dipstick out. I found that if it is immediately pulled out you will end up with a higher reading.

Yes, I think the hash marks need to face the bow. If you think about how the tube is curved like an S, it starts at the front of the motor, then straight down, then at a 45* towards the back , then straight down again. The way I think of it is like this. Pulling it out , the hashes on the bottom would be rubbing on the tube all the way up..Holy S*** I'm thinking about this way too much. I think I really have an OCD issue...lol

EDIT...Just found this online..I was correct for once.

1. Stop the engine. Allow the oil to drain into the oil pan for approximately five minutes with the boat at rest in the water.
2. Remove the dipstick, wipe clean, and reinstall fully into the dipstick tube. Wait 60 seconds to allow trapped air to vent.
NOTE: Install the dipstick with oil level indication marks facing the rear of the engine(flywheel end)
3. Inspect the dipstick reading, which should indicate a level between the full or "OK" mark and the "ADD" mark. Reinstall the dipstick into the dipstick tube. If the oil level is low,refer to Filling.

 

[ROBOPTI]

I JUST changed mine .. With Mobil 1 high capacity filters ... 9.5 qts in each.