Motor Oil For Westerbeke 4-107 ?

[Laidback]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Why bother coming on a forum and asking opinions which just happen to coincide with what your own manual says and then deciding that a Farmer with a boat knows better. Maybe I as a fourty years in the business mechanic should go and suggest what he should feed his cattle or fertilise his paddocks based on the fact that I have grown a few flowers and had a dog or two.
I just reread your post and I would suggest to the Farmer next time you see him that he is in the wrong business he should start making oil as he knows far more than the guys doing it now. One oil for every variety of engine petrol, Diesel, stationary and Marine wow I really would take a lot of notice of him - NOT.

Good post !!! Saying what need ed to be said.

[marc2012]

I used the nondetergent rotella yrs ago in a ford trk & gunked up the engine.Ialso used to farm & mainly used rotella in dsl equipment,Only exception had a d5 cat that took 30wvalvoline,been used since new.marc ps had dogs cats & grew flowers,lol.

[meyermm]

There are many reasons for oils gunking up other than the oil such as too cold operating temperature, thermostat failure, injectors not atomising correctly and the list goes on. No offence but customers when questioned swear everything is perfect with the engine, oil got changed on time etc etc, fact is in most cases the truth is different. Rotella is a brand and most brands these days are good quality, if used correctly they will do the job. Golden rule with any oil in any engine change it regularly it is cheap insurance.

[marc2012]

Gasoline engine all cared for correctly.At that time did 99% of maintance myself.marc

[donradcliffe]

The reason you don't want to use multigrade oil in your Perkins is that it will leak LESS oil with the monogrades. They recommend 30 wt, but if you have high hours and use the boat in a hot climate, I would change to 40 wt.

If you are new to the Perkins, the major leaks come from the rear seal and the oil pan gaskets--a real PITA to change in the boat.

[DWT]

Originally Posted by DWT

I have a 30 hp Westerbeke in my 69 Morgan. My guess is that it was put in sometime in the late 80's. The manual calls for 10w 30.

Good Luck

I finally got the manual out of the boat this weekend.

Oil to use:
Temperatures between 45 and 80 degrees calls for a 20/20 W for 8 out of 11 oil company name brands.

Over 80 degrees, 30 W for 9 out of 11 brands. One being 10/30 W and the other 1230. I have no idea what 1230 means......

It is the manual for the 30 Westerbeke Marine Deisel Engine, edition 5, 1980.

I am heading for the NAPA auto store sometime today and will see if they have a 30W for deisel engines. Until that time I will be staying with the 10/30 W.

[Whimsy]

Originally Posted by meyermm

Why bother coming on a forum and asking opinions which just happen to coincide with what your own manual says...

How ITH could a person "asking opinions" know for sure, in advance, if the answers/opinions they later receive will coincide with what their "manual says"?

Originally Posted by meyermm

Why bother coming on a forum and asking opinions... and then deciding that a Farmer with a boat knows better.

Anyone with some semblance of literacy can plainly see that I did not endorse what the guy told me, but only presented it as a piece of information.

And you say "a farmer with a boat"? Knowing how to make equipment last, as well as being very sensible with money are just two of the many, many skills a farmer must absolutely be proficient in to avoid going under. I'm not saying he's absolutely correct here, but this guy has been farming a long time...

Originally Posted by meyermm

Maybe I... should go and suggest what he should feed his cattle or fertilise his paddocks...

Well, maybe, but your suggestion seems foolish to me...

Originally Posted by meyermm

I would suggest to the Farmer... that he is in the wrong business he should start making oil

You might, but I wouldn't because it seems like yet another foolish idea.

Originally Posted by meyermm

One oil for every variety of engine petrol, Diesel, stationary and Marine wow I really would take a lot of notice of him - NOT.

And there, now you have expressed your opinion on oil. Kind of.

What he does has apparently worked for him. I would also suggest that since he has been owning and operating the farm and its equipment most of his adult life, and that he is now probably old enough to have teenage grandkids, and that he ran the farm, raised a family off the proceeds, didn’t go broke, and has enough time and money resources to own and use his 39' sailboat, that he is not the fool you seem to be
implying he is.

But even still, I'm going with the mono-weight Rotella.

Gotta wonder here - does that big chip on your shoulder make you "hard of reading", and for that matter, "hard of thinking" at the same time?

[David M]

Whatever you use make sure it has a C rating. Think of C as meaning compression.

An S rating is for gasoline engines. Think of S as meaning spark.

Good information that explains what the ratings mean from THE source, the API.
http://www.api.org/aboutoilgas/motor...lity-marks.cfm

http://www.api.org/certifications/en...pubs/index.cfm Then click where it says Engine Oil Guide (in red) and open that PDF. It explains what the circular labels mean. It's not simple.

The bottom line is that the ratings have changed dramatically since your engine was manufactured and what was available then may no longer be made nor might it be the best oil to use.

[meyermm]

For someone who says they did not endorse what the Farmer said you sure seem to have taken a lot of notice and have spent a great deal of your last reply defending him but maybe its my lack of understanding English.
As you only just met the gentleman how do you now he was a successful farmer, how do you now his equipement gave him long trouble free service and that it would not have lasted longer had he followed the manufacturers advice. In my country Farmers are renowned for their ingenuity not engineering expertise, fence wire holding things in place etc. My advice was based not on what I thought but based on a life time of asking questions, in the case of oil the chemists who design the stuff and know whats in the stuff and why. The same for the engines themselves I ask the manufacturers and surprise I read workshop manuals and follow there guides. Like asking the Yanmar guys at the boat show about a new generator option and because of a question I asked learning why they are not fitted to their turbo engines. As for the chip on my shoulder well this developed also during those many years by customers who were always happy to believe anything anyone, (farmer, mate, next door neighbour) told them other than a qualified person.

[Whimsy]

Originally Posted by meyermm

As for the chip on my shoulder well this developed also during those many years by customers who were always happy to believe anything anyone, (farmer, mate, next door neighbour) told them other than a qualified person.

OK then. Got it. Other people are responsible for your chip.

As an experienced mechanic, would you recomend the 30 wt Rotella T1, the oil I ultimately ended up using, as an OK choice for an older 4-107?

http://www-static.shell.com/static/c...rotella_t1.pdf

[meyermm]

Originally Posted by Whimsy

OK then. Got it. Other people are responsible for your chip.

As an experienced mechanic, would you recomend the 30 wt Rotella T1, the oil I ultimately ended up using, as an OK choice for an older 4-107?

http://www-static.shell.com/static/c...rotella_t1.pdf

I really could not care less what you put in your engine although the raw nerve that seems to have been pricked might be a start.

[Whimsy]

Originally Posted by meyermm

I really could not care less what you put in your engine although the raw nerve that seems to have been pricked might be a start.

I wasn't asking you to care - my question was technical, not emotional, in nature. But thanks for clearing that up.

Although once again you are less than concise in conveying your meaning, this seems to be correct:
- You suggest I should put "the raw nerve that seems to have been pricked" in my engine, implying the "nerve" is mine, not yours.
- If you "pricked" my "nerve" (I didn't "prick" my own "nerve"), that makes you the prick - as if that wasn't obvious from the time you first started with the snide ad homonym attack in post #14 of this thread.
- I don’t consider my "nerve" to be "pricked" - I'm really not that emotionally dependent on outcomes, although you do seem to be (what a fun combination )...

Originally Posted by meyermm

As for the chip on my shoulder well this developed also during those many years by customers ...

Conclusions: You admit to being a prick with a chip on your shoulder, who blames others for these conditions of yours. I asked about oil, you criticized me as a person. You made this personal, I'm replying, and this is your chance to let it be done.

[perchance]

OK guys time to take this out to the parking lot.

[DWT]

Originally Posted by DWT

I finally got the manual out of the boat this weekend.

Oil to use:
Temperatures between 45 and 80 degrees calls for a 20/20 W for 8 out of 11 oil company name brands.

Over 80 degrees, 30 W for 9 out of 11 brands. One being 10/30 W and the other 1230. I have no idea what 1230 means......

It is the manual for the 30 Westerbeke Marine Deisel Engine, edition 5, 1980.

I am heading for the NAPA auto store sometime today and will see if they have a 30W for deisel engines. Until that time I will be staying with the 10/30 W.

I'll try and get this back on track......

Thanks David M for the C and S, I'll be looking for it from now on. And yes, the manual is old and thing such as oil discriptions have changed.

I looked in West Marine for 30 W for diesels, they got it, one for $4.69, the other $4.99 a quart
Local NAPA has 30 W for diesels for $3.88.

Having read all the above I will be going to 30 W oil from now on.

[meyermm]

DWT - Most of the info I and others suggested was along the line you are going. Changing the oil regularly is cheap insurance for a long engine life bearing in mind that the engine is not new so previous life is unknown and will have an effect. Dont forget the injectors no matter how good the oil is bad atomization will wash that nice oil off the bores and dilute it. While oils have improved one of the key areas is in viscosity with much lighter synthetics designed for modern engines mainly petrol which are overhead cam multivalves all though Diesels are also going in that direction. The monograde Diesel oils you are looking at are not to my knowledge going to cause trouble in your older engine no matter what brand.