Burning Oil

[Boyd95]

Long story short, I have a 2008 Sx230 and the port engine had to be replaced with a SBT engine. The engine runs good but it appears to burn oil, I also notice the oil gets dark very quick compared to the starboard side engine (which is original). Oil Changes are done by myself every spring. Last summer I added approximately 3 quarts of oil throughout the summer to the SBT Engine just to keep the oil level halfway full on the dipstick while the engine is hot. So I am looking for opinions, could it possibly be the ECM? or is the issue just the SBT engine being pure junk? Could be unrelated, but while anchored I can occasionally see a small amount of fuel behind the boat.

Thank you

 

[Scottintexas]

could it possibly be the ECM? or is the issue just the SBT engine being pure junk? Could be unrelated, but while anchored I can occasionally see a small amount of fuel behind the boat.

What was the reason the first engine had to be replaced ??

Good job on being a guy who checks his oil level

What makes you think what you see behind the boat is fuel and not oil ??

Does your dip stick/oil smell like fuel when you check/change it?

The older 2 stroke SBT engines had a bad reputation (either from being a bad rebuild or the installer/operator not using/maintaining them and then blaming SBT) we've not heard many bad stories about SBT 4 strokes and even a couple members who have used them multiple times on different boats/skis with good results.

I don't think the ECU would make you loose oil, it normally just keeps an injector open flooding the engine with fuel increasing the oil level,

my uneducated guess would be you have a ring issue, do you see any smoke at start up or running while running ?


.


.

 

[Boyd95]

The engine had to be replaced because I went out for a night cruise and the tide was very low, the port side clipped a sand bar so bad that is sucked up a lot of sand and clogged all the coolant lines and overheated the engine which caused the block to crack. I never had any alarm, or lights come on telling me it was over heating, I would never have ran it intentionally if I knew it was overheating. It was weird because the next day while washing the boat I noticed the pee holes were full of sand, I didn't think much of it at the time.

I am not completely positive it is fuel and not oil behind the boat, but I can defenily see a oil of some type floating out the back, it's not a excessive amount though. And nope the oil on the dipstick does not smell like gas at all, it is just very dark almost black only a couple weeks after changing it.

I do not see any smoke either, just while smoke from both engines for a couple seconds on initial start up after sitting all week, never see any black smoke.

 

[Boyd95]

I talked to a yamaha dealer about the issue and they are telling me I'm in a tough spot, I still have a couple months left on the warranty and they are willing to send engine back to SBT to have them look at it, but i am being told SBT will likely do nothing and send the engine back saying nothing is wrong.

It occasionally comes across my mind that I should have never kept topping off the oil and just let it run dry till it blows up. Apparently it has a no fault warranty ?‍

 

[Scottintexas]

Who replaced the engine? was it a Yamaha Boat dealer ? if so, do they have a lot of yamaha's in stock?

you may try a local jet ski shop as some boat dealers don't sell enough or charge to much and that PWC shops are more adept at troubleshooting mr1 engines,

.

 

[Boyd95]

It was a Yamaha Boat dealer up in PA who replaced it, its where I bought the boat and was maintained its whole life by them prior to me owning it. when I first noticed it burning oil I bought it back to them and they diagnosed it as the head leaking, they told me they found a bunch of oil in the bilge and traced it from there. Turns out, whatever work they did, did not fix the issue because it is still loosing oil somewhere.

I actually have a another Yamaha boat dealer less then a mile from me which many people use, but I am reluctant to use them again because they charge an arm and leg.

 

[anmut]

So just blow the block up then? You have two months... and go!

 

[Boyd95]

So just blow the block up then? You have two months... and go!

Lol I would but its still freezing out! and boat is shrink wrapped. But it might be worth it if I can get a new engine.

 

[Beachbummer]

I'm going to wear captain obvious hat.

The oil is going somewhere. Either seeping/leaking out, or seeping in and burned off.

Gas will evaporate quickly in most cases. Are you sure it's fuel and not oil you may be seeing on the water?

If performance has not been affected otherwise, 3 quarts of oil a season is not a terrible price to pay, as long as it does not worsen.


My humble opinion:Swapping for another SBT engine sounds much more trouble than remaining as is to me. I would suggest cleaning the bilge really well and then looking for oil after an outing in the bilge. Maybe it's a leak after all?

 

[anmut]

Lol I would but its still freezing out! and boat is shrink wrapped. But it might be worth it if I can get a new engine.

I hate to say this in public, but if there's a leak that's already documented, all you would need to do is amplify the amount of leakage to the point of failure... if you get my drift.

 

[Boyd95]

I'm going to wear captain obvious hat.

The oil is going somewhere. Either seeping/leaking out, or seeping in and burned off.

Gas will evaporate quickly in most cases. Are you sure it's fuel and not oil you may be seeing on the water?

If performance has not been affected otherwise, 3 quarts of oil a season is not a terrible price to pay, as long as it does not worsen.


My humble opinion:Swapping for another SBT engine sounds much more trouble than remaining as is to me. I would suggest cleaning the bilge really well and then looking for oil after an outing in the bilge. Maybe it's a leak after all?

I thought so too, but the bilge is spotless, not a drop of oil is in there. Im not positive it is fuel I just notice some type of oil is in the water coming out the back. Wish I could remember if it smelled like gas but its been a few months since I put the boat away for winter.

Still odd the oil gets very dark only after a few hours of use.

 

[Marvin willis]

I was always told on the ar230s of your oil is halfway up the deep stick it was gonna run over into the air filter. I always had it barely register on the dipstick.

 

[Boyd95]

I was always told on the ar230s of your oil is halfway up the deep stick it was gonna run over into the air filter. I always had it barely register on the dipstick.

Mine is usually below the low mark when cold then halfway between low and full when hot. I checked the air filter too because I thought it was possible it went there, but the air filter is clean.

 

[jtwrace]

You need to do a compression check AND leak-down test on the motor in question. I'd start there and report back for the next step(s). How much oil in 20 hrs are you saying it consumes?