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PRM150 gearbox oil change interval


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May I ask at what interval do people change the oil in their PRM150 gearboxes? Seems a bit vague in the user manual. Suggests "when engine oil is changed." That is every other day in a vetus! Would 250 hrs be reasonable? I assume 15/40 diesel engine oil is OK in UK? Must it be mineral oil?

Just fitted a PRM and am stunned at the difference after a mechanical box (Technodrive.)

Cheers.

 

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May I ask at what interval do people change the oil in their PRM150 gearboxes? Seems a bit vague in the user manual. Suggests "when engine oil is changed." That is every other day in a vetus! Would 250 hrs be reasonable? I assume 15/40 diesel engine oil is OK in UK? Must it be mineral oil?

Just fitted a PRM and am stunned at the difference after a mechanical box (Technodrive.)

Cheers.

 

It's really very simple, when you change the engine oil change the gear box oil. If you don't change the engine oil when you should then don't change the gear box either and risk damaging them both.

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May I ask at what interval do people change the oil in their PRM150 gearboxes? Seems a bit vague in the user manual. Suggests "when engine oil is changed." That is every other day in a vetus! Would 250 hrs be reasonable? I assume 15/40 diesel engine oil is OK in UK? Must it be mineral oil?

Just fitted a PRM and am stunned at the difference after a mechanical box (Technodrive.)

Cheers.

 

Use the same oil that you use in the engine. I do both engine (Barrus Shire) & PRM 150 at 250 hrs.

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It's really very simple, when you change the engine oil change the gear box oil. If you don't change the engine oil when you should then don't change the gear box either and risk damaging them both.

 

But it isn't that simple. My LPWS4 recommends oils changes at 100 hrs while many others are 250. Surely the gearbox should have a standard interval regardless of engine type.

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I do my engine and PRM150 gearbox every 250 hours same as the others have said. But it's important to do the first service after 50 hours, then every 250 thereafter.

 

By the way, although I had a mechanical box on my first boat, it was on its last legs and never worked very well and it was a long time ago. So what have you found to be the main difference in performance? Less clunky?

 

 

But it isn't that simple. My LPWS4 recommends oils changes at 100 hrs while many others are 250. Surely the gearbox should have a standard interval regardless of engine type.

Yes, the standard interval for a PRM150 is 250 hours. However, some people say that if the boat never moves and those 250 hours accrue over years then the oil should be changed more frequently.

Edited by blackrose
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May I ask at what interval do people change the oil in their PRM150 gearboxes? Seems a bit vague in the user manual. Suggests "when engine oil is changed." That is every other day in a vetus! Would 250 hrs be reasonable? I assume 15/40 diesel engine oil is OK in UK? Must it be mineral oil?

Just fitted a PRM and am stunned at the difference after a mechanical box (Technodrive.)

Cheers.

 

Oil should be specified API CC or whatever superceeds that spec.

Edited by blackrose
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If you phone or email PRM Newage for advice about the oil for their hydraulic boxes, they will say "if the oil is fine for your engine, then it is fine for your gearbox.

 

So I would say anything like 10W-40 15W-40 20W-59, or monograde SAE 30 is perfectly OK, and any mineral oil, with the API specification being less important than in the engine, (gear boxes don't suffer bore glazing!)

 

The "when you change the engine oil" advice tjhough, is odd, as Martin points out. Obviously an engine that has oil changes specified at 100 hours does not wear the oil in the gearbox out any faster than one that specifies every 200 hours or more. Therefore you need to be a bit pragmatic on this point.

 

I would suggest that if the gearbox oil never does more than 250 hours, and is changed at least annually you will be fine. Obviously the volume is low enough that changing it every time you change engine oil will not substantially increase the cost. But unless you have easy ways of getting a container underneath and removing the drain plug, then its a bit of a faff, and doing it every 100 hours would seem excessive to me.

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Since I change my engine oil at about 150 hr intervals I've always done the g/box every other time. Missed it earlier this year so wound up doing it at about 400 hours. Examined the oil carefully visually and by touch (not very scientific I know). So far as I could see it was as good as the day it went in.

 

 

Frank

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>>but unless you have easy ways of getting a container underneath and removing the drain plug, then its a bit of a faff,<<

 

Get an empty 5li plastic oil bottle, cut a window high up in one flat face. Place the bottle flat on its back with the window under the gearbox drain plug. Empty gearbox. Lift the bottle out carefully turning it upright -- there isn't enough oil in it to reach the window.

Dispose of properly, and don't throw the window-bottle away!

A 2li or 4pt milk bottle works too.

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Get an empty 5li plastic oil bottle, cut a window high up in one flat face. Place the bottle flat on its back with the window under the gearbox drain plug. Empty gearbox. Lift the bottle out carefully turning it upright -- there isn't enough oil in it to reach the window.

Dispose of properly, and don't throw the window-bottle away!A 2li or 4pt milk bottle works too.

Yes, I use a cut out 4 pint milk bottle.

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Thanks peeps for your in depth and useful replies. Particularly like the draining idea and will remember this :)

 

In answer to Mike, and in general, the difference between the old Technodrive mechanical box and this new PRM is stunning. With the engine boards down, it is hard to tell that it has engaged gear! Should have done this years ago...

 

Full story of changing the box here if anybody is bored (bottom of page): http://destinynarrowboat.weebly.com/vetus.html

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So I would say anything like 10W-40 15W-40 20W-59, or monograde SAE 30 is perfectly OK, and any mineral oil, with the API specification being less important than in the engine, (gear boxes don't suffer bore glazing!)

 

Yes, I was only suggesting API CC as others had already recommended using the same oil for engine and gearbox.

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I used to use a large enough plastic sandwich box to drain the gearbox oil then press on the lid to lift from underneath.

That's not a bad idea either. I use the milk bottle thing, but there's only just room to get it back out; a sealed container such as you suggest might be the answer for a few folks.

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If you phone or email PRM Newage for advice about the oil for their hydraulic boxes, they will say "if the oil is fine for your engine, then it is fine for your gearbox.

 

So I would say anything like 10W-40 15W-40 20W-59, or monograde SAE 30 is perfectly OK, and any mineral oil, with the API specification being less important than in the engine, (gear boxes don't suffer bore glazing!)

 

The "when you change the engine oil" advice tjhough, is odd, as Martin points out. Obviously an engine that has oil changes specified at 100 hours does not wear the oil in the gearbox out any faster than one that specifies every 200 hours or more. Therefore you need to be a bit pragmatic on this point.

 

I would suggest that if the gearbox oil never does more than 250 hours, and is changed at least annually you will be fine. Obviously the volume is low enough that changing it every time you change engine oil will not substantially increase the cost. But unless you have easy ways of getting a container underneath and removing the drain plug, then its a bit of a faff, and doing it every 100 hours would seem excessive to me.

Alan talks about wearing the oil out, which I think is a bit of a misconception. Oil at 200 hours has (probably) got the same 'lubricity' and does the same job as new oil. What is different is the contaminants that it picks up and recirculates. In a gearbox the contaminants could only be bits of stripped cog through changing forward/reverse without counting to five. In an engine the contaminants could include shards (hence the filters) but also includes by-pass gases, emulsions etc. I've always understood that a sloppy engine passing gases quickly makes the oil acidic and the main reason for oil changes was to prevent internal corrosion. Perhaps someone should come up with a calibrated 'litmus' strip for testing the dipstick !!

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Since I change my engine oil at about 150 hr intervals I've always done the g/box every other time. Missed it earlier this year so wound up doing it at about 400 hours. Examined the oil carefully visually and by touch (not very scientific I know). So far as I could see it was as good as the day it went in.

 

 

Frank

That's why they say every time you change the oil so there is no danger of losing count and pushing the oil change to 300 or 450hrs.

As it's only a couple of litres it's not a big expense to change it a bit more often than needed.

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I've just checked my PRM 150 manual, it states the change period is every, 12 months or 250 hrs, at the same time as the engine. The Beta 43 manual states, the oil change for the g/box, 3 years or 750 hrs. I change my g/box oil every 2 years, as I average about 150 hrs per year.

 

10w-30 or 15w-40 API CD oil is required. I use the same in the engine as g/box, 15-w40.

 

If the g/box is new, then the first oil change is after 25hrs.

 

Hope that helps.

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