What oil

[rustydiver]

Now I'm going to open up a whole can off worms here and has probibably been asked a thousand times before

What oil do you use?

Mines a Beta Marine 38hp it need 15w40 mineral oil.

 

So will a good mineral oil from my local auto spares place be ok, castrol, shell etc

[ditchcrawler]

Now I'm going to open up a whole can off worms here and has probibably been asked a thousand times before

What oil do you use?

Mines a Beta Marine 38hp it need 15w40 mineral oil.

 

So will a good mineral oil from my local auto spares place be ok, castrol, shell etc

This has been done to death in the past

[rustydiver]

We is going to kill it again.

[ditchcrawler]

We is going to kill it again.

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=37364

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=53322

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=61132

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=53210

http://www.canalworld.net/forums/index.php?showtopic=75484

[rustydiver]

Thanks for that.

I must search using the wrong keys words. ;-)

[Pie Eater]

Mine is also a Beta and I usually buy a 20 litre drum from Costco

 

Steve

[nbfiresprite]

Wilko 20W50 Classic Car Oil 5L.

http://www.wilko.com/car-care-products/wilko-20w50-classic-car-oil-5l/invt/0342792

[Guest]

My Vetus has run for a long time now on either Asda's own 15/40 diesel engine oil (made by Mobil I believe) or Comma 15/40. On occasions I have used Tesco's own. Have always used either Baldwin or Blueprint engine oil filter and changed at 150 hrs maximum, sometimes a bit less.

I am not convinced that lazy canal engines benefit from fancy oils.

[dmr]

My Vetus has run for a long time now on either Asda's own 15/40 diesel engine oil (made by Mobil I believe) or Comma 15/40. On occasions I have used Tesco's own. Have always used either Baldwin or Blueprint engine oil filter and changed at 150 hrs maximum, sometimes a bit less.

I am not convinced that lazy canal engines benefit from fancy oils.

 

It might be the opposite?

Low bore temperatures etc increase the possibility of bore glazing, increased blowby gases?, getting a good and appropriate oil is probably vital. And we expect a much higher life expectancy than motorists.

 

.................Dave

[blackrose]

 

It might be the opposite?

Low bore temperatures etc increase the possibility of bore glazing, increased blowby gases?, getting a good and appropriate oil is probably vital. And we expect a much higher life expectancy than motorists.

 

.................Dave

 

If my understanding is correct then API CC spec or equivalent is what you need to prevent glazing of bores, etc.

[dmr]

 

If my understanding is correct then API CC spec or equivalent is what you need to prevent glazing of bores, etc.

 

That's a good starting point but I now suspect its even more complicated.

My engine is specified to run on CG/CH. I have spoken to the technical people at a well known oil company and they have more than one oil that meets this spec. They recommend one of them but advise against using the other. I have heard via another boater than another oil company says much the same.

I suspect the spec. is really about a minimum level of additives to meet a certain standard, and some old may contain more additives, or a different combination of additives but still meet the same spec.

 

..............Dave

[Guest]

 

It might be the opposite?

Low bore temperatures etc increase the possibility of bore glazing, increased blowby gases?, getting a good and appropriate oil is probably vital. And we expect a much higher life expectancy than motorists.

 

.................Dave

Maybe. Who really knows? Without getting a serious analysis done on the oil we use, then we will never know for certain.

Then who do we believe? Should I use the most expensive oil I can find? Vetus oil would seem logical in a Vetus engine? Yet I am led to believe that Vetus oil is fully synthetic, the thought of which makes many shudder for canal use. It is also mega expensive, and I don't believe for one second that Vetus refine their own oil.

If my Vetus were in my car, it would have achieved about 120k by now, and is still running and starting like the day it was new (famous last words!)

I believe that regular oil and filter changes are the key, as well as sticking with an oil that meets the spec of the engine. I think the filter is extremely important for a diesel engine and mostly use Baldwin which perform extremely well in independent tests, and are remarkably inexpensive! Much cheaper than Fram etc last time I stocked up. They are also remarkably similar to the Vetus original except for the colour! (and 1/4 of the price of course.)

 

Edited to add: I believe the biggest killer of canal engines is ticking over when off load, for hours on end. I avoid that at all costs.

Edited November 2, 2015 by Guest

[dmr]

As you rightly say, who knows!

 

I feel save with the stuff from Morris. I like buying from companies that can answer technical questions.

At a push I will also use the stuff from Wilco which is actually only a lttle cheaper than the Morris.

I would avoid cheapo supermarket stuff, who knows if it even meets the claimed spec?

 

Vetus is probably a rip off, as will be any oil branded with an engine makers name.

The John Deere stuff is so expensive that nobody sells it but they do quote extended oil change intervals.

Not sure about fully synthetic, From what I have read it should be fine. Again its very expensive but should hold its properties for longer so allow extended intervals. Think I would just change the ordinary stuff more often.

Not sure about filters ether, There is a lot of stuff on the www about looking inside filters and deducing how bad they are but I reckon a lot of it is very suspect. For example there is a whole load of stuff slating Fram because they use cardboard ends inside their filter, but Fram say the element is paper so card is a actually a more logical choice for bonding than plastic.

 

...............Dave

[Guest]

As you rightly say, who knows!

 

I feel save with the stuff from Morris. I like buying from companies that can answer technical questions.

At a push I will also use the stuff from Wilco which is actually only a lttle cheaper than the Morris.

I would avoid cheapo supermarket stuff, who knows if it even meets the claimed spec?

 

Vetus is probably a rip off, as will be any oil branded with an engine makers name.

The John Deere stuff is so expensive that nobody sells it but they do quote extended oil change intervals.

Not sure about fully synthetic, From what I have read it should be fine. Again its very expensive but should hold its properties for longer so allow extended intervals. Think I would just change the ordinary stuff more often.

Not sure about filters ether, There is a lot of stuff on the www about looking inside filters and deducing how bad they are but I reckon a lot of it is very suspect. For example there is a whole load of stuff slating Fram because they use cardboard ends inside their filter, but Fram say the element is paper so card is a actually a more logical choice for bonding than plastic.

 

...............Dave

I have used Morris in the past, especially in my one-time ancient Yanmar. Always seemed fine.

I will likely be using Valvoline next year only because I can get a really good deal at the local factors on 25 litres and 5 filters.

Can't say any of my cars or boats have suffered with Asda's own oil though, which appears to be Mobil oil. That includes my Ford Zetech which are notoriously fussy about the oil used.

[Geoff Taylor]

Hi, the manual has already answered your question, 15W40, this oil is an excellent allrounder for nearly any watercooled diesel engine (turbo also), it is high detergent and will not cause glazed bores etc. Back in the 80s the Castrol rally team used this grade of oil in their cars (Cosworth BDA), I used this in all my cars with no ill effects until synthetics became the norm.

[Joe the plumber]

Beta are about to start selling their own 15w40 oil, but I've yet to se a price for it anywhere:

 

http://betamarine.co.uk/genuine-oils-guidelines/

 

They told me a week or so ago that mineral or semi-synthetic was okay, but not to use fully synthetic (in my B43).

[dmr]

Beta are about to start selling their own 15w40 oil, but I've yet to se a price for it anywhere:

 

http://betamarine.co.uk/genuine-oils-guidelines/

 

They told me a week or so ago that mineral or semi-synthetic was okay, but not to use fully synthetic (in my B43).

 

What you meant to say is that Beta are going to be selling someone else's oil with a Beta label on the pot!

 

.............Dave

[Joe the plumber]

Indeed, and probably much cheaper than anyone else's too....

[blackrose]

Hi, the manual has already answered your question, 15W40, this oil is an excellent allrounder for nearly any watercooled diesel engine (turbo also), it is high detergent and will not cause glazed bores etc. Back in the 80s the Castrol rally team used this grade of oil in their cars (Cosworth BDA), I used this in all my cars with no ill effects until synthetics became the norm.

15W40 just refers to the viscosity of the oil. Additional specifications in terms of the API spec are as (if not more) important. You shouldn't be using any oil in a diesel engine just because it's the correct viscosity! Also, synthetic oils are not the norm unless that's what you choose to buy. Non synthetic engine oils are widely available at a range of viscosities.

Edited November 5, 2015 by blackrose

[Alway Swilby]

The manual for my Barrus Shire 40 says to use oil with an API rating CD. This is not easy to find. Is it ok to use oil with a higher rating such as CF?

[dmr]

The manual for my Barrus Shire 40 says to use oil with an API rating CD. This is not easy to find. Is it ok to use oil with a higher rating such as CF?

 

Most likely not good.

The higher spec generally indicates an increased amount of additives and in a lightly loaded diesel engine (like in a boat) these can contribute to bore glazing (a serious problem).

For this reason many specialist oil companies (and even Halfords) still make a CC oil available. This should be fine but check with Barrus,to be sure.

 

.............Dave

[ditchcrawler]

The manual for my Barrus Shire 40 says to use oil with an API rating CD. This is not easy to find. Is it ok to use oil with a higher rating such as CF?

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0.H0.Xapi+cd+engine+oil.TRS0&_nkw=api+cd+engine+oil&_sacat=0will give you loads

[Geoff Taylor]

15W40 just refers to the viscosity of the oil. Additional specifications in terms of the API spec are as (if not more) important. You shouldn't be using any oil in a diesel engine just because it's the correct viscosity! Also, synthetic oils are not the norm unless that's what you choose to buy. Non synthetic engine oils are widely available at a range of viscosities.

 

It is very unlikely that you will find a brand name 15W40 mineral oil that is only for use in petrol engines as it was produced as a series 3 HD turbo grade for most truck and plant engines that were used in typical UK weather conditions. A semi synthetic version of 15W40 does not carry the same spec so refrain from using that one.