Oil change-mixed oils?

[justason]

I searched for a thread on oil changes but didnt see anything that caught my eye.

I'm about to do my first oil and filter change on my 212x. The boat is a 2009 with about 80 hours on it, I bought it with 35 hours on it. I have no idea what oil is in it now, but if I was a gambling man I'd guess it was yamalube from a dealer service.

Yamalube I believe is a 10w40. I was planning on using a 10w30 fully synthetic oil. Since an oil extractor seldom gets ALL the oil out. Am I running any risks to mixing synthetic with "x" brand oil ?

I'd be willing to do a full drain and suffer with the cleanup if its necessary.


follow up question: Is there any way I can find a history or purchase location on this boat by way of the VIN ?

 

[dbrunone]

Why would you not use 10w-40 oil like the engine was designed for?

But no, mixing oils in itself would not cause problems. I can see how putting in the wrong weight would cause problems though.

 

[justason]

My service manual calls for 10w30 ...... perhaps yamalube comes in different weights..??.., I got the 10w40 simply from a quick google on the name.

 

[txav8r]

There have been some changes in recommendations by Yamaha and in their packaging of the Yamalube. It WAS made in both 10w30 and 10w40. I have found both. You can only remove what you get from the oil tank on your '09. There is no easy way to remove all the oil. There is always a debate on merits of full synthetic vs blends or dino oils. Yamalube is a blend I am told.

 

[Gym]

My 06SX230 also calls for 10w30 @justason. I use a full synthetic oil myself. Many major oil brands offer a blend of dino and synthetic so mixing them is no issue. Another thing is synthetic oil does not suffer the viscosity breakdown or burning problem that dino oil does. That is why it's required in jet engines and is used in many high end and high rev engines. That being said we usually don't put enough hours on our oil to suffer those problems.

 

[bigwoo]

mixing the oil won't hurt anything. You can buy a blend already mixed . I used Mobil one 10w30 when I did the first oil change back in November. Costco had $10 off a 6 quart case. Now I need 3 qt to change the waverunner oil. Mobil one 10w40 is either high mileage or motorcycle oil and the motorcycle oil has friction modifier for the wet clutch . And I had neither high miles (hours) nor a clutch so I went with the 10w30.

 

[Speedling]

I run 10w30 mobil 1 full synthetic. Synthetic when it breaks down is basically 30weight and dino when it breaks down would be at 10weight. It has to do with what additives they use and how they break down, but I would rather have my oil break down to the thicker oil.

 

[itsdgm]

I've been using a semi-synthetic 10/30. Here's a oil change guide that another member created. Hope it helps you out.

 

[tdonoughue]

The only info I have to add is from the auto context:

It was said that dino oil wets seals better and swells them a bit. The risk in going to synth in the long term is that the seals and gaskets in the engine dry out a little, make small gaps and make you more prone to leaks, etc. That said, I think that when we discussed long term, we would be talking about the 10 year+ horizon. That is why many car buffs go for the mix, unless a car has been filled from day one with synth.

 

[MikeyL]

There have been some changes in recommendations by Yamaha and in their packaging of the Yamalube. It WAS made in both 10w30 and 10w40. I have found both. You can only remove what you get from the oil tank on your '09. There is no easy way to remove all the oil. There is always a debate on merits of full synthetic vs blends or dino oils. Yamalube is a blend I am told.

Mel is so correct - Yamalube IS a Blend. Nothing more ..... Nothing else.
You are far better off $$$-ise to either choose 100% synthetic, or a fully regular dino-type oil.
Reading your post: There are a couple of things you most likely do not know. 1) How often the oil was changed previously, and 2) How long ago it was changed.
Changing out marine lubricants every 12 months maximum is always a safe bet.
Therefore my suggestion is this: Change your oil AND filter now.
Then in 2-3 months, after you yourself have put some hours on your new boat, change the oil & filter AGAIN.
From my perspective, this is about the cheapest "insurance" you can get.
Good Luck and let us know how thing turn out for you.
Mikey Lulejian - Fishin' SUCCESSFULLY from the seawall for Largemouths this afternoon on Lake Oconee, GA

 

[watsino]

I have worked at sites that manufacture base oils so I am familiar with how to make lubricants, but I am not a motor head who tears engines apart after stress tests or anything. That being said, the biggest difference between your 10w30 and 10w40 at face value is the viscosity at 100C. A 30-weight oil is between 9.3 and 12.4 cst at 100C. A 40-weight oil is between 12.4 and 16.8 cst at 100C. So, basically the 30 weight is less viscous at operating conditions. If Yamaha made the change to 40 weight circa 2010, I bet they did it for a reason.

I will continue to buy Yamalube 4w primarily because each manufacturer takes different base oils and additives packages and qualifies their engines. If you are talking about running oil in a typical car I would be in full support of swapping the 'car brand' oil with the 'generic' group III (synthetic) as it should have similar properties and are generally certified by the same bodies (API, JASO, ASTM ). The closest thing for marine is the NSSA FC-W, but that is for outboards, which run quite differently than our motors.

I can't fine a product document on 4W other than the yamalube catalog. If you believe they do the same things with their motorcycle oils as they do with their PWC oils then they have exceeded the friction protection, sulfated ash, phosphorous content, and evaporative loss specifications set forth by JASO and API. I may eventually get a full round of tests done on the 4W to see what it looks like through a lab like blackstone.

 

[Jim Robeson]

Now this has me wondering just a little. If you order the oil changing kit from Yamaha for my boat, 2008 SX230HO, you would get one filter and 5 quarts of 10w40 oil....LUB-WTRCG-KT-00
It clearly states in my manual that the oil is or was 10w30. Just wondering why they would send that instead.

 

[tdonoughue]

...perhaps because it doesn't make as much of a difference as you might figure. Given typical operating temperatures and the fact few people run their boat in the ice, I am thinking performance characteristics of either multiweight must be close.

 

[Speedling]

If Yamaha made the change to 40 weight circa 2010, I bet they did it for a reason.

Like, perhaps the new 1.8 engine? That was 2010 when it was introduced, correct?
Seems you know a lot about oil. I would guess that a synthetic blend helps give the best of both worlds, no? I use Mobil 1 10w-30 because I believe it has superior characteristics to a dino oil alone.

 

[watsino]

I would guess that a synthetic blend helps give the best of both worlds, no?

"Synthetic" is a relatively loose term that gets thrown around in the business. The base oil blending stocks really get grouped into five categories. Technically there can be as little as 1 VI point between "synthetic" and "mineral". Viscosity index (VI) is the measure of how much an oil's viscosity changes across a range of temperatures (40C - 100C). The latter number in your 10w30 is still lower than what is currently recommended by Yamaha, but it may not matter for your engine. I would run a synthetic 10w40 if I were doing the switch over to a synthetic oil as it would have the same running temperature viscosity as the current 4w from Yamaha (you can find Mobil1 10W40 @ Wally World for ~$25). What a true synthetic is buying you is a flatter profile of viscosity so you can have something like a 0W40 that has good cold and hot flow properties as well as better high temperature (200+C) resistance to decomposition. All motor oils still have additives packages that are put in their oils that add things like detergent, anti-foam, corrosion inhibitors, etc. The 4w claims to have a very robust additives package, but I would love to compare spent oil samples to see how well it does against a premier oil like Mobil1.

PS I do not work for ExxonMobil

 

[Jim Robeson]

@watsino ... Just curious what oil you use?

 

[Jim Robeson]

@watsino ... my bad, I see in your earlier post that you use Yamalube 4W. Sorry about that.

 

[fairpilot]

I use 10W30 Amsoil 4 stroke marine oil with Yamaha oil Filters, Yes it ok to mix but I would not go 80 hrs on the oil. prob 40 to 50 hrs is what I do.

 

[Jim Robeson]

Now this has me wondering just a little. If you order the oil changing kit from Yamaha for my boat, 2008 SX230HO, you would get one filter and 5 quarts of 10w40 oil....LUB-WTRCG-KT-00
It clearly states in my manual that the oil is or was 10w30. Just wondering why they would send that instead.

Answering my own post...I talked with the Yamaha dealer on Lake of the Ozarks, Surdyke, to find out if they knew why Yamaha refers to 10W30 in the manual for my boat but the oil change kit sends 10W40. The response was that Yamaha discovered that the main bearings...I'm not a motor-head so that may be the wrong terminology....were burning up, mainly in the watercraft, and Yamaha decided to change to a heavier weight oil, 10W40. He wasn't specific on the date but thought it was around the 2006 - 2008 time frame. So, my manual would have read 10W30. For what it's worth to those who might have been interested.

 

[motorboater]

I also use Mobile1 10w30. I spent a fair amount of time trying to decide 10w30 vs 10w40 and in the end decided that 10w30 was a closer match. However I couldnt tell you now 3 years later what specific specs led me to that decision.

Fuels and lubricants are things that I like to research and understand as they are key to engine longevity. My spent oil analysis indicates perfect wear patterns for both my engines at 150 hours. I dont exceed 60 hours on my oil because for some reason my engines tend to shear the oil a bit and there seems to be a little extra fuel making its way to the oil. As a result I might change to 10w40.

Though I havent used anyone else for oil analysis, I really like Blackstone. They are very responsive to emails regarding test results.