Pre season service

[northerntrades]

I thought I'd get the season off to a proper start so I went online bought quicksilver corrosion protection grease + engine oil + spark plugs + gear oil and - wait for it - an oil filter for my 2007 Mariner 8hp 4stroke.

 

After giving her a serious clean up I changed the lower unit oil and the engine oil but - wait for it - as much as I looked I couldn't find where the oil filter is located!!

 

The only place I can think it might be is behind a plate on the back of the engine just below where the engine joins the leg. The plate is held on with 8 x 10 ml bolts and is about 4" wide and about 8" from top to bottom.

 

Thing is, the plate has a gasket and I expect it will break if I try to get the cover off. Which wouldn't really bother me if the filter is behind the plate - I'd have to buy a new one is all.

 

So can anyone tell me if I'm right - please tell me - where is the oil filter on my o/b???

[Nickhlx]

Perhaps it doesn't have one !!

 

Nick

[junior]

My last engine (PH2W) didn't have an oil filter so it is possible you don't have one.

 

Myself and a forum member spent a good 10 mins searching for it scratching our heads when I first bought the boat. Eventually we gave in and go the manual out where we read that the oil filter was optional.

[northerntrades]

Just phoned Methley marine Cas and they confirm - you're right guys - no oil filter!

 

So thanks a lot.

 

I'm ok with car engines/motorbikes so I was seriously put out at not being able to do a simple thing like this though my experience of o/b motors is not great as you might see!

 

Annoyingly, I Bought the filter from Pacermarine and put the serial number of my engine with the order (as requested by them) and yet they still sent me one!! Anything for a fast buck hey?!

 

So let's see if they refund me - I'll not hold my breath!

 

Thanks again.

[mrsmelly]

What does " Season " mean?

 

Tim

[Machpoint005]

What does " Season " mean?

 

Tim

 

Salt and/or pepper

[Alan de Enfield]

I thought I'd get the season off to a proper start so I went online bought quicksilver corrosion protection grease + engine oil + spark plugs + gear oil and - wait for it - an oil filter for my 2007 Mariner 8hp 4stroke.

 

 

 

In my outboard days the most important annual service item was the impellor - particularly if the engine had not been used for a few months. The rubber vanes of the impellor can 'weld themselves' to the housing and the first time you start the engine - vanes are ripped off and, no impellor.

 

When you replace the impellor ensure you 'bend' the vanes against the direction of rotation - and - a blob of grease helps.

 

Clean up and keep the old spark plugs as spares.

[Nickhlx]

Same as "on heat" ?

[northerntrades]

 

In my outboard days the most important annual service item was the impellor - particularly if the engine had not been used for a few months. The rubber vanes of the impellor can 'weld themselves' to the housing and the first time you start the engine - vanes are ripped off and, no impellor.

 

When you replace the impellor ensure you 'bend' the vanes against the direction of rotation - and - a blob of grease helps.

 

Clean up and keep the old spark plugs as spares.

 

Thanks for that A de E. I was going to check the outflow jet when finished servicing but I think I'll invest in an impellor anyway. Yes - another good tip - always keep undamaged sparkies.

 

Thanks all.

 

PS. Are you taking the pee pee mrsmelly?

[mrsmelly]

Hi

 

Yes somewhat

The thing is there simply isnt " a season " and trouble is the more people that use it and it seems more and more peeps do use the term then the more peeps at say for instance CART can use it and then eventualy we may end up with a situation where they agree about a boating season and shut most of the system down in the winter

 

Tim

[bottle]

There are four seasons in the year but only one in boating and that covers the whole four in the year.

[northerntrades]

There are four seasons in the year but only one in boating and that covers the whole four in the year.

 

I stand corrected - I wouldn't want to cause any confusion!

 

 

Hi

 

Yes somewhat

The thing is there simply isnt " a season " and trouble is the more people that use it and it seems more and more peeps do use the term then the more peeps at say for instance CART can use it and then eventualy we may end up with a situation where they agree about a boating season and shut most of the system down in the winter

 

Tim

 

And worse I wouldn't want to be party to having any part of the system shut down through my terminological ignorance!

 

Can I presume that you both live aboard? And if not I wager your boats are of a serious size - wooden - 'proper boats' which ply any waters - anytime - anywhere?

 

Maybe I should have headed the post 'My Pre-Season Service' - for being the owner of a tupperware tub, and living in landborn luxury - my season begins in Spring and ends in Winter.

 

I took sailing up some 40 years ago and still sail though only in dinghies and rarely offshore these days. Then in the mid 80s we restored (with a good deal of experienced help) a small wooden cruiser which we cruised in a few canals.

 

My life commitments forced me out of the water in the early 90s until I bought my present boat last summer.

 

A lot of water has gone under the bridge since then (pun intended!) And the boating world seems to have changed a great deal (justifiably?) There was always some good natured nodding

and winking when a newcomer hove into veiw but it seems to me that many boaters have become wary lest there should be a vast surge of landlubbers encroaching on the waterways knocking down lock gates

washing away banks and upsetting moored craft with their Laurel and Hardy hamfistedness!

 

Maybe as the roads become ever more congested more and more people will become enamoured of our sedate and idyllic lifestyle.

 

 

But 'real' lovers of water - wildlife - boating and boats will recognise in an instant those who would protect the waterways and its wildlife as much as they would protect fellow boaters and their boats - for when all's said and done aren't we all modern interlopers in a long lost secret history where people were only too aware of the importance of the language of the waterman/woman and as your good selves have done - wouldn't they correct the erroneous terminology of the less well informed - with similar understanding and good will?

Edited March 21, 2015 by northerntrades

[bottle]

Glad you understand and yes we are both live-aboard.

 

[northerntrades]

Glad you understand and yes we are both live-aboard.

 

 

Yes our season starts next weekend when three boats - two Normans and a live-aboard narrow boat (which has one season) take to the Aire and Calder for the first time since late September 2014.

 

My newly fettled outboard will hopefully perform well and likewise the weather - though we won't hold our breath regarding the latter!

 

Hope your season is a good one.

[goodboy]

Some older outboards have the oil filters inside the power head (engine) only modern outboards have a spin off filter cartridge

I am not familiar with this outboard only Honda and Yamaha 4 strokes

[blackrose]

Hi

 

Yes somewhat

The thing is there simply isnt " a season " and trouble is the more people that use it and it seems more and more peeps do use the term then the more peeps at say for instance CART can use it and then eventualy we may end up with a situation where they agree about a boating season and shut most of the system down in the winter

 

Tim

 

I understand your concerns, but whatever you call it, the fact is that there is a period of boating prevalence starting at around easter and ending sometime in autumn for most people who own or rent boats. That you're not one of them is a slightly different matter. Calling this popular boating time "a season" seems only natural to me.

 

I'm not sure how the navigational rights of licence-holders would stack up against the authority of CRT to shut down parts of the system during the less popular period, but if they did attempt to do that then it's not going to be the use of a word that will sway their decision. If it were then one could also argue that we should stop using the word "winter".

Edited March 22, 2015 by blackrose

[Naughty Cal]

Our Mariner 6hp doesn't have an oil filter.

[koukouvagia]

 

The thing is there simply isnt " a season " and trouble is the more people that use it and it seems more and more peeps do use the term then the more peeps at say for instance CART can use it and then eventualy we may end up with a situation where they agree about a boating season and shut most of the system down in the winter

 

Tim

 

I quite agree. A few years ago BW issued advice that anglers had precedence at visitor moorings "out of season". I, and I've no doubt many others, strongly objected to this using Tim's "thin end of the wedge" argument and I think I'm right in saying that the advice was quietly dropped.

Edited March 22, 2015 by koukouvagia

[bottle]

Good idea let's ban winter.

[Naughty Cal]

 

I quite agree. A few years ago BW issued advice that anglers had precedence at visitor moorings "out of season". I, and I've no doubt many others, strongly objected to this and I think I'm right in saying that the advice was quietly dropped.

Those signs still exist on the Saxilby visitors moorings.

 

Needless to say they are not popular.

[northerntrades]

Yet another twist in the saga of the amazing phantom filter!!

 

I bought all the oils etc for my service from a well known online chandlery - I won't include their name because I really can't be sure if they are a bunch of uncaring cowboys or if they genuinely didn't know that my outboard

doesn't have an oil filter.You see I downloaded a manual shortly after getting the engine but it's far from accurate and doesn't cover all aspects of the o/b. I should buy a better one I know.

 

Anyhoo - the manual makes no mention of a filter but then it doesn't mention the starter motor either or a few other key components - hence my doubts.

So I sent off for the stuff and included my engine serial number for the oil filter.(as per their advise) thinking that they would not send me a filter if it didn't need one - but they did so I assumed that it must have one.

That's when I came to you guys, after spending a fair amount of time trying to find where the old filter was on the engine.

The rest is history and it's agreed by all that the engine doesn't have one.

 

So I applied to ebay for a return notice for price of filter plus return postage which they have dealt with and the chandler accepts liability and says I can return the item.

 

All's well that ends well you may say - but the chandler goes on to say this -- AAAAARGH!! (No - I said aaaargh - he said this) -

 

[Hi Neil Thanks for the email

But they only make one oil filter for there 8hp models through to 30hp so unless you have one of those engines that the manufacture actually forgot to cast the oil filter molding on the side of the block in the factory and then doesn't actually even have a oil filter fitted at all then yes it would not be a wrong filter it is simply you don't even need a oil filter at all due to their huge mistake on the first batch of production of those engines at the factory.

Sadly your serial number the same as all of those models of engines only show what it should of had molded and fitted at the factory and that being this filter and not any of the ones that were made without a filter.

You must also not be aware then that if you assume your engine had a oil filter that due to the case of it not having a filter the oil should be changed and drained at least twice or three times a year rather than just the normal once a year like the same engine that was fitted with a oil filter otherwise you could risk severe engine damage internally with extra particles that can't be filtered properly through a oil filter.

Yes you can return the oil filter if you brought the filter not knowing you didn't actually didn't have one even fitted on the engine.] sic

 

So is he saying that the manufacturers are selling outboards that they forgot to make the oil filter assembly for? Or is he just having a massive giraffe and hoping I'll top myself in sheer frustration and confusion? (Maybe you guys are hoping the same as well by now!!)

Edited March 23, 2015 by northerntrades