Did I do the right thing. Gearbox oil etc

[DeanS]

I changed my engine oil filter for the first time today....it was quite a simple task . Unscrew old filter, screw on new one. Done. Run the engine...oil light on for a few seconds and then went out again (good sign). No leaking. Job done.

 

Then I checked my gearbox oil level, and it was low...so decided to empty the oil out and fill with new. Manual says PRM...use 10W30 oil. I didnt have any, so I've used 10W40 APICC proper marine oil. Will that be ok? The old oil was black. New oil is transparent...found it really difficult to check it after refilling..eventually I had to shove a coloured straw over the dipstick so I could actually make out the new level. Got it filled to max, ran engine....for circulation?....and then rechecked and it seems ok. Ran boat in forward gear for about a minute, and then reverse...working fine.

 

The psi gauge on the instrument panel shows the oil pressure is within the manual specs.

 

Do I need to change the oil again, or can I leave 10W40 ...about to leave on a longish cruise ...Wigan to Leeds tomorrow.

 

[Kieron G]

Hi, I think I would carry on but change the oil for the correct spec when I next got the chance if I were you.

[boots]

Which PRM is it?

[rover220]

It will be fine.

[alan_fincher]

Unless you have the small mechanical PRM box, (unlikely on an engine for a wide beam!) the oil you have used is absolutely fine.

 

However if you are saying oil you drained from gearbox, rather than engine, was black, that sounds wrong to me. Gearbox oil usually stays it's original colour!

Edited July 5, 2013 by alan_fincher

[john6767]

Unless you have the small mechanical PRM box, (unlikely on an engine for a wide beam!) the oil you have used is absolutely fine.

 

However if you are saying oil you drained from gearbox, rather than engine, was black, that sounds wrong to me. Gearbox oil usually stays it's original colour!

Agreed the oil from our PRM 150 comes out the original colour, only the engine oil is black.

[BlueStringPudding]

Same here, I have a PRM 150 too

[bizzard]

The oil drained from the box should have still been clear or perhaps a little less transparent and tainted if not been changed for a while. And keep an eye on the gearbox oil level, it might have a little leak. The hydraulic pump fixing bolts next to the output half coupling is a common place for a leak, they have copper washers under their heads. If you see a drip from one of them try gently tightening it a bit. If that doesn't stop it new copper washer will be need. I've found this to happen twice on nearly new PRM boxes fitted in Liverpool wide beam boats.

[Tony Brooks]

If its a hydraulic PRM then maybe the oil was low enough to reduce the oil pressure so the clutches may have been slipping - that's the only think I can think of that would colour the oil.

[blackrose]

I can't remember what engine you have Dean, but my Isuszu 55 and PRM 150 use exactly the same APICC oil. I think it's a 10W 40 viscosity?

 

Anyway, as others have said, if the oil from your gearbox was black there's something wrong. When was it last changed? How hot does your engine get?

 

I know a bloke with a new Isuzu 55 & PRM 150 who didn't do the first 50 hour service or the second 300 hour service. After about 500 hours his gearbox started to overheat and he had no drive. I think he called HMI (rather than PRM because the engine/gearbox warranty came from HMI), and they asked him how many hours the the engine/gearbox had done and when he last serviced it. He told me that when he said that it hadn't been serviced yet there was a short silence on the phone, and then they asked him for the engine and gearbox serial numbers. After he'd eventaully managed to find the serial numbers and given them the numbers down the phone, they said "I'm afraid your engine and gearbox are now outside of the terms of warranty."

 

He ended up paying someone to take the gearbox off and he took it to Noris in Isleworth where it cost him about £600 to repair. An expensive lesson.

 

I'm not saying this is your issue Dean, just an anecdote to illustrate the importance of servicing.

Edited July 5, 2013 by blackrose

[DeanS]

Now that I know how to do it, it's simple, so will do 2 gearbox oil changes a year with top ups in between, and I've already bought spare oil filters.

 

Does anyone know if changing the fuel filter (Canaline 52) is just a matter of :

 

1. close the fuel supply isolator.

2. unscrew the filter and remove.

3. Screw new one on.

4. Open isolator.

5. Start engine

 

?

[bizzard]

Now that I know how to do it, it's simple, so will do 2 gearbox oil changes a year with top ups in between, and I've already bought spare oil filters.

 

Does anyone know if changing the fuel filter (Canaline 52) is just a matter of :

 

1. close the fuel supply isolator.

2. unscrew the filter and remove.

3. Screw new one on.

4. Open isolator.

5. Start engine

 

?

You should have an electric fuel pump on the Isuzu and the fuel system self bleeding. Fill the new filter canister with as much clean fresh fuel as you can, screw it on and just turn the key switch to the on position, you should hear the electric fuel pump running, leave it like this for about 30secs this should self bleed any air out, and then start the engine.

[alan_fincher]

Now that I know how to do it, it's simple, so will do 2 gearbox oil changes a year with top ups in between, and I've already bought spare oil filters.

Unless you are doing huge milages, I would not have thought two gearbox oil changes a year is necessary.

 

Mind you, if you need to do that on the engine, doing the gearbox each time as well is minimal effort, and hardly uses much oil.

 

I'm more concerned though if a PRM box on a near new engine is losing enough oil to need to do any significant top ups. That sounds wrong, so I think you need to work out where it is going to!

Edited July 5, 2013 by alan_fincher

[BlueStringPudding]

. I'm more concerned though if a PRM box on a near new engine is losing enough oil to need to do any significant top ups. That sounds wrong, so I think you need to work out where it is going to!

Standard medical practice for a PRM, isn't it?

[alan_fincher]

Standard medical practice for a PRM, isn't it?

Not on ours, and it is fairly elderly.

 

Hardly ever check it, because level doesn't drop significantly, even after large mileages.

 

I know some leak, but a near new one shouldn't.

[pquinn]

Unless you have the small mechanical PRM box, (unlikely on an engine for a wide beam!) the oil you have used is absolutely fine.

 

However if you are saying oil you drained from gearbox, rather than engine, was black, that sounds wrong to me. Gearbox oil usually stays it's original colour!

same here.

[DeanS]

The gearbox wasnt leaking at all. I changed the boat oil, and the oil filter, and decided to check the PRM oil level which seemed a bit low. Instead of just topping it up, I decided to refill it completely...about 1.5litres came out...not very clear...and it now has new oil...and set to the correct level. The dipstick is metal, and the oil is clear...it was a $%^&^% to see what the level is when refilling....my eyes are going ;-) They should make the dipstick a different colour... I shoved a green straw over the dipstick and managed to see the level against that...but kept thinking...."I just know this straw is going to slip off and end up in the gearbox"....I found that by kinking the straw a few times, it was on the dipstick tight enough to not fall in...LOL

[alan_fincher]

If you have a rag ready, as you withdraw the dipstick, if you quickly press it against the rag, you will then get an oily patch on the rag that fairly accurately reflects the level that is so hard to see on the stick.

 

Another tip is that as you unscrew the filler/dipstick, a lot of the oil is draining off it as you turn it that large number of twists required. But the length of the screw thread almost exactly matches the difference between the empty and full markers.

 

So, if instead you just stand the stick in on top of its threads, without screwing it in, and then withdraw it quickly, if the oil shows as being on the empty marker line, that means that when properly fully screwed in it would be on the full line. A bit easier that way, particularly if you decide to check several times.

 

I seem to recall Allan Jones, (Keeping Up) has revealed a better trick for easily ascertaining correct level, but can't for the life of me remember what it was!

Edited July 5, 2013 by alan_fincher

[pquinn]

The gearbox wasnt leaking at all. I changed the boat oil, and the oil filter, and decided to check the PRM oil level which seemed a bit low. Instead of just topping it up, I decided to refill it completely...about 1.5litres came out...not very clear...and it now has new oil...and set to the correct level. The dipstick is metal, and the oil is clear...it was a $%^&^% to see what the level is when refilling....my eyes are going ;-) They should make the dipstick a different colour... I shoved a green straw over the dipstick and managed to see the level against that...but kept thinking...."I just know this straw is going to slip off and end up in the gearbox"....I found that by kinking the straw a few times, it was on the dipstick tight enough to not fall in...LOL

i have real trouble with trying to read the dipstick too.

[DeanS]

Alan....that screw idea for my dipstick sounds like the way to go...it's all about technique.

[nicknorman]

Although on removing the gearbox dipstick on our PRM150 the oil looks clear, if you drain it into a clear container it does look quite opaque and grey going on black. I presume its clutch lining material. Having now done 4 changes from new its getting less grey - maybe there is some initial wear from the clutches that settles down?

[Mike Tee]

It is difficult to read the PRM dipstick. Get a piece of school type chalk,and rub it over the the dipstick, that should make it easier to read.

[DeanS]

It is difficult to read the PRM dipstick. Get a piece of school type chalk,and rub it over the the dipstick, that should make it easier to read.

 

yup..I thought perhaps some black ink marker.

[nb Innisfree]

I cobbled up a separate dipstick from a piece of dark grey round plastic bar, you could use a length of wooden dowel, just put it against the proper dipstick and drill a hole to put a crossbar in to act as a stop and file a couple of indicator rings at min and max.

[ditchcrawler]

I shoved a green straw over the dipstick and managed to see the level against that...but kept thinking...."I just know this straw is going to slip off and end up in the gearbox"....I found that by kinking the straw a few times, it was on the dipstick tight enough to not fall in...LOL

I once came across an offshore supply boat where the engineer had done exactly that, used a length of pipe and dropped it. Didn't do much for his shore leave