Stupid oil change question

Y

Yachtmaster.

New Member
Aug 19, 2009
105
Ozarks
Boat Info
370 Sundancer
Engines
385 HP Crusaders
Neither my stupid maintenance manual, owners manual or engine package manual give the crank case oil capacity. :smt013

I have a 2000 340 Dancer with the 380 HP Horizon engines.

My maintenance manual says to use 25-40 oil but doesn't say what kind, synthetic blend or full synthetic. What is recommended?

Thanks for any help
 
Here is what Mercury says you should use:

Mercury MerCruiser Full-Synthetic Engine Oil, 20W-40, NMMC FC-W rated

This crankcase oil recommendation supersedes all previously printed crankcase oil recommendations for MerCruiser gasoline engines. The reason for this change is to include the newer engine oils that are now available in the recommendation.



Source:

http://www.mercurymarine.com/servic...maintenance/faqs/parts-and-accessories/#MCOil



Regarding your engines crankcase oil capacity, it really does not matter what the capacity is.

What matters is how much you take out. Put that amount back in.

Perhaps someone here can post a real world estimate on how much oil you will need to add.

It’s not like you are going to get all the oil out when you change the oil.

Are you going to pump the oil out via the dipstick? After you do this put the oil in a jug to estimate how much you took out. Add this amount back in.

Run the engine, then check the oil level then add if needed up to the line on the dipstick.
 
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if your changing the oil yourself, then you have decent hands on capabitly, go one step further, do yourself a favor and get a SELOC book, it contains all maintenance for a mercrusier enigine, that you should follow to a "T".
routine maintenance is a piece of cake, and has all you need to troubleshoot ALL issues that may come up, with detailed spec's and part numbers.
very helpfull.
as to the qts of what is onboard, for a 2000, 7.4 (7) including filter.
(18) qts for the closed cooling system.
(20) qts seawater flow through capacity for the engine block.
Do yourself a favor and spend 40 bucks, get a SELOC 3206 manual, do a hell of a lot more than any Marina or repair facilty will EVER do.
 
mduggan said:
if your changing the oil ......
......
.....as to the qts of what is onboard, for a 2000, 7.4 (7) including filter.
(18) qts for the closed cooling system..........
.
Click to expand...

18-20 quarts of oil?

If empty, and you can't get it empty, its going to be about 7 or 8 quarts.
 
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Presentation said:
18-20 quarts of oil?

If empty, and you can't get it empty, its going to be about 7 or 8 quarts.
Click to expand...

Like Pres suggested, mduggan is talking about coolant. Closed Cooling or not wouldn't have anything to do with Oil capacity.

I don't know about the 7.4 (454) but my friend's 8.1 (496) engines take 9 quarts each.
 
PS.
use syntech, 4 cycle, mercrusier oil 29.99 per 4 qt jug. with Lukeoil syntech oil stabilzer.*get that at autozone or auto parts store. not marine store.
synthetics are not as stabil as in ground oils but put in properly last longer and provide better protection.
1 quart stabilizer substitute per change.
clean out the injectors also, and keep the fuel clean.
Sta-Bil marine storage will balance the fuel during storage.
Use a decent throttle body cleaner for the air intake/flame arrestors. clean those twice each season.
 
No, only 7 qts per engine for oil. I meant to give you an idea that the SELOC manual helps remove any questions.
it gives you spec's on, all capacities, oil, and all fliuds.
spark plug gaps, etc.
 
Thanks guys for the help. I was getting pretty frustrated. I'm going to use the bucket with the little electric pump with the long skinny tube which goes into the dip stick tube. Looks like the SELOC manual is a good idea.

mduggan: How do you clean the injectors?
 
Yachtmaster. said:
Thanks guys for the help. I was getting pretty frustrated. I'm going to use the bucket with the little electric pump with the long skinny tube which goes into the dip stick tube. Looks like the SELOC manual is a good idea.
Click to expand...

If I were you I would just get a Mercury Service Manual on Ebay or somewhere else. I believe you need Mercury Manual #23 but confirm to be sure.
 
jason78 said:
If I were you I would just get a Mercury Service Manual on Ebay or somewhere else. I believe you need Mercury Manual #23 but confirm to be sure.
Click to expand...

+ 1

I feel the Merc manual is better then the SELOC manual.

The Merc manual is made by the factory, outsells the SELOC manual by a lot, and if you get to know some people here someone may send you manual #23 for free via email.

I don’t have #23, I have #28 & #31.


These things are big, like 20 megs so make sure your email can even accept a attachment this large. Gmail will accept an email this large.
 
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I use "Lucas Oil" to keep injectors and the throttle body clean on all the service trucks, gas and diesel ( both are two different types, one for gas and one for diesel.) for the merc's i buy the 29.00 gallon bottle and split it between the two tanks. (that bottle will clean and condition 400 gallons) adding more than recommended will not do harm.
it contains the needed chemicals to break down deposits from injectors as well as the entire throttle body, and lube all parts included during combustion.
Marine sta-bil will provide lubrication and some condensation issues for gas, bio growth for diesel, but will not remove the amount of buildup and clogging you get with even the highest octanes, gas is oil and oil is dirty, no matter what the octane rating is period.
while your at it, take off your flame arrestors or air intakes.
most likely aluminum, either get a few spray cans of throttle body cleaner and really douse them down and blow them out if you have a compressor with nozzle.
or contact K&N filters online and be done with the factory arrestors. call them, dont do it online the techs are well versed in marine applications as well as street.
you may want to take some measurements of the LxWxH of what you have now, as i was unable to get K&N filters on the merc's, but not a problem on the genset. depends on riser placement and cooling hose's surrounding the arrestors.
Intake is very specific for air, largest volume, cold as possible, and clean as possible.
K&N are lifetimes if you can fit them, cleanable and reneawble, lots of flow and definately filter to the clean.
now you just need the cold air.
As for SELOC, it has 15 sections including engines, igintions, transmissions, trim tabs, steering, fuel systems and overhauling.
i havent seen the mercury manual, if i steered you wrong, i appologize. the SELOC is more of a CHILTONS manual for cars. the merc could be the same. the SELOC has not lead me astray. i'm confident in recommending it.
 
Oh Yeah,
we use the Lucas Oil on everyother fill on the boat, could be overkill, but i had my 05 denali towed becuase it wouldnt start.
reason: head end of the throttle body choked with crap, Larry turned us onto routine cleaning of the system.
no issues since.
 
Yachtmaster. said:
Too late I've already ordered the SELOC manual.
Click to expand...

That may work for your questions. The SELOC manuals I have seen cover multiple years of Engines and also include information on multiple sterndrives. When you take such a broad range of engines and outdrives and combine it all in to one book there is bound to be important information missing. You just cant get that much information in to a $35 book.

The Merc Manuals are specific to each engine and a seperate book is available for the outdrives. I think the Merc Manual for just my engine is about 400 pages or so. That does not include the sterndrive.

It is kind of like working on an F150 with a Haynes manual for "Ford Trucks 1987-2001" instead of using the Ford Service Manual for a 1994 F150.

This is not a slam on the duggan's suggestion. The SELOC may cover everything you care to do. If you need more detail, get the Merc Manual.
 
i agree completely, i wish they had included it with the purchase. than to have to pay for it.
the SELOC depends on prior knowledge and working abaility on mechanical systems with common sense to complete.
without that your screwed.
 
Finished up the oil change today. Everything went well. The old oil looked really clean, not black at all. I added 6.75 qts to the starboard engine and 6.25 qts to the port engine. I'm going to check again in the am after all the oil has drained down over night.

Thanks again for everyone's help.
 
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